Action Paintings inspired by Jackson Pollock

I absolutely love teaching this lesson! It's always very messy, but the kids always have a lot of fun exploring different materials and methods of creating. It's so fun to see them come up with new and interesting ways to use everyday objects to create a masterpiece!

We start our lesson with watching an episode of "Mati and Dada", which is a super cute animated series on Youtube. They learn about Jackson Pollock in a fun and engaging way.

After, students view and discuss artworks made by Jackson Pollock. Questions we think about are : What do you see? How do you think this artwork was made? What do you think this artwork is about? What kind of tools do you think Jackson Pollock used?

We talk about making art to explore the process of creating, not the product that we make. Students understand the importance of using new and non-traditional materials to create a work of art. They know that whatever they end up making is great, because the important part is trying and exploring new art making tools!

We brainstorm various materials that can be used to make art- anything but a paintbrush! Students are given all sorts of different materials to use to make their own action paintings like Jackson Pollock did. We used cotton balls, cardboard, forks, spoons, string, straws, sticks, sponges, toilet paper rolls, popsicle sticks, and fingers.

National Visual Art Standards

1. VA:Cr1.1.Ka - Engage in exploration and imaginative play with materials.

   1. I can use many different materials to create art.

2. VA:Cr2.1.Ka - Through experimentation, build skills in various media and approaches to art making.

   1. I can explore and discover art making techniques using a variety of tools.

Action Painting Photo gallery from the 2025-2026 school year