Techniques for still-life textures

Glass
3
The rest of the liquid
GLASS BRINGS THE CHALLENGE of complex has been blocked in. It is
reflection and refraction (the bending of light), quite dark, so even the
behaviours that create unusual shadows and lighter areas have fairly dense
highlights, and distort other subjects. However, it is hatching. A few highlights are
otherwise a very smooth, flat surface. created by leaving the white of
To convey the texture of glass, focus on tonal the page – these indicate the
shapes. In a way, drawing glass is a lot like putting a reflections on the glass or
jigsaw puzzle together! It is important to remain in liquid’s surface, or refraction,
the same position when drawing it, or the reflections like at the base of the bottle.
will change shape.
This example shows how liquid behaves in glass as
well. Liquids will alter tone or colour, but still show
highlights and – depending on how transparent they
are – distort light, so keep an eye out for the variety
within them.

Follow these steps...

1
Lines are a key part of
expressing glass textures.
Here, broken outlines can Techniques for
help indicate highlights on the
glass, or very thin glass. A thicker still-life textures
outline helps to indicate the
meniscus of the liquid. If drawing
directly in ink seems daunting, it
is fine to sketch the layout first
with a light pencil.

4
These shadows are much lighter without the liquid, so the
hatching is less dense. The marks follow the curvature of the
glass, such as the curving for the neck of the bottle, and are
laid down in clear shadow shapes. Distortion, such as where the
glass overlaps the bottle, can create distinctive patterns.

5
Highlights are a key
feature of the smooth
surface of glass as light
reflects off it. Ink is an additive
medium, so the only way to make
highlights is to slightly darken
everything around them. Here,
thin marks are used to add a very

2
Here the shadow shapes of the liquid have been blocked out light layer of cross hatching.
with a first layer of cross hatching that follows the curvature of
the glass. With ink, it is often a good idea to start with darker
tones as it is easy to push lighter areas too dark too soon.

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 Reflections
The pot is being reflected in the
side of this jug, adding a few
hints of the copper colour from
the pattern wrapping around it.
Reflections warp to match the
form of the metal, so try to
observe colour and tone shapes.
Metal highlights
Polished metal is distinctive for its
highlights. Surround them with tone whilst
preserving the white of the paper to make
them stand out. Try to save the lightest
tones for just a few highlights – this
means they stand out more effectively.
Metal
METAL’S MANY SHAPES and forms can be
aesthetically pleasing in a still life. It has a distinctly
smooth and shiny surface, and polished metals can be
reflective, with mirror-like qualities. Some metals form
patinas, a tarnished layer that prevents reflections and
may show a different colour, or pattern.
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Patina
When metal tarnishes, it
becomes less reflective, though
it might still be quite smooth
and shiny. Highlights help
indicate that this is still metal,
whilst grittier marks and a
slightly darker tone separate it
from more polished surfaces.
Copper
Some parts of this pot are made
from an copper-coloured metal,
that was drawn in using red
conté layered on top of charcoal
pencil. The bright highlights are
still there, and help indicate a
metallic texture.
Patterns
The patina has been rubbed off this
raised pattern. This seems complex,
but can be broken down to the exposed
copper-coloured areas, which were
drawn first, and then the look of the
tarnish around them, which was added
in charcoal, leaving out highlights.
As with glass, one of the biggest challenges of
drawing metal textures is managing the complex
reflections and the tonal contrasts present. Often it
helps to start with the darker shadow shapes and
work towards the light, ensuring that only the lightest
highlights are left.