Keith Haring Dog Art Project Pop Art Lesson Animal Art Activity Kindergarten Art

In this Keith Haring Dog Art Project, students create a dog inspired by Keith Haring using bold outlines, simple geometric shapes, dotted pattern, background line designs and bright painted color. The finished piece has a strong pop art look: a white dog silhouette, a patterned ground and energetic lines that stand out on display.

Students build the dog from basic shapes like rectangles and triangles, then bring it to life with dots, lines and color, which keeps it manageable for younger learners. It suits teachers, art teachers and homeschoolers working with kindergarten to Grade 3, and it doubles as an introduction to Haring's style and an artist study.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

★★★★ “Excellent quality document. I was able to use this for my art integration class with my Grade 4 students. This provided a reference for pattern and shape variations and also helped keep our title 1 students engaged with their task. I need a quick and substantial lesson for a project I was asked to do last minute for the community. This lesson saved my day and time!” Mrs D.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE PDF)

• 1 About the Resource page
• 1 Critical Thinking Questions page
• 3 lesson plan pages
• 1 Keith Haring poem hook page
• 1 student reading page about Keith Haring
• 1 rubric page
• 1 How-to Draw: a Keith Haring Dog page
• 1 KWL chart page
• The Message reflection page
• 1 Questions and Wonders page
• 1 Artwork Reflection page
• 1 Peer Feedback page
• 1 3 Stars and a Wish page
• Artist's Statement pages
• 1 full-page example artwork
• PDF step-by-step tutorial with visual and text directions for the mouth, ears, back, tail, paws, horizon line, dots, barking lines, background shapes, parallel lines and painting

WHAT STUDENTS LEARN

Students explore Haring's bold black outlines, simplified shapes, repeated lines and playful pattern. The poem hook and reading page, written in age-appropriate language, share that Haring loved to draw colorful, happy characters, made public art in places like New York, and used his art to share messages about friendship, love, peace and kindness.

The finished dogs, with a pink or choice-color background and a yellow or choice-color ground, make a cheerful bulletin board or hallway display.

FAQ

Who is this for?

Teachers, art teachers and homeschoolers who want a Keith Haring dog, pop art or animal art project for younger students.

How long will it take?

Most classes finish in about 2 to 3 art classes, depending on student age and skill level, class behavior, teaching style and class length.

What materials are used?

Oil pastels, card stock or thicker paper, tempera paint, paint brushes and water.

Is it editable?

No. It is non-editable.

ALL TEACHER REVIEWS

★★★★ “This was such a fun activity. It was easy for my grade ones and they turned out great!” kira H.

★★★★ “This was a super cute activity that we used for our intersession vet camp and I want to use it with my 2nd and 3rd grade gifted students next year when we student artists.” Jana C.

★★★★ “This was a great project with high engagement for my upper elementary students! Easy to follow directions and was done within 45 mins to an hour.” Whitney N.

★★★★ “I have been doing this project for a few years and the students love it as well as I. It is easy to follow and the resources are great.” Kristy N.

★★★★ “My students had a great time recreating their version of the barking dog. They enjoyed using the bright colors to make their art pop just like Keith did!” Lauren H.

★★★★ “This was great on a cold snowy day. My students enjoyed it and did a great job, thanks to the easy instructions. Thank you!” Gloria M.

★★★ “This is great to use with my students in the mainstream art class as they are studying pop art.” Andrea S.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathleen McGiveron (Ms Artastic) creates visual art resources for teachers, art teachers and homeschoolers. She was the featured cover educator in OCO Magazine for October 2025 and was featured on NBC LX. 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 as a single educator. Please 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