Simply Complex

It's all too easy to cause students to shut down in the face of processes or projects that are too difficult and complex. Likewise, projects and processes that are too easy or predictable will quickly bore your students. Tissue and white glue thinned with water: simple materials, complex possibilities, simply beautiful!
Present your students with a Big Idea or Guiding Question. Here we explored a very open ended theme of Outside/Inside and talked about foreground and background. The process of brushing white glue over colorful tissue, allowing wrinkles and folds to occur can be mastered by very young artists. Older students can build up surprisingly complex compositions. Artists of any age enjoy the simplicity of the process and the beautiful results.

Another year, another semester, we explored the underground railroad and chose a wonderful picture book and song, Follow the Drinking Gourd. Students worked in small groups to produce illustrations for different sections of the song.
Students, especially middle school aged, will often find greater pleasure in working with others on a project. This relieves the pressure of perceived talent or lack there of inherent in the art making process. It frees the artist to simply enjoy the materials and the process. For those students who feel strongly about creating their own works of art, independent work is always an option!