Still life art is where a lot of artists begin – it’s a chance to examine shapes, light, shadows, and colors without needing to factor in anatomy or movement. It’s an important phase to experiment with, but it can feel really intimidating for new artists. Here are some important elements of still-life drawing for beginners.
Overlap
You’re probably familiar with this term – overlap is when part of an object covers another part or something else. It’s common in flower petals and composed scenes such as bowls of fruit. When something is covering part of something else, we assume it’s in front, so overlap often suggests depth.
Foreshortening
Foreshortening is a phenomenon where an object is distorted when it’s viewed along the line of sight. For example, a circle viewed along the line of sight will be distorted into an ellipse. Foreshortened objects are more visually interesting and natural to look at.
Perspective
Perspective is a set of rules that help artists render their subjects realistically – they take an object’s proportions and the angle at which it is viewed into account to dictate how its shapes would appear to the viewer. Without proper perspective, your work is likely to look unnatural.
Composition
Composition refers to how objects are laid out in a scene. It’s mostly determined by personal preference, but you should avoid patterns or uniform staging, as it can be visually boring.
Focal Point
A focal point is the center of attention in a piece – in still life, it’s the object that we add the most contrast and details to. For more pleasant composition, the focal point is usually not in the dead center, but rather positioned to one side and balanced by smaller, gentler shapes.
Contrast
Contrast adds depth and presence to objects, making them look more real. Most of the time, contrast is achieved via highlights and shadows. Pay attention to the source of the light – what angle is it coming from? How strong is it? These factors will affect the depth and placement of your shadows as well.