SURPRISE SUPPLIES! - Art Throwdown
SEASON 7 | PROJECT 6/50 | 05.04.26
MODULE: Challenge | GRADE LEVELS: TK - 6 | DURATION: 1 Hour
PROJECT VIDEO
Video Editing by Jorge Davies, Graphics by Melissa Sabol
OVERVIEW
Get ready for the ultimate creative challenge: Surprise Supplies: Art Throwdown!
Students will create a unique work of art using a set of mystery materials while testing their skills, ideas, and creative problem-solving along the way.
There are no step-by-step instructions and no “perfect” examples to copy. Instead, students will use everything they’ve learned this year, including techniques, materials, and creative thinking, to turn random materials into something meaningful, surprising, and completely their own.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
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Creativity Through Limitations – Less can lead to more. With limited supplies, students learn to be resourceful, inventive, and open to new ideas.
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Use Skills in New Ways – Line, shape, color, texture, and composition come back into play—used in unexpected ways to explore balance, contrast, and space.
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Creative Problem-Solving – Students think on their feet, making quick decisions as they transform everyday materials into something new.
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Embrace Resourcefulness – With limited supplies, students discover how constraints can spark innovation and new ideas.
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Build Confidence – There’s no single “right” answer. Students learn to trust their ideas and take creative risks.
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Find Their Voice – Through their choices—materials, meaning, and style—students create work that reflects who they are.
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Process Over Perfection – This is about experimenting, trying, and discovering. Not perfect—just bold, curious, and in motion.
RULES & MATERIALS
MISSION
Use your mystery materials and imagination to create a unique artwork, whether it’s a sculpture, collage, drawing, or something completely unexpected.
RULES
Use at least three items from the “mystery supplies.” You may use additional tools and materials from the Supply Station to support your creative vision.
OPTIONAL TIME CHALLENGE
Want to make it even more exciting? Set a timer and give yourself a creative sprint. Try creating your artwork in 25–30 minutes to simulate a real-time art challenge.
MYSTERY MATERIALS:
Each student will receive three surprise materials. Examples of materials you might find include cardboard, foil, wire, fabric squares, corks, etc. These unexpected combinations are meant to inspire creativity and push you to think outside the box.
SUPPLY STATION:
In addition to your Mystery Materials, you’ll have access to a Supply Station filled with basic art tools. Use these supplies to glue or attach materials, cut or remove parts, or add color, pattern, and line to your artwork. These supplies and tools could include scissors, hole-punches, staples, and glue.
TIPS & TRICKS
FIVE GUIDING PRINCIPALS
As you work, think about at least one of these:
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Color Limitation - Use only 2 to 3 colors to create a stronger, more focused artwork.
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Repetition and Pattern - Repeat a shape, material, or action to build rhythm and unity.
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Balance and Composition - Think about placement. Where things go matters.
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Dimensionality - Do not keep it flat. Build up, layer, stack, or hang.
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Focal Point - What is the most important part? Make it stand out.
FEATURED ARTIST
This project’s featured artist is… YOU!
You’ve been cutting, sculpting, painting, layering—creating!—all year long, and now it’s time to celebrate everything you’ve accomplished. This project is a reflection of your thoughts, feelings, ideas, and inspirations.
Remember: what you make doesn’t always have to “matter” in the traditional sense. What matters is that you are making something. That’s powerful. So keep creating—you never know what might come from it!
EXAMPLES
Here are a few examples our teaching artists created during their Art Throwdown. Take a look to see which art fundamentals and concepts they explored, and how they connected materials and techniques from past projects in their work.
Mystery Bag Materials
ABSTRACT SCULPTURE
This abstract paper sculpture explores form and texture through an inventive mix of materials. Built in three dimensions, it uses glue sticks to apply delicate foil and staples to fasten sturdier elements like fencing, creating contrast between fragile and tough surfaces. The layered materials and construction techniques suggest a spirit of experimentation, allowing chance and imperfection to play a role in the final composition. Though it doesn’t represent anything from real life, the sculpture invites viewers to consider how shape, texture, and material come together to create feeling and movement in space.
Past Projects:
S6 P2/40 Folded Figures, Paper Sculpture
S6 P4/45 Wabi-Sabi Mash Up: Monoprint Collage
Mystery Bag Materials:
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Color Paper
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Ruled Paper
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Plastic Fencing
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Aluminum Foil
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Glue Stick
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Staples
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Markers
Mystery Bag Materials
2D TO 3D REPRESENTATIONAL COLLAGE
This artist was given a mystery bag similar to the one pictured above—but look how different the results are! This representational artwork pushes the boundaries of space, with imagery that seems to lift off the surface and float beyond the page. By incorporating aluminum foil, the artist adds texture and form that catch and reflect light, bringing movement and dimension to the piece. Though it begins as a two-dimensional drawing, parts extend outward, transforming the flat space into something three-dimensional, dynamic, and alive.
Past Projects:
S6 P4/45 Wabi-Sabi Mash Up: Monoprint Collage
S3 P5/22 Playful Shapes Abstract Collage
Mystery Bag Materials:
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Color Paper
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Ruled Paper
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Cardboard
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Fabric
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Plastic Fencing
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Aluminum Foil
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Gel Glue
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Scissors
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Markers
Mystery Bag Materials
BLIND CONTOUR TEXTILE DRAWING
This artwork began with a blind contour drawing, where the artist kept their eyes on the subject—not the page—as they traced its outlines in pencil. The loose, expressive lines were then brought to life with yarn, adding texture and emphasizing the movement of each mark. Colorful paper shapes were collaged onto the eyes and mouth, layering shape and color into the composition. Though the work stays within two dimensions, the materials give it a tactile energy. By combining drawing with fiber and collage, the artist experiments with line and form in a playful, expressive way.
Past Projects:
S2 P1/13 DON’T PEEK Blind Contour Drawing
S3 P5/22 Playful Shapes Abstract Collage
Mystery Bag Materials:
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White Paper
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Origami Paper
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Yarn
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Pencil
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Glue Stick
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Scissors
Mystery Bag Materials
WEARABLE MASK
This wearable mask sculpture is built from layers of shape, texture, and color. Starting with a base made from a foam sheet, the artist layered vibrant fabric pieces to create rich visual detail. A cork placed at the center adds both texture and depth, drawing the eye inward. The materials come together in a collage of color and form, blending soft and rough surfaces into one expressive piece. With yarn tied at the sides, the mask transforms from an artwork into an object that can be worn, expanding into three dimensions and inviting playful interaction.
Past Projects:
S3 P5/22 Playful Shapes Abstract Collage
Mystery Bag Materials:
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Foam Sheets
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Fabric
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Yarn
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Cork
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Glue Stick
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Scissors
Mystery Bag Materials
KINETIC ABSTRACT COLLAGE
This abstract collage explores balance and composition through a playful mix of materials. The artist placed cork and foil circles in a grid-like pattern on a square base, creating a rhythmic arrangement of shapes and textures. The repetition and symmetry give the piece a sense of order, while the addition of yarn and cotton swabs at the bottom introduces contrast and movement. The dangling cotton swabs create a subtle kinetic element, adding movement and activating the space beyond the surface of the collage. These unexpected elements break the grid just enough to make the composition feel lively and intentional.
Past Projects:
S3 P6/23 Marble Maze: Recycled Art
P6 P3/41 Wind & Wire, Kinetic Sculpture
Mystery Bag Materials:
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Aluminum Foil
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Cardboard
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Origami Paper
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Cotton Swabs
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Yarn
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Cork
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Scissors
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Paper Punch
VOCABULARY
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2D / 2-dimensional: a flat shape or figure that has length and height but no width, like a piece of paper.
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3D / 3-dimensional: a shape or figure that has length, height, and width. It can be looked at from multiple sides, like a ball or a cube.
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Abstract: artwork that does not try to look exactly like real life, often using shapes, colors, or forms to express ideas or feelings.
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Balance: the way parts of an artwork are arranged to make it feel stable or even, whether symmetrical (same on both sides) or asymmetrical (different but still feels balanced).
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Chance: using randomness or unpredictability in the creative process, like letting materials fall or change naturally.
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Collage: an artwork made by sticking different materials like paper, fabric, or photographs onto a surface.
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Color: how we see light reflected from a surface; includes hue (name of the color), value (lightness or darkness), and intensity (brightness).
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Contrast: using differences — like light and dark, big and small, or smooth and rough — to make parts of an artwork stand out.
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Composition: How elements are arranged within the artwork; the overall layout or structure.
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Depth: the illusion of space or distance in a 2D artwork; how close or far things seem.
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Experimentation: trying out new materials, ideas, or techniques without worrying about the outcome.
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Form: a 3D shape that has volume and takes up space, like a sphere or a cylinder.
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Geometric Shapes: precise, mathematical shapes like squares, triangles, and circles.
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Imperfection: embracing flaws, irregularities, or mistakes in art as part of the creative process.
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Kinetic: Something that moves or is related to motion, like sculptures that sway in the wind or spin around.
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Line: a mark with length and direction, which can be straight, curved, thick, thin, zigzag, etc.
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Organic Shapes: natural, irregular shapes like those found in nature — leaves, clouds, puddles.
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Pattern: a design made by repeating shapes, lines, or colors in a regular or organized way.
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Perspective: a way of showing space and depth in a 2D artwork so it looks more realistic — like things getting smaller as they get farther away
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Representational: artwork that shows things you can recognize from the real world, like people, animals, or landscapes.
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Shape: a flat, enclosed area made by lines or edges — can be geometric (like circles or squares) or organic (like leaves or puddles).
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Space: the area in or around objects in an artwork — can be positive (filled with stuff) or negative (empty).
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Texture: how something feels (like rough or smooth) or looks like it would feel if you touched it.
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Value: how light or dark a color or area is — value helps show depth and mood.