Photo credit: Tricia J. via Flickr
Learning Objectives:
- Creativity, Imagination, Art, Interpersonal skills, and self-reflection
Materials:
- White or light-colored art or construction paper
- Colored ink or tempera paints
- Paper and pencil
- Art supplies
Tools:
- Your creativity and imagination
Steps:
- Cover yourself and your workspace to avoid paint disasters.
- Fold the paper in half hamburger style.
- Open it back up.
- Pour, dab, or dribble paint or ink onto one side of the paper. Don’t get too carried away or you won’t get a good image. Start with just one color per picture, then use multiple colors for different effects.
- Fold the other half over the painted side and smoosh it close together.
- Carefully open the paper up to reveal your inkblot design.
- Lay it out to dry and make some more.
- Number each of your creations and display them in order.
- You, whoever is doing the activity with you, and/or anyone you can convince to participate, should look at each picture and write down the first thing you think it looks like.
- Compare answers. See how differently everyone sees and thinks. If people don’t “get” what someone else saw, explain. Look for any similarities. Did several people see the same thing? Did one person see all animals? Or Flowers? Or Faces? Have fun “analyzing” each other’s responses.
- Everyone pick a favorite and make a list of everything it could be.
- Using other art supplies, embellish one of the inkblots to make it into a possible object within a scene (like a butterfly in a meadow or a frog in a pond).
- Write a story to go with your picture.
- With parental permission and oversight, look up klecksography and Rorschach inkblots and see what you discover.