Challenge Six - Macaroni!

Wait &mdash; is this a joke? Actually, no. Children have been gluing macaroni to picture frames and paper plates for generations, and it's always been seen as a Kindergarten craft project.

Imagine what you can do, now that you have a more sophisticated eye and the patience to see a longer project through to the end. How "grown up" can you make your macaroni picture?

Materials

 * Pasta. You can use spaghetti, elbows, shells, farfalle (bow ties), rotini, rigatoni, penne, etc. You can work with just one type or use them together to create unique textures.
 * Cardboard or rigid paper (pizza boxes work well, and are appropos).
 * White glue

What To Do
Try arranging the pasta on a flat surface, and just "doodle" with it for a while. See what kinds of pictures suggest themselves. When you find a pattern you like, glue it down, starting from the center and working outward. Let it dry overnight before you attempt to view it vertically, and be prepared to glue stray pieces back in place.

Why Do It?
Working in nontraditional media frees us up to be a little more whimsical and experimental in our artwork. Very little "great art" is created with pasta (well, except by some master chefs, and even then the work is ephemeral by nature). This is a low pressure way to have fun and be creative. Have fun, and you might be surprised at the quality of the result!