Still life- An excellent choice for learning the basics of drawing and painting. There are a few important rules, which will tell you how to draw a still life. These rules are simple and quite feasible, but few places write or talk about them. Experienced artists use these rules intuitively. Beginners guess and rejoice at a successfully created picture, or vice versa - they worry about a bad experience in creating a simple plot.
The following tips will help you create various harmonious still lifes, using almost any technique, and avoid annoying mistakes.
How to draw a still life - rules for beginners
Naturally, still lifes are very different, they carry different goals and execute them in a variety of styles. Today we will talk about the basic rules for depicting inanimate objects on canvas or paper.
To create a harmonious picture, you need to know at least the basics of composition and color.
How to draw a daffodil flower
What should a beginner do who wants to create something beautiful with his own hands right now? Will you delve into reading books on painting and drawing?
It will be enough for you to know a few important rules to avoid mistakes and get an excellent result.
Location of items
Still life always looks more beautiful, harmonious and interesting, three-dimensional:
- It’s good to combine these two types of arrangement: overlap and distance.
Examples of item placement
All objects overlap each other, or are located at a great distance from one another.
Vector illustration. Here, too, all objects intersect, overlap, or are located at a great distance.
Boring and non-boring arrangement of objects
Even rectangles can be arranged in interesting ways.
Composition with rectangles
When you place one object behind another, overlapping parts of it, you create a certain depth in your work. The more shapes intersect, the more “deep and voluminous” your still life will appear.
Space
If you are just drawing a vase of flowers and there seems to be nothing to cover it with, think about it!
- Perhaps some leaf fell in front of the vase, or maybe a flower, perhaps you should lay a napkin or tablecloth, or maybe scatter berries on the table.
For example, the work of Alexander Sergeev:
In the foreground are leaves and a flower. These seemingly insignificant elements lead the viewer's eye from the very foreground of the shot, first to the fallen flower, then to the glass and vase, creating space and making the work more interesting.
Coloristics
When creating a still life, it is important simply not to overdo it with the number of colors used.
Rule of 2-3 colors
Choose 2-3 primary colors, feel free to use shades close to them and don’t worry about having problems with the color. I usually use 2 main colors- and a little extra color.
Examples of color solutions
Here I used only yellow-orange (warm) and blue (cool) shades. Green is optional.
"Boots" by Van Gogh. Two colors predominate here too.
Green and white clearly dominate here; strokes of blue and pink complement the work.
Still life with fish. The main shades are red-brown (warm), and blue (cool).
The rule of 2-3 colors is not always possible. Frequent heroes of still lifes - flowers or fruits are the most different colors and shades. In such cases, you should use the following advice: The picture should not have all the colors equally
Color ratio
Even in a variegated picture there are one or two dominant colors.
For example, if your bouquet contains flowers of red, blue, white and yellow flowers, and plus more green foliage. Some flowers and colors should prevail, others should be in the minority.
Here are examples:
Painting by A. Sergeev. The bouquet is dominated by white and red flowers. Blue, green, yellow are additional.
Still life by Vincent Van Gogh. Red poppies dominate.
Let's highlight the main thing
Having a certain idea, when drawing a still life from life or from an idea (from the head), you must:
- highlight what is most important in this plot, what subject dominates?
This rule is not always used, but your work will only benefit from its application.
Ask yourself a question: on what subject would you like to keep the focus, the viewer’s attention?
The main item should stand out in some way: shape, size, color, position relative to others.
Work by A. Sergeev. The “main” flowers are identified unmistakably.
Even at the sketching stage, when you look at the sketch, you must clearly determine - What is the most important thing in your work?
- If intuitively it is possible to determine the main thing is excellent.
- If the look moves from one to another, not knowing what to grab onto- this means you still need to work on your composition. reduce something or enlarge, rotate, rearrange etc. Choose what suits you best.
Many people probably have a question now: What if I draw one vase of flowers?
Here, this rule does not need to be applied? After all, our most important and main character is “a vase of flowers”?
And here it is necessary and quite possible to apply this rule.
There is always a main flower in a bouquet of flowers.
If this is a bouquet of many flowers, it is worth highlighting a small group of flowers that are most successful illuminated, or most look expressively to the viewer, differ by color, size or form.
What is this concept of “still life” for a beginner artist, of course? What might it include? And how to draw it yourself?
What exactly are we depicting?
First of all, you probably imagine a vase of flowers or fruit, a jug of milk or vegetables, cups, dried bream. In general, this word literally translates as “dead nature.” And the still life itself can contain different (usually inanimate) objects in quantities of two or more, which lie on some surface. More often these are fruits and flowers, sometimes vegetables and kitchen utensils. It is also customary to draw glasses or vases. How can we draw a still life with a pencil step by step? We will understand all this by following simple instructions, the guide below.
The simplest method
We will draw a fruit and flower still life with a pencil (for beginners). Naturally, experienced artists can (and probably should) write differently. Let's start with the basics!
Geometry is our everything
Step 1. First of all, you need to imagine any object in its simplest form. Use your imagination. What does the vase most resemble? That's right, on the cylinder. A basket is a parallelogram, an apple is a circle, a pear is an oval, and so on according to the same principle! Flowers, petals and leaves are striking with their symmetry. By the way, previewing cubist paintings may be useful for this. This is where the geometry of the universe opens up to us in its entirety! It will also be very important to arrange the items correctly on the sheet of paper. They should not “roll off” the table, but lie or stand straight. So our sketch is more like
Step 3. We continue to draw a still life with a pencil step by step. We outline the fruits in circles and ovals. They may overlap each other. Therefore, our circles will not be very even.
Step 4. Let us designate the flowers, their centers, and also the petals. Gradually add leaves.
Drawing the texture
Step 5. Draw the petals.
Step 6. Now we carefully shade our drawing. At the same time, we add a wicker texture to the basket. We shade the fruits in a circular pattern, leaving more highlights to make our fruits look juicier. Shade the flower petals and leaves from the center to the edge.
Step 7. Our still life in pencil, moving step by step, is almost ready. If you decide that the light falls on the left in the drawing, then add horizontal shadows to the right of the objects using shading.
Additional Image Tools
You will be surprised, but with the most ordinary eraser you can not only erase unnecessary things, but also draw, creating lighter tones. This is done on an image made with charcoal and pencil. Many people think that the basics of graphics are line and shading. And only with the help of them do artists distribute dark and light tones. However, sometimes it is easier to use a regular eraser, that is, an eraser. It is especially convenient in cases where you need to get pale, fairly thin lines that softly fade into darker tones. Here, for creativity, you will need smooth paper, which will facilitate the process of erasing the charcoal lines.
Another means of representation can be an ordinary finger! Neem is easy to grind graphite powder on a piece of paper when you draw a still life with a pencil step by step. This unique technique also exists in nature and can be used to depict “dead nature” - your still life.
So create, draw, dare. Perhaps you will come up with some new drawing technique, who knows... Good luck and patience!
You can draw with gouache on paper or cardboard. For still life, a regular landscape sheet is suitable. As for watercolor paper, it is in this case does not give a big gain - gouache applied in a dense layer will still hide the texture. But if you are going to tint a sheet with watercolors, and objects, watercolor paper or paper wallpaper will be just right. You will also need brushes different types and different thicknesses, among them there should be both soft and hard. If this is your first time drawing a still life, you will also need a hard pencil. Gouache needs to be diluted to the state of liquid sour cream. Remember that a lighter tone can be achieved by adding white rather than by washing it out as with watercolor. Also have a few small jars ready to mix your paints. Of course, before creating a composition of different objects, you need to try to depict each of them separately.Sketch
The best way to learn to draw is from life. But you can also depict an imaginary still life. The main thing is that the composition is harmonious. Objects should not hang in the air, so draw a plane on which they will lie - a corner of a table, a shelf, etc. You can also add drapery. If you are planning to draw a bouquet or arrangement of fruits, appliqué made from colored paper can help. Cut out items that you would like to combine in your work. Lay them out on a sheet. Try it different variants. When you think that the items are arranged beautifully, mark the location of each element. Whether or not to make a pencil sketch is up to you. In fact, when working with gouache or watercolor, it is better to do without it. But a beginner does not always succeed in this, so carefully draw the contours of each object with a thin pencil.Method of working with gouache
The basis is color spots. Fill the contours of each object with the desired paint. It should be light enough to apply shadows later. In general, when painting with gouache it is convenient to follow the principle “from light to dark”. For example, apples can be yellow, red or green. For the first layer, choose pure colors. Having completed one outline, wait until the drawing dries before moving on to the next item. This is especially important if objects are located close to each other. Gouache dries very quickly, so the wait won't be long. Draw in the finer details. This could be, for example, red stripes on a yellow apple, veins on a leaf, etc. Apply shadows. To do this, take paint of the main color, but without white. You can even add a little black or brown to it. The shadow, of course, is cast on the side of the object that is less illuminated. There should not be a sharp transition to the light part; it is better to blur the border or indicate it with a curved line. You should not outline the contours with dark paint. If the edges are uneven and you don't like it, smooth them out with the same paint you used to paint the item.Painting with watercolors is attractive for both children and adults - this paint gives the picture lightness and transparency. Unsuccessful strokes can be washed off with a wet brush, dry the paper and paint again. Working with watercolors requires only high-quality paper, but otherwise there is nothing complicated or expensive!
You will need
- - watercolor paints,
- - paper (whatman paper or special paper for watercolors),
- - brushes,
- - water,
- - pencil,
- - plastic palette.
Instructions
Make sure to organize your workspace - keep all the tools at hand, direct the light from left to right so as not to block the drawing with your hand. Place the composition of objects at eye level. Use a pencil to outline the contours of all objects in the future picture. Apply the design lightly so as not to damage the paper. Do not use an eraser often - this also disrupts the structure and texture of the paper. Draw without shadows and immediately determine the places that will remain white.
Use squirrel and kolinsky brushes - they are better suited for watercolors. Use a large flat brush for filling, and a smaller brush for details. Start with the background and, slightly changing the tone, move on to larger areas of the fruit. Draw objects that are similar in color; choose the tone and color based on the background color so as not to lose general color paintings. Where the shadow lies, apply color.
Then proceed to the plot of the picture, which you paint with all the necessary colors. Apply the paint without shadows, do not forget to leave white areas. Set the color of the fruit and the jug with the glass. Blur the contrast of color and white spots slightly to soften the transitions and edges. When painting with watercolors
A still life is a type of painting that depicts inanimate objects. You can draw a still life correctly not only oil paints(although this method is considered classic) - such pictures are painted with watercolors, pastels, pencils, and so on.
To create a harmonious plot in this style a number of rules are used - failure to comply with them can lead to disappointment with the result. Therefore, learning to draw still lifes should begin with studying these recommendations and, of course, applying them in practice.
How to draw a still life for a beginning artist
Before you start painting a masterpiece still life, you should decide on the style of the painting and its content. Most often, for teaching, drawing a vase of flowers standing on a table is used - you can artistically scatter bright fruits next to it, and a nice still life is ready. You can also come up with your own composition - the main thing is that it is not too complicated for learning.
Basic rules when painting a still life:
- the arrangement of objects should not be boring. That is, you don’t need to draw them lying (standing) at the same level and at the same distance from each other - use overlapping techniques, change the distance, play with sizes;
- empty space is not interesting; it needs to be filled with something. Even if there is only one flower vase in your picture, use your imagination: you can place a fallen leaf nearby or spread a napkin. These details will not be conspicuous and distract attention from the main subject, while filling the voids and creating the necessary depth of the composition;
- choice of tones - for a still life, too wide a range of colors is rarely used; such a picture should be calm. Take 2-3 colors as a basis, add their shades - you will get a bright, but not variegated image. If use is required large quantity colors - do not use them equally, there should be a dominant color that fills the main space;
- in addition to the dominant color, there must be a dominant object to which the viewer’s eye clings. It is the center of the picture, the rest of the composition simply complements it. As an example - a pair of larger and brighter buds in a bouquet, a slightly more successfully rotated fruit in the foreground;
- A still life should be drawn in stages, smoothly building a harmonious composition.
Drawing an attractive still life with pencil, oil, or other types of paint is not that difficult if you use a basic knowledge of perspective, symmetry, and the rules for placing objects on the canvas. Use these tips and you will definitely succeed!
Draw a still life picture in stages
Imagine that the entire process of painting a picture can be divided into 4 stages:
- drawing only the geometric contours of objects onto the canvas;
- drawing the outlines of objects;
- adding shades and shadows;
- detailed drawing.
Beginning artists do not use too “rich” compositions - they need to draw two or three objects lying on the table in order to understand how to draw a still life. After this, you can begin to paint more complex paintings.
If you really want to learn how to draw beautiful still lifes, it’s not at all difficult - they will be an excellent help: sign up for the master class “Painting in 3 hours” and learn the basics visual arts under the guidance of an experienced teacher. Rest assured: with this approach, creating your first masterpiece is very close!
How to draw a still life - let's start with a simple one, say, with preparatory stage and gradually we will approach drawing the still life itself. At this stage, for a better understanding of what we are doing, I suggest the following few exercises. You're not the only one who draws still life, and especially not at speed? You need good knowledge that can provide a good practical basis, right? Then let's look at the topic - how to draw a still life using these exercises.
Development of proportional vision abilities through comparative analysis volumes:
Find either bottles or cans - it doesn’t matter what, just not very complicated ones. You line them up maybe four or six times and train your eyes. Try to analyze the height and width of each object and their relationship to each other. At first, you can only draw outlines. We draw all objects on the object plane. Like this:
Another task:
Make a drawing of a crumpled sheet of paper, cardboard, with an analysis of the fracture planes. Notice that each face resembles the face of a cube. When you understand this, the task does not seem difficult. This exercise is very useful for developing the eye. Like this:
More difficult task:
How to draw a still life
So we smoothly moved on to drawing the still life itself. But now you are more prepared to perceive the material well. We draw a still life taking into account the placement of the composition in the sheet (see composition in the figure). We catch the character of the still life - whether it is elongated in length or in width. It is necessary to take into account the object plane, because all objects lie on it and do not hang in the air. We find the boundaries of the still life in the sheet, retreating 10 centimeters from the top of the sheet, 7 centimeters on the sides, and 3 cm from the bottom. Don’t rush, the main thing is to start correctly so as not to “screw up” all the work later. Don’t rush, because now we are finding the basic proportional relationships of a still life:
When, taking into account the proportions, you have determined the boundaries of the still life on the sheet, it’s time to find the boundaries and proportional relationships of each object separately. We establish proportions based on three points. Under no circumstances should you start drawing out the details of the still life or adding shading. If later you notice that somewhere you didn’t catch the proportions, you will have to erase everything that you drew there. As a result, the work at the very beginning will be overwritten and it is unknown what it will be like at the end:
If you did everything correctly, rest, drink tea, in a word, do something so as not to look at work and give your eyes a rest. Believe me, in 20-30 minutes you will see something that you have not seen before. If you find an error somewhere, correct it, it’s not too late. If everything is in order, we move on.
When you have found a place on the sheet for each object of your still life, look at the composition: each object contains geometric shapes or a combination of them. Draw each object more clearly, understanding that each object contains the basis of some geometric shape. Draw with perspective. There is no need to overdo it with pencil pressure. Draw with a graphite pencil T, TM so that the drawing is transparent and clean.
Lay out the shading:
Next, let's start shading. Let's determine where we have light and shadow in our still life. Now we don't need halftones. We do not touch the light, but shade the shadow with all the halftones with a pencil. Don't ink, otherwise you won't have enough pencil strength for the last darkest falling shadows.
Once we've defined light and shadow, it's time to review all the exercises we learned in the drawing basics section. We place shading on the object, where the chiaroscuro will be distributed according to the shape of the object. Objects moving into perspective will be drawn softer. The foreground is highlighted. If it’s difficult, then return to the drawing basics page and repeat everything again. Basically, you should end up with something like this:
