by Lynn Murphy

Created on: June 20, 2008   Last Updated: August 06, 2010

Creating fun art projects that are also educationally sound is what I do for a living. I am a middle school art teacher and I spend most of my day trying to inspire thirteen and fourteen years olds to become budding Picassos.
With that in mind, here are some ideas for art projects that may capture the teenage imagination and inspire artwork.

1. Yarn "painting." Inspired by the work of the Huichol Indians, this is an interesting project because it does not require fantastic drawing ability, nor are they required to color, which for some reason, teenagers seem to have an aversion to. (Don't ask why, they just do.)

All that is needed is a 12" x 12" square of black paper, which is the traditional size, several skeins of multicolored yarn, a white colored pencil or crayon, and some pictures of the actual artwork, easily available on the internet, some scissors and glue. Sketch the desired design in the white pencil, then using glue, fill an area and "paint" by laying the yarn down and filling the space with it. This is best done by using a circular motion. Leave some black background showing through between objects, but not too much, just enough to set off the bright colors of the yarn. The result is an artwork with texture.

2. Altered books. This has become a fad among people who used to scrapbook, but it is a good project for teens as well. It is a project that can be worked on for a long period of time and can evolve. The object is to start with an old hardcover book. The subject matter matters very little. The first step is to collect collage objects to use throughout the book and to make the cover. This can be anything that appeals to the artist, from photos, to die cuts, to found objects such as leaves, buttons, magazine cutouts, and so on. It can become a scrapbook of sorts, depending on what the artist wants it to be.

Design a cover, then use the inside of the book as sketchbook or diary. There is something unusually delightful about breaking the rules and drawing on the pages of the book. Any medium can be used, watercolor, acrylic, collage, pastel, etc. Be aware that it will take a while to complete. The results however will be worth the energy.

3. Clay jewelry. Sculpey brand clay is a fun medium to work with and relatively inexpensive. Cut off a slab of the clay and start having fun. Add texture by impressing objects into the clay. Make a design or object of your choice. For necklaces, punch a hole at the top. Then bake in the oven or toaster oven at

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