A series of beginner-friendly creative coding workshops for people without any coding experience.
[ Watch recordings on YouTube | View code examples in p5.js Web Editor ]
In early 2022, I was invited by organizers of Sikka Art and Design Festival, an annual event housed in Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood in Dubai, to teach workshops at the event. I decided to offer two introductory creative coding workshops that teach participants how to use p5.js, a creative coding framework that focuses on making code accessible and inclusive. These workshops were very successful, with participants ranging from professionals to elementary school students and stay-at-home moms. I was very touched by the enthusiasm of the participants, which inspired me to continue offering similar workshops at other events for free.
Most recently, I offered this series at DigitalFUTURES 2023 and ITP Camp 2024. Here is a list of workshops in this series:
![](/media/teaching/creative-coding-for-absolute-beginners/20230612-creative-coding-workshop-1-preview-colorful-circles-moving-in-a-circle-512x512@15fps.gif) |
![](/media/teaching/creative-coding-for-absolute-beginners/20230612-creative-coding-workshop-2-preview-repetitive-circles-forming-lissajous-512x512@15fps.gif) |
Workshop #1: Let’s Start Sketching |
Workshop #2: Repeat, Repeat, and Repeat |
This workshop provides an overview of creative coding and helps participants get started with sketching using p5.js. |
This workshop shows how repetition can be used to create mesmerizing patterns and seamless transitions. |
![](/media/teaching/creative-coding-for-absolute-beginners/20230612-creative-coding-workshop-3-preview-blob-with-noise-512x512@15fps.gif) |
![](/media/teaching/creative-coding-for-absolute-beginners/20230612-creative-coding-workshop-4-preview-colorful-particles-with-rectangular-boundary-512x512@15fps.gif) |
Workshop #3: Beauty of Noises |
Workshop #4: Object-Oriented Creativity |
This workshop introduces Perlin noise, an algorithm that helps to make sketches appear more organic and natural. |
This workshop introduces object-oriented programming and how it can be used to create interactive sketches. |
![](/media/teaching/creative-coding-for-absolute-beginners/20230612-creative-coding-workshop-5-preview-pixelated-reflection-512x512@15fps.gif) |
![](/media/teaching/creative-coding-for-absolute-beginners/20240626-creative-coding-workshop-6-preview-ml5-facemesh-googly-eyes-512x512@15fps.gif) |
Workshop #5: Virtual Reflections |
Workshop #6: Friendly Machine Learning |
This workshop shows how a webcam can be incorporated to create sketches that reflect images like a mirror. |
This workshop demonstrates how to create sketches that respond to body movements using pre-trained machine learning models in ml5.js. |
You can watch recordings of this workshop series on YouTube or view code examples in p5.js Web Editor.