To the general public, the topic of art education conjures up images of pencil drawings and tempera paint. If asked what a student might learn in an art class, a typical response might be that they will be taught how to draw and paint. This interpretation isn't totally incorrect, as drawing and painting are activities preformed in most artrooms. This analysis, however, that art is about drawing and painting, is simply flawed. Art education should go beyond teaching the ability to see an object and reproduce it. Art education should teach students how to see an object and conceptualize ways to repurpose it. In this article, the author describes two projects that use materials to go beyond the pencil. The first project incorporates mud as a medium in the exploration of the element of art known as value. Mud was repurposed from its original intention as potting soil into four different values from light to dark. The second project challenges students with the task of transferring an image from a computer screen to a brick wall. (Contains 1 online resource.)