Emily Gould
- Jul 12, 2023
- 4 min read

Road Trippin' with Artist Grant Haffner

Updated: Apr 24

Road-scapes Grant Haffner Style.... Elementary and Middle School Art

Mixed Media Road Trip Landscape Art Lesson, Grant Haffner style

I have been preparing art lessons for the next school year. Recently, I gave this lesson a test run... I taught it online to my art club students in Vancouver, BC. They are elementary students (ages 6-12) They enjoyed the introduction to one point perspective and learning about contemporary artist, Grant Haffner. Here you can see what they created in one hour. This art project reminded students of road trips they had taken or were getting ready to take this summer which opened up a fun discussion about road trips!

Painting a road trip reminded us that road trips are fun because they offer complete freedom over the adventure. You can travel anywhere your car can take you and you get to bring with you, whatever fits in the trunk. When your on a road trip there is nowhere you have to be, so you are in this state of freedom from all of life’s expectations which really allows you to enjoy the moment. It's exciting when you are free to wander, get lost, be vulnerable, and connect with the world around you.

Countless movies, books, and songs have been dedicated to that wild and free road trip feeling!

Looking at a Grant Haffner painting is a mental road trip vacation! I can see myself in his paintings...literally! (myself in his painting, above) ...Can't you feel the wind in your face with all of that forward motion and momentum? The view of psychedelic surreal skis transports you to a place of wonder where your mind soaks up the road, the scenery, and you have that feeling that there is no place you HAVE to be and nothing you HAVE to do, and you are truly present in the experience!

Road Trip paintings by Grant Haffner.

These paintings are for sale as limited prints.

https://sebastianfoster.com/artists/grant-haffner

About Artist Grant Haffner

Visit Grant Haffner's website to see more of his artwork

Grant Haffner's artwork has been featured on the cover of books

and my favorite art supply catalog, Blick!

Grant Haffner recently designed cards for Trader Joes. He also designed bags

"My dreamlike landscapes explore the intersections of the sky and open road, highlighting the beauty that is often overlooked." Grant Haffner

Grant Haffner has also created NFT's based on his road trip series.

https://opensea.io/GrantHaffner

Let's look at Grant Haffner's paintings from a fine art's perspective...

Art Supplies:

Mixed media paper, 9x12 or 12x18

Pencil

Ruler

Scissors,

Glue stick,

Black Sharpies, ultra fine point and fine point

Black colored pencils

Black and yellow paper

Economical acrylic or tempera paints

Fluorescent/Neon paint

Paint brush

Water

You can find the art supplies that were used for this art lesson on My Amazon Storefront. Please note that I make a small commission on anything you buy from one of my links. I am linking exactly the supplies we used! Thank you very much for your support...

Commissions will go towards buying more art supplies for the art room

and posting more art lessons on my website!

Link to my New Amazon Storefront. Thanks for your support

This art lesson is mixed media! There is a layer of drawing, a layer of painting, a layer of collage, and finally another layer of drawing.

This art lesson will take approximately two (45 minute- 1 hour) art classes to complete

Online this lesson was taught with watercolor paints. Students also had a few fluorescent paint colors to layer on top of the watercolor skies. Adding the fluorescent paint layer really made the colors pop! The art lesson works with watercolor paint too but I highly recommend also having a few fluorescent paints to add as a second layer to enhance the colors of this surreal road trip experience.

Art lesson on video

Road Trippin' with Grant Haffner

This art lesson is mixed media! There is a layer of drawing, a layer of painting, a layer of collage, and finally another layer of drawing.

Part 1. Drawing

Start with a pencil and a ruler. This art lesson offers a great introduction to one point perspective. Draw the horizon line and vanishing point. Use a ruler to draw the road.

Draw lightly you are establishing the composition for the painting.

Part 2. Painting

After the composition has been sketched. Students paint the sky, then the land around the road and finally the road.

Part 3. Collage

Neon yellow paper was used for the road lines. The paper was measures into a triangle shape and cut down the middle into two road strips. Black construction paper strips were used for the utility poles and cross bars. A ruler is necessary to the measure the top of the first utility pole to the vanishing point. Measuring the top of the first utility pole down to the vanishing point, draw a line with a pencil, this is a guide line. The receding poles should become shorter the closer they are to the vanishing point. The guide line will help to keep the receding utility poles the correct height as they become smaller towards the vanishing point. Following the rules of perspective will help to create depth and distance within the composition.

Part 4. Drawing

Measuring the top of the first utility pole down to the vanishing point, draw a line with a pencil, this is a guide line. The receding poles should become shorter the closer they are to the vanishing point. The guide line will help to keep the receding utility poles the correct height as they become smaller towards the vanishing point.

Drawing telephone wires that go into the vanishing point. We are using black ultra-fne Sharpies.

Art Lesson Presentation PDF available to download

Perhaps the most exciting part of this art lesson was having student art featured on Grant Haffner's Instagram. My students will be incredibly excited to see this after spring break.

Thank you Grant for inspiring this art lesson AND inspiring the world with your artwork!