Op Art Shaded Shapes - Lesson Plan - Recommended for Grades 3 or higher

Aug 20, 2026

A grade 3+ art lesson introducing Op Art as a form of artwork that creates optical illusions and visual movement. The plan covers the concept of optical illusions, key Op Art artists (including M.C. Escher and Bridget Riley), and a brief history of the Op Art movement in the 1960s. Students complete an Op Art shaded-shapes drawing through guided steps using paper, markers, and colored pencils across multiple class periods.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLifestyle

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time9 min

AccessFree to download

Op Art Shaded Shapes

Summary and What Is Op Art?

History of Op Art

Important Artists

Op Art Drawing Project

What You Need

Step-by-Step Drawing Guide

Op Art Shaded Shapes Recommended for Grades 3 or higher From: [https://kinderart.com/art-lessons/arthistory/op-art-shaded-shapes-lesson/](https://kinderart.com/art-lessons/arthistory/op-art-shaded-shapes-lesson/)[ ](https://kinderart.com/art-lessons/arthistory/op-art-shaded-shapes-lesson/)Lesson plan used with the permission of Mrs. Brown of Mrs. Brown’s Art. Summary: Students learn about “Op Art” and then create a picture (optical illusions) that can play tricks with the eyes. What is Op Art? When something plays tricks on your eyes it is called an Optical Illusion. Op Art is artwork that plays tricks on our eyes. Artist M.C. Escher is famous for having created lots of different kinds of Op Art. Bridget Riley is famous for creating Op Art that looks like it is moving. Sometimes it hurts your eyes to look at it for too long. History of Op Art by Andrea Mulder-Slater Op Art was an art movement which occurred in the 1960s. It was a time when the artist was very much interested in the idea of creating movement on a two-dimensional surface by tricking the eye with a series of optical illusions. “Op” for “Optical Illusion” “The birth of Op Art began officially with an article in Time Magazine. In 1964, Time Magazine published an article featuring an art movement involving optical illusions. Since the artists focused on eye manipulation, Time Magazine coined this new movement “Op Art”.” ~Source Modern Masterworks Important Artists: • Riley, Bridget • Stella, Frank • Albers, Josef • Poons, Lawrence • Noland, Kenneth • Vasarely, Victor • Anuszkiewicz, Richard Op Art Drawing Project What You Need: • 9″x12″ white paper • Sharpie markers • pencil crayons • notes on Op Art (see end of lesson plan) This lesson takes (on average) three 60 minute class periods. / Ideal for Grade 5. Start by drawing a curved line across the paper with a Sharpie marker. Think rolling hill… not rollercoaster! Add 8 dots across the line. They should be different lengths apart. You need a dot close to the edges of your paper. Start connecting the dots with bumps. The lines from the dots close to the edge will go off the edge of the paper to an imaginary dot. The lines will eventually go off the top and bottom of the paper . Fill the whole paper. Pick a group of colors you feel work well together (2 or 3) . Using pencil crayons, fill in the spaces. Press harder in the corners. As you get near the top of each bump, press lighter and lighter. Continue until the work is complete.

FAQs

What is Op Art and why do artists use it?

Op Art is artwork that plays tricks on the eyes, creating visual effects that can feel like movement. It uses optical illusions to manipulate what viewers see.

Who are some important Op Art artists mentioned in the lesson?

The lesson highlights Bridget Riley and M.C. Escher, and also lists artists such as Frank Stella, Josef Albers, Frank Poons, Kenneth Noland, Victor Vasarely, and Richard Anuszkiewicz.

What materials do students need for the Op Art shaded shapes project?

Students need 9″x12″ white paper, Sharpie markers, and pencil crayons, plus notes on Op Art provided at the end of the lesson plan.

Aug 20, 2026

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