This gifted art teacher spends hours drawing intricate portraits on her classroom whiteboard – to inspire her students.
DeAnna Morgan, 28, creates marker pen masterpieces depicting superstar celebs, historical figures and dinosaurs, which she says help her connect with the kids.
The talented teacher gets her creative juices flowing with her morning coffee and starts work on the drawings between first and second period.
Since beginning the project in September 2016, DeAnna has drawn approximately 310 pictures, painstakingly poring over the most detailed ones for up to an hour.
She pairs each artwork with a thought-provoking question to get the 200 kids who pass through her doors each week to express themselves.
The educator, who teaches students between the 9th and 12th grades at Paola High School in Kansas, said some of the paintings are so elaborate it pains her to erase them.
But she posts photos of the drawings on Instagram and says her account has become a positive platform for both her students and strangers around the world.
The mom-of-three said: “I had an amazing art teacher in high school who really inspired me, she really connected with the kids.
“That’s what I try to do, but in a modern way.
“In the morning I sit down with my coffee before class starts and I come up with an idea for the board.
“Usually I try and spin my question based on the day’s letter, like Feminine Friday, Teamwork Tuesday, Tolerance Thursday.
“I try and base them on characters and ideas I know will interest my students, or focus my drawings on current events.”
While most of DeAnna’s paintings take about 15 minutes to complete some, including a detailed portrait of Macklemore and an intricate drawing of a velociraptor, take up to an hour.
DeAnna said: “Most of the time it takes about 15 minutes. I do them in between my first and second class.”
“Some of the drawings have connected with the kids a lot more than others.
“For example, on the last day before summer vacation, I drew a sundial and they loved that, or I drew a portrait of Macklemore which they loved.
“That one took me forever, it hurt me to have to erase it the next day. I also did one of a velociraptor that took me over an hour.
“I share all of my drawings on social media.
“So many teachers think social media is bad but I’m happy to be using it in a positive way and I think it does allow me to connect with them better.”
Surprisingly, the teacher has only gone through two dozen markers since beginning the project.
“I don’t go too many markers. I think I’ve only thrown out about 23.
“I have figured out a method that if you turn them and store them upside down they last a lot longer,” she said.
Follow DeAnna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrsdrmorgan/
