What kid doesn’t love things that go “splat?” There are lots of fine traditions that could be categorized as “splat art”—blowing paint through a straw, bouncing paint with a ball, stomping paint on paper, throwing paint from bushes or shooting it with squirt guns. Each of these has the potential to be wonderful messy creative fun.
But this week I discovered another version of splat art—not necessarily messy but with lots of potential for creative thinking. Andrew Pinder’s book Splat Art is subtitled, “Blops and Dribbles In Need of Your Scribbles.” It is full of images designed to inspire art—blogs of paint, images of burnt paper, and photographs of bits of bark, paper, fruit—you name it. 
Envision a picture of a huge falling rock with a character in the corner calling out “Look out below!” It cries out for a picture of the scene under the rock. A cardboard planet needs inhabitants and fruit characters are ready for dialog, and companions. A big blue blob is transformed by a Klutz Co. blogger into a smiling whale.
The book itself is fun, but it would be even more exciting to create a book of your own. Think about how children could compile images that spark problem finding in art. It provides both an exercise in flexible thinking, but also a sneak peek into the ways some artists view the objects around them.
Imagine students (or family members) working together to create their own Splat Art book, collecting images that could be used to inspire other young artists. It could be done by making a physical book, or as a fine introduction to digital art. Students could scan objects, select photos or draw digital images, and use them to create art problems for others to solve. While printing multiple colored copies could be cost prohibitive, perhaps your art book could be uploaded to the school website (or a local company subsidize its publication!) Of course I’d also be delighted to share your images here.
What prompt should I put on my first button scan?
creativiteach 