I know this is probably a dumb question but, I have a project due and in the instructions it says "Use a variety of media to show building materials such as brick and stone". What exactly does that mean?

"a variety of media" probably means to use whatever you need so that brick and stone (as examples) look like brick and stone in your work.

For example, can you crush up some paper (maybe cardstock weight) and include bits and pieces of it in your painting (if that's what your doing) so the texture is credible?

That's not a dumb question at all! The instruction is asking you to use different types of media to depict or represent building materials like brick and stone in your project. "Media" refers to the different materials or tools you can use to create or display something visually.

To fulfill this requirement, you can consider various options:

1. Actual Materials: You can gather physical samples of brick and stone and include them in your project. This could involve going to a hardware store or a construction site to obtain small samples.

2. Photographs: You can take pictures of brick and stone structures, buildings, or textured surfaces to include in your project. This can be done by using a camera or even a smartphone.

3. Drawings or Illustrations: If you have artistic skills, you can create drawings or illustrations of brick and stone. This could involve sketching or using digital drawing tools to depict the texture and color of these materials.

4. Printed Images: You can search for images of brick and stone online or in books, print them out, and include them in your project. Many online image databases provide free-to-use images for educational purposes.

5. Collage: You can create a collage by cutting out pictures of brick and stone from magazines or newspapers and arranging them creatively on your project.

6. Digital Media: If you have access to design software, you can create digital representations of brick and stone. This could involve using graphic design software or even 3D modeling software to create realistic renderings.

Remember, the goal is to showcase a variety of media in your project to present different aspects of brick and stone as building materials. Feel free to be creative and choose the methods that best suit your skills and the resources available to you.