Copiers help make unique art

Q. I need some art for my walls. They are so blank and boring. I like really colorful things. Can you give me some suggestions? I am in an art class at school and want to do something really cool. -- Bemba, 15, Long Island, N.Y.
A. My favorite art is made by playing on the copy machines at Kinko's. There are all kinds of things you can do to make art there, and it's really cheap and totally fun. For supercool natural-looking images, I like to color-copy leaves and flowers with fun backgrounds, like sheets of Chinese-language newspaper or funky colorful wrapping paper. I also love to blow up pictures of my friends on the black-and-white copier. Just take a regular photo and blow it up to letter size. Then, cut that into four equal pieces and blow up each of those pieces into letter size again. You now have a poster that is 17 by 22 inches; you can make it even bigger, if you want.
Now to make it colorful, I use that clear cellophane plastic that comes on a roll and just tape it over the top. You can also use different color highlighters to color in the face and hair of your friends. Check out Andy Warhol's art on the Web; there is a ton of it.
There is also another 1960s artist I like very much, Roy Liechtenstein. He used a lot of comic-book art in his work. Find some images that you like. (The Sunday comics are free and colorful.) White out what the characters are saying and write in your own words, enlarge it on the color copier, and you have some colorful, easy, cheap art.
For the final suggestion, 1950s artist Jackson Pollack made huge splatter paintings, and these are really fun to make. Just lay your canvas down (with paint, use a sturdy type of paper, flexible fiberboard, or real canvas if you've got it), making sure to surround it with a lot of newspaper, then start splattering as many colors as you want. It looks fantastic. Do it on an old bulletin board for a great work-area accessory! Make sure to sign one and send it to me!
XNeed help with your room? E-mail your question to markmontanonyc@aol.com. Mark Montano writes "Cool Room," a monthly room-makeover column in CosmoGirl magazine. He is also the author of "Super Suite: The Ultimate Bedroom Makeover Guide for Girls" and an award-winning fashion designer in New York City. For more information about Mark and his work, check out www.markmontano.com.