Name ________________________
Georgia O’Keeffe
“Up Close & Personal Pastels”
Read over and complete this packet then turn it in for your quiz grade. It is also a study guide for the exam.
YOUR GOAL :: We will be imitating Georgia O‘Keefe’s artistic style to create our own drawings. We will be
focusing on observing the subject very carefully. Practicing several drawings using different still-life techniques
will get us ready to make an accurate final project. In the end we will have created an up close and personal
view of a shell or flower, so zoomed in that we may not notice it is a shell at first glance. Then we will use
pastels to convey the rich blending of colors, like O’Keeffe.
Notes ::
Georgia O’Keeffe
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View-finder
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Abstract
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Oil Pastel
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Gesture
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Contour
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Directions ::
1.Get Inspired http://www.artst.org/okeefe/ to view works by Georgia O’Keeffe.
Notice how close-up she gets to her subjects.
-What do her works all have in common? __________________________________________________
-Are things just floating in the middle of empty space or does it take up the whole paper?
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-Also take note of what type of colors she uses- are they realistic or exaggerated?
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2. Practice Sketches
You can bring in your own shell / silk flower / bone or use one from school.
Practice warming up on newsprint paper by doing several drawings of your objects using different techniques.
3 of these will be turned in as part of your quiz grade so save these in your portfolio.
A. gesture
B. contour
C. realistic drawing using shading and value
3. Zoom In
Pick your favorite subject (shell, flower, or bone). Now we will practice “zooming in” with a
view finder that you will make out of a note card. This helps our eye focus on just the part of the subject that
we want to draw. Draw 3 different views. Make sure that your object is going off at least 3 of the edges, if not
all 4. You will see that now it is harder to tell it is a shell, flower, or bone [That is good!] This is a form of
abstraction---taking something realistic and changing it to be somewhat unrecognizable.
4. Final Project
Pick your best up close view to enlarge on the white 12x12 white paper. Use your
view finder and make sure you are looking at your subject while drawing, not just drawing out of your head.
Using a light, neutral colored pastel like peach, draw the main outlines you see.
5. Add Color
Use oil pastels to add vibrant colors. Remember exaggerate the colors. Even though
there may not be bright greens or purples in your shell-you can add those colors into your design like O’Keeffe
did. Remember the color schemes you learned in the last project – what groups of colors look good together?
It always works best to put down a base color first like the peach, then blend colors into it. Each area should
have at least 3 colors blended together. You can use your finger or paper towel to blend colors. Be careful
though! If you blend too much it will look smeared and the paper can tear. Make sure you cover the whole
paper-there should be NO white paper showing. If you have background space around your object, this must
be filled with either color too. (if you want it to be white, use white pastel)
OIL PASTEL TIPS ::
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Choose a final design based on the LINES not the colors. SIMPLE designs work best.

Use another sheet of paper as a placemat to PROTECT THE TABLE from getting
pastel on it (pastel is very hard to clean up).
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Put a BASE LAYER down first (white, peach, yellow oil pastel).

Then BLEND at least 2 more colors into each area. Cover the entire paper. NO WHITE
PAPER SHOULD SHOW!
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Your strokes (in each area) should go in ONE DIRECTION! Follow the direction of your
object. Criss-cross strokes DO NOT look good using pastels.
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WIPE the pastels tip after use with a PAPER TOWEL to clean it so you won’t get an
unwanted color in your project.
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BLEND IN OTHER COLORS TO CREATE VALUES, NOT JUST BLACK AND WHITE.
For example:
(if you are trying to make blue darker- add dark blue, brown, or purple)
(If you are trying to make red lighter, add orange, yellow, or pink)

Use a scrap piece of paper to TEST COLOR COMBINATIONS before putting it on your
final paper.
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At the end of each class, keep your pastel project WRAPPED IN NEWSPRINT in your
class folder. Make sure your name is on both your project and the outside of the
newsprint so it’s easy to find.
HOW YOU WILL BE GRADED:
Up Close & Personal Pastels
RUBRIC
Student:
SAMPLE
Period:
Composition (shell goes off at least 3 edges, unity, less than
25% background, focal point)
Craftsmanship (careful blending and layering in each area,
no fingerprints, realistic lines)
Color usage (at least 3 colors in each area, exaggerated)
Values (tints & shades. used colors instead of white and
black to make highlights and shadows)
Effort & Attitude (did you try your hardest, stay on task daily)
TOTAL POINTS/COMMENTS
/20
/20
/20
/20
/20
Name _____________________
Oil Pastel :: Warm Up Activity
Instructions:
-use at least 3 colors in each shape
-make the flat shapes look like 3D forms
-blend colors that mix well (these are next to each other on the color wheel)
-try NOT to use white and black. Instead use a darker or lighter color.
For example: To make red lighter, add yellow or orange.
To make red darker, add purple or blue.