Paul Cezanne (1839-1906), Still Life Basket of Apples, c. 1893, Oil on canvas,
25 7/16 x 31 1/2 in. (65 x 80 cm), Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Collection,
1926.252, Art Institute of Chicago.
Still Life Project
Vocabulary: Art 1
Purpose of Project
Art I: Pencil Drawing
• Everyday objects are a huge inspiration to artists, both
amateurs and professionals alike. One great way to
practice creating art is to draw what we see.
• Imitationalism at its best!
• To gain a better understanding of form, space and
perspective, we will be creating drawings of a still life –
a setup of everyday objects that are inanimate – to
draw, paint or sculpt from.
Objectives
What are the goals for this assignment?
• Demonstrate knowledge of imitationalism
• Create a still life drawing using drawing media
• Successfully use a viewfinder to create a composition that has
accurate proportions
• Evaluate effective use of tools and processes
• Demonstrate understanding of space
• Compare and contrast historical works by style, period and
culture.
• Critique your artwork on the rubric
Vocabulary
Continued
• Elements
• Form – 3D object with height, width and depth
• Space – the area above, around, between, and
within objects. Creates the illusion of depth
• Principle
• Unity – all objects are tied together in a way that
makes all parts feel like they belong together.
Vocabulary
(key terms)
• Still life: set up of every day inanimate objects to draw from.
Draw from the objects in front of you, instead of from a photo.
• Overlap: placing one object in front of another in order to
create the illusion of depth. Overlap creates distance.
• Figure/Ground:
• Figure: the objects that usually make up the subject of the
painting.
• Ground: the environment or background that the objects are
in.
Vocabulary
continued
• Viewfinder: a tool used to set up and reference a
composition. Removes background “distractions”
from the drawing. Helps keep objects to scale.
• Visual Cues: reference points in a drawing or
viewfinder that help the artist to line up outlines.
Helps keep items in drawing to scale.
Grading Criteria: 100pts
•
•
Craftsmanship – 15pts
•
Is your drawing neatly presented and 100% free of smudges, marks, creases?
•
Is your signature on the front?
Composition – 20pts
•
•
Technique – 20pts
•
•
Did you use a color scheme that is clearly defined to show design quality?
Figure/Ground – 20pts
•
•
How well did you manipulate the paint to create a full painting?
Imitationalism – 15pts
•
•
Did you successfully use a viewfinder to create a unique composition and creative use of space?
Did you create the illusion of depth through overlap and value change?
Style – 10 pts
•
Are your marks consistent throughout the drawing to make all parts feel like they belong together
(unity/harmony)?