Adding Life to Still Life
STILL LIFES ARE COMPOSED of inanimate objects, such as pottery, fruit, nicknacks, or even a favorite teddy bear—but they are by no means lifeless! An effective still life setup has movement and vitality. I like to paint still lifes because they give me the opportunity to make glass look fragile, silver look reflective, and apples look good enough to eat. It’s fun to make objects appear realistic through the use of light and shadow (which creates depth), the careful placement of objects, and the use of color to convey mood.
Setting Up a Still Life
Creating a harmonious setup takes advance planning. The composition should draw the viewer in and direct the eye from object to object. I often use diagonal lines to lead the ...
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