10 Wayne Thiebaud Art Projects for Kids
As he turns 100 this month, let’s celebrate Thiebaud, the father of the food art trend, with some fun Wayne Thiebaud Art Projects for Kids!
“If you stare at an object, as you do when you paint, there is no point at which you stop learning things from it. ” ~Wayne Thiebaud
If you go to a restaurant or a diner these days, you’re sure to find someone or the other striving to take a good photo of their meal. It’s no wonder too, since there is definitely art in food, and Instagram is proof of this fact! However, what if I told you there was someone who captured food art back in the sixties?
Yes, we’re talking about Wayne Thiebaud, an American painter who loved capturing food – in paintings, not Instagram! Look at the angle of the painting shown above – doesn’t it look familiar? This is ‘Sandwich’, painted in 1963, one of the many food paintings done by Thiebaud, including pies, pastries, cakes and much more.
Wayne Thiebaud was passionate about deriving inspiration from things we see everyday. In fact, one summer, he worked part time at Walt Disney, drawing Goofy, Pinocchio and other characters. He went to to work as a cartoonist and designer, creating his own unique brand of painting everyday objects.
Due to the subjects of his art, Thiebaud is associated with the pop art movement, along with the likes of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and others. In fact, he was good friends with artists William de Kooning and Franz Kline. Even though his subjects are similar to Andy Warhol’s, the style is entirely different. Thiebaud’s work is often heavily pigmented and feature strong shadows.
With the artist turning 100 this November, it’s only fit that we celebrate this special occasion with some fun Wayne Thiebaud art projects for kids. Considering a lot of his paintings are based on pies, cakes and ice cream, we’re sure kids are going to be quite enthusiastic about trying these out!
10 Wayne Thiebaud Art Projects for Kids
1. Cupcake Puffy Paint Project
This beautiful painting is based on a work of Thiebaud that’s actually untitled! Thiebaud uses his paint to create texture in his work, and that’s exactly what Woo Jr has done here with puffy paint frosting for this cupcake.
2. Donut Oil Pastel Lesson Plan
Most of Thiebaud’s paintings were desserts, particularly classic American desserts. As a result, his work features many cupcakes and donuts. The Art Teacher takes inspiration from his various donut paintings in this art tutorial that is incredibly detailed with videos and everything!
3. Wayne Thiebaud Forms and Lollipons Oil Pastel Lesson
This project from Create Art with Me is a celebration of the painting named ‘Six Lollipops’, painted in 1964. If you ask me, I’d say this is a very good representation of the original painting, that’ll have you wanting to pick one up!
4. Wayne Thiebaud Gumball Machine Printmaking
Another classic American candy are gumballs, often dispensed from a gumball machine. Thiebaud was captivated by the brilliant colors inside the machine, and did quite a few paintings on it. Thomas Elementary Art turns this into a fun print making project that even young kids will love.
5. Wayne Thiebaud Desserts Shadow Box
When you speak of desserts, you can’t help but talk about ice creams! Ice creams feature a lot in Thiebaud’s paintings, and he loved painting cones with multiple scoops as well as sundaes. Mrs. Picasso’s Art Room creates a shadow box style project with a Thiebaud-inspired ice cream painting.
6. Wayne Thiebaud Cakes Maths Art Integration Lesson
It’s amazing how art and Math are considered poles apart by some, while they are considered to be joined at the hip by others. Arts Integration shows how Thiebaud’s symmetric cake paintings are in line with mathematical principles and how you can use them to make your own cake art.
7. Wayne Thiebaud Ice Cream Cones
The Sweeter Side of Mommyhood takes inspiration from Thiebaud’s many-scooped ice cream paintings to create these fun works of art. Kids will enjoy painting the scoops in the colors of their favorite flavors.
8. Slice of Cake Art
Wayne Thiebaud’s 1962 painting ‘Cake Rows’ features rows of different slices of cakes, and it looks like a layout for a birthday party or perhaps a bakery. It is Art Day draws inspiration from this painting and other similar ones to make these rather delicious looking 3D cake slice sculptures.
9. Primary Popsicles
Thiebaud’s work is characterized by the heavy pigmentation, and that gives his painting that unique stamp. Tiny Art Room has a lovely Popsicle project that’ll help kids learn about primary colors and what happens when you mix them. The result is a bright, custom work of art!
10. Cake Painting Collage Art
Thiebaud painted cakes in all forms – whole cakes, mini cakes, cake slices and cakes from which slices were cut. Check out this project from Fine Lines that features the latter, and is a fun way to mix painting and collage art.
I don’t know about you, but I sure am craving something sweet right now! That’s the beauty of Thiebaud’s work – on the surface it looks like a simple painting of a cake or ice cream, but look closer and you’ll notice how he’s added texture and shadows to make them look quite appetizing. Encourage kids to examine more of his paintings – this is something they’re sure to be delighted to do!
If you’d like to check out more food crafts, do check out our post on food crafts for pretend play..
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