The Art of Still Life
Still Life in Pastel Still Life in Pencil Still Life in Oil Paint
Still Life lessons are the best way to discover and practice the basic techniques of drawing and painting. You can take the drawing and painting skills
that you learn from this lesson and apply them to any subject in art.
Each of our still life lessons will teach you about:
The fundamental techniques of drawing and painting.
The handling of different media. e.g. pencil, chalk pastels and oil pastels.
A step by step approach to building up a still life drawing.
A step by step approach to building up tone and color.
The qualities of a good composition.
The practice of still life develops and strengthens your natural level of drawing ability. It improves your observation and rendering of shape, tone, color,
pattern and texture in a range of different media. You also learn a lot about composition - the interaction of positive shapes (the objects) and negative
space (the area around the objects).
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What is a Still Life? (Drawing and Painting)
Written by Claire Heginbotham
What Goes Into A Still Life
A still life is a drawing or painting that focuses on still objects. The
subject matter is inanimate and never moves, typically with a Starting off as a way for students to practice shape and form, the
focus on household objects, flowers, or fruits. still life has evolved into a fully-fledged genre of art.
Still life work contrasts figure drawing which focuses on a live Artists predominantly use paints like oil to complete their work but
human model. With a still life you know the objects won’t ever watercolor, acrylic, and carbon pencil are also popular.
move and you can practice objects with different properties like
shiny metal, clear porcelain, or bulbous apples. You can arrange any collection of inanimate objects to be the
subject of a still life.
Fruit bowls are a popular choice because they’re made up of
simple shapes and everyone has fruit lying around.
Creating a still life is a starting point for someone to
practice fundamental skills. When drawing inanimate objects you
can be sure they will stay in the same position until you move
them, making it an easier task for beginners.
Still life artwork comes in many different styles and mediums. The
brush strokes can be loose and wild or precise and bold. As long
as the subject matter remains inanimate, even pen and pencil
can create a still life piece.
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When the still life genre was recognized many freshly killed
animals and old skulls made their way onto the canvas. Even
today this is a popular trend.
These objects served as grim reminders of the briefness of life
and a subtle warning that worldly possessions do not follow you
into the afterlife.
But here are some of the most common themes and object
choices when doing a still life:
Flower arrangements – Bouquets or vases of flowers are one of
the most popular subjects of still life artworks.
Table spreads and foods –These artworks contain everything
from dead birds to sliced fruit to untouched banquet tables.
In an art class the instructor will most likely arrange the Common objects – Normal objects that you would find lying
composition for you. around your house suddenly transform into the subject of your
art. They can be in a specific arrangement or placed to tell a story
But when working on your own projects you have full control. The through visuals.
beauty is that you can limit the amount that you reference from a
photograph and instead create directly from life.
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Symbolic arrangements – By utilizing visuals, composition,
color, and subject matter, an artist can paint objects that
represent symbols or patterns for their still life work.
Different Styles
Let’s take a look at some examples and varying styles of still lifes.
These should grab your attention in different ways and help to
illustrate the purpose of this practice.
16th Century Realism
Ewer, Vessels and Pomegranate(1640) by Willem Kalf
This style of still life originated in 17th century Holland during still
life’s height of popularity.
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Luxurious possessions of the rich are displayed in these paintings
and often belong to the person who commissioned them. They
were seen as status symbols and celebrated the success of
Dutch trade.
In this still life we see a delicate pouring jug and other cutlery,
some gold work, fine china, and a pomegranate cut open.
All objects are painstakingly rendered to look as realistic and
impressive as possible.
Vanitas
Vanitas Still Life(1630) by Pieter Claesz
Vanitas also originated from Holland and was designed to warn
against pursuing vanity.
As seen in this painting, the point is driven home with a skull
placed next to now-useless worldly possessions of the deceased.
Fauvism
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As seen above the many different elements and colors all fight for
dominance in the painting. There isn’t any single real focal point
that emerges from this piece.
Both the tablecloth and the wall are covered with bold, attention-
grabbing patterns that captivate the eye.
Cubism
Fauve
Still Life(1908-10) Alfred H. Maurer
Fauvists painted works with bold, bright colors, exaggerating
everyday scene.
Popular in the 19th century, many find this style charming and
cheerful.
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The famed style of famous artists like Pablo Picasso and Juan
Gris, this abstract scene forces the viewer to look at life from a
different perspective.
In Violin and Checkerboard the scene has been broken up with
harsh directional lines that mash different views of the still life
subject matter together.
Pop
Violin and Checkerboard(1913) by Juan Gris
Started in the 20th century, Cubism was an abstract multi-
direction way of depicting the world.
Campbell Soup Cans(1962) by Andy Warhol
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Stylizing objects into bright colors and bold lines was the hallmark You will learn how to compose a scene using shapes, introduce a
of pop art. complementary color scheme, and render realistic lighting. This
all trains your eye which ultimately improves your skillset as an
Flattened down and often comic book-like, still life in the pop style artist.
almost always makes a bold statement or satirical comment on
society. Since the arrangement of the objects is up to your discretion and
your subject never moves, a still life is perfect for experimenting
Andy Warhol was one of the first and most famous pop artists in with new styles and conducting focused studies.
the world.
Here’s a brief rundown of how to paint your own still life:
Before he was at the height of his fame he created the now-
beloved Campbell Soup Cans. Each can is meticulously hand 1. Find objects and arrange them in the composition you want.
painted with no hint of shading or any light source. 2. Choose the angle at which you will be drawing from and
decide if you’re going to use natural light or an artificial light
Placed together they form a repetitive wall of soup, this acts like source.
an homage to when Warhol himself ate Campbell Soup every 3. Begin sketching out the arrangement of your objects on a
day for lunch. canvas to create an outline.
4. Once you have the basic shapes it’s time to start shading.
Why Practice Still Lifes? Most artists start with the background and the darkest
shadows.
If you want to improve your skills to realistically render an object
5. Layer the objects in the foreground on top of the completed
from life, practicing many still life pieces can drastically increase
background. You can find full documentation on how to do
your capabilities. Fast.
this here.
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6. Add highlights throughout the painting and pay attention to
spots with extra shine.
7. Refine details and consider ways to make your composition
even better.
8. For a bright finish, add a thin layer of glaze to your work.
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