OIL PASTEL TEXTURE ABSTRACT DRAWING INSPIRED BY MR.BBABY

Create – Conceiving and developing new artistic ideas and work.
Present – Interpreting and sharing artistic work.

Students will be able to…

• Create a variety of textures by manipulating oil pastels in different ways, such as using cross-hatching, stippling, scraping, and impasto techniques.
• Learn to isolate and focus on specific textures using a viewfinder, allowing them to zoom in on a detail and replicate it in their artwork.
• Study the work of mural artist Mr. B Baby, examining her use of color, texture, and scale in creating large murals, and how texture plays a role in her artistic style.

• Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. Generate artistic ideas that demonstrate differences in composition principles and push the boundaries of what materials can do. (7-8.V.Cr.01)
• Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work. Explain how an artistic work was influenced by the culture or historical context in which it was created. (7-8.V.R.08)

• Mr B Baby
• A variety of other murals around school and Lynn
• Focus on texture

• Oil Pastels
• 12×24 white drawing paper
• 9×12 white & black drawing paper
• Pencils
• Paper towels
• Viewfinders
• Magazines

• Texture
• Hue
• Stippling
• Scumbling
• Cross-hatching
• Blending
• Composition
• View finder

Day 1
Introduction to artwork by Mr. B Baby. Discuss her subject matter, materials, background, and textures. Discuss what texture is and brainstorm different types of texture. How does Mr. B Baby use texture in her murals? How does this enhance her artwork and characters? What textures can you find around the classroom? Introduce a viewfinder and how to use one. Have students explore the classroom and use the viewfinder to “zoom in” on different textures.

Day 2 + 3
Introduce students to oil pastels and demonstrate how they can be used to create textures. Demonstrate how to use pastels to blend, layer, mix colors, create value, stippling, scraffito, and scumbling. Have students fold a 12×24 inch piece of white drawing paper so that it has 8 boxes. Have students explore a different texture in each box using the oil pastels, labeling each box with the technique’s name.

Day 4-7
Give students magazines and a viewfinder. Have students choose an image and use the viewfinder to zoom in on an interesting texture that they would like to recreate. Students will sketch the zoomed in composition on their white or black drawing paper using a pencil. Students will then use oil pastels to recreate the texture, referring back to their learned techniques and chosen picture from magazine.

Day 8
Once their project is complete, students will write a short artist statement based on their texture and techniques used. The class will also do a gallery walk to see each other’s work.

• Students will be given individual supports based on their needs.
• Some supports could include more visuals, translations, and
  hand-over-hand.

• Self reflection
• Peer critique
• Sketches in sketchbook
• Gallery walk

Purpose

To evaluate middle school students’ ability to:

• Experiment with oil pastel techniques to create a variety of textures.
• Use a viewfinder to isolate and enlarge textures from their environment or magazine images.
• Apply texture, color, and composition in creating an abstract artwork inspired by Mr. B Baby’s murals.
• Reflect on their artistic process, choices, and learning.

Assessment Components

Formative Assessments

• Texture Exploration (Day 1–3): 8-box sampler page labeled with texture techniques (stippling, scumbling, cross-hatching, blending, etc.).
• Sketchbook Planning (Day 4–5): Composition sketches based on magazine image/viewfinder exploration.
• Peer Critique & Gallery Walk (Day 7): Students give and receive feedback using sentence starters.

Summative Assessments

• Final Abstract Texture Artwork: Completed oil pastel piece demonstrating texture, layering, and composition.
• Artist Statement (Day 8): A short written reflection (1–2 paragraphs) explaining:
  • Which texture(s) they chose and why.
  • How they used oil pastels to replicate or enhance the texture.
  • How Mr. B Baby’s work inspired their process.
• Participation in Gallery Walk: Sharing their piece and offering feedback to peers.

Rubric (4-Point Scale)

Tiered Supports

Beginning ELLs

• Vocabulary cards with visuals (texture, stippling, scumbling, blending, composition).
• Sentence frames for reflection: “I used ___ to show ___.”
• Option to orally record reflection instead of writing.

Intermediate ELLs

• Graphic organizers for planning and reflection.
• Peer pairing for critique discussions.
• Allow bilingual labeling of sampler boxes before translating to English.

Advanced ELLs

• Encourage expanded vocabulary in reflections (“The scumbling technique created a rough, layered texture…”).
• Challenge to compare their work to mural textures in Mr. B Baby’s art.
• Option to lead critique discussions or gallery walk prompts.

Teacher Notes

• Assessment should value process + product + reflection, not just the final drawing.
• Encourage risk-taking with oil pastels, since experimentation is central to texture learning.
• Document student growth with photos of sampler boxes, sketches, and final work.

https://mrbbabyart.com/

Extension idea:
Have students learn how to make their own viewfinders. – Have students create a texture for their own character, inspired by Mr. B Baby.