Jackson Pollock Art Project Pollock Portrait Art Lesson Art History Art Activity

This Jackson Pollock Portrait Art Lesson mixes artist study, portrait art, and expressive painting techniques into one highly engaging resource.

Students create a portrait of the artist while exploring his famous action painting style through bold paint marks, splatters, drips, and expressive mark making. It instantly grabs student attention because it feels playful and hands on, with strong learning value built right in.

WHAT'S INCLUDED (NON-EDITABLE)

• Jackson Pollock Portrait Art Lesson - Video Lesson + Lesson Plan - Ms Artastic.zip
• Lesson plan and printable pages (PDF)
• "Watch the Video" page (PDF) with a clickable link and QR code to the step-by-step video tutorial, so you can watch it anytime and show your class again later

HOW TO USE IT

This resource works beautifully for art class, homeschool visual art, famous artist study, portrait art, sub plans, enrichment, or any time you need a lesson that gets students genuinely excited to create.

Play the step-by-step video for your class and use the printable pages to guide the lesson. It gives you structure while still letting students experiment with process and expression.

WHAT STUDENTS LEARN

Students explore process based art and mark making, learning that artists sometimes work through movement, gesture, layering, drips, splatters, and expressive energy. It opens great conversations about artistic style, risk taking, and how artists communicate ideas in very different ways.

MATERIALS USED

• Pencil
• Eraser
• Black felt marker
• Liquid tempera paint
• Thick white paper such as cardstock
• Wax crayons
• Paint brush
• Water

FAQ

Who can use this resource?

This resource is great for art teachers, classroom teachers, substitute teachers, and homeschool families who want a fun and engaging Jackson Pollock art project or artist study lesson.

How can this resource be used?

You can use it for art class, homeschool visual art, famous artist study, portrait art, art history, sub plans, or as part of a unit on creative process and expressive painting.

How long will this art lesson take?

Most classes will complete this lesson in about 2 to 3 classes depending on student age and skill level, class behavior, teacher instruction style, and the amount of time available in each class.

Why do students enjoy this lesson so much?

Students often love this lesson because it combines portrait drawing, painting exploration, artist study, and expressive Jackson Pollock inspired mark making. It feels playful, creative, and different from a more traditional art lesson.

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 educator on the cover of OCO Magazine (October 2025). She 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 this resource for classroom, homeschool or personal educational use, and print and project it for student learning.

YOU MAY NOT: share it with other teachers or post it online.

Each educator must purchase their own license.

Sincerely,

Ms Artastic