Selecting one medium to work with is one of the simplest themes that can tie a body of work together, even if the design style varies from piece to piece. Students can stick with a series of acrylic paintings as they work on perfecting a distinctive, recognizable brushstroke. Pen and ink series can explore how various techniques, such as stippling and cross-hatching, change the appearance of the medium. Expanded projects can move into an assortment of mediums that all belong in the same family, such as watercolor and acrylic paintings, or wood, stone and metal sculptures.
Selecting a specific technique to focus on allows an artist to explore how to perfect it in a variety of mediums. For example, students can create the stippling technique with a variety of 2-D mediums, such as acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, pastels and construction paper collages. Add an additional challenge by requiring students to represent their technique in both 2-D and 3-D projects. To continue with the stippling example, the look of the technique can be achieved in a sculpture that combines a multitude of smaller items, such as twinkle light bulbs or multi-colored match heads, to create a larger, representational sculpture.
Pablo Picasso utilized color-based themes, most notably in his Blue Period. Color-based themes allow students to explore the depth and emotion of a color family in works that may incorporate a variety of techniques or mediums. Students choosing a color-based theme for their art project should avoid focusing on one specific shade, but explore the entire range. For example, one piece might focus on the darker midnight blues with only hints of paler blues as highlights, whereas another piece would consist primarily of a lighter sky blue.
An examination of art history shows that thematic elements, such as food, religious icons and nudes, played a significant role in a variety of periods. Students focusing on a subject-based theme might select a specific object, as Claude Monet focused on haystacks, or a more generalized subject, such as landscapes. Subject-based themes can also have a less tangible focus, such as poverty, anger, repression or greed. For art classrooms, the requirement of a subject-based theme works well as a final project, as instructors can require students to create a cohesive series without having to sacrifice the inclusion of certain mediums that cannot be incorporated into other art project themes.