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The Fixes / How to Draw / Fall Still Life
Thanksgiving & fall · Grades 6–8 · 15 steps

How to Draw a Fall Still Life

Harvest Still Life from The Drawing Fix™. An easy step-by-step drawing for Grades 6–8. Draw it with your class in about 20 minutes, one step at a time. Free to use and print. No sign-up.

By Christopher Allen · Ontario elementary educator15 stepsAbout 20 minutesUpdated Nov 5, 2026
Run it on the projector →Printable step sheet (PDF)

A challenge drawing for older students. Structure first, detail last. Good practice for line control, proportion and slowing down.

Before you start: a pencil, an eraser, a sheet of paper and something to colour with.

Draw lightly at first. Dark lines come at the end, once the shapes look right.

Step-by-step: how to draw a fall still life

  1. Step 1. Table edge

    Draw the table edge.

  2. Step 2. Pumpkin

    Draw the wide pumpkin body.

  3. Step 3. Ribs

    Add the pumpkin ribs.

  4. Step 4. Stem

    Draw the stem and curl.

  5. Step 5. Apple

    Draw the apple.

  6. Step 6. Apple leaf

    Add the apple leaf.

  7. Step 7. Gourd

    Draw a long gourd on the left.

  8. Step 8. Corn

    Lean a corn cob on the right.

  9. Step 9. Shading

    Hatch shading on the pumpkin.

  10. Step 10. Cloth

    Draw the cloth folds.

  11. Step 11. Drape

    Add a hanging drape behind.

  12. Step 12. Wheat

    Draw a wheat stalk behind.

  13. Step 13. Fallen leaves

    Scatter two leaves.

  14. Step 14. Shadows

    Add cast shadows.

  15. Step 15. Create

    Make one part completely yours.

The pink line is the new part in each step.

Make it theirs

  • Add a background: a fence, falling leaves or a pumpkin patch.
  • Write one thing you are thankful for underneath.
  • Colour it with fall colours only: red, orange, yellow and brown.
  • Colour last. There is no wrong colour for a fall still life.

Teaching it with the projector

The projector version draws each step slowly on the board, pauses while students copy it, then checks in before the next step. Nobody has to talk, so you are free to walk around and help.

Quick Fix: 10 steps, about 10 minutes. Good for a brain break or the last few minutes before recess. Full Focus: all 15 steps, about 20 minutes, with the extra detail.

Open Harvest Still Life on the projector → It works on any classroom screen. No accounts, no student names, no ads.

Curriculum connections

Visual arts: the elements of design (line, shape, space and proportion) and creating art for a purpose. Language: listening to and following multi-step directions. Directed drawing also builds fine motor control and focus.

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