SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A Hawthorne Elementary School teacher is finding unique ways to help her students become better artists.

When Hawthorne Elementary art teacher Kathy Dang first saw collaboration pieces made by South Dakota artists Tom Dempster and Molly Noem Fulton, she knew she wanted her fourth-grade students to give it a shot.

“How perfect that we had two South Dakota artists that did this amazing collaboration to be inspired by in the first place? So it was really cool, and the great thing about being an art teacher is you can get that spark and idea of creativity almost anywhere,” Dang said.

The artwork combines photography and watercolor.

“I printed the pictures in black and white, and then they got to add that watercolor detail over the top,” Dang said.

The big plan for Falls Park

To help her students pull off the project, Dang received a $1,900 grant.

“I’m so grateful for the ed foundation and all that they do to support teachers. This is not a normal project that I would normally execute or be able to afford with just my regular yearly supply order,” Dang said.

The project introduced a lot of the students to something they had never done before.

“I learned how to take pictures on the camera because I used to not be the best photographer,” fourth-grade student Violet O’Conner said.

“It’s been cool because almost every student has said, ‘I’ve never taken a picture with a camera before because everybody just takes pictures with phones,'” Dang said.

The students also got to spend some time outside.

“It was fun to get a little bit of fresh air,” O’Conner said.

“Just having fun. Like taking pictures and hanging out with my friends,” fourth-grader Lane Wikner said.

And they learned some lessons along the way.

“I learned not everything can be perfect, but if you try hard, you will get better at stuff,” O’Conner said.

The grant that Dang received helped pay for enough digital cameras for the students to pair up and take pictures together.