Still Life Drawing
Using modified contour line
drawing to create a still life
drawing
A Still Life Is….
• A Painting or drawing of
objects that cannot move
• Bottles, bowls, fruit,
flowers and cloth are
frequently used by artists
and set up on a table top in
the studio
• Pictures can be simple or
quite complex
Composition
• The formal properties of an
artwork tell how the art
elements are organized
using the principles of
design(pattern, balance,
movement, rhythm, unity,
variety, emphasis, contrast
and proportion.)
• The following questions
can help discover how a
still life composition is
organized by the artist.
• What is the center of interest?
• How does the eye move to it in
the work?
• How did the artist establish the
center of interest?
• Does the work have a sense of
rhythm? Why?
• Is the composition vertical or
horizontal?
• How is balance achieved?
• How is unity achieved?
• What shapes are repeated?
Analyze the composition
• Look at the next still life examples
• Try to find the:
– over all shape the objects seem to form
– the center of interest
– way the eye moves through the work
• Make thumbnail sketches of three different types of
arrangements you found in the textbook or print collection
in your sketch book.
Analyze the composition
• Many artists
choose to use
a pyramid
format to
organize their
composition
Center of Interest
• The center of
interest is usually
the first thing you
notice in a picture.
• This focal point is
often highlighted
by strong value or
color contrast
Movement
• Artists use
focal points
to move the
eye through a
picture
Make a Sketch/Diagram of
the Composition
The diagram just needs to make sense to you
it does not have to be an exactdrawing