Still Life Drawing Project for Middle, High School Art

Still life projects are such an important starting project for an introduction to drawing or any visual art class. Perfect for middle school art or high school art classes, increase student buy-in by having them add their own pieces to the still life.

This still-life project pushes students to practice drawing from life while falling back on techniques learned in Intro: hatching, cross-hatching, blending, stippling shading techniques, using a viewfinder and setting up a composition and focal point.

In addition to drawing the still life, the class is tasked with setting it up. They create a base using objects in the art room, then each student must add something personal to the still life. That object must appear in their final drawing.

All in all this lesson pack includes:

• A lesson plan (with a big idea, objectives, vocabulary, national middle and high school art standards, and step by step instructions on implementing the project)
• Viewfinder template
• Still Life PowerPoint
• Critique sheet
• Rubric

This is one of the first projects completed in my high school art drawing class. Typically, students are coming from Introduction to Art, and need a review on drawing and shading basics, as well as new techniques to build on the base that began in Intro.

This lesson is part of my semester-long drawing curriculum bundle. Get everything you need to teach an entire semester of drawing, 12 lessons in all, for a discounted price. Check it out here. 

Each of my classes is designed to build on the last. This curriculum builds on the lessons and techniques taught in my Introduction to Art course. Check out my yearlong Introduction to Art curriculum bundled at a discount price here.

Check out the shading review lesson plan pack that I teach before this lesson here.

Check out my other lesson plans here.