MLK Day Art Lesson MLK Portrait Artwork MLK Art Project MLK Day Art Activity

This MLK portrait art lesson honors Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy with a black-and-white portrait drawing. Students learn step by step how to draw facial features accurately, shade with oil pastels to create depth, and add an oil resist background with paint for texture, building skills in value, contrast and composition.

It fits MLK Day, Black History Month or a unit on influential historical figures, and gives students a chance to talk about leadership, equality and social justice while they work. It is made for teachers and homeschool educators, and the finished portraits can go up as a bulletin board display.

WHAT TEACHERS ARE SAYING

★★★★ “My students really enjoyed this! They loved that the packet showed step by step drawing instructions which was very helpful for them! I would definitely use this again!” Jacqueline S.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (37 PAGES, NON-EDITABLE)

• About the Resource
• Lesson Plan (2 pages) with materials, learning outcomes, goals and Teacher Does / Student Does instructions
• MLK Portrait Step-by-Step Drawing Handout for students
• Art Piece Demonstration Step-by-Step: 25 slides with images and instructions
• Example of Completed Art Piece
• Rubric for Art Piece

HOW TO USE IT

Read the lesson plan and gather the materials ahead of time: pencil, eraser, black felt, step-by-step draw handouts, purple and blue water-based paint or watercolor, card stock or watercolor paper, oil pastels, a paint brush and water. Photocopy the handouts and rubrics you need, and consider making a sample yourself first.

Show the finished example in color before the lesson as your hook. Then project the step-by-step pages on a digital projector or document camera for students to follow, or use them as your own guide while you demonstrate.

FAQ

Who is this for?

Teachers and homeschool educators teaching MLK Day, Black History Month or historical figures through art.

What skills do students practice?

Portrait drawing, drawing facial features, value and shading with oil pastels, the oil resist technique, contrast and composition.

What materials do I need?

Pencil, eraser, black felt, purple and blue water-based paint or watercolor, card stock or watercolor paper, oil pastels, a paint brush and water.

Is it editable?

No. It is a non-editable PDF.

ALL TEACHER REVIEWS

★★★ “This made a great art project to combine with our study of the civil rights movement. We added it to a construction paper frame with memorable quotes from MLK around the artwork .” Rosanna Z.

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 the clip art as clip art, website graphics, binder covers or bulletin board decorations, and use this in creative ways and have as much fun with it as you like. Additional licenses are available for school use.

YOU MAY NOT: 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