Van Gogh Starry Night Pop Art Lesson Art Project Art History Pop Art Activity

In this Van Gogh Starry Night Pop Art lesson, students study Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night, learn about the Post-Impressionist art movement, and then transform the original composition by adding their own pop culture imagery to the scene.

Students brainstorm ideas, sketch a rough draft, gather reference images and paint a final composition with layered brushstrokes and expressive movement inspired by Van Gogh. It suits art teachers, classroom teachers and homeschool families working with upper elementary and middle grades, and every finished painting is different.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

★★★★ “This was a great resource that allowed students to learn how to paint with step by step guided instruction and modeling while also giving them the option to have more student led choices. Students created the coolest paintings with pop culture. My students have not had many painting opportunities prior to this year as it's the first year with a full art program and art room for middle school so while they might be behind, they really did awesome. This project took a few weeks. They painted on 11 x 17 90 lb richeson paper with blick acrylic paints. The step by step slides were perfect for students who were absent or needed more scaffolding. At the end of the semester, a student came up to me and thanked me for teaching them how to paint starry night. They loved it.” Ms M.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE PDF)

• Cover Page
• About the Resource Page with prep and teaching guidance
• Lesson Plan Pages with overview, materials, goals and discussion prompts
• Teacher Does / Student Does Instruction Page
• Art Rubric Page and Evaluation of Project Pages
• Vincent van Gogh Starry Night Reading Page
• Starry Night Brainstorm Page for pop culture ideas
• Example Reference Pages, the Original Starry Night Image Page and Example Pop Art Starry Night Pages
• Student Workbook Pages
• Reference Images Page and Rough Draft Planning Page
• Step-by-Step Draw Houses Page
• Full Step-by-Step Drawing and Painting Tutorial Pages
• Printable Student Support Pages

HOW TO USE IT

Start with the Starry Night reading and discussion, then move students through brainstorming, references and a rough draft before they paint. The step-by-step pages guide both the creative thinking and the final painting. Use it for art class, homeschool art, art history and painting units, student choice projects or sub plans.

MATERIALS

Pencil, eraser, paint brushes, acrylic paint in yellow, white, brown, blue and black, water containers, paint palettes (lids or cardboard work) and black felt markers or fine liners.

FAQ

Who can use this resource?

Art teachers, classroom teachers, substitute teachers and homeschool families.

How long will this art lesson take?

Usually 1 to 3 classes, depending on student age and skill level, class behavior, teaching style and class length.

What format is it?

A non-editable step-by-step PDF tutorial with printable visual directions, art history reading pages, brainstorming sheets, planning pages and student support materials.

What makes this lesson different?

It blends Van Gogh inspired painting, Pop Art thinking and student choice. Students learn about Starry Night and then make it their own with original pop culture ideas.

ALL TEACHER REVIEWS (12)

★★★★★ “Great resource outstanding step by step !!!” Hedy M.

★★★★★ “My students love taking this in their own personal direction” Caitlin M.

★★★★★ “I want to include art in my core subjects for my students. I want them to learn about important artists. I wanted to teach them about Van Gogh and some of his famous paintings. I like the directed drawing activities for my students. I do art in my class every Friday for enrichment.” Doraelia B.

★★★★★ “My grades 6-8 students loved this lesson. Their final projects turned out so much better than I anticipated. This lesson has everything needed to be successful.” Jacqueline B.

★★★★★ “Directions and examples are easy to follow. It helps build confidence in the students. Thanks!” Lindsie W.

★★★★★ “Such a cool project! My students love it!” Zenful Z.

★★★★★ “Excellent art lesson!” Chavon R.

★★★★★ “Great sub packet!” britany O.

★★★★ “Great differentiation and the lesson plan was really fun for the students to do. There were some fun and creative ideas that the students came up with on their own.” Angela W.

★★★★ “Fabulous resource combining art history, appreciation and creative thinking! It's a winner for me!” Acmhainni G.

★★★★ “This was such a cool project. I love the modern twist. The kids were so proud of the finished work. Thank you!” Marta O.

★★★★ “My elementary art students (4th&5th) loved creating this Batman Stary Night art! It was perfect for my older students who have learned about Van Gogh & Stary Night in previous years with me, because they could create a new work of art will revisiting a work of art they were familiar with. Very Fun!” Kreative K.

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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 creates 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. Any 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