Monster Workshop Template

About the Monster Workshop Template

An illustrator lecturer at The Open Window, Nina Torr, created this template to loosen up her students before teaching her classes. The Monster Workshop Template helps students get active and creative, before interacting with one another. This icebreaker drawing exercise is also a great way to bring that in-person energy to the sessions, where everyone interacts and has fun.

What’s the Monster Workshop Template about?

The Monster Workshop Template helps get people creative without overwhelming them when working on the board. The template is intuitive and easy to use: it contains images representing monsters’ parts and working spaces for each participant to create their own monster. The participants can create their monsters by simply copying and pasting the images which the facilitator previously added.

Benefits of using the Monster Workshop Template

If you are teaching or running creative classes or workshops, getting your students or participants in ‘the flow’ is important. Nina Torr created a video where she explains how before the pandemic this exercise used to be on sketchbooks, but now with online tutoring, Miro is a great solution for getting people to be active, creative, and interacting with each other.

What’s great about the Monster Workshop Template is that it’s creative and simulates the classroom environment. In this virtual space, everyone works simultaneously in the same room, helping students feel less lonely and isolated, especially during the pandemic times.

How to use the Monster Workshop Template

The Monster Workshop Template is a great icebreaker drawing exercise. To start, select the template and invite everyone to work on your board.

1. Monster parts

The Monster Workshop Template contains many images that are monster parts, but if you’d like to add more, you’re welcome to do so. Simply click on the upload icon by the left toolbar. Miro supports many file formats; use the one that it’s easier for you.

2. Creating your monster

Now the fun starts! Ask people to create their monsters by copying and pasting the monster parts onto their designated blank working space. Allow them to be creative, and instruct briefly on how they can customize the images, rotate objects, and select and group them with Miro tools.

3. Collaboration Station

When everyone has finished their masterpieces, ask them to add their monsters to the collaboration station. At this moment, they can collaborate with each other by placing monsters in curious positions next to one another, and adding even more objects to everyone’s creations!

4. End on a positive note

Finalize this collaborative drawing game by thanking everyone, highlighting some of the monsters, and, if you have time, asking them to comment on their creations.

Pro tips when running this collaborative drawing game:

• Duplicate monster parts in case participants forget to copy and paste the images.

• Don’t forget to lock the board elements, so people can only move monster elements.

• And, if people are feeling inspired, ask them to create scenes together in the collaboration station space.

Are you looking for other collaborative drawing games?

There are many collaborative drawing games, including other drawing icebreakers in Miroverse. Check out the Drawing Together icebreaker where you get everyone to draw together, fostering collaboration, or the Draw Your Character exercise, perfect to turn your introductions into a more dynamic and fun moment.