Basquiat Art Project Jean Michel Basquiat Art Lesson Black History Month Artwork

This Jean Michel Basquiat art lesson guides students through a bold mixed media portrait inspired by Basquiat's Flexible from 1984. It is designed for art teachers, classroom teachers, substitute teachers and homeschool families working with upper elementary or middle grades students.

Students start with a textured lined background, then add a loose painted figure with long flexible arms. They finish by layering expressive oil pastel features, internal body shapes, abstract marks and energetic texture lines. The goal is an expressive, symbolic artwork rather than a polished realistic face.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

★★★★ “I love this lesson! I wanted to teach to Basquiat's work but didn't want to have my students create graffiti art. This is a great option and I'm letting them "create freely" with this lesson since the style of "Flexible" lends itself to that. Students are having fun! (They are creating quickly, I will add, so I have an early finisher set up for them.)” Marlee L.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE PDF)

• Cover Page
• About the Resource Page with prep and teaching guidance
• 2 Lesson Plan Pages with lesson overview, materials and teacher directions
• National Art Standards Page
• Critical Thinking Questions Page
• Art Project Rubric Page
• Questions and Wonders Page
• Journal: Creating My Artwork Page
• Look at Materials Reflection Page
• Artist Statement Pages
• Example Artwork Page
• How to Create Basquiat Flexible Inspired Artwork Page with step by step visual support
• Individual Step by Step Pages for background painting, portrait building and details
• Printable Student Support Pages

Materials: pencil, eraser, black felt marker, oil pastels, card stock or thick paper, acrylic paint or liquid tempera, paint brush and water.

WHAT STUDENTS LEARN

This lesson introduces expressive portrait art through experimentation and layered mark making. The lined background, white wash, black figure, curved arm shape and pastel details work together to create movement and visual tension, so students see how texture and contrast change the feeling of a piece.

Use it for art class, homeschool visual art, portrait units, contemporary art lessons, mixed media projects or sub plans. The finished pieces, with their black figures, red frame line and green arc, make a striking bulletin board or hallway display.

FAQ

Who is this for?

Art teachers, classroom teachers, substitute teachers and homeschool families teaching upper elementary or middle grades students.

How long will this lesson take?

Usually 1 to 3 classes, depending on student age and skill level, class behavior, your teaching style and the time you have in each class.

What format is it in?

It is a non-editable PDF step by step tutorial with printable visual directions, lesson planning pages and student support materials.

Do students need to draw realistically?

No. The lesson is about expressive line, shape, texture and contrast, not a realistic portrait.

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 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, homeschool families and art educators. 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 in creative ways and have as much fun with it as you like. Clip art may be used as clip art, website graphics, binder covers or bulletin board decorations. Additional licenses are available for school use.

YOU MAY NOT: use this on OutSchool, put it on your blog, share it with other teachers, administration or districts (admin can buy additional licenses), sell it, give it out for free or photocopy it for others.

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic

ALL TEACHER REVIEWS (10)

★★★★ “Thank you for sharing this resource. It was very fun!” Colleen N.

★★★★ “I used this lesson for the first time three years ago, and it has become a classic! Students love Basquiat and the freedom this art style provides. I think it could work for almost any age group, but my middle schoolers always enjoy it.” Liz B.

★★★★ “This was the perfect supplement for our black history month artist research unit. The students loved the project and were highly engaged.” Joy N.

★★★★ “I loved this resource but I think my kids were too immature to understand the abstract work of Basquiat. I did pair this with a Basquiat Ed Puzzle.” Amanda A.

★★★★ “I love Basquiat! Thank you for helping me to Introduce my students!” Georgette C.

★★★★ “Great with the students and adapted to intermediate grades!” Omar T.

★★★★ “My students really loved learning about Basquiat and were very excited to complete this step by step painting! (They unfortunately lost their painting privileges for a week, so this project is being held off, but they know what to look forward to for next week!)” Aslan F.

★★★★ “My students were reluctant at first but they loved this project and many of them wanted to do it again but on a larger scale. I loved how well this works for students who are not that artistic or don't like to draw. I had the students research Basquiat and make their own figures inspired by his figures and they ran with it.” Melissa V.

★★★★ “Great addition to some of my materials. Used it for Black History Month, my principal LOVED it!” Taf's A.

★★★★ “My kids loved this!! They are looking forward to the next lesson!” Amber E.