Beautiful Still Life Lesson: Glue-Resist Watercolor & Sharpie Technique | Grades 4+
 
Engage your students with this beautiful and approachable still life art lesson, perfect for grades 4 and up. This project combines careful observation, drawing, watercolor, and a glue-resist technique with Sharpie tracing to create depth, texture, and stunning finished work by observing changes in tone and value. It’s simple to set up, adaptable for different seasons, and always visually appealing, making it one of our favorite classroom lessons.
 
What’s Included:
Two pages of full teacher instructions with objective, materials, step-by-step process, tips, and hints.
Student discussion questions to guide observation, interpretation, and reflection.
Real-life student examples showcasing finished projects for inspiration and guidance.
Suggested grade level: 4 and up, adaptable for older students.
3 art history reference images that pair well with this project: Cézanne’s Still Life with Apples, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, and Clara Peeters’ Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds, and Pretzels.
Guidance for selecting still life subjects, from simple objects like pumpkins, fruit, or flowers to more complex multi-object arrangements.
Tips for using glue resist, watercolor layering, and Sharpie tracing effectively to achieve texture and emphasis.
Why You’ll Love It:
Ready-to-teach lesson that combines drawing, painting, and fine detail techniques in one project.
Encourages close observation, creativity, and problem-solving while exploring color, tint, and texture and observing changes in tone and value
Works well for different skill levels, ages, and seasons, making it highly versatile for your classroom or homeschool.
Real student examples provide visual inspiration and confidence-building, showing what’s achievable at various levels.
Always turns out beautiful and is one of our favorite projects to display and celebrate in the classroom.