According to a 2006 article from "The New York Times," prisoner Donny Johnson uses the colors from M&M's to create paint for artworks. Johnson spoke about his work to the paper, stating, "I love myth and chaos and space." Use Johnson's process with art students. Separate the M&M's into different colors and then place the different colors in different containers. Drizzle some water onto the M&M's and leave them for a couple of days; the longer you leave them the stronger the color will be. Take out the chocolate cores and then use the color as paint. You can try mixing different M&M colors to create a new color. You can also try painting on different surfaces to see how the results differ. Try cardboard, canvas, sugar paper or wood, for example.
Get a large batch of M&M's and start creating geometric shapes on a flat surface. Experiment with polygons, straight lines, curved lines, circular arcs or ellipses. To make the shapes clear, use different colors strategically. You do not, of course, have to glue the M&M's down, but if you want to, you can use a strong craft glue on your flat surface. Photograph the work and then reuse the M&M's to create another image.
Use M&M's wrappers to create a "wearable sculpture" in the style of seamstress Charlotte Kruk, who makes whole outfits from M&M wrappers. According to Kruk, the purpose of her wearable art, as she explains in her biography, is to expose "gluttony and wastefulness of a disposable, packaged society" and to create a dialogue about women being "eye-candy." Art students can explore such issues by designing and sewing their own outfits. This project will, of course, entail collecting a lot of M&M wrappers, but it can be done in conjunction with another project using the actual M&M's inside.
Use the M&M's as a model for a still life painting or drawing. This is a useful way of practicing color mixing and getting the shapes right in a drawing or painting. Arrange the M&M's in any way that you please. You can focus on using one color of M&M's, or and create a scene with all the colors. There are many creative ways you can arrange and paint the M&M's, including placing the M&M's in a decorated or glass bowl, or in a box that is aesthetically pleasing. If you are not a painter, photograph different still life arrangements.