Creativity takes bravery.
Not every project needs to be amazing. A baby's first steps are messy. A first stab at cooking might taste less than appetizing. But, much is learned in the process of creating. Real growth, learning, and success stand on the mountainous land-fill of "not quite right".
One of my goals is to create classroom projects where the predictable elements are limited. Below are some examples of assignments meant to stretch artistic risk and flexibility.
Here, students were challenged to create a picture-story from a nondescript watercolor blob. Their creations were wonderfully imaginative.
In the Tri-fold creature challenge, students had to pass their work off into the hands of two classmates. When the artwork was returned, the original artist no longer had a picture that matched their original idea. They were able to add details and color, but could not erase what their peers had added. Some were frustrated. Others thought the results were hilarious. Either way, they had to work with what they were given to created a final product.
Step 1: Child 1 draws the core of an animal, person, etc.
Step 2: Child 2 adds on without seeing 1st section.
Step 3: Child 3 adds head without seeing previous.
To create the symmetrical tiger, students put splashes of color, one color at a time, on the right side of the paper. The two sides were folded up and squished together to reveal a mirror image of color.
This process is wonderful for teaching kids to create by mass and not just line. It also forces a freedom from squeezing the pencil tightly and trying to draw a perfectly recognizable image.
The image on the left is from class. The image on the right was recreated at home to show the layering process.
Final product: Mirror image painting with white pencil
