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10+ Places to Get French Directed Drawings

I often hear French Teachers complain that there's so much fun stuff available in English. Why can't there be fun stuff in French too? Well, there is. You just need to know how to locate it! So go ahead and save this blog post right now wherever you keep track of your best teaching ideas, then finish reading what I have to say below. I want to share about a dozen or more sources of French Directed Drawing activities with you!


What’s a directed drawing?

If you haven't heard of a Directed Drawing before, let me explain. It's basically a Drawing Tutorial, typically a video, but it can be written and drawn out on printed paper as well. It shows you how to complete a specific drawing, often a simple line drawing. They're quite popular with students and can help boost confidence with the "I just can't draw" crowd. 

When would I use one?

There are lots of times that Directed Drawings can come in handy. Here are a few ideas. 

Art Class

Obviously, you wouldn't want your entire Art Program to just be Directed Drawings, but having a few videos in mind can come in handy when there's a single period in between other major undertakings. Whether you're a Core French Teacher or a French Immersion Visual Art Teacher, these video tutorials can also be a real saving grace when you need a day off school, but you don't expect the supply teacher to speak any French. This is a great way to incorporate some French, but keep things manageable.

Fast Finishers

You know those kids who are always the first ones done? They've completed not just this class's work, but everything else that you can think of to ask them to finish too? Well, plugging in some headphones and following a Directed Drawing video is a perfect way to give them something fun yet productive to do.   

Fun Theme-Related Activity

Whether you're learning about animals in a Biodiversity or Environmental unit, or reading a Manga, you can probably find a related Directed Drawing to lighten the mood a bit, let's say on a Friday afternoon, while your class is in the midst of doing some real work. You could also include a French Directed Drawing to connect to any thematic unit or themed day that comes up at school. 

Mindfulness

Sometimes, kids just need a thinking break. Directed Drawings aren't the same as just going outside to play soccer, but they can fit the bill if the class just needs a lighter activity so that everyone can tune in to their own feelings a little bit more.   

Where can I find them? 

I've done some of the leg work so that you don't have to! Here are 11 sources of Directed Drawings in French that you can access for your class. These are roughly sorted from simplest to most challenging, so they can work for a variety of levels, from beginner French Immersion to intermediate level classes. I've linked the names and the examples specifically mentioned below. 

All of these videos include French audio. You can try the subtitle option if you wish, but I didn't check - I suspect many of them are auto-generated, which isn't always accurate.

1. Maîtresse Lucie on YouTube has some simple ones.  Search for "dessin dirigé" amongst her videos.

2. Classe de Florent - Search on YouTube for "dessin dessiner classe de florent" to find at least 15 videos, including an elephant and a mouse. 


4. In Didou, dessine-moi, the character Didou draws something and then a directed drawing follows. Be prepared to do a bit of hunting within the video to locate the best starting point, if you choose not to watch the whole episode with your students. Here's an example: Within this video, Didou draws a sea lion, a kangaroo, and a race car, amongst other things.

5. La classe de Madame Angel - This lovely Ontario French Immersion teacher has a freebie in her store for a directed drawing. 

6. MaîtreLucas - Also has print versions of Directed Drawings for the younger set.

7. Go to YouTube & search for Dessinatruc to get the relevant episodes from Zone Jeunesse. This is where the tutorials start to get a bit more complicated.

8. Dessin Facile's shorts on YouTube might not be to everyone's taste, so be sure to check in advance. I noticed a dog leaving behind a little steaming pile that not everyone would consider classroom appropriate. 

9. Edarya has more advanced tutorials that your junior-intermediate students will enjoy.

10. TutoDraw is another channel on the more advanced side. 

11. Apprendre Dessiner is another channel for more advanced artists.

BONUS


If there wasn't already enough variety there for you, here are 11 more YouTube channels that offer free language-less videos. They may have an intro in text in some language, but there's no voiceover to follow, just someone drawing to follow along. 

On top of that, if you'd like to do further research on your own, I suggest using the following search terms: "dessin par étapes," "tutoriel" or "tuto" and even "apprendre à dessiner" to see what you come up with!

If you're looking for other French Listening Centre ideas, then check out this post.

Happy Drawing!