The best websites for art teachers? Hard to find. Between grading, setup, and the inevitable ‘I don’t have any ideas’ student staring at a blank canvas, there isn’t a lot of time left to dig through the internet looking for inspiration.
Good news: you don’t have to. I’ve done the digging for you.
Whether you’re a new teacher building your curriculum from scratch or a veteran looking to shake things up, these are the websites, accounts, and channels I genuinely recommend. This list is a mix of blogs, Instagram accounts, YouTube channels, and free tools — all curated with high school art teachers in mind (though most are useful K–12).
Best Blogs for Art Teachers
The Art of Education University — theartofeducation.edu
This is the big one. AOEU is probably the most well-known professional development resource for art teachers, and for good reason. They publish regular articles on classroom management, curriculum, and art education trends — most of which are free. Beyond the blog, they offer graduate courses, a K–12 curriculum platform called FLEX, and a genuinely active community of art educators.
Why it’s worth bookmarking: The free articles alone are worth the visit, and the site covers high school specifically — not just an afterthought tucked behind elementary content.
Best for: Lesson planning, professional development, art ed news, high school curriculum.
Student Art Guide — studentartguide.com
Don’t let the student-facing name fool you — this site is just as useful for teachers. Student Art Guide is built around high school art qualifications (AP Studio Art, IB Art, GCSE, IGCSE, A Level), and it’s packed with project ideas, sketchbook examples, and teaching resources written by experienced art educators. It features outstanding student work from around the world alongside practical guidance on how to get students there.
Why it’s worth bookmarking: It’s one of the few sites that focuses almost exclusively on high school-level art. Their resources have been shared over a million times on social media and are recommended by schools globally.
Best for: AP Studio Art, IB Art, project ideas, student examples to share in class.
The Arty Teacher — theartyteacher.com
Run by UK high school art teacher Sarah Crowther, The Arty Teacher is a resource-heavy site with downloadable lesson plans, worksheets, and ideas designed to save teachers time. You can download three resources per month for free with a free account. The content leans toward secondary/high school art and design, and Sarah shares her process and expertise in a way that’s practical and easy to use.
Why it’s worth bookmarking: The resources are ready to use, not just inspiration. Great for those weeks when you need something ready to go fast.
Best for: Downloadable resources, drawing lessons, sketchbook ideas.
Davis Art Blog — davisart.com
Davis Publications has been in the art education world for decades, and their blog reflects that depth. Their high school category covers everything from sketchbook-based courses to 3D printing in the art room, written by teachers who are actually in the classroom. It’s less flashy than some other sites, but the content is thoughtful and grounded in real teaching experience.
Why it’s worth bookmarking: Real teachers writing real classroom stories — not just curated Pinterest content dressed up as lesson plans.
Best for: High school projects, art integration, contemporary approaches to teaching.
The Cozy Art Teacher — thecozyartteacher.com
A blog run by a 15+ year veteran who teaches mostly middle and high school. The content is personal, practical, and updated consistently. You’ll find lesson ideas, classroom management tips, and honest reflections on art teaching that feel less like a corporate resource hub and more like a colleague sharing what actually works. Great for back-to-school content and end-of-year ideas.
Why it’s worth bookmarking: It’s warm, relatable, and very usable. Good candidate for a link swap if you’re building your backlink profile.
Best for: Classroom tips, middle/high school projects, approachable lesson ideas.
The Best Instagram Accounts for Art Teachers
@theartofed — The Art of Education University
79K+ followers. A mix of free resources, teaching tips, classroom inspiration, and professional development content. Consistent, high-quality posts that are actually useful — not just aesthetic.
@wahs_art — Dr. Andrea McDonough
A high school art department account run by a department chair in Pennsylvania. Think real student work, community connection, and what a thriving high school art program actually looks like in practice. Refreshingly authentic.
@karenkiickart — Karen Kiick
NJ high school ceramics and metals teacher. If you want to expand or improve your 3D/ceramics curriculum, this feed is a goldmine. Thrown mugs, slab pots, hand-built work — the kind of content that makes you want to fire up the kiln.
@art.teacher.mcr — Art Teacher MCR
A Manchester-based Head of Art Department with a Master’s in Education sharing lesson plans, schemes of work, and classroom resources for art teachers. If you appreciate content from someone who clearly knows their stuff from the inside out — not just pretty student work, but actual curriculum-level thinking — this is a great follow. Especially useful if you teach drawing fundamentals or want ideas for structured projects.
The Best YouTube Channels for Art Teachers
The Art of Education University on YouTube
A well-maintained channel with tutorials, classroom tips, and professional development content. Good for quick how-tos and staying up to date on what the art ed community is talking about.
Stan Prokopenko’s channel is widely regarded as one of the best free resources for figure drawing and anatomy on the internet. Detailed, funny, and genuinely educational. If your students are working on portraiture, figure work, or anatomy, this is the channel to point them toward.
If you have students working on realism — colored pencil, graphite, or watercolor pencil — this is a channel worth bookmarking to share with them. Gemma is a UK-based self-taught artist and drawing tutor who has been creating step-by-step tutorials since 2020. Her videos are structured and easy to follow, with narrated technique explanations followed by real-time silent drawing so students can work along at their own pace. Animal portraits, still life, and people are her sweet spots. A great quiet work day resource.
Bonus: Free Tools Built for the Art Classroom
Art Teacher Tools — artteachertools.com
Full transparency: this is my own site, so take that for what it is. But the tools here were built specifically for art class, by an art teacher — no login required, no student data collected, and completely free to use. Currently available:
Photo Grid Generator — Turn any reference photo into a proportional grid for grid drawing exercises
SimplDraw — A pressure-sensitive browser-based drawing tool that works on Chromebooks
Light Simulator — An interactive lighting tool for practicing shading and understanding light direction
Scribble Rush! — A drawing game for art class (think Pictionary, but built for the classroom)
More tools are in the works. If you use any of them with your students and want to swap links or collaborate, reach out — I’d love to connect with other art teachers building things online.
Why List these Sites As the Best Websites for Art Teachers?
I picked these sites based on a few criteria: they’re actively maintained, they have real value for high school art teachers specifically, and they’re the kinds of resources I’d actually use in my own classroom. None of these are paid placements.
If you run an art teacher blog or resource site and think you’d be a good fit for this list, feel free to reach out. I’m always open to connecting with other educators building things that help art teachers do their jobs better.
Have a favorite art teacher resource that didn’t make the list? Drop it in the comments — I’d love to check it out.
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