25 Teacher-Favourite Acrylic Paint Projects

Acrylic Paint is popular in the art room because of its opacity, its vibrancy, and its ability to deliver amazing results. To spark some new ideas for using this versatile medium, we asked art teachers around the country to tell us their favorite acrylic paint projects. 

They responded with lessons that were inspired by famous artists, teach different art styles, make connections to self and others, and more. Keep reading to find 25 unique and engaging projects you’ll want try in your own classroom.  

1. My grades 4 and 5 students love to use acrylic for their papier-mâché sculptures! Last year we made oversize paint brushes and paint tubes inspired by Claes Oldenburg. They got to choose the colour of their paint and then rename it to their liking. I had everything from Cheesy Boy Yellow to Goblin Gut Green. It made a great display! —Jennifer C. 

2. My favourite acrylic project to do with students is 3D candy wrapper paintings inspired by Claes Oldenburg’s soft sculptures! —Hannah M. 

3. My sixth, seventh, and eighth graders have created cubism-type paintings using their favourite animal. We draw the animals and then I have them break up the space by “fracturing.” Then they must choose a colour group for the animal and a colour group for the surrounding space. The pictures have turned out really well. —Eva Y.  

4. I had my eighth graders paint self-portraits. They had to be extreme closeups of themselves eating something. They got really excited and formed their own little field trip to a local ice cream shop. Their paintings came out really nice, and I loved their engagement. —Hellow Y. 

5. I love to do Chuck Close-inspired grid portraits. It is so fun to mix the acrylic colours in the squares and come out with a mosaic-looking portrait. Students love learning about Chuck Close and enjoy colour mixing with acrylics! —Kristin P. 

6. We created an installation for the hallway. An Impressionism living room. Students brought old, discarded pieces of furniture. Groups created each piece by painting it like some famous Impressionist piece. There was a small table, chair, lamp, and even a door. It was amazing! —TBorn 

7. At the end of the year, I allow [my high school students] to paint small squares on the cabinets in my room. They can paint anything they want, but I say it should represent you as a person. The end product looks like a quilt of small paintings going across my cabinets, each tile representing a personality. It’s very rewarding to get to know my students all year long and then see their personality on permanent display in my room. —QM P.  

8. I’ve enjoyed painting self-portraits using a monochrome palette with my middle schoolers; we paint at least two, each with a different colour, sometimes even three self-portraits if there is time. Tints and shades, baby! They are always so taken with how different each one feels depending on the dominant colour. —Shara S. 

9. I love doing Dale Chihuly-inspired paintings — even the upper-grade boys enjoy it! Watered-down tempera wash for the background, then acrylics squeezed from condiment bottles with some scraping allowed. —Krista F. 

10. This year we plan on creating a legacy project with our fifth grade students based on the glass art of Chihuly. We will use acrylic paints to colour water bottles that have been melted and twisted, combining them all together into a hanging sculpture. —Leslie J. 

11. My grades 4 and 5 students love to use acrylic for their papier-mâché sculptures! Last year we made oversize paint brushes and paint tubes inspired by Claes Oldenburg. They got to choose the colour of their paint and then rename it to their liking. I had everything from Cheesy Boy Yellow to Goblin Gut Green. It made a great display! —Jennifer C. 

12. My favourite acrylic project to do with students is 3D candy wrapper paintings inspired by Claes Oldenburg’s soft sculptures! —Hannah M. 

13. My sixth, seventh, and eighth graders have created cubism-type paintings using their favourite animal. We draw the animals and then I have them break up the space by “fracturing.” Then they must choose a colour group for the animal and a colour group for the surrounding space. The pictures have turned out really well. —Eva Y.  

14. I had my eighth graders paint self-portraits. They had to be extreme closeups of themselves eating something. They got really excited and formed their own little field trip to a local ice cream shop. Their paintings came out really nice, and I loved their engagement. —Hellow Y. 

15. I love to do Chuck Close-inspired grid portraits. It is so fun to mix the acrylic colours in the squares and come out with a mosaic-looking portrait. Students love learning about Chuck Close and enjoy colour mixing with acrylics! —Kristin P. 

16. We created an installation for the hallway. An Impressionism living room. Students brought old, discarded pieces of furniture. Groups created each piece by painting it like some famous Impressionist piece. There was a small table, chair, lamp, and even a door. It was amazing! —TBorn 

17. At the end of the year, I allow [my high school students] to paint small squares on the cabinets in my room. They can paint anything they want, but I say it should represent you as a person. The end product looks like a quilt of small paintings going across my cabinets, each tile representing a personality. It’s very rewarding to get to know my students all year long and then see their personality on permanent display in my room. —QM P.  

18. I’ve enjoyed painting self-portraits using a monochrome palette with my middle schoolers; we paint at least two, each with a different colour, sometimes even three self-portraits if there is time. Tints and shades, baby! They are always so taken with how different each one feels depending on the dominant colour. —Shara S. 

19. I love doing Dale Chihuly-inspired paintings — even the upper-grade boys enjoy it! Watered-down tempera wash for the background, then acrylics squeezed from condiment bottles with some scraping allowed. —Krista F. 

20. This year we plan on creating a legacy project with our fifth grade students based on the glass art of Chihuly. We will use acrylic paints to colour water bottles that have been melted and twisted, combining them all together into a hanging sculpture. —Leslie J. 

21. Each year my eighth graders wrap up the school year by painting skateboard decks. It is a favourite and very anticipated project! We love using bright colours and graffiti-style designs! —Lauren T. 

22. My favourite is a classic painting in which students are asked to incorporate a local landmark, icon, or flavor for fun! —Laura B. 

23. One of my favourite projects for multiple ages is a fall birch tree landscape in acrylics. We tape off the tree trunks, add fallen leaves with a sponging method, and add details once the tape is off! —Cheryl M. 

24. I enjoy teaching my students the grid system of drawing and layout in preparation for an acrylic painting. They choose a photo that they like from a magazine. They lay out a grid on the photo and a corresponding grid on a canvas panel, make light pencil underdrawings, and then paint acrylic over it. Acrylic is opaque and forgiving, so it’s a great medium for the project. —Danellen D. 

25. My Painting 1 students look at the bright colour usage of Wayne Thiebaud and then choose a dessert to paint in a high key colour scheme (8″ x 10″ canvas). It is fun and fairly quick! —Bibba M.