A Brush With Art.pdf

Still lifeStill life is something that is traditionally doneindoors, and it is one of the best ways to learn topaint because you can control both the subjectand your working conditions. Still life means thatthe object or objects to be painted are inanimateand therefore do not move. It's worth bearing inmind, though, that flowers and fruit can change inappearance, depending on how long it takes youto finish your painting!Before you start, here are some importantpoints. Don't be too ambitious to start with. Setup just a few objects that have simple shapes andcolours, and then put them on a contrastingbackground. Choose where you set up carefully.You'll run into trouble if someone wants to use thetable and you have to move your still life beforeyou've finished your painting. (Also make surethat none of the objects you're using will beneeded by someone else in the near future!)One of the most important things about stilllife is your light source. The best light source is anadjustable desk lamp which can be directed on toyour subject to give maximum light and shadow -dark against light. For the still life painting on thenext pages, I adjusted my light source to cast aninterestingly tall, dark shadow behind the teapot.Setting up a still life can be very absorbing, asyou are using your creative skills. But don't forgetthe object of the exercise - and spend so longcreating the scene that there's no time left to paintit! You will find some examples of how I paintedmy Still Life with Teapot overleaf.57