So you want to be known as a painter of still life? Still life painting gives you, the artist an opportunity to render spirituality or poetry to seemingly mundane objects. Though the final creation seemed less intricate than portraits or landscapes, the process of composing a still life involves manifold preparations and specific requirements in composition and design.
To prepare the composition of the subject. You must be sure that it is how you want the objects to be arranged. You may draw several preliminary sketches using different compositions and carefully study each of them. Choose the one that would give the most balanced and harmonious pattern of light and dark.
Another specific requirement is the light source. It should be steady and if possible natural or natural looking, the canvas used for the still life should not be too big or too small 16x20 or some similar size is adequate.
The next step is to decide what approach you will use. Except when you’re aiming for photo-realism, you don’t really want to paint the subject as exactly as you see it. Therefore, decide what is your purpose, concept, or even message for making this still life. This step is most crucial because, based on your decision, you would determine how you would proceed.
The oil painting technique utilized by many old masters involves applying repeated layers of paint and glazes. Some examples of works done by this technique are still Life: Lemons, Oranges and a Roses by Zurbaran and The Silver Goblet by Chardin (one of my favorites).
Or you may wish to use the direct painting approach. Should you decide this, a good thing to remember is to decide one center of interest. This centered interest ideally is the most lighted of all objects and others are partly concealed by shadows. Of course, the surface on which the center of interest lies should be lighted too. But the line of shadow beneath the objects should ideally be the darkest in the picture.
Another thing to keep in mind are the distinct shapes of your objects and the ground plane. Establish these early on and never lose them in the process.
And finally, after you have applied all the necessary strokes and colors, step back and scrutinize your work. Add finishing touches. For example, if the overall impression is rather dull, consider adding another color, perhaps a complement to one of the colors you’ve applied.
It Sounds funny to say but a good still life should be poetic sometimes the strongest pieces of the artwork is the subtle shift of lights and dark values, sometimes is the dance between the arranged objects the composition and the mood the painting depicts, some beautiful paintings by Daneil Sprick, Isabel Quintanilla and even Cezanne are just spectacular and deep in reflection and observation, this is what I believe to be the power of a good still life.