We're having so much fun this week exploring how to convert and repurpose photos from our program that we thought we'd make a few colouring pages and templates! Image: Terri Bell
Being Creative: Crafting Community Coloring Pages with Digital Tools
You know, our community is absolutely brimming with creativity. We have so many talented artists who love to paint, and just as many children (and grown-ups!) who adore coloring. So, for one of our recent weekly activities as part of our summer program, we had a lightbulb moment: why don’t we learn how to make simple coloring book pages and templates from our own photos? It’s been a really fun and creative way to explore using digital tools to convert some of the hundreds of photos we’ve taken over the summer and make them even more useful for everyone.
The process has been fascinating! We’ve been using different software to take our colorful summer memories – from peaceful land scenes to bustling community gatherings – and transform them into clean, crisp line art. It’s a great way to understand image conversion and digital editing, turning something complex into something accessible and inspiring. We’ve even had requests from local artists interested in painting some of these wonderful photos, so we thought, why not make them into easy-to-use templates that everyone can enjoy? We really hope people enjoy using them to bring their own artistic vision to our shared summer experiences.
“One of the first steps to becoming a good digital artist is learning to see your photos in a new way,” said Jamie Bell, a Winnipeg-based interdisciplinary artist working with the community on the project. “This summer, artists and community members have been able to learn about photo editing, using digital tools to transform the photographs they collected over the summer into personal works of art.”
And the possibilities for these images go far beyond coloring books. We’ve been talking about all kinds of ways we can use them to celebrate our community. Imagine our summer memories transformed into personalized Christmas cards, placemats for our next community dinner, or even custom coasters. We’re learning that with a little digital know-how, the photos we take can become so much more than just a file on a hard drive, or a social media post—they can be the start of a tangible, creative project that everyone can enjoy and share.
“The goal of this year’s sessions and workshops are intended to serve as a bridge between classic photography and modern digital tools,” said Bell. “For some, it’s about just learning the basic principles of photo editing, from cropping and color correction to adding filters and effects to their work. For others, its stepping up using more advanced tools and techniques, being creative and enjoying fun art.”
Coloring and painting are incredibly popular, and for good reason. They’re relaxing, expressive, and a wonderful way to connect with an image on a deeper level. These templates are just another extension of our 2025 summer arts internship and mentorship program, allowing us to share our summer’s journey in an interactive way.
September Colouring Pages and Templates: Northwestern Ontario
Thank you!
We extend a huge thanks to The Arts Incubator Winnipeg Hub, the Ontario Arts Council Inter and Multi-Arts Projects program, Art Borups Corners and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design Creative Entrepreneurship program; their incredible support and encouragement made this year’s summer programming possible. Special thanks to Terri Bell, Maurice Betournay, Tanya McArthur, Gerry McArthur, Tony Eetak, Dr. Olaf Kuhlke, Jamie Bell and Krish Agrawal for helping us with everything! We really appreciate it!
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