Prehistoric Cave Art Bison Art Project Art History Lesson Ancient Art Activity

In this Prehistoric Cave Art Bison Art Project, students create a bison inspired by prehistoric cave art using oil pastels and watercolor paint on a warm, cave-like background. Earthy browns, reds and blacks, smudged textures, strong outlines and ancient-looking marks give the finished piece the feel of a cave wall.

It is a good fit for art history and upper elementary art, especially grades 3 to 5, and for homeschool art. Students explore smudging, blending, texture and expressive mark-making while connecting with one of the oldest forms of human expression.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (35-PAGE NON-EDITABLE PDF)

• 1 About the Resource Page
• 1 Critical Thinking Questions Page
• 3 Lesson Plan Pages
• 1 Warm-Up Art Challenge Page
• 1 Student Reading Page: Prehistoric Cave Art, Windows to the Ancient World
• 1 Rubric Page
• 1 How-to Draw: a Bison Page
• 1 KWL Chart Page
• 1 The Message Reflection Page
• 1 Analyze: Elements and Principles Reflection Page
• 1 Compare and Contrast Page
• 1 Questions and Wonders Page
• 1 Goal Setting Page
• 2 Artwork Reflection Pages
• 1 Peer Feedback Page
• Artist’s Statement Pages
• 1 Full-Page Example Artwork Page
• PDF step-by-step tutorial for painting the cave-like background, drawing the bison, coloring, blending and adding prehistoric-style marks

WHAT STUDENTS LEARN

The student reading covers what prehistoric cave art is, what materials ancient people used, why they may have painted, and famous sites such as Lascaux, France and Altamira, Spain. Students then apply that history to their own bison artwork.

The finished bisons, with their glowing backgrounds and smudged textures, stand out on bulletin boards, in hallways or as part of an art history display.

FAQ

What materials are used?

Oil pastels, watercolor paint, thick white paper and yellow construction paper.

How long will it take?

Most classes finish in about 2 to 3 art classes, depending on student age and skill level, class behavior, teaching style and class length.

Does it include reflection or assessment pages?

Yes. It includes a rubric, KWL chart, reflection pages, peer feedback, goal setting, artist statement pages and more.

Is it editable?

No. It is a non-editable PDF.

Get free, classroom-ready art lessons and printables in my Free Art Lesson Library.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) is an artist who has been featured on NBC LX News and was the featured cover educator in OCO Magazine (October 2025). She designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers, art teachers and homeschoolers. She is the founder of Ms Artastic and hosts the Ms Artastic YouTube Channel and Podcast.

TERMS OF USE

Images and lessons are copyright products.

YOU MAY: use this resource as a single educator. Additional licenses are available if more than one teacher will use it.

YOU MAY NOT: share, copy, upload, post online, distribute or resell this resource in any form.

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic