Graffiti Art Lessons Drawing Worksheets Graffiti Art Project Activities Draw

This Graffiti Drawing Art Lesson teaches graffiti lettering, bubble and wildstyle fonts and the ethics of street art. Students develop their own graffiti-style lettering while exploring visual communication, composition and artistic voice. It is written for Grades 4 to 8, works well for hooking disengaged learners, and is structured enough to leave with a sub.

The unit combines drawing techniques, visual journaling and art history. Students explore the history of graffiti, including its early origins, learn to lay out and stylize letters, and think critically about when and how graffiti is appropriate. Prompts, research tasks, critiques, coloring sheets and inquiry pages let you adapt it for different learners.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

★★★★ “This was a great activity to start my kids with. I work in an urban school so it was great to be able to tie in things they see every day and help them make personal connections to the style. I also love that it gives the students so much freedom to express themselves in different ways while still creating similar projects. 10/10 will use it again” Peanut's M.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE)

• PowerPoint Presentation: "Wildstyle Art: Student Examples" slideshow for peer critique and discussion
• Lesson Plans (2 pages each) with a "Teacher Does / Student Does" layout for every lesson
• 35 Student Workbook Pages: What I Know About Graffiti; What is Graffiti? (history, legality and discussion prompts); Graffiti Inquiry (street artists, cultural impact and early civilizations); Graffiti Name Letter Layout Practice; Wildstyle and Bubble Font Drawing Pages; #FavoriteLetter drawing page; Graffiti Alphabet Design; Graffiti Tag Composition; Final Wildstyle Art Project Page; Rough Draft, Brainstorming and Research Pages; Student/Teacher Evaluation Forms
• 5 Printable Graffiti Coloring Sheets for early finishers or adapted use
• Bulletin Board Display Kit with a title sign and name cards

HOW TO USE IT

Use it for middle school art units, upper elementary enrichment, visual journals and sketchbooks, homeschool art, substitute art lessons, street art and art history integration, and art on a cart. It also works well at back to school or after a break.

The final wildstyle name project and the display kit make an eye-catching graffiti wall for Open House, Meet the Teacher Night or a back-to-school showcase of student names.

FAQ

What grades is it for?

Grades 4 to 8. It can be adapted for advanced elementary students and younger high school beginners.

Can I use it for homeschool or sub plans?

Yes. It is structured enough for a substitute to follow and adapts easily for homeschool art.

Does it include art history or ethics?

Yes. Students learn about the origins of graffiti, discuss street art ethics, and explore the legal and cultural sides of graffiti art.

Can I use it for a display?

Yes. The bulletin board materials and final project are made for a gallery-style display.

ALL TEACHER REVIEWS (313)

★★★★★ “This was exactly what I needed to help my students do a beginning of the year name art project! This helped them learned the style in an easy way. Thanks!” Melanie V.

★★★★★ “Great comprehensive resource! I love that there is a lesson included as well as step by step instructions.” Maja R.

★★★★★ “Fun activity for students. My Gr. 5/6 class got very creative. Can choose to have detailed look into graffiti over many art classes, or choose a few aspects to work on during a few classes.” Jeff M.

★★★★★ “Outstanding resource. Class had a great time working through the activities. Plenty of examples for students to base their work on. A lot of different activities to use. Well worth the price.” Nat M.

★★★★★ “A great resource for middle school, project kept their attention as they focused on using their names!” Barbara M.

★★★★★ “This was a fun art lesson and was very helpful for me - a non-art teacher who teaches art! Plus, my students really enjoyed the various styles and loved creating their own graffiti art!” mrsnevinski

★★★★★ “This was a great resource for teaching Art in a creative and different way! Students were engaged and really enjoyed learning how to do Graffiti. Thank you!” Tanya T.

★★★★★ “Very engaging and easy to follow. My students are shocked when I tell them we're studying graffiti. It's an instant hook!” Megan W.

★★★★★ “My 6th graders enjoyed the opportunity to learn about graffiti (especially the legal and not legal aspects) and how it can relate to one's identity.” Carla P.

★★★★★ “Great lessons! We did this as a beginning of the school year activity at our arts integrative charter school and the kiddos are STILL drawing graffiti letters :)” Classy C.

★★★★★ “Awesome Resource. Exactly what I needed to teach my lessons on graffiti art.” Joanne C.

★★★★★ “Thank you for creating this! I am currently teaching a unit on Graffiti and was looking for a fun art project. This is perfect!” Samalu R.

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 designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers. 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 in your classroom or homeschool, and display student artwork in journals, bulletin boards or portfolios. Additional licenses are available for school or district-wide use.

YOU MAY NOT: use this on Outschool, upload or share it on websites or blogs, distribute, resell or give it away for free, or share it with other teachers or schools (please direct them to purchase a license).

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic