Van Gogh Starry Night Pumpkin Art Project Autumn Art Lesson Fall Art Activity

This Van Gogh Starry Night Pumpkin Art Project is a mixed media autumn lesson for art teachers, classroom teachers and homeschool families. Students paint a pumpkin on separate paper, build a swirling night landscape on blue construction paper with oil pastel, then cut and glue the pumpkin into the final composition.

Inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night, the project has students explore line, color, movement and texture. Short oil pastel strokes, swirling sky lines, a glowing moon and stars, and contour lines on the pumpkin all add energy, and the orange pumpkin against the deep blue sky makes a striking fall display.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

★★★★ “My students made AMAZING pictures with this resource. I can't tell you enough how beautiful they turned out! The directions were easy to follow and not many materials needed. I was able to do this with my in class students and well as virtual ones simultaneously. In class, we used oil pastels. My kids are home were able to use crayons and still be successful!” Christy K.

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
• Art Reflection Page and Reflection Page
• Compare and Contrast Starry Night Page
• Artist Statement Pages
• Example Artwork Page
• How to Create a Van Gogh Pumpkin Page with step by step visual support
• Step by Step Pages for drawing, painting, oil pastel and collage
• Printable Student Support Pages

HOW TO USE IT

Use it for art class, homeschool visual art, fall and pumpkin units, sub plans, or seasonal display projects focused on movement, color and texture. The step by step PDF tutorial gives clear printable directions and visuals to guide students through each stage.

Materials: pencil, eraser, black felt marker, blue construction paper, card stock or thick paper, oil pastels, yellow, red and white paint (acrylic or tempera), paint brush and water.

FAQ

Who can use this resource?

Art teachers, classroom teachers, substitute teachers and homeschool families who want a pumpkin art project or Van Gogh autumn art lesson.

How long will it take?

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

What format is it in?

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

What art concepts does it cover?

Movement, texture, line and color, with mixed media layering inspired by Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

ALL TEACHER REVIEWS

★★★★ “Thank you for the step by steps with detailed photographs. This makes the project seem less daunting.” Kim D.

★★★★ “Thank you!” Crystal B.

★★★★ “This was a great resource to use in my classes.” kailey M.

★★★★ “Based on my favorite painting, and adds my favorite season to it! My students loved making these for the hallway!” Amy L.

★★★★ “Great step by step directions with images that was easy to display for the students to see while we created!” Aimee F.

★★★★ “My student loved using this resource in my class. they had a littllet trouble in the begining at first but enjoyed the resourse and complited the project.” Carlos B.

★★★★ “My students loved doing this art project! They always asked me when we were going to go back to completing the project and they found the steps very easy to follow along with. The project turned out beautifully, and I'm very happy with how detailed the steps were so that everyone could complete the project.” Jorja S.

★★★★ “Very beautiful art work by Vincent Van Gogh. My students really loved using the media oil pastels.” Veronica M.

★★★★ “I had a substitute teacher use this resource for art and it went so smoothly for them! Very detailed and an awesome addition to any art lesson!” Miss C.

★★★★ “Great slides and easy-to-follow instructions. Students were able to do amazing art.” Margaret S.

★★★★ “This turned out beautiful! My students loved this project.” Sarah N.

★★★★ “Students loved this lesson. I like how it broke everything down into manageable steps.” Lisa W.

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. 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