WHAT WE ARE DOING

WHY WE ARE DOING IT

Creating artworks with everyday objects

To explore creativity through experimentation with mediums.

ACTIVITY MATERIALS

Cardboard

Colored Acetate

Bristol Papers

Zip-ties

Straws

Metal Ruler

Pencil

Markers

Cutting Blade

Masking Tape

Hot Glue Gun

String

Brads

Popsicles & wooden skewers

Everyday objects

Ink & paints (and brushes)

ACTIVITY PROMPT

؜

For example

1. A swinging motion that can be used to drip or drag paint
2. Rotating Arm – A spinning part that can draw circles or spirals (e.g., like a spirograph or spinning marker).
3. Crank and Arm – A hand-turned crank that moves a pen back and forth (like an old sewing machine).
4. Sliding Track – A pen that moves in a straight line using a guided track (e.g., like a plotter).
5. Scissor Linkage (Expanding Arm) – A mechanism that opens and closes, pushing a pen in and out.

In pairs, review the examples of different art styles on the next slides and choose one style that you want to explore.

Test your objects on paper to see what kind of textures, lines, or patterns they make.

1st

Collect a variety of everyday objects (like string, cardboard, sponges, or bottle caps) that you can use to recreate the chosen art style .The goal is to experiment with these objects to see how you can “hack” or transform them to create marks, textures, and patterns inspired by your chosen art style. You will be working on large sheets of paper.

2nd

3rd

Here are some artist for inspiration:

1. Piet Mondrian – grids and straight lines
2. Jackson Pollock – splashes and drips
3. Yayoi Kusama – dots everywhere
4. Wassily Kandinsky – colorful abstract shapes
5. Bridget Riley – optical patterns / lines
6. Georges Seurat – pointillism / dots
7. Robert Rauschenberg – layered textures / mixed media
8. Victor Vasarely – geometric patterns
9. Mark Rothko - soft-edged blocks of color stacked

Robert Rauschenberg

Piet Mondrian

؜Yayoi Kusama

؜Mark Rothko

Bridget Riley

Georges Seurat

Printmaking Technique with potatoes

Splattered Ink

Rolling / Imprinting Roll objects through paint to make repeating patterns or textures.

Objects to try: toy cars, rolling pins, cans, textured tubes.

More Techniques

Cotton buds

Scrubber

Rubber Bands

Test your objects on paper to see what kind of textures, lines, or patterns they make. Take a photo and upload your work!

3rd