Finding materials to make coral reefs for art projects.

Good morning people! I wanna find out which materials I need to create coral reefs for art projects. I currently draw, but I wanna take my dimensions farther. How could I make my art projects look like the ones in real life? Could you all show me what a coral reef project look like? I'm doing one as a tribute to the wildfire victims who died last year in Hawaii. What other materials I need to create marine life? If you all have any feedback and stuff, please shoot me back. Thanks!

This sounds like a very pretty project.  So colorful!

Sponges would make great coral reefs when cut into the right shapes.

Colored paper would also work.

What about colorful beads laid out to resemble coral reefs?

Do you have some sea shell to add around the reef to make them more realistic?

https://michaeladavies.net/portfolio/sydney-reef/

This can give you some ideas.  Basic crochet knowledge required.  Interesting math progression of coral growth.  Any material that can be crocheted - mostly regular knitting/crochet yarns, but thin plastic strips (shopping bags)  and I see one image where sound tape was used.   Imagination being the only limit.  All white for bleached coral, otherwise any colour is fine.
Also lots of images here:  https://crochetcoralreef.org/

and there are YouTube videos, but posting them defeated me - sorry - best of luck with your project.

What's happening! Very good pictures! Where I get the material from?

Such enthusiasm!   Female relatives/friends often have a goodly stash of yarns which you might be able to talk them out of.  Otherwise there should be a yarn shop or one of those enormous stores  that I've only read about which has a yarn corner.   Farmers have baling twine - that comes in assorted colours mostly black or blue, but I've seen pink, and some of it glows in the dark.    If your supermarkets or local grocery store still supply plastic bags that's a winner.  even worn out T-shirts etc.  can be cut into thin strips for a bulky coral.   Need to be near the sea for washed up pieces of discaded fishing nets and or rope.   Don't forget that there are colourful fish and shells lurking around the reefs, and my favourite - octopus
Plenty of actual coral pics available via Google or whatever you use!  Inspiration galore.

As long as the chosen material is flexible enough to be looped with a crochet hook you're in business.

https://www.lionbrand.com/pages/how-to-crochet?srsltid=AfmBOoqk3pZN4A-Ic_Osip19LfFDx-CwhVvZrmhNoxf1Fibwf7eaDTME
Hope that  works - never sure if the whole address is showing   If not - it's Lion Brand Yarn - How to crochet for beginners.  Text and images,  but when I Googled   "beginners crochet instructions"  there were several YouTube videos as well.  

Also note, if you happen to knit but not crochet, you can knit hyperbolic reef organisms by getting or making a pair of circular needles with an extra-long cord. I do it with a very flexible six-foot plastic-coated metal cable.

For sourcing the materials, second-hand stores like Goodwill often have crappy yarn that would be fine for projects like this even if you wouldn't use it for garments.

Anne Miller wrote:

Sponges would make great coral reefs when cut into the right shapes.

In fact, if you cut them into actual sponge shape; they will practically BE coral reef! I once learned how to harvest and treat wild sponges (by virtue of living near Tarpon Springs, Florida, where actual sponge divers still ply their trade). A "natural sponge" that one might purchase has had the living bits removed and all that remains is a sort of skeleton. The process of removing the living bits is almost certainly the worst-smelling process you can encounter. The sponges are kept wet with seawater but the formerly alive parts decay. Every day, the sponges are rinsed and squeezed dry in seawater. After a couple of weeks, when they squeeze "clean", they can be fresh rinsed and dried for sale.

Thanks Christopher - just signed in today to add Goodwill or Op-shops to the list  (Overnight thoughts . . .)   I hadn't considered knitting either, mostly because the result is more drape-y than crochet and for larger shapes, might require an armature.  
Knitting would make a great giant sea kelp, with their wavy edges, not sure if that is a reef dwelling type of kelp!  OoH - now I can see it as a scarf  
And for Cade - I think I would rather not have known about how a natural sponge becomes saleable!  Thanks for the insight anyway.

When if first searched making art project of coral reef I found a lot of resources.

Paper mache, sponges, paper craft, pipe cleaners, etc.  

The knitting or crochet didn't come up though those are stunning...

This coral reef decoration would be a colorful and beautiful addition to any under-the-sea, Nemo, or mermaid party decorations.
You'll learn how to make 5 different types of fake coral from pool noodle coral to tissue paper anemones.
For the picture tutorial and lots more under-the-sea decoration ideas go to my blog post:

I hope this helps!