Frida Kahlo Art Project Frida Kahlo Art Lesson Still Life Drawing Art Activity

In this Frida Kahlo Still Life Art Project, students create a still life inspired by Frida Kahlo featuring colorful fruit, a watermelon slice and a parrot. The finished artwork is bold and eye-catching, with bright oil pastel color, strong outlines, layered highlights and a blue background that makes the fruit colors pop.

Students explore still life drawing, artist study, colorful symbolism and expressive oil pastel techniques. It is designed for teachers, art teachers and homeschoolers, and the steps stay manageable even though students build a full scene.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

★★★★ “This Frida Kahlo-inspired art lesson is an absolute gem for any teacher looking to bring creativity and cultural appreciation into the classroom. Thoughtfully designed for grades 3–5, it offers a perfect balance of art history, technique, and hands-on creation. The lesson goes beyond just an art activity—it’s a complete teaching package. With a structured lesson plan, rubric, assessment, and reflection components, it provides everything you need to feel confident leading an engaging art session, even if you’re short on time or resources. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to teach art "like a pro" with little prep and lots of impact!” Emma P.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE PDF)

• 1 Cover Page and 1 About the Resource Page
• 1 Critical Thinking Questions Page
• 3 Lesson Plan Pages
• 1 Warm-Up Art Challenge Page
• 1 Student Reading Page about Frida Kahlo
• 1 Color Poster Sample Page
• 1 Rubric Page
• 1 How to Draw: a Still Life Page
• 1 KWL Chart Page
• Reflection pages: The Message, Analyze: Elements and Principles, Compare and Contrast, Questions and Wonders, Goal Setting, 2 Artwork Reflection pages and 1 Peer Feedback page
• Artist's Statement Pages
• 1 Full-Page Example Artwork
• PDF Step-by-Step Tutorial with visual and text directions for drawing the fruit, watermelon and parrot, plus highlights, shadows and color layering

Materials needed: oil pastels and blue construction paper.

WHAT STUDENTS LEARN

The warm-up challenge and student reading introduce Frida Kahlo: who she was, why she painted so many self-portraits, how she used color and symbols, and how she turned her feelings and life experiences into art. The reading also introduces the animals and meaningful imagery that often appeared in her work, so students can connect their own artwork to a real artist.

The finished pieces look great together on hallway walls, bulletin boards, in portfolios, or in spring or artist-study displays.

FAQ

Who can use this resource?

Teachers, art teachers and homeschoolers who want a colorful Frida Kahlo still life art lesson.

Is this resource editable?

No. It is non-editable.

Does it include information about the artist?

Yes. It includes a warm-up art challenge and a student reading page about Frida Kahlo.

Does it include reflection or assessment pages?

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

ALL TEACHER REVIEWS (2)

★★★★ “Thank you for providing the step by step instructions. I've never taken an art class, but the students think I'm an art teacher. Their work has turned out great.” Monica P.

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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

TERMS OF USE

This resource is for single educator use only.

YOU MAY: use this resource as a single educator, and purchase additional licenses if more than one teacher will be using it.

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

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic