Isabella Flores
Painting a still life can be a daunting task, but with the right approach, it can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Before you begin, it is essential to choose the right supplies, such as paint and brushes, and to have a clear vision of what you want to create. This includes considering the composition, or how the objects in your painting will be arranged, as well as the lighting and colours. You may also want to take a reference photo to ensure that you capture the lighting accurately. Once you have a clear idea of your composition and lighting, you can begin sketching and experimenting with colours.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Vision | Have a clear vision of the finished painting before starting. |
| Focus | The viewer's focus should be intentionally shaped by the artist. |
| Composition | The arrangement of colours and values in an image and the path followed by the movement of the viewer's eye. |
| Lighting | Use lighting to create highlights, halftones, and shadows. |
| Colour scheme | Choose a colour scheme to evoke an emotion, then include particular objects to reinforce that meaning. |
| Brushwork techniques | Use different brush shapes and sizes for different textures and strokes. |
| Materials | Choose the right supplies, such as oil paints or acrylics. |
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What You'll Learn
Choosing the right supplies
Paint
If you are using oil paints, it is recommended to use artist-quality oil paint, even if you are a beginner. Artist-quality oils offer a better painting experience as they go further and have a higher quality than student-quality paint. You could also use acrylic paint, which is a good alternative if you are looking for something different from oils.
Brushes
Different brush shapes and sizes are more suitable depending on the type of painting techniques and styles you are using. Generally, you will want a variety of brushes to create different textures and strokes. Flat and Filbert brushes are great for creating bold, loose brush strokes for large shapes and textures. For still life paintings involving glass objects, a brush with a soft edge is recommended to avoid overworking them.
Lighting
Lighting is an important aspect of still life painting as it helps to create highlights, halftones, and shadows. A ring light can be useful to cast a good amount of light on the subject. You can also use natural light from a window to observe how it interacts with the objects, especially if you are painting glassware. A lightbox can be used to control the lighting and build the composition.
Photography
Taking photographs of your still life setup can be helpful to refer back to, as the lighting and position of objects may change over time. You can use photo editing software to further experiment with the composition and lighting before starting to paint.
Viewfinder
A viewfinder or ViewCatcher can be a useful tool to preview what your still life will look like. You can draw the contours of the objects inside a rectangle on a sheet of paper and render the sketch in three values: light, medium, and dark. This will help you to understand the basics of setting up a still life composition.
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Composition and lighting
Composition
Composition refers to the pictorial structure of a painting, including the arrangement of colours and values and the path followed by the viewer's eye. A good composition can make an ordinary scene extraordinary. Here are some ways to achieve that:
- Plan your composition before starting to paint. Take time to visualise the final painting and experiment with different arrangements of objects.
- Use a ViewCatcher or a viewfinder to get a quick view of what your composition will look like. You can draw a rectangle and render the objects inside it using light, medium, and dark values.
- Avoid placing your focal area in the middle of the composition, as it can create a static feeling. Instead, use a singular focus or a hierarchy of multiple focal points.
- Consider the rule of thirds when composing your scene.
- Play with object stacking, where objects are placed in front of or on top of each other.
- Use a variety of shapes in your composition, such as triangles, to create interesting visuals.
Lighting
Lighting is crucial in creating a sense of depth and focus in your painting. Here are some tips:
- Set up your still life near a source of natural light, such as a window, to observe how light interacts with the objects.
- Use a ring light or a lightbox to control the lighting and create highlights, halftones, and shadows.
- Pay attention to the colour temperature of your light source, whether it is warm or cold, and adjust your shadow tones accordingly.
- Use the idea of aerial perspective: objects closer to the viewer should have greater value contrast, with the value range becoming smaller as objects recede into the distance.
- Create a sense of focus by isolating the darkest darks and/or lightest lights to one area or object.
- Use a reference image or photograph your setup at different times of the day to capture the changing light conditions.
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Colour palette and values
When choosing a colour palette, consider the emotional response you want to evoke in the viewer. Select colours that complement each other and create a sense of harmony. Think about the values of the colours and how they will appear in relation to one another. Use a limited colour palette to create a sense of cohesion, and be mindful of the intensity of your colours. A bright red apple, for example, will appear more vibrant when surrounded by relatively less saturated colours.
Additionally, pay attention to the lighting conditions when setting up your still life. Natural light can create interesting effects, especially when painting reflective objects such as glass or metal. Consider the time of day and the changing position and colour of the sunlight. Use a lightbox or a ring light to enhance the lighting and create highlights, halftones, and shadows. Take reference photos to capture the lighting conditions and the composition of your setup.
When painting, start by laying down the basic colours and gradually build up the details. Save your lightest values and highlights until the end to maximise depth in your painting. Use different brush sizes and shapes to create a variety of textures and strokes. Flat and Filbert brushes, for example, are great for bold, loose brush strokes, while softer-edged brushes are suitable for painting fabric and reflections.
Finally, step back and assess the overall impression of your painting. Evaluate the colours, composition, and depth. Make any necessary adjustments to ensure your colour palette and values work harmoniously to guide the viewer's eye and convey the intended emotion.
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Brushwork techniques
When you are happy with your sketch, you can start to add colour. Using a large hard-edged brush, sketch lights and shadows, noting that with a cold light, you will have warm shadow tones. You can then add details with a smaller, softer-edged brush, painting darker shadows where objects overlap. For example, if you are painting a piece of fabric, you can add the light reflected on the fabric folds with a soft-edged brush, picking up the colour from the well-lit areas of reflective objects such as glassware.
Remember to step back and look at the whole picture when you are finished. Assess whether you are happy with the colours, composition, and overall impression, making any final adjustments as necessary.
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Focus and intent
The success of a still life painting is directly proportional to the amount of focus in the painting. The viewer's focus should be intentionally shaped by the artist. The viewer's eye should be forcefully drawn to a specific area before being allowed to wander. This can be achieved in a number of ways.
Firstly, the focal point should never be in the middle of the composition, as this causes a displeasing static in the painting. Instead, the focal point can be singular, with multiple focal points in descending order, or even conflicting. The composition could be circular, with the eye moving in a loop, or linear, with a building progression leading to a climactic focal point.
The focal point can be created by isolating the darkest darks and/or lightest lights to one area or object, which will create a sense of focus. The rest of the painting should have comparatively less value contrast. A bright red apple will look more vibrant when surrounded by relatively less saturated colours than it would on a bright orange canvas. If you keep your most intense colour to one area, you create a greater sense of focus.
The artist must also consider the lighting and how it will affect the composition. A ring light can be used to cast a good amount of light on objects to create highlights, halftones, and shadows. Alternatively, the still life can be placed close to a source of natural light, so that the way the light interacts with the objects is obvious. A photograph can be taken as a reference image, as the light will change throughout the day.
Before painting, it is important to have a clear vision of the finished painting. The planning period is not the time to relax or multitask.
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Frequently asked questions
You can use oil paints or acrylics for painting a still life. If you are using oils, it is recommended to use artist-quality oil paint as it goes further and has a higher quality finish. You will also need a variety of brushes to create different textures and strokes. Flat and Filbert brushes are great for creating bold, loose brush strokes for large shapes and textures.
Composition refers to the pictorial structure, including the arrangement of colours and values in an image and the path followed by the movement of the viewer's eye. You should plan out the placement of each object and ensure that the proportions are correct. You can use a lazy Susan or revolving tray to examine your setup from different angles before deciding on the best composition.
A painting where every square inch is covered in brilliant colours is not a colourful painting—it's a boring painting. Keep your most intense colour to one area or in a hierarchy to create a greater sense of focus. Before combining objects with personal or symbolic meaning, work out a colour scheme to evoke an emotion, then include particular objects to reinforce that meaning.
