Pablo Picasso greatly influenced art as we know it today. Picasso used a variety of media in his work and his style changed during different "periods." We can get an idea of who Pablo Picasso was and what his art looks like during his "blue," "rose" and other periods by reading books about his life. Many of his works can be viewed online. Much of his work is on permanent exhibit in Paris, but American museums often have special exhibits of Picasso's famous artwork.
Picasso is best known for pioneering cubism; a revolutionary form of modern art that replaced natural forms with geometric shapes. Artists of any age can create cubist artwork by transforming facial features into abstract shapes. Look at Picasso's "Three Musicians" and "Girl With a Mandolin" to get an idea of how Picasso used abstract shape, shading and juxtaposition to recreate human form.
Picasso often painted portraits of himself and others. Young students can accomplish this by looking in a mirror and sketching two separate self-portraits in pencil on paper. Cutting the portraits in squares, rectangles and triangles and reconstructing the pieces on canvas or paper will resemble Picasso's art. Older students can sketch the abstract shapes directly on paper or canvas. A helpful reference is Picasso's "Dora Maar", which shows his dramatic use of color and style to convey feeling.
In later years, Picasso added a variety of elements to his paintings. For example, "Still Life With Chair Caning" was a collage of oilcloth, paper and rope. Picasso created "Guitar" by gluing newspaper, pastel papers and adding pen and ink. Today's artists can accomplish this by creating a collage of torn newspaper, magazine clippings and three-dimensional objects to canvas. Experimenting, just as Picasso did, will produce original works of art.