This series of donuts were created by our talented Year 3 students. The learning intention was to create a ceramic donut with their own personal design on it, inspired by the contemporary artist Jae Yong Kim, and to explore how artists use colour, pattern and cultural or personal references to create visually striking and meaningful artworks.

Students first researched designs inspired by popular culture. They then learned how to model a donut out of clay, patting and shaping it first into a donut shape, forming the centre hole and finally, creating the topping informed by their research. Shown here are a koala donut, a pineapple donut and a llama donut. They further developed their clay skills by practising patting, shaping and rolling shapes and using the Scratch, Slip and Smooth method to join on their shapes.

In addition to these personal donuts, students had the opportunity to make a second donut inspired by famous artworks. Shown here are ‘Starry, Starry Night’ inspired by Vincent Van Gogh, ‘Waterlilies with Bridge’ inspired by Monet and ‘The Great Wave’ inspired by Hokusai. Students painted their designs using acrylic paint and posca markers.

Students thoroughly enjoyed the creative freedom this project offered. They experimented with bright colours, fine details, and different painting and modelling techniques to bring their imaginative ideas to life. The process encouraged careful observation and thoughtful design choices. These donuts celebrate each student’s unique voice and their appreciation for both contemporary and historical art influences.