60 Inspiring 4th Grade Art Projects for All Skill Levels

Fourth grade art students are ready for new challenges, like trying out perspective or exploring tessellations. These projects are all well within their abilities but will also encourage your students to push themselves to create cool new works of art they’ll be proud to take home and show off. We’ve got art projects for 4th graders in every medium, so there’s something for all classrooms.

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Painting 4th Grade Art Projects

1. Blend snowy silhouettes

Learn to blend tints and shades with these winter landscapes, featuring full moons and silhouettes of trees, snowmen, and other wintry objects.

Get the tutorial: Snowy Silhouettes

2. Put your students in The Scream

Munch’s The Scream is one of the most well-known pieces of art in the world. Learn more about the original painting, then have kids paint their own backgrounds. Finish it off by taking “Scream selfies” and pasting them on!

Get the tutorial: The Scream

3. Make Dean Russo–inspired animals

Dean Russo’s vivid pet portraits have become incredibly popular, and they’re exactly the kind of style that appeals to kids. This is another 4th grade art lesson that’s perfect for using bingo daubers to make the bold outlines.

Get the tutorial: Dean Russo–Inspired Animals

4. Mix paint for giant Hokusai waves

Japanese artist Hokusai is best known for his series of woodblock prints of Mount Fuji, including The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. Fourth grade art students will enjoy mixing acrylic paints to get the proper shades to re-create this iconic marine scene.

Get the tutorial: Hokusai Wave Art Lesson

5. Draw Escher-inspired tessellations

Get ready to see your students’ eyes widen when you show them M.C. Escher’s mind-bending illustrations. Then challenge them to create their own tessellations, which are repeating patterns that cover a page with no gaps or overlaps. It’s tricky, but oh-so satisfying!

Learn more: MC Escher Tessellations

6. Shade close-up dragon eyes

Your 4th grade art students will develop a whole bunch of new skills with this project. Plus, those dragon eyes are simply mesmerizing!

Get the tutorial: Dragon Eye Painting at Art With Mrs. F on YouTube

7. Outline and paint 3D gems

Use the magic of crystals and gems to inspire students for these watercolor art projects for 4th graders. Show them the basic steps, then let them compose their own valuable collections.

Get the tutorial: 4th Grade Gems & Crystals

8. Float away with dandelion puffs

One look at these paintings and you’ll feel like you’re sitting in a sunny meadow on a warm summer’s day. Kids use the wet-on-wet technique to create those soft misty backgrounds.

Get the tutorial: Dandelion Puffs

9. Sow succulent garden still lifes

Inspire students with the resilience of desert life. This project blends art with nature, as students study succulents and their adaptations to create beautiful, vivid artworks.

Get the tutorial: Succulent Garden Still Lifes​

10. Paint a watercolor flower garden

This project invites kids to draw and paint a vibrant watercolor flower garden. Starting with simple flower shapes drawn on watercolor paper, they outline their designs with a white crayon or oil pastel before painting over them with liquid watercolors, allowing for a beautiful resist effect.

Get the tutorial: Watercolor Flower Garden

11. Create winter tree silhouettes

Capture the quiet beauty of winter with silhouetted trees against a vivid watercolor sunset. This project teaches color blending and contrast.

Get the tutorial: Winter Tree Silhouette

12. Create bird silhouette art

Capture the beauty of a sunset with bird silhouette art. This project encourages children to observe color changes in the sky, blend paints to create depth, and use templates for striking bird silhouettes against a vibrant background.

Get the tutorial: Bird Silhouette Art Project

Papercraft Art Projects for 4th Graders

13. Craft radial paper relief sculptures

Explore the concept of radial symmetry with this intriguing folded-paper project. Visit the link below to learn some basic folds, but don’t be afraid to try out creative shapes of your own.

Get the tutorial: Paper Relief Sculptures

14. Cut out Dubuffet sculptures

Dubuffet took great inspiration from watching kids create, eventually coining the term art brut, sometimes called outsider art. After looking at some of his work, ask kids to use paper to make a free-flowing abstract sculpture of their own.

Get the tutorial: Dubuffet Sculptures

15. Explore indigenous art with totem poles

Make this art lesson meaningful by learning why and how some Native American tribes make totems. Then have each student choose an animal that’s important to them and build their own class totem poles.

Learn more: Totem Pole Animals

16. Explore paper-weaving techniques

Introduce students to the world of weaving with an easy and colorful paper-weaving project. They’ll start by cutting slits in one piece of paper and weaving strips of different-colored paper through the slits. This project not only teaches basic weaving patterns but also allows for creativity in color and texture combinations.

Get the tutorial: Paper Weaving

17. Assemble 3D paper doodlebug insects

Create intricate 3D paper doodlebugs that spring to life on a leaf. This crafty project encourages students to design, color, and construct their own doodlebug using a printable template, fostering a blend of artistic creativity and scientific curiosity.

Get the tutorial: 3D Paper Doodlebug Insect Craft

18. Make paper bag bunny puppets

Craft adorable bunny paper bag puppets using simple materials. This engaging project sparks creativity and provides a playful arts-and-crafts experience for kids.

Get the tutorial: Bunny Paper Bag Puppet

Clay and Sculpture 4th Grade Art Projects

19. Hang papier-mâché jellyfish

Combine a papier-mâché bowl with pipe cleaner tentacles, and you’ve got an art project for 4th graders that they’ll love!

Get the tutorial: Papier-Mâché Jellyfish

20. Sculpt figures from foil

Turn a box of aluminum foil into cool sculpted figures. After your students make their figures, have them draw and shade the shadows the figures make.

Get the tutorial: Gesture Drawings in 3D

21. Create clay masks

In this 4th grade clay art project, students roll out a sheet of clay, then cut out shapes and add details to create a mask.

Get the tutorial: Clay Masks

22. Turn pinch pots into monsters

Pinch pots are a classic elementary school art project, but this version puts a clever twist on them. With a few additions, 4th graders can make their very own scary monsters!

Learn more: Pinch Pot Monsters

23. Make clay cupcake pots

OK, you can’t actually eat these, but aren’t they adorable? And to make them even cooler, the frosting is actually a removable lid. This is one of our favorite art projects for 4th graders.

Learn more: Clay Cupcake Pots

24. Dive deep for undersea sculptures

Everything’s better under the sea, including these gorgeous clay sculptures. Use photos of tide pools to inspire 4th grade students to mold starfish, urchins, seaweed, and more.

Get the tutorial: Underwater Clay Sculptures

25. Snack on papier-mâché donuts

These donuts look yummy, but don’t be tempted to take a taste! Instead, drop by the link below for some donut art inspiration, then shape your own sweet treats from papier-mâché.

Get the tutorial: Papier-Mâché Donuts

26. Construct clay castles

Have some royal fun with these textured clay castles. Metallic glazes and glittering pennants make this a project that really shines.

Get the tutorial: Clay Castles

Yarn and Textile 4th Grade Art Projects

27. Sew giant pizza pillows

Who’s ready for a pizza party? Let your creative juices (and taste buds!) run wild with this cool 4th-grade art project that looks fun and delicious.

Get the tutorial: Fourth Grade Pizza Pillows

28. Try a toothpaste batik

The traditional batik process involves wax, but this version uses a surprise substitute: toothpaste! Learn how it works at the link.

Get the tutorial: Toothpaste Batik

29. Wind geometric string art designs

Think of this like Spirograph brought to life. Fourth graders will love the impressive outcome of this art project, which has some math built right in!

Get the tutorial: Geometric String Art

30. Sew soft sculptures

Simple sewing skills allow kids to create their own cuddly little characters, using plastic needles and yarn. They’ll love getting to take these little guys home when they’re done.

Get the tutorial: Soft Sculptures Sewing

31. Needle-felt some fuzzy hearts

This craft requires the use of sharp needles, so choose your audience carefully. The result is really cool, though, and lots of fun to do!

Get the tutorial: Needle Felted Hearts

32. Knit with a cardboard tube

Knitting is easy when you use a loom made from a cardboard tube. Kids will want to keep right on knitting even after the bell rings.

Get the tutorial: Cardboard Tube Knitting

33. Make folk art yarn dolls

Try making these sweet little dolls around the holidays. Kids can use them as ornaments on the tree, give them as gifts to small folks or pets, or just keep them for themselves.

Get the tutorial: Folk Art Yarn Dolls

34. Weave yarn pouches

By this age, kids have probably done multiple simple weaving activities. This weaving art project for 4th graders ups the ante by creating a pouch they can actually carry and use.

Get the tutorial: Woven Yarn Pouches

Drawing and Coloring Art Projects for 4th Graders

35. Put together free-fall foreshortening art

Fourth grade art students are ready to tackle some more advanced concepts, like foreshortening an object to produce the illusion of distance. These free-falling portraits emphasize hands and feet, creating an interesting, foreshortened perspective.

Get the tutorial: Make Free-Fall Foreshortening Art

36. Learn the parts of a landscape

Teach your students terms like foreground, middle ground, and horizon as they create these patterned landscapes. They’ll also learn to use warm colors to make some elements pop and cool colors when they want something to recede into the background.

Get the tutorial: Landscapes

37. Write typography self-portraits

Make some time in your curriculum for graphic arts like typography. This self-portrait is a combination of poetry and art, and the results are truly special.

Get the tutorial: Typography Self-Portraits

38. Split and share circles

Collaborative art projects give kids a chance to work together and share their creativity. For this one, each student creates one Kandinsky-inspired circle and cuts it into four pieces. Then kids mix and match with each other to put together unique compositions.

Get the tutorial: Concentric Circles

39. Sketch mythical dragons

Unleash creativity by sketching mythical dragons, following a simple tutorial that breaks down the process into easy steps. This activity encourages students to play with shapes and details, creating their own dragon characters.

Get the tutorial: How To Draw a Dragon

40. Create a shape explosion

Here’s another lesson in perspective, this one focusing on the vanishing point. For a personalized twist on this idea, have kids sketch the letters of their name instead of using shapes.

Get the tutorial: Shape Explosion

41. Make chalk pastel jellyfish art

Brighten up the classroom with a colorful chalk pastel jellyfish art project. Using black paper, students will draw and color their own jellyfish, learning to blend colors and create light-and-shadow effects that make their art pop.

Get the tutorial: Chalk Pastel Jellyfish Art Project

42. Learn to draw landscapes in perspective

Introduce students to perspective drawing with a landscape art project. They’ll learn how to create depth by drawing a road that narrows into the distance, along with trees that gradually decrease in size, resulting in a captivating scene that looks like it’s far away.

Get the tutorial: How To Draw Landscapes in Perspective

43. Craft Victorian houses

Dive into history and architecture by designing Victorian houses. Using colored pencils, students draw houses with detailed gables, turrets, and trim, learning about this historic style’s unique features.

Get the tutorial: Victorian Architecture

44. Draw half-portraits

Learn to draw half-portraits with a step-by-step guide that simplifies facial features. This project encourages attention to detail in drawing one side of the face, making it perfect for understanding symmetry and proportions.

Get the tutorial: Half-Portraits

Mixed-Media Art Projects for 4th Graders

45. Go colorful with Fauve portraits

Artists of the Fauve school favored bright colors and bold lines, so their work really appeals to kids. Use bingo daubers to make the portraits, then oil pastels and liquid watercolors to create the colorful backgrounds.

Get the tutorial: Fourth Grade Fauves

46. Fold zigzag selfies

Your 4th grade art students will be wowed by the illusion of this portrait project. They’ll create two different pictures of themselves on accordion-folded paper. When they unfold it, they’ll be able to see each portrait depending on the angle from which they look.

Get the tutorial: Zig Zag Paintings

47. Sail mighty pirate ships

Students will have fun painting textured waves to back their fearsome construction paper pirate ships. Challenge them to personalize their sails with their own insignia too.

Get the tutorial: Pirate Ships

48. Add texture with glue

Aluminum foil makes a really cool canvas for art projects. Use school glue to “draw” insect art, then fill in the colors with Sharpies.

Get the tutorial: Butterfly Art

49. Assemble colorful seahorses

These dreamy seahorses are made using bleeding tissue paper to achieve the soft watercolor effect. When you glue them onto black construction paper, the colored panels practically seem to glow.

Get the tutorial: Seahorse Art Project

50. Turn book pages into a seascape

Collect some old textbooks and turn them into bounding ocean waves! Dab the torn pages with watercolors, then add boats of various sizes to create the illusion of depth.

Get the tutorial: Torn Book Paper Seascape

51. Get a bird’s-eye view of snowmen

Viewed from the top, snowmen are just a series of concentric circles. Practice shading to add depth to each circle, then add a scarf, arms, and snowman features to finish it off.

Get the tutorial: Bird’s-Eye View Snowmen

52. Stitch and paint on burlap

Here’s a project that’s likely different from anything kids have tried before. First, paint a design on burlap. Then, stitch on some embellishments with colored thread. The results are unique and awesome!

Get the tutorial: Stitching on Burlap

53. Craft with recycled Shrinky Dinks

Turn recycling into a fun art lesson with DIY recycled Shrinky Dinks. This art project for 4th graders allows students to repurpose plastic into vibrant, shrinkable art, teaching sustainability alongside creativity.

Get the tutorial: DIY Recycled Shrinky Dinks

54. Doodle desert masterpieces

This project combines art fundamentals like concentric circles, contour lines, line variety, color blending, and watercolor control. Students start by sketching cacti and landscapes, then outline their drawings with permanent markers, filling it in with detailed doodles and color washes for a stunning effect.

Get the tutorial: Doodle Desert

55. Create drip paintings like Pollock

Dive into the action-packed world of abstract art with drip paintings inspired by Jackson Pollock. This project lets students splash, drizzle, and pour paint, embracing spontaneity and movement to create their own vibrant masterpieces.

Get the tutorial: Jackson Pollock Drip Painting/Weaving Revisited

56. Craft mixed-media leaf collages

Explore the beauty of nature with a twist by creating mixed-media leaf collages from photocopies. This project invites students to collect leaves, then use photocopies of these leaves as the basis for vibrant, layered art pieces. By adding paint, texture, and creativity, each collage turns into a stunning exploration of the natural world’s intricate patterns and shapes.

Get the tutorial: Mixed-Media Leaf Art Collage

57. Craft papel picado snowflakes

Explore papel picado–inspired snowflakes, merging this traditional Mexican art with a fun, wintry twist. Students create unique paper designs, enhancing their cutting skills and cultural appreciation.

Get the tutorial: Papel Picado Snowflakes

58. Create funny balloon faces

Float into a world of laughter with funny balloon faces. With these adorable 4th grade art projects, kids explore their creativity by attaching colorful card-stock facial features to balloons to craft whimsical characters.

Get the tutorial: Funny Balloon Faces Craft

59. Craft folk art winter trees

This project has students creating vibrant winter trees using Sharpies and watercolors, embodying folk art’s charm. A simple yet engaging activity perfect for exploring line, pattern, and color techniques during the chilly months.

Get the tutorial: Winter Folk Art Trees

60. Weave Mexican sun and moon artworks

Craft stunning Mexican sun and moon weavings, blending metal relief art with colorful yarn weaving. This project celebrates Mexican culture and introduces students to mixed-media art, combining sculpture, painting, and weaving techniques.

Get the tutorial: Mexican Sun and Moon Weavings

Get my free art portfolio printable bundle!

Click the button below to receive our free printable bundle with art portfolio cover sheets for every grade, as well as an art project planning sheet and an artist study worksheet.

Keep the creativity flowing with these 4th Grade Writing Prompts.

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