LUCY Drawing Tool in the Classroom: Revolutionizing Art Education

Placing a 19th-century student into a modern classroom filled with computers, projectors, and TV screens would leave them astonished. However, some 19th-century devices could equally astonish us if introduced today. Consider the camera lucida, which creates vivid, hologram-like images for precise sketching. Despite the prevalence of electronic imagery, the device's ability to create vibrant images without electricity remains truly magical. The LUCY Drawing Tool captures this same magic while making it more accessible and useful than ever.

For 15 years, the LUCY has gained popularity as a drawing aid globally, with many schools and museums, including the National Museum of France and Duke University, adopting it. Yet, its use as a learning tool in classrooms is only beginning. Given its impressive teaching capabilities, this trend is expected to continue.

 When a classroom uses the LUCY, drawing tool students get a glimpse into the past. They get to experience art history and sample what life was like before everything was electric. But the LUCY goes beyond just glimpsing the past, but also unlocking the artist within each of us. Elementary schools like Twelve Bridges in Lincoln, California, and Acreage Pines in Loxahatchee, FL are equipping entire classrooms with LUCY Drawing Tools and the results are amazing.

 On Instagram, Ms. Tara of Twelve Bridges Elementary shared her enthusiasm about a unique classroom project, stating, “The Candy Shoe Ad project has been floating around for a bit here on social media but most classes just print out shoes for the kids to color and design. With the help of these LUCY drawing cameras, the 5th grade students are able to draw their own shoes to scale and they LOVE it! Building confidence and teaching them to draw what they see.”

 With the aid of the LUCY, what could have been just a fun craft project became an observational drawing lesson. The LUCY teaches drawing visually, engaging students without them even realizing it. It enhances hand-eye coordination, demonstrating perspective and foreshortening, and enables students to transform three-dimensional objects into two-dimensional sketches, allowing them to draw what they see. This approach leads to immediate success and fosters long-term growth in art.

For beginner drawing classes especially, the LUCY makes it easier for students of all skill levels to enhance their art with a hands-on approach to learning and improving. It provides immediate success and boosts student confidence while they learn fundamental principles of drawing. For advanced learners, the LUCY, paired with our innovative LUCY Drawing Course, leads students through a series of simple exercises inspired by proven teaching methods. This process helps students transition from relying on the drawing aid to drawing freehand.

 At DrawLUCY, we've always been aware of the educational value of the LUCY Drawing Tool. Many educators in schools, universities, and museum workshops have also recognized its potential, even though we haven't actively marketed it as such. Now, we're changing our approach. That's why we attended the National Art Education Association (NAEA) show in Minneapolis. Here is a video showing some of the reaction to the LUCY: