How To: Setting Up A Still Life

Every student taking a beginning painting class is familiar with the still life. Painting from a constructed set of inanimate objects arranged before one's easel has been the m.o. of painters as far back as time immemorial. Working from a still life as a means to enhance one's powers of observation and, by extension, improve one's ability to render forms, light, and color can either be viewed as an extreme challenge or tedium in its most condensed form. One way to alleviate the tedium is to take a still life on as a challenge, a puzzle that one is willing to solve. Once one has got the attitude to get on with the task at hand one then has to start searching for items that one would enjoy painting. Finding interesting items for one's still life is of paramount importance for executing a solid composition that looks like it is somewhat inspired. Simply tossing random detritus found around the house in a heap and painting from that often leads to boring uninspired work. So find something that you would really love to paint, something that will get you excited to render.

Anyway, I could go on and on but instead I'm going to link up a bunch of online sites that discuss this topic extensively. Check out the available information below:

Wet Canvas Basics 101. Nice chat about zee still life here.

About.com. One can always find a posting on any subject on this site. Here's another About.com post on the subject here.

Wikipedia on Still Life. Not always accurate but generally helpful site we've all come to know and love. Mostly history of still life but useful.

Below are a few images of work my former students have done from a still life. Click ont he images for a better view.