How to draw a still life. Oil and watercolor painting

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

An intelligent artist knows that a still life is born long before the brush touches his hand. In this genre, everything starts with an idea, namely with the ability to compose a composition of objects that can effectively complement each other.

Many learn the art of drawing by trying to paint a still life. Painting is a much more precise craft than it might seem at first glance, so let's look at the basic postulates for working in this genre.

Building a picture composition

When deciding to paint a still life, there are a few rules to consider:

• come up with an idea that could link all the components of the composition into a single story;
• pick up objects of different sizes and shapes that could balance the still life. Painting can bring mood to a boring pencil drawing, but no color can save the work if all the compositional elements look the same;
• it is advisable to pick up all the items in a suitable color scheme in order tosubsequently avoid misunderstandings in mixing colors with reflexes;
• experience of many artists allows us to conclude that paintings look much more spectacular, where the elements differ in texture and material, such as wood and ceramics;
• special attention should be paid to the background. Drapery should harmoniously fit into the overall idea of a still life and not attract special attention to itself. This is especially true in cases where the color scheme of all objects is in pastel colors;
• should not overload the space with an abundance of elements;
• light should fall in such a way that it would be convenient for the painter to display the volume of objects using the game of chiaroscuro (sometimes it is appropriate to take a photograph).

Still life oil painting

Oil is the central material in the hands of the artist, which allows you to fully reveal the concept of "painting". Oil still life allows you to vary the texture, creating an amazing surface in its smoothness, or quickly apply volumetric strokes.

Following the general principles of composition, first prepare the idea of a still life, and all the elements involved in it line up on a flat surface. Next, a pencil sketch is made on the canvas. The uniqueness of oil paints is that they can be mixed directly on the canvas. They dry for several hours, so at any time there is the opportunity to make adjustments, the ideas of which may arise when considering the work from different angles.

An essential attribute of oil paints

It should be remembered, when deciding to paint a still life, that painting with oil paints implies their constant dilution with turpentine, which has a pronounced smell, so it is better not to paint at home, so as not to suffer from a headache later.

Turpentine must be added to the palette every time the paints are mixed. To do this, before applying a new color, you need to rinse the brush in it and then wipe it with a cloth. At first, it is better to avoid working with a very thick oil, preferring more liquid options.

Another fundamental difference of this art material is the ability to mix paints by applying them on top of each other on the canvas itself, bypassing the stage of working with a palette, however, for this you will need to stock up on fan brushes.

Painting in watercolor. Still life

Watercolor technique differs significantly from oil technique not only technically, but also in mood. Airy lightness, subtle haze, a unique gradient - these are just a few of the associations that watercolor painting evokes. A still life made with these paints is not inferior in beauty to an oil one, and in terms of its aesthetic component it can even surpass it, although this is just a matter of taste.

Watercolor paints dissolve in water during work, forming a transparent pigment that gives the image weightlessness and sophistication. The technical feature of this painting technique is that it depends on the relief of the paper on which the paints are applied.

Watercolor essentialexpands the aesthetic horizons of people studying art, allowing them to comprehend the full depth of the surrounding beauty.

The first strokes of artistic comprehension of the ideology of watercolor are ideally done by drawing a still life. Painting with these paints is distinguished by their ability to transmit light, and not retain it, unlike oil. From this factor follows the need to do without building a detailed pattern that will be visible under a thin layer of pigment. For beginners in the artistic field, this rule is most easily followed by depicting flowers, rather than voluminous geometric shapes. Buds do not require careful construction, but need an optimal juxtaposition of warm and cold shades to give them volume.

Watercolor still life - painting, the flowers on which seem to be illuminated from the inside. This effect is obtained due to the ultra-high transparency of the paint lying on white paper. The sun's rays fall on the picture and are reflected from its surface. Any watercolor sketch requires following the sequence of steps in order for the final work to come out correctly:

• drawing is written at an angle;
• before you start working with color, you need to make a compositional sketch on paper;
• when the artist has begun to work with paints, it is worth carefully monitoring the tilt of the picture to avoid unwanted streaks and mixing colors;
• when writing flowers, it is very important to keep the concept of "from the particular to the general". This means that you need to register separately eachflower, but at the same time depict it as a single whole, which is achieved by working with chiaroscuro;
• in bouquets of flowers, despite their partial role in the overall picture, it is important not to miss the personal compositional center in order to correctly direct the viewer's attention;
• when the whole work is written, you need to generalize it, which is sometimes achieved by drawing individual details, additional strokes.