Andy Warhol Art:

Crayon Pop Art Lesson

Step by Step Art Project Lesson Plan

Students create and color their very own crayon “Prints” while learning about the great
American artist, Andy Warhol.
Art with Mrs. Smith © 2009
 Do Not Copy
AWMS Copyright © 2009

Andy Warhol Art

“Crayon Pop-Art Lesson”
Version I Students draw their own crayons (older students)

Materials
Each child will need:
White construction paper, 9” x 9” (paper should be folded in half twice to create 4 even boxes on the
page)
Small White construction paper, 1 ½” x 4”
Crayons or pastels
Black marker
Pencil

Objective

The student will learn about artist Andy Warhol by hearing background and viewing his art.
The student will learn a method of print making by using paper and pencil.
The student will create a colorful pop art drawing by making prints and using crayons or pastels.

Background to share with students (10 minutes)

Write the following bold words on the board:

Andy Warhol – USA/1928- 1987, Pop Art, Print Making

Pop Art & Andy Warhol

Pop Art is a type of art based on “Popular” culture in society. The word “pop” stands for the word
“popular” because the subjects in pop art are things that are popular. Pop artists paint, draw, and
sculpt, etc. art that is relevant to current themes in society. Pop art typically features very bright
colors. Pop Art began in Europe, but American artist, Andy Warhol made it world famous.
In the 1960’s, Andy Warhol started painting daily objects of mass production like Campbell Soup cans
and Coke bottles. He also made silkscreen prints of famous personalities like Marilyn Monroe or
Elizabeth Taylor.
Printmaking is a method of producing multiples of the same pieces of art. Each piece produced is not
a copy but considered ‘an original’ because it is not a reproduction of another work of art and is
technically known as an ‘impression’. Prints have unique qualities depending on the printmaking
process. Prints can be made in many different ways.
Andy Warhol is the artist known to have characterized the philosophy that there isn’t a distinction
between fine arts and commercial arts. Attributing the word “art” to magazine illustrations, comic
books, record albums, advertising campaigns, etc. is done now because of this perception Andy
Warhol illuminated.
Andy Warhol once said, “When you think about it, department stores are kind of like museums.”
Today, the Andy Warhol Museum can be visited in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
If possible, show examples of Andy Warhol’s art.
These are Warhol art titles to look for on the internet or in your school district/county art print library:

Campbell's Soup I (Tomato), 1968

One Hundred Cans, 1962 *
Ten Marilyns, 1967
Twenty-Five Colored Marilyns, 1962
Marilyn, 1967 (on blue ground)
Mickey Mouse
Statue of Liberty, 1963
Dollar Sign x4
Space Ship

*One Hundred Cans is my personal favorite for sharing with students. By counting ten across, and
ten down, students quickly realize that there are in fact one hundred cans in the piece. This example
has the bright colors often associated with pop art and it also has the repeated subject matter. Andy
Warhol often repeated his subjects in his art as a way of communicating how popular and ubiquitous
they were.

Project (approx. 50 minutes)

Show students example “Crayon Pop Art” poster. Explain that it can be considered pop art
because it has bright colors, the subject is common (or easily recognized), and the subject is
repeated.
Write the following steps on the board: 1. Draw crayon (This will be the students’ “print master”).
2. Create 4 crayon “prints”. 3. Trace crayon prints. 4. Color each crayon print & background a
different color.

Step 1: Drawing crayon “print master”

Each child should have a pencil, a small piece of white construction paper, 1 ½” x 4”, Optional, they
may have a crayon in front of them to look at closely during their drawing process.
Explain that their finished crayon drawing should be bigger than a real crayon, so that it’s easier to
‘print’ and color later. Hold a crayon up to the Crayon Pop Art poster to give the students a visual of
how big they should try to make their drawing.

Draw a large box on the board, approx. 1’ x 2’, to use as an example area for modeling your crayon
drawing. Explain to students that you are going to do (2) examples, one big one on the board and
one real size example on the same size piece of paper, 1 ½” x 4”, taped to the board. Explain you
will be using a marker on the small drawing example, but they should be using a PENCIL on their
small piece of paper.
By drawing two examples, it slows you down and gives the students more confidence in their ability to
keep up with your drawing. The size difference in your examples also gives the students a helpful
frame of reference, and they like having two chances to see you model the lines the drawn.
Give each student a piece of small white construction paper, 1 ½” x 4” in size. Explain that their
drawings do not need to be perfect. They can only use one side for the drawing because the other
side of the paper will be used for their printmaking!

Use the attached “Drawing Directions with Script” to guide students in drawing a crayon.

Step 2: “Printing” four crayons

Give each student 9” x 9” white construction paper. Tell them to fold the paper in half twice to create
4 equal squares on the page.
We’re going to make four crayon prints from the drawing we just made. This is going to be a pencil
graphite print. First turn your crayon drawing over, lean your pencil sideways, and cover the back
side of the paper with smooth back and forth pencil strokes. Layer the pencil strokes until the whole
backside of the drawing is grey with pencil graphite.
Turn your paper over again, so crayon drawing is showing, and place it diagonally in the first square
of your 9x9” white construction paper. Carefully hold the drawing steady with one hand and trace
each line of your crayon using your pencil. (You don’t have to press down hard.) When you lift up
your drawing, you will see a faint “print” of the drawing you just traced. This is a graphite print that
came from the graphite you put on the back of your drawing. Repeat this process by tracing your
drawing again in one more square on your paper. Now you have two graphite prints. Before making
your 3rd print, turn drawing over and add more graphite to the back by adding smooth back and forth
pencil strokes. Turn your drawing over and repeat the tracing process in the remaining two squares.
You now have a graphite print in all four squares.

Step 3: Trace prints

Darken the lines of your “prints” by using a black marker to trace over them. Then sign your name on
bottom front corner with black marker before you color the paper with crayons.

Step 4: Color prints and background

Start by coloring your crayons four different colors. The wrappers of the crayons should be colored
lightly, and the wax part of the crayons should be colored darker. Then color the backgrounds of
each crayon print a different color.

Closure (approx. 10 minutes)

Tell students to look at the board and find answers to the following questions:

What is the name of the artist you learned about today? (Andy Warhol)
What country was he from? (USA)
What kind of art was he famous for? (Pop Art)
Give some examples of “Pop Art” characteristics? (Bright colors, the subjects are well-
known/common/popular, the subjects are often repeated.)
When you reproduce a piece of art by coloring the back with pencil, then tracing the front on top of
another piece of paper—What it the new art piece called? (A print)
Clean-up then let students leave their art on their desks and excuse them to do an Appreciation Walk
around the room admiring the hard work their classmates have done on their art projects.

ART with Mrs. Smith, P.O. Box 1207, Templeton, CA 93465 www.artwithmrsmith.com 
 Do Not Copy
AWMS Copyright © 2009

Andy Warhol Art

“Crayon Pop-Art Lesson”
Version II Students use copies of already created crayon drawings (younger students)

Materials
Each child will need:
White construction paper, 9” x 9” (paper should be folded in half twice to create 4 even boxes on the
page)
One black outline crayon drawing, blackline master is attached
Crayons or pastels
Black marker
Pencil

Objective

The student will learn about artist Andy Warhol by hearing background and viewing his art.
The student will learn a method of print making by using paper and pencil.
The student will create a colorful pop art drawing by using crayons or pastels.

Background to share with students (10 minutes)

Write the following bold words on the board:

Andy Warhol, USA, 1928- 1987, Pop Art, Print Making

Pop Art & Andy Warhol (Script)

Pop Art is a type of art based on “Popular” culture in society. The word “pop” in Pop Art stands for the
word “popular” because the subjects in pop art are things that are popular. Pop artists paint, draw, or
sculpt, etc. art that is relevant to current themes in society. Pop art typically features very bright
colors. Pop Art began in Europe, but American artist, Andy Warhol made it world famous.
In the 1960’s, Andy Warhol started painting daily objects of mass production like Campbell Soup cans
and Coke bottles. He also made silkscreen prints of famous personalities like Marilyn Monroe or
Elizabeth Taylor.
Printmaking is a method of producing multiples of the same pieces of art. Each piece produced is not
a copy but considered ‘an original’ because it is not a reproduction of another work of art and is
technically known as an ‘impression’. Prints have unique qualities depending on the printmaking
qualities. Prints can be made in many different ways.
Andy Warhol is the artist known to have characterized the philosophy that there isn’t a distinction
between fine arts and commercial arts. Attributing the word “art” to magazine illustrations, comic
books, record albums, advertising campaigns, etc. is done now because of this perception Andy
Warhol illuminated.
Andy Warhol once said, “When you think about it, department stores are kind of like museums.”
Today, the Andy Warhol Museum can be visited in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
If possible, show examples of Andy Warhol’s art.
These are Warhol art titles to look for on the internet or in your school district/county art print library:

Campbell's Soup I (Tomato), 1968

One Hundred Cans, 1962 *
Ten Marilyns, 1967
Twenty-Five Colored Marilyns, 1962
Marilyn, 1967 (on blue ground)
Mickey Mouse
Statue of Liberty, 1963
Dollar Sign x4
Space Ship

*One Hundred Cans is my personal favorite for sharing with students. By counting ten across, and
ten down, students quickly realize that there are in fact one hundred cans in the piece. This example
has the bright colors often associated with pop art and it also has the repeated subject matter. Andy
Warhol often repeated his subjects in his art as a way of communicating how popular and ubiquitous
they were.

Project (approx. 40 minutes)

Show students example “Crayon Pop Art” poster. Explain that it can be considered pop art because it
has bright colors, the subject is common (or easily recognized), and the subject is repeated.
Write the following steps on the board:
1. Create 4 crayon “prints”. 2. Trace crayon prints. 3. Color each crayon print & background a
different color.

Step 1: “Printing” four crayons

Give each student a 9” x 9” piece of white construction paper that has been folded twice to create 4
equal squares on the page.
Give each student one copy of crayon outline.
We’re going to make four crayon prints from the crayon outline. These are going to be pencil graphite
prints.
First turn your crayon outline over, lean your pencil sideways, and cover the back side of the paper
with smooth back and forth pencil strokes. Layer the pencil strokes until the whole backside of the
drawing is grey with pencil graphite. Turn your paper over again, so the crayon outline is showing,
and place it diagonally in the first square of your 9x9” white paper. Carefully hold the drawing steady
with one hand and trace each line of your crayon using your pencil. (You don’t have to press down
hard.) When you lift up your drawing, you will see a faint “print” of the drawing you just traced. This is
a graphite print that came from the graphite you put on the back of your crayon outline. Repeat this
process by tracing your drawing again in one more square on your paper. Now you have two
graphite prints. Before making your 3rd print, turn outline over and add more graphite to the back by
drawing smooth back and forth strokes. Turn your drawing over and repeat the tracing process in the
remaining two squares. You now have a graphite print in all four squares.
 Step 2: Trace prints
Darken the lines of your “prints” by using a black marker to trace over them. Then sign your name on
bottom front corner with black marker before you color the paper with crayons.

Step 3: Color prints and backgrounds

Color your crayons four different colors. The wrappers of the crayons should be colored lightly, and
the wax part of the crayons should be colored darker. Then color the backgrounds of each crayon
print a different color.

Closure (approx. 10 minutes)

Tell students to look at the board and find answers to the following questions:

What is the name of the artist you learned about today? (Andy Warhol)
What country was he from? (USA)
What kind of art was he famous for? (Pop Art)
Give some examples of “Pop Art” characteristics? (Bright colors, the subjects are well-
known/common/popular, the subjects are often repeated.)
When you reproduce a piece of art by coloring the back with pencil, then tracing the front on top of
another piece of paper—What it the new art piece called? (A print)
Clean-up then let students leave their art on their desks and excuse them to do an Appreciation Walk
around the room admiring the hard work their classmates have done on their art projects.

ART with Mrs. Smith, P.O. Box 1207, Templeton, CA 93465 www.artwithmrsmith.com