With a little understanding and a little practice, you can also make a kind of Jackson Pollock works of abstract expressionist figurative art and perhaps a bit of money at the same time. It will be a good adventure for a science fair project too. First you have to start with a little attitude. Do not worry about whether the painting will be good or bad. Do not worry if it looks like nothing. We have used the word "not representative" here a few times and that is the key to its success. Do not worry about his painting "representing" anything. Hence the word "no representative." What we mean is that your paint will be spontaneous and reflect their feelings, attitudes and energy.
You are not going to copy a still life, or your dog. You are not going to make a flower, or a pastoral scene, or his younger brother. You are not going to try to use any theme for your painting. Only going to respond to their feelings and energies and irrationalities. The technique used by Jackson Pollock to get paint on canvas painting is called leakage. It is sometimes known as "Jack the dripper". Pollock put his canvas on the floor. You can use the floor or low table. You do not need an easel. His brush is not going to touch the canvas, as it has to be painted if desired. Jackson Pollock painting filled his brush and walked around the canvas with paint filled with weeds and let the paint drip onto the canvas. If he stayed in the same place, the trickle became great, and if he moved and shook his brush, which would have different effects. You can do the same. You can do whatever you want. No errors in the abstract expressionist painting.
There are many other tools you can use to get paint on the canvas than the brush. You can use a stick. You can use a garden tool that is used when working with shrubs and plants. As a small rake with three or four teeth. Only immersion of teeth in the paint and then let the paint drip on the canvas. This will give you three or four drops at a time.
You can use many different types of paint. I would not use any oil painting, because it never seems to dry and smell them and damage your eyes. Acrylic paints are fine. Use any color you want. White and black are good too. You can buy very cheap fabric online. Start with a small, maybe 10 "x 12" and the way they work in larger sizes as they gain confidence. Register in everything you do, and take lots of pictures for your project and science fair display.