Henri Matisse Art Project Interior In Yellow Art Project Still Life Art Lesson

This Henri Matisse Interior In Yellow art project guides students through an artwork inspired by Matisse's Interior In Yellow from 1946. Students first paint a background of large yellow and blue interior shapes, then draw, color, cut out and collage lemons, melons, a vase and a cup, and finish with loose, expressive black line details over top.

It is made for art teachers, classroom teachers and homeschool families teaching upper elementary or middle grades who want a still life lesson that goes beyond copying objects. Students build a whole room composition, and the layered finished pieces look great on a bulletin board or in the hallway.

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
• Thoughts And Musings About My Art Page
• Elements Of Art Principles Of Design Reflection Page
• Journal Reflection Page
• Artist Statement Pages
• Example Artwork Page
• How To Create Matisse Interior In Yellow Page with step-by-step visual support
• Individual step-by-step painting, collage and drawing pages
• Printable Student Support Pages

Materials used: pencil, eraser, black felt marker, watercolor paint or tempera paint cakes, card stock or watercolor paper, white paper for drawn elements, scissors, oil pastels, paint brush and water.

WHAT STUDENTS LEARN

Students explore the Elements of Art and Principles of Design as they work with color blocks, overlapping forms, bold contours, shape variety and spatial arrangement, deciding where each object belongs in the room. They build real composition skills while combining still life, interior scenes and mixed media in one lesson.

HOW TO USE IT

Use it for classroom art, homeschool visual art, sub plans, still life units, mixed media lessons and collage and painting practice. The printable step-by-step visuals help you guide students through each stage of the artwork.

FAQ

Who can use this resource?

Art teachers, classroom teachers, substitute teachers and homeschool families who want a still life art project or Henri Matisse mixed media lesson.

How long will this lesson 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 grades is it for?

It is written for upper elementary and middle school art.

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 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: 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