Here you’ll find an easy step-by-step tutorial here for how to draw a Terrarium. Drawing plants with their root system can be educational and pretty!

Terrarium Painting

A drawing of a Terrarium, made with the help of an easy step by step tutorial.

Here’s a fun painting project that can help integrate more art with your plant studies. And if you use a few aids (like a jar template to trace) to get started, you’ll find that students as young as kindergarten can learn how to draw a terrarium.

This project was always a teacher favorite back when I was in the classroom, but there are three things that I would consider vital to making it work with a room full of kinders … or even 5th graders. One, use watercolor paper so the paint colors look their brightest. Two, have a chipboard jar template ready for tracing so everyone gets off to a quick start. Three, use liquid watercolor paint so students can just concentrate on painting, and not mixing the right amount of water with the paint.

Please be advised though, that it’s best for you to test your crayon and paint combo first before you hand it out to a roomful of students. I’ve found recently that some brands of watercolor will actually just sit on top of and cover up the crayon, and not leave a nice white line. It’s rather disappointing to get to the final paint stage and not have that work. Especially if you are only 6, and it’s one of your first paintings.

Student Art Gallery

watercolor terrarium painting — Terrarium Painting by a student

watercolor terrarium — Another student painting, by a kindergartener

Join “The Daily Draw” below to get this PDF tutorial!

Terrarium Template page, available as a printable.

A Terrarium Painting in a Recycled Art Journal

Click above to learn more about my Recycled Art Journals

Terrarium Template Page

Open Terrarium TEMPLATE Page

Step by Step Directions to Draw a Terrarium

Time needed: 1 hour

How to Draw a Terrarium

Make a template for students.
Trace template with a pencil.
Draw ground, lid, first flower.
Draw two more flowers.
Trace with crayon, color flowers
Draw white roots firmly with crayon.
Brush brown watercolor paint over white crayon roots.
Add paint around the flowers and paint the lid.
Paint the background a contrasting color.

Already subscribed to “The Daily Draw”?
Great, then use the download button below to get your free Terrarium tutorial.

And thanks for wanting to bring more step-by-step, no-prep art lessons to your classroom!

OPEN Terrarium TUTORIAL