School Bus Pop Art Lesson Transportation Art Project Pop Art Activity Elementary

In this School Bus Pop Art lesson, students draw a front-facing school bus with a comic-style VROOM banner, strong black outlines, pop art patterns and bright color. It is a mixed media project that combines drawing, black marker, oil pastel and watercolor paint in one finished artwork.

It works well as a Back to School art lesson, and it also fits a pop art unit, a transportation art lesson or any time of year. It is made for elementary classroom teachers, art teachers, homeschool families and sub plans, and the finished pieces look bold on classroom walls, hallway displays and bulletin boards.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

★★★★ “This was an excellent resource for my fourth grade students. The students displayed their work at our schools back to school night.” Heather B.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE PDF)

• Artastic Art Lessons Intro Page with prep and teaching guidance
• Lesson Plan Page 1 with lesson focus, materials, big ideas, competencies, learning target, inquiry question and a preview of the finished artwork
• Lesson Plan Page 2 with a Teacher Does/Student Does sequence from the opening hook to handing in
• Art Rubric for execution of project, creativity and originality, evidence of process and responsibility
• Art Project Reflection Page for student and teacher scoring, strengths and areas to improve
• Example Artwork Page
• Step-by-Step Draw Handout for students to reference while working
• Poster or Title Page to introduce the project
• Detailed Step-by-Step Tutorial Pages covering the bus, VROOM banner, school bus logo, windows and wheels, background patterns, black marker tracing, oil pastel coloring and painting the background with watercolor or paint cakes

Materials: pencil, eraser, black felt marker, card stock or watercolor paper, oil pastel, watercolor paint or paint cakes, paint brush and water.

WHAT STUDENTS LEARN

Students lightly sketch the front of the bus, then add wheels, windows, the school bus logo and a comic-style banner with the word VROOM. After tracing everything in black felt marker, they color the bus and pop art details with oil pastel, then paint the background in yellow, red and blue so the colors blend around the pastel resist.

Along the way they practice pop art drawing, comic-style lettering, pattern and repetition, black marker outlining, oil pastel coloring, watercolor resist and color blending, and they explore the elements of art: line, shape, space, texture, color, form and value.

FAQ

Who can use this resource?

Classroom teachers, art teachers, homeschool educators and substitute teachers who want a bright pop art lesson with lots of step-by-step support.

How do I teach it?

Project the PDF, print the handouts students need and show the example artwork as your hook. You can demonstrate the steps yourself, and the visual and text directions make it easy for students to follow.

How long does it take?

Usually 1 to 2 classes, depending on student age, class length and how much time you spend on drawing, coloring and painting the background.

Is it editable?

No. It is non-editable.

ALL TEACHER REVIEWS

★★★★ “The kids loved this!” TallTeachinInFlatsChic

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 educator on the cover of OCO Magazine for the October 2025 edition. She designs art lessons for kids and educational resources for teachers, 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. For clip art, you may use the images 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