Free Art and Programming Software That Your Child May be Interested In

by Chidi Ohia, Contributing Author

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Is your child interested in drawing, graphic design, sculpting, or writing code? Would you want to nourish these interests without having to break the bank? Here are some free art programs and helpful tutorials on how to use them!

Opensource: denoting software for which the original source code is made freely available and may be redistributed and modified.

Scratch

Ages: 8+

Scratch is a visual programming language with a user interface that is designed to be child friendly. It can be used to make stories, games and animations, and it’s a prefect tool to foster your child’s interest in computers and tech.

Beginner tutorial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-nW4jvzRr8

Krita

Ages: 10+

Krita is a free and open-source drawing and painting software made by artist that want to see affordable art tools for everyone. If your child shows any interest in painting, drawing or comic books, this could be used by them to make their own.

Beginner Tutorial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv7Tu-cOzPw

GIMP

Ages: 12+

GIMP is a free and open-source image manipulation tool that is perfect for creating posters, editing photos, and all-purpose graphic design.

Beginner Tutorial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wDDqs95TKY&list=PLqazFFzUAPc4vITMJaF3Fnqh3pccSMnC4

Blender

Ages: 14+

Blender is a free and open-source 3D sculpting and modeling software that can be used to make animated movies, assets for video games, special effects, 3d printing, and much more.

Beginner Tutorial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0J27sf9N1Y&list=PLjEaoINr3zgEPv5y--4MKpciLaoQYZB1Z