Staging a still life: rules, compliance with conditions, sample, photo

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Do you want to learn how to draw? Where should you start? From sketches? Right, what's next? Next, you should master the art of staging a still life. Thanks to still lifes, a novice artist will quickly master subject drawing, and an experienced draftsman will be able to improve his skills. How to collect still lifes correctly?

Still life should be of interest to the artist

What should a creator experience when setting himself some task? Inspiration. A person should like what he does. Therefore, the quality setting of a still life is so important. An artist must be delighted with the composition that he needs to transfer from three-dimensional space to two-dimensional.

But what if a person does not yet have enough skills to depict complex objects? You need to draw something simple. But not everyone has a soul for cubes and balls. Therefore, find objects of simple shapes at home that you will like. For example, instead of a ball, you can take a watermelon, and instead of a rectanglebring a brick from the street. The artist must carefully select each item.

For some reason, many people think that the more bizarre things are used in the composition, the prettier the still life will look. Believe me, this is a myth. If you pick up an elegant figurine that disgusts you, you will never be able to draw it beautifully. Therefore, always compose a composition of those things to which the soul lies.

Objects must be fresh

The second rule that the artist must follow is to take only fresh products for staging a still life. If you plan to paint something perishable, then you need to sit down at the easel immediately after you assemble the composition. If you do not plan to paint in the coming days, then do not use anything perishable in the setting. It is better to take products whose shelf life is not limited to two or three days, or to replace real food with dummies. If it is not possible to use dummies, then choose those foodstuffs that, in your opinion, are the freshest.

After you find a place for each item in the production and draw the first sketches, you should circle the location of the items on the drapery, and put the objects themselves in the refrigerator. Thanks to the contour that will remain on the fabric, it will be easy to restore not only the location of objects, but also the distance between them.

Things should be united by meaning

How to assemble a quality still life? To do this, you need to combine all things in commonmeaning. For example, if you are compiling a composition dedicated to a forest walk, then you should use a basket, mushrooms, branches and leaves, as well as berries and stuffed birds. If you decide to collect a still life with the theme of "female things", you should use fancy powder boxes, perfumes, mirrors and makeup brushes. A variety of fruits, bread and a jar of jam can be used in the "Gourmet Breakfast" still life setting.

The theme of each composition should be well traced by any viewer. No need to suck the connection of objects from your finger. If you really want to use a sickle in your breakfast composition, then it is better to put it under the table, but not on the table. The whole picture will be spoiled by inappropriately placed things. They will be knocked out of the composition. But a still life is not a warehouse of products randomly thrown on the table. A still life is a well-built composition that can be disturbed by any little thing.

Harmony between similar and different shapes

Staging a still life for painting is a whole art. A person must find such objects that will harmonize well with each other in color, size and shape. Particular attention should be paid to the last criterion. In one composition, you do not need to pile up many identical items. If you use bottles, then they must be of different sizes. No need to build a fence of eggplants of the same shape and size in the background. You should use objects that are visually similar in shape, but whose size is different. For example, you can find a rectangle with roundededges, cylinder and ball. It will be difficult to fit a cube or something faceted into such a composition.

Contours, outlines and smooth lines should be repeated. Then the composition will look whole and harmonious. You can combine incompatible objects, because in art there are no rules that cannot be broken. But before crossing the boundaries of what is permitted, a person must learn the classical canons.

The center of the composition should be one

Anyone, even a novice artist, must follow a simple rule of any good composition - there must be one center. Setting a still life for painting is subject to this rule. Looking at the setting, the eye should immediately cling to something. The easiest way is to select the center by size. Place a large object in any corner of the still life and it will catch the eye.

If you do not want to highlight the central thing in size, you can experiment with color. In this case, the shade of the subject should be radically different from the shades used in the composition.

And another way to whiten the center is to form a void in the composition. But only experienced artists should highlight the center in this way. With the wrong arrangement of objects, emptiness will cease to be the center and make the composition unbalanced. If you want to achieve the best effect, then you should use only one of the above methods. You cannot use them all together, otherwise the still life will no longer be balanced.

Playing with contrast and nuance

Photostill life, which is assembled according to all the rules, is presented above. If you are just beginning to comprehend the art of composing, then choose the components of the production that will contrast with each other. Such a still life looks juicy and catchy. But remember that it is better not to combine more than three colors. The fourth shade can be used in drapery. But in this case, it should be neutral, black, white or light pastel. Contrasting still lifes are easy not only to collect, but also to draw. The color difference will be obvious to the artist. All that needs to be done is to choose the right shades.

If you know how to put together beautiful compositions, then try to compose a production with an emphasis on nuance. All components of a still life must be kept in the same color scheme. The difference will be in shades. It will then need to be found by the artist. It is difficult to write such productions, since not all artists succeed in correctly placing accents and highlighting the center of the composition.

Proportionality

When a person is going to set up a still life for a drawing, he must take into account the proportionality of the objects. A matchbox should not be placed next to a large vase. It will look out of place. Large objects with small ones should be connected by a kind of bridge formed by medium-sized objects. Massive objects should stand in the background and not block small things in the foreground. Some may consider the gradation of sizes as a prime example of contrast. In a similar way, you will be able to make disharmony of the composition and bring inher dynamics. But your still life will not be stable in the eyes of the audience either. The show will fall apart. If small objects are next to large ones, it is impossible to correctly balance them. Therefore, pay attention to the harmony of proportions in your composition.

It should also be remembered that volumetric folds should be considered part of the setting. And it would be unreasonable to put a scattering of beads on a large fold. If you really want to put something there, it's better to choose a massive jug.

Diversity

Have you seen the color graphics? The model of a multi-object setting of a still life in any well-thought-out composition is as follows: behind - large objects with minimal detailed study, and in the foreground - something small and embossed. Objects that lie closer to the artist should stand out not only in size, but also in color and texture. Artists veil the background with darker colors, while objects from the foreground are always well written in bright colors. The composition must be well balanced, and at the same time, it must be free of blunders with detail.

Someone may be frightened by objects with a pronounced pattern. For example, small ceramic tiles, which are a great background, or plaster heads, which require detailed work. You can put such objects in the background if all other things in the still life are inexpressive and little detailed.

Details on details

Want to make your still life interesting? Then diversify itdetailed things. For example, use not a simple white service, but cups and teapots with an intricate pattern. The pattern can decorate an old towel, or small figures or figurines can act as accents. Things should be beautiful, and the artist should want to take a closer look at the objects. Such details catch the eye, and the viewer does not remain indifferent.

But don't overload the composition. If you use decorative dishes in a still life, then the drapery should be plain. If you use printed fabrics, choose neutral items that cannot be lost against the backdrop of catchy material. Do not overload the still life. Compositions in which there are many interesting details are pleasant to draw. But only an experienced artist will cope with such a task, and not a beginner. Therefore, always evaluate your skill sensibly.

A still life must have character

Even a simple setting of a still life requires complex brain activity from the creator. Any composition should have its own character. Still lifes are empty, loaded, monochrome or contrasting. There should be no randomness in your work. Use only those items that fit the meaning and concept. If you are collecting a still life and doing it on a nuance, then be careful about the items you use. They should differ from each other not only in color, but also in texture.

It's not interesting to draw exclusively glossy dishes. The artist is pleased to look for new ways to convey the surface of things. If youcollect a still life with the theme of breakfast, then take bread, an egg, a cucumber and a cake. This food seems to be the simplest, but all items have different surface textures.

Background

Collecting still life? Educational setting requires the teacher to have knowledge regarding the specifics of the background. As a color substrate, dark matter of a warm shade should be used. On such a fabric, all light objects will look expressive. The student does not have to think long about contrasts. The background is dark, the background is medium saturation, and things in the foreground are light and expressive. It is on simple tasks that students learn the rules of composition and all the subtleties of placing accents.

As a background, you can use not only fabric, but also objects from the environment. For example, teachers use the corner of a room as a background. Such still lifes help the student to understand that the composition is not something separate, but part of the surrounding space. If classes are held in plein air mode, then grass or trees can become the background. Household items are interesting to write in direct sunlight, when the backdrop is a beautiful flowering rose or jasmine bush.

Fleats

You can see the photo of the setting for still life above. One of the accents of this work are the folds. Any self-respecting artist should draw them well. How to choose material? To create folds, it is better to use an old fabric that has been in use. Such material is used not out of economy, but for the reason thata faded canvas is more picturesque than a new printed cut.

To create folds, you can use both a rough material like canvas and something flowing like silk. The differences will be in the number of folds and their quality. On a rough fabric, massive creases are obtained, which sometimes even have sharp corners. There are small folds on silk, which are difficult to spread out on your own.

How to choose the right material color? It is advisable to use the fabric of the shades that students will have to mix, and not the colors that are included in the standard palette.

Lighting

How to draw a still life? Lighting plays an important role in any drawing. It is natural and artificial. Beginning artists are better off painting in natural light. And students who have already received basic knowledge in the field of drawing can move on to performances illuminated by spotlights. Thanks to the lighting, the texture and texture of objects are revealed, and the shape of things is also better read.