Composition

Assignment: Homemade Still Life

Your next assignment is...

To use what you’ve learned about composition

and practice arrangement and setup of a
piece of your own.

We will be doing a still life! As a

refresher, a still life is a work of art
depicting mostly inanimate subject matter,
typically commonplace objects which are
either natural (flowers, animals, plants,
rocks, shells, etc) or man-made (books,
vases, jewelry, coins, silverware, etc).
Homemade Still Life Steps
1. Set up an interesting still life composition using objects
around you. Use AT LEAST THREE objects. Check the next slide for
ideas on what to use.
2. Use what you have learned about composition (and color theory!)
to inform your decision making while setting up your still life.
3. Draw, paint, collage, digitally illustrate, or photograph your
composition. You get to choose.
4. If you choose to photograph only, take between 5-10 photographs
playing with the composition of the same objects and upload the
best THREE compositions. If you are illustrating your still life
instead of just photographing, upload one picture of your still
life reference along with your illustration.
5. Complete the Reflection Questions (slide 10).
Prompts To Get You Started
Some ideas of how to get started with your still life are…

1. Use objects to represent a time in your day during our

‘safer at home’ orders.
2. Find objects that are all the same color and figure out
how to emphasize only one of them.
3. Find objects that you feel reflect a certain mood,
feeling, or memory when put together.
4. Arrange some items that you touch the most during the
day.
5. Find objects you associate most with someone you live
with.
KEEP THIS THIS IN MIND
-Challenge yourself to create compositions where the focal point
is not directly in the center.

-Pay attention to what’s in the background of your still life.

That is part of your composition!

-Remember… a viewer’s eye loves odd numbers.

-Take as clear photos as you can! (No blur, not too dark, etc!)

-Read the Reflection Questions (slide 10) before jumping into

your composition arrangement, so you know what you should be
thinking about.
Photography Tips

-Use your phone camera or any other camera you have access
to.

-Good lighting makes a huge difference. Natural lighting (by

a window) is best, but lamps can also work really well!

-Be mindful of your background. If there’s clutter in your

background, your still life will look cluttered.

-Remember, if you decide to draw, paint, collage, etc. your

still life, please still upload a reference photo.
 My Example Two different ideas I tried.

Here I went for representing parts of my

quarantine time with objects I rely on. I Here I went with objects I felt
also chose a (mostly) white monochromatic represented the feeling of ‘calm’ for
color scheme to reflect the sterility of me personally.
this time.
 My Example (Continued)
In this composition I…
-Considered the golden ratio (and even
created a spiral myself)
-Created a triangle (see it?)
-Considered symmetry (in the tiles/border)
In this composition I…
-Used Contrast of color for emphasis
-Created a triangle (see it?)
-Considered the rule of thirds
Here’s what I’m looking for in a successful project...

1. You incorporated at least 2 of the rules of composition

in your still life (Focal Point, a type of Structure,
Balance).
2. Your composition reflects some of the principles of art
to enhance your chosen focus or theme (Contrast, Unity,
Pattern, Balance, etc..)
3. You are able to explain your choices and process. Why you
chose certain objects, your inspiration, why you arranged
things the way you did, color choices, etc.
4. You followed directions!
Reflection Questions (Answer Each One!)
1. What rules of composition did you use in your composition(s) and how?

2. What principle(s) of art are incorporated in your work(s)? Explain.

3. What was your inspiration for this still life and reasoning for
choosing your objects? Part of your day, objects that go together, a
color scheme, etc.? Explain your choices.

4. If you did this again, what changes would you make to enhance your
composition, if any?
Upload your Assignment to Google Classroom on or before
Monday, May 18th
Submit your photo(s), completed piece, and reflection to the
assignment in Google Classroom. As always, if you are having
trouble, do not hesitate to reach out.

PLEASE include both me lizdankle@gmail.com AND Mr. Derrick

mjd@oregonsd.net on your emails!!!

Good luck!