Keane Fairchild

OIL PASTEL DONUTS

Grade Level: 4th & 5th

Wayne Thiebaud Oil Pastel Donuts

Objective:
● Students will be able to create a donut composition using oil pastel and techniques
● Students will use the following elements & principles in their artwork: color, space, balance,
proportion, and unity
● Students will create a composition inspired by the work of Wayne Thiebaud
● Students will demonstrate proper techniques of oil pastels
● Students will demonstrate knowledge of creating light, shadow, and value in a composition in
relation to the placement of the donuts

I Can… create oil pastel donuts inspired by artist Wayne Thiebaud

Exemplar:
● Wayne Thiebaud:
○ Pies, Pies, Pies, 1961. Oil on canvas.
○ Four Cupcakes, 1971
○ Three Donuts, 1994. Oil on canvas
○ Yellow Mickey Mouse Cake, 1998

TEKS Correlation:
● Elementary: (a), 2; (1): B, C; (2) B; (3): A, D; (4) A
○ Identify elements and principles
○ Understand and use vocabulary and recognize they are building blocks for art
○ Study historical/contemporary artists
○ Oral Response/artist statement/exit ticket

Materials Needed:
● Sketchbooks
● Oil Pastels: Brown, White, 3 analogous colors
● White Colored Pencil for tracing
● Black Construction Paper
● Baby Oil (optional)

Terms/Vocabulary:
• Blending- the technique of gently intermingling two or more colors or values to create a gradual
transition or to soften lines
• Layering- a gradual build up of light and /or dark values and requires several applications before the
desired result is achieved. Usually the first application of color will cover the largest area; each
subsequent application of color should be smaller, staying within the perimeter of the first color.
• Analogous Colors- are groups of three colors that are next to each other on the color wheel
• Shadow- an area in a drawing or painting that is not in direct light or facing the light
• Highlight- an area in a drawing or painting that is the lightest part or intensely brightened

Lesson Procedures:
● Engagement: Look at the work of Wayne Thiebaud
○ Questions for Discussion:
■ When was the piece created?
■ What events were happening in the world at the time the piece was created?
■ What is the subject matter?
■ How did the artist use line, shape, and color to contribute to the mood or
meaning?
■ What is the title? How does the title contribute to your understanding of the
meaning?
■ How does the piece feel balanced or unbalanced?/How did the artist use
balance?/How did this artist use space?/How did the artist use proportion?
■ Is the style of the piece realistic, abstract, or something else?
■ Which shapes do you see represented?
■ What colors are prominent throughout the piece?
■ What do you think the artist was feeling?/Why do you think this artist created
this work?
■ How does it make you feel?
■ Does the piece bring to mind any of your own life events or memories?
● Wayne Thiebaud use to work at restaurants - he would see rows of food
about to be served, typical american objects

Wayne Thiebaud is an American painter and graphic designer, born in 1920 in Mesa, AZ. His passion for
art making led to his career as an art teacher in Sacramento, CA and soon became a famous pop artist.
Pop Art means simple, bold images of common everyday items. Wayne Thiebaud is best known for his
paintings of edible treats and everyday objects such as pies, ice-cream cones, pastries, cakes, and other
items that remind him of his childhood. Thiebaud is associated with the Pop Art movement because the
objects he paints are recognizable and popular to American culture. Wayne Thiebaud uses bright
exaggerated colors and shadows to give his paintings a realistic and vibrant appearance. He organizes his
artworks the same way a bakery would organize their pastries in a window with nice neat rows, evenly
spaced, and beautifully arranged. In art, how an artist organizes their paper is composition. Fun Fact: In
1936 Wayne Thiebaud worked for Walt Disney Studios in Los Angeles, CA drawing characters like
Mickey Mouse and Goofy.

■ How has your opinion changed about this piece from the time you started looking
at it until now?
 ● Illustrator - a person who draws or creates pictures for magazines, books,
advertising, etc.
● Cartoonist - an artist who draws cartoons.

Guided Practice (10 Minutes): Students will follow the teacher to practice oil pastel techniques and
draw one practice donut in their sketchbooks
● Question for Understanding and Procedure:
○ Can someone raise their hand and tell me where my light source is coming from?
○ If my light source is coming from the right, where do I need to put my Donut shadow?
○ If my light source is coming from the right, where is it going to be darker on my donut -
the left or right?

Independent Practice (3 Donuts Main Lesson): After the guided practice, I will hand out a black piece
of construction paper and students will create three oil pastel donuts in the style of Wayne Thiebaud
1. Students will draw with pencil three donuts equally spaced apart
2. Choose three analogous colors
3. Create donuts using the three techniques shown during guided practice

Clean-Up (5-6 minutes)

Closure: We have been learning about Wayne Thiebaud in this inspired donut lesson today. On your exit
ticket, list the MEDIA you used to create your artwork, and answer the following question: What
techniques were important in creating this artwork?

Evaluation: Art Project Rubric and Exit Ticket

Accommodations for Differentiated Instruction: