Trista Johnson

Who doesn’t like desserts? This is exactly why a still life including delicious delectables always catches the eye. Wayne Thiebaud is known as the dessert artist. He was an American artist who created numerous still-life paintings featuring ice cream, pies, cakes, tortes, and candy. Thiebaud died in 2021 at the age of 101.

Introducing Wayne Thiebaud
As an introduction, students watched a short interview with Thiebaud from CBS Sunday Morning via YouTube (see Resources). He stated, “If we don’t have a sense of humor, we lack perspective.” Students were surprised to learn that Thiebaud’s most valuable painting sold for $1.7 million, yet he seems very humble in the interview.

After learning about Thiebaud and his career, students took a deeper look at his paintings. We examined how he created the appearance of three-dimensional forms with cast shadows, highlights, and shading. We analyzed the light source, the color palette he used, the texture created by thick applications of paint, and his use of balance.

By combining shadows, highlights, and texture, students captured the playful spirit of Thiebaud’s work.

Drawing Desserts
Next, students practiced drawing a cupcake, a tiered cake, a cake with a slice removed, and a pie, using my drawing tutorials on YouTube (see Resources). I created a playlist, Art With Trista: How to Draw Desserts, which I played for the class, or students could use their own devices if necessary. I monitored students as they followed the videos to ensure they accurately reproduced the forms. They used this exercise to determine which dessert they could render successfully for their final piece. Some students used reference photos to help with shading and shadows, while others drew from imagination.

The Icing on the Cake
Students had the choice of using either chalk pastels or oil pastels. Oil pastels allowed them to capture the texture of frosting, while chalk pastels gave the desserts a delicate appearance.

Students were directed to draw a dessert of their choice, including a cast shadow (preferably not black), a plate, and a line to represent a table. They were also instructed to mix lighter colors for highlights and darker colors for shadows. I demonstrated how to use the pastels and highlighted the advantages of each medium.

I instructed students to begin by filling in basic shapes and colors, recommending that they start with lighter colors when mixing. They blended at least two colors to create light and dark values for shadows and highlights. Rather than using black, they applied darker values of the same color or analogous colors. Finally, they added details and highlights to create crisp edges and define lines in their forms.

By combining shadows, highlights, and texture, students captured the playful spirit of Thiebaudʼs work. The result was truly sweet art!

Trista Johnson is an art teacher at Walker Middle Magnet School in Odessa, Florida. tristajohnson1@gmail.com; Art with Trista: youtube.com/@artwithtrista.