NEW Learn the skills you need to capture striking still lifes

STILL LIFE
MEET THE
MASTERS
See history’s
most celebrated
still life scenes

Perfect
textures
From metal to material,
discover how to accurately
depict every detail

21
25
in-depth
creative
in-depth
tutorials
creative
tutorialsartists
Follow our professional
and create your best art yet
Edition
Digital

Wilting petals Re-create the Golden Age Composition secrets

SECOND
EDITION

Capture the beauty of a fading Embrace symbolism and tell a story Discover expert tricks for achieving
flower in intricate detail through your scenes different effects with your kit
 Welcome
THERE’S SOMETHING VERY authentic
about painting a still life – choosing your
objects, arranging the composition and
painting them at your own pace. It’s a
process that hasn’t changed for centuries –
the Dutch Masters were doing it; Caravaggio
was doing it; Cézanne was doing it – and now
you can too. In this brand-new title, we’ve got
dozens of unique still-life projects for you to
tackle, from painting like an Old Master to
finding yourself in an arrangement. So what
are you waiting for? Grab your paintbrush
and get painting!
STILL LIFE
Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA

Editorial
Editor Philippa Grafton
Designer Laurie Newman
Compiled by Phil Martin
Senior Art Editor Andy Downes
Head of Art & Design Greg Whitaker
Editorial Director Jon White
Cover images
Rebecca de Menconça, Howard Lyon, Lancelot Richardson,
Julia Trickey
Photography
All copyrights and trademarks are recognised and respected
Advertising
Media packs are available on request
Commercial Director Clare Dove
International
Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw
licensing@futurenet.com
www.futurecontenthub.com
Circulation
Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers
Production
Head of Production Mark Constance
Production Project Manager Matthew Eglinton
Advertising Production Manager Joanne Crosby
Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson
Production Managers Keely Miller, Nola Cokely,
Vivienne Calvert, Fran Twentyman
Printed in the UK
Distributed by Marketforce, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf,
London, E14 5HU www.marketforce.co.uk Tel: 0203 787 9001
Paint & Draw: Still Life Second Edition (CRB4634)
© 2022 Future Publishing Limited

We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived

from responsibly managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free
manufacture. The paper in this bookazine was sourced and produced from
sustainable managed forests, conforming to strict environmental and
socioeconomic standards.

All contents © 2022 Future Publishing Limited or published under

licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored,
transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission
of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number 2008885)
is registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Quay House, The
Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All information contained in this publication is for
information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going
to press. Future cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies
in such information. You are advised to contact manufacturers and
retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in
this publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not
under our control. We are not responsible for their contents or any other
changes or updates to them. This magazine is fully independent and not
affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.

Future plc is a public Chief executive Zillah Byng-Thorne

company quoted on the Non-executive chairman Richard Huntingford
London Stock Exchange Chief financial officer Penny Ladkin-Brand
(symbol: FUTR)
www.futureplc.com Tel +44 (0)1225 442 244
Contents
The history of still li fe
40
Master
textures
10 The story of still life
It’s not just a pretty painting of fruit and flowers. April Madden
explains the surprising history of still life and how this
seemingly gentle genre has a tussle of dramatic undercurrents
roiling beneath its beautifully rendered surface

12 Top ten still life paintings

April Madden shares ten of the greatest still life paintings ever created,
and how they contributed to the genre and the world around them surface

24 Symbolism in still life

Discover the secret codes hiding in plain sight in seemingly ordinary
paintings of fruit bowls and table scenes, says April Madden

88
Add drama

12
Top 10
6 still lifes
 Develop skills

30 Compose a still life

Lancelot Richardson introduces a variety of compositional tools
for arranging a still life, and suggests ideas for selecting objects

40 Techniques for still-life textures

Lancelot Richardson demonstrates how to draw a variety
of common still-life textures in different media

48 Bitesize
Whether you have half an hour or an afternoon to spare, follow these
quick, simple and fun tips and start experimenting with your art today

P rojec ts

58 The delicious art of

coloured pencils
Follow Steven Hughes as he shares his process for creating
a variety of surface textures in coloured pencil
118
Create a
64 Find beauty in a fading flower vanitas
Julia Trickey creates translucent watercolour featuring minute detail

70 Fun tops for painting ammonites

Stephanie Law shares how to replicate the beautiful 106Paint a high-key,
textures and tones of ammonites in watercolour
contemporary still life
Rebecca de Mendonça explains how to get drama into your
76 Drawing with pastels pastel work, and how to work lights over darks

and Conté crayons

Capture the essence of natural forms with Rebecca de 114 Use a rich colour palette
Mendonça, combining pastels with Conté crayons Influenced by the 17th-century Dutch Masters, Georgia Cox
shows how to create a flower composition in a rich palette

82 The Golden Age of flowers

Nel Whatmore explores the joys of depicting 118 Create a vanitas-style
flowers in the style of the Dutch masters
still life
Howard Lyon creates a still life from personal items inspired
88 Add drama to your still life by the moody, symbolism-laden still lifes of old
Rebecca de Mendonça explains how to get drama into
your pastel work, and how to work lights over darks
124 Make a free and expressive
94 Paint like Cézanne still life in acrylics
Rob Lunn guides you step-by-step through an interpretation of Artist Sylvia Paul shows how to paint this stunning still life painting
Cézanne’s painting method from initial sketch to final flourish

100 Depict the beauty

of orchids with oil
Enzo Forgione shows how to paint the intricate shapes and
patterns of this intriguing flower in a smooth and vibrant style

7
The history of still li fe

10 The story of still life

It’s not just a pretty painting of fruit and flowers. April
Madden explains the surprising history of still life and
how this seemingly gentle genre has a tussle of dramatic
undercurrents roiling beneath its beautifully rendered surface

12 Top ten still life paintings

April Madden shares ten of the greatest still life
paintings ever created, and how they contributed to
the genre and the world around them surface

24 Symbolism in still life

Discover the secret codes hiding in plain sight in
seemingly ordinary paintings of fruit bowls
and table scenes, says April Madden

8
9
The history of still life

The story of still life

It’s not just a pretty painting of fruit and flowers. April Madden explains the
surprising history of still life, and how this seemingly gentle genre has a tussle
of dramatic undercurrents roiling beneath its beautifully rendered surface

I
s art decoration, or is it meaning? Is it
representation, or is it symbolism? You
don’t have to pick one. Choose still life,
and have both.
Since ancient times, people have
decorated their homes with images of the
pleasant things in the world around them;
flowers, precious fabric, and fruit. Legend
has it that in the 5th century BCE an artist
called Zeuxis made a painting of grapes
that was so realistic that birds came down
and tried to eat them. Sadly, Zeuxis’
delicious-looking masterpiece, produced
for a competition in Athens, was pipped to
the prize by the work of Parrhasius, who
asked his rival to pull the curtain
obscuring his work aside, only to reveal
that the ultra-realistic drapery was the
image itself. “I have deceived the birds,”
the beaten artist grumbled, “but
Parrhasius has deceived Zeuxis.”
Unfortunately, both works are now lost to
the mists of time.
The realism of still life isn’t just about
beauty, however. In the 2nd century BCE,
Sosus of Pergamon produced a mosaic
that evoked the aftermath of a riotous
banquet. Asarotos Oikos (The Unswept
Room) is a stunning optical illusion that
depicts a plain tiled floor scattered with
the morning-after remnants of a feast.
Grape stalks and pips, fishbones, chicken
feet and wishbones, crab’s legs and whelk
shells, blackberries, olives, pomegranates
and more litter the floor; a small robber
mouse creeps through the detritus
scavenging for scraps. But none of it is
real. Mouse, fruit, fish, bones, and their
wan, early morning shadows, are all made
from the same small, exquisitely painted
tessera tiles. Why would anyone wealthy
enough to afford such a work of art
– Sosus was the only mosaic artist
famous enough to ever be mentioned by
name in ancient literature – decorate
their floor to look like they lived in
squalor? Because still life is not just about
beauty. With ultra-realism comes the

10
 The story of still life

OPPOSITE PAGE
This copy of Sosus of
Pergamon’s Asarotos
Oikos mosaic
showcases the
absolute tour de
force that is the
classical artist’s
allusive meditation
on life, realism, and
the temporary nature
of wealth, enjoyment,
and beauty

RIGHT
Still-Life with
Partridge and
Gauntlets by Jacopo
de’Barbari, 1504,
takes the pretty,
decorative joy in
nature of Medieval
botanical realism and
smashes a crossbow
bolt through it,
kick-starting the
vanitas genre

FAR RIGHT
The people and
animals may be
stylised, but the fruit,
flowers and foliage of
The Lady and the
Unicorn are
meticulously
observed and
lovingly rendered in
woven wool and silk
ability to depict mess and decay. We don’t
know what Sosus and his client meant by
the mosaic (again, sadly lost to time,
although a copy does exist in the Vatican),
but given the semiotics we have attached
to still life since, we can make a few pretty
good guesses.
Sosus’s patron was wealthy enough to
sup on a huge range of delicacies. He was
popular or powerful enough to party in
style – these are the rich leavings of a
raucous gathering, not an everyday family
dinner. And he was wise enough to know
that the pleasures of wealth, of food and
drink and good company, are fleeting, and
at the end all that is left is a half-consumed
mess, with small thieving parasites
nibbling at the edges of what remains of
his largesse.
Since then, still life has represented both
the beauty of the natural world and its
ephemeral nature. By the time of the
Medieval Christianisation of Europe, it was
“It would continue to exploit the tensions
between beauty and ugliness, realism
and illusion, and mortal and immortal”
While we often associate pre-
Renaissance art with the highly stylised
depictions found on altarpieces, psalters
and Books of Hours, it’s worth noting that
these exaggerated, fantastical, sometimes
even cartoony depictions are largely
limited to people. The illuminated worlds
in which saints, knights and kings find
themselves (sometimes doing battle with
ridiculously characterful creatures like
angry oysters or winged snails) are often
packed with highly realistic flowers and
fruit. The Medieval term ‘florilegium’
describes both the compendium books of
facts, stories, poetry and Bible passages
owned by the nobility, and the
meticulously drawn plantlife that fills
every spare centimetre of their pages. In
wood and stone too, Medieval artisans
embraced botanical realism: Europe’s
cathedrals are filled with twisting vines
and sheaves of wheat representing Christ
and the holy sacrament, and delicate
traceries of roses alluding to Mary, Mother
of God. Meanwhile, in the famous Lady
and the Unicorn tapestry set, the
As the Middle Ages segued into the
Renaissance period and the early modern
era, rich, pious families would do the
reverse of the wealthy patron of Sosus
and have their portraits painted in a
domestic scene featuring a table groaning
with good things, reflecting their thanks
for the earthly bounty God had bestowed
upon them. But the firebrands of
Renaissance and later art loved still life’s
capacity for violence. Jacopo de’Barbari,
the first European artist to use trompe
l’oeil for over a thousand years, produced
in 1504 a groundbreaking painting now
known as Still-Life with Partridge and
Gauntlets. This sere, swaggeringly
aggressive composition of dead game
bird, warlike gauntlets, and a vicious
crossbow bolt is not your grandmother’s
fruit-laden dining table. In the middle of
still life, he put death; a chilling reminder of
mortality and futility that harked straight
back to Sosus, and would later come to be
known as vanitas. This no-nonsense
reboot of the ancient genre meant that it
would continue to exploit the tensions
© Getty Images

an excellent device for church artisans to eponymous maiden and mythical beast between beauty and ugliness, realism and
use to represent the temporary nature of exist in a woven world of millefleur – ‘a illusion, and mortal and immortal, for the
this world and the eternal glory of the next. thousand flowers’. next 500 years.

11
 The history of still life
Top 10 still life
paintings
April Madden shares ten of the best still life
paintings ever created, and how they contributed
to the genre and the world around them
S
ince classical antiquity, still life
has always exploited the tension
between what a painting is, and
what it means. When the
ancient art form was re-
established at the end of the Medieval era
and the beginning of the early modern,
artists who worked within its almost
boundless confines really began to
embrace this tension. Even the still lifes that
are produced solely as technical challenges
– the trompe l’oeil masterpieces and the
post-Impressionist explorations of relational
geometry, colour, and visual planes – are
asking us deep and meaningful questions
about what it means to see and to perceive
reality. Others use symbolism and allusion
to get us to ponder other far-reaching
© Getty
12
questions about the meanings of life, art,
and death.
Not all still lifes are created equal,
however. Here are ten examples of the
best of the best, in which artists display
expert skills, philosophical allusions, and
frequently both, to ask us moral and
spiritual questions or to make
statements about their culture, society,
and humanity’s place in the world. From
technical tours de force to compositions
of deceptive simplicity and from sly
statements to bold assertions, here are
ten still life paintings from the 17th
century to the modern era that exemplify
the art form and, in some cases, have
changed the way we see both still life,
and the world.
 Top 10 still-life paintings
B asket of Fruit
Basket Firebrand Michelangelo Merisi da
Caravaggio was never going to do
of Fruit something as simple as a pretty little
fruit basket. At first glance it looks
luscious and inviting, piled with apple,
ARTIST NAME peach, quince, fig, and multiple colours
Michelangelo Merisi of grapes; all the lovingly tended bounty
of the Italian countryside. Caravaggio
da Caravaggio
was such a master at painting botanical
PAINTED IN subjects that horticulturalists are even
c1599 able to identify the exact cultivars
represented in some of his paintings,
DETAILS
providing important information about
Oil on canvas the history of exotic plant naturalisation
in Europe.
Look closer at this painting, however,
and that perfectly rendered fruit and its
leaves are all blemished by the
depredations of grasshoppers, moths
and their larvae, and spotted
with fungus. Like many other still life
© Public Domain, Wiki Commons, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan
painters, Caravaggio is telling us a story
about destruction through the medium
of this vividly lifelike trompe l’oeil image.
Painted for the Archbishop of Milan,
some art historians think that it
references the biblical Book of Amos, in
particular a passage in which God tells
the Hebrew ‘prophet of doom’ of His plan
to wreak ruin on the people of Israel for
disobeying the Ten Commandments:
“This is what the Sovereign Lord
showed me: a basket of ripe fruit.
‘What do you see, Amos?’ he asked.
‘A basket of ripe fruit,’ I answered.
Then the Lord said to me, ‘The time is
ripe for my people Israel; I will spare
them no longer.’”
It’s hard to imagine the famously
violent Caravaggio being able to resist
embedding such a message in even the
most bucolic subject.
13
The history of still life
The Ray
ARTIST NAME
Jean-Baptiste-Simeon
Chardin
PAINTED IN 1728
DETAILS Oil on canvas
Chardin was the most morose of all
Rococo artists, and with good reason
– his life was a series of family tragedies
and bereavements. This often comes
through in his work, which, while
masterfully executed, lacks the colourful
verve and frippery of many others in the
genre. Chardin is the darkest of Rococo
artists, both literally and figuratively,
demonstrated to excellent effect here.
The ray, or skate, was a symbol of
Christ in French art, one that the
infamously xenophobic English artist
Hogarth would later use to mock
France’s Catholic faith in his 1748
painting The Gate of Calais (also known
14
© Alamy
as O, the Roast Beef of Old England). It’s
probably from Chardin’s painting that
Hogarth got the idea. The gutted ray,
hanging above an altar-like table like
Christ on the Cross, views the scene
below with an expression of beatific
sadness on its creepy fish face. The table
below, with its rucked-up white cloth and
loose arrangement of jugs and vessels,
has the air of a messy, interrupted
sacrament; the knife balanced
precipitously on the table edge denotes
the precariousness of life. The greedy
cat stealing the oysters, meanwhile, can
be read as an allusion to the rapacious
greed of human nature; it’s the sins of
avarice and gluttony incarnate. It is
almost as if Chardin has brought Calvary
to the kitchen table and has set the last
agonies of the Crucifixion, and its
intended purpose, in the middle of an
ordinary home.
Still Life
Reslicitando
ARTIST NAME
Remedios Varo
PAINTED IN 1963
DETAILS Oil on canvas
Spanish-born Mexican Surrealist
Remedios Vara Uranga was hugely
influenced by the darker works of the
Renaissance, particularly Hieronymus
Bosch, and this is evident in much of her
work. Exploring themes of magic and
alchemy, her oeuvre is populated with
masked figures enacting strange rites in
bizarre, moonlight-drenched
landscapes among circus tents and
weirdly tilted castles. Her rich and
peculiar imagery comes from a
peripatetic life spent in exotic locations
with distinctive architecture and
mysterious folkloric rituals: Spain, North
Africa, South America.
Still Life Reslicitando, or Still Life
Reviving, was her last painting, and is
perhaps the most easy to decode. As
mystical as the rest of her work, it shows
a stereotypical still life scene – fruit, on
silver platters, by candlelight, on a
covered table in a shadowy room. But
that’s where normality ends and Varo’s
surreal, magical world takes over.
In her native Spanish, still life is called
‘naturaleza muerta’ (or ‘dead nature’),
and in her punning painting this dead
nature has very literally revived. The
fruit has gone into whirling orbit around
the candle, with such velocity that some
of the fruits have smashed into each
other, while the wind that their
revolutions have created is swirling the
tablecloth and lifting the silver plates
into the air. In the shadows above, the
insects, normally symbols of creeping
mortality, are at a loss; this vigorously
animated still life offers them no
opportunity to land and feed. The death
that shortly afterwards came for
Remedios Varo has no power here.
15
© Public Domain, Wiki Commons, Private Collection
16
History

©Public Domain, Wiki Commons, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC
 Top 10 still-life paintings

Roses,
Convolvulus,
Poppies, and

Other Flowers in
an Urn on a Stone
Ledge
ARTIST NAME
Rachel Ruysch
PAINTED IN c1680s
DETAILS Oil on canvas
Where Maria van Oosterwijck paved the
way for a woman to succeed as a still life
artist in the Dutch Golden Age, Rachel
Ruysch strewed that road with flowers.
The granddaughter of an architect and
the daughter of a scientist, Ruysch was
raised – and, crucially, educated – in an
intellectual household. By the age of five
she was using her father’s insect
collection as models for her drawing
practice; by 15 she had been
apprenticed to Willem van Aelst. His
studio overlooked that of van
Oosterwijck, and it’s impossible to
imagine that the young Ruysch would
not have been impressed by the older
woman’s style and reputation.
It was under van Aelst’s tutelage that
Ruysch learned how to arrange a floral
bouquet to perfection before she
painted it. This was the flower painter’s
hidden art: the carefully curated
arrangement of the still life subject that
gave an impression of vivacious, Rococo
spontaneity to the painted bouquet.
This approach is exemplified in this
stunning and meticulously crafted
painting, in which all the flowers of a
summer garden tumble almost
sensuously out of the chiaroscuro
depths of the canvas. The buying public
lapped it up; at the time, Ruysch’s
paintings regularly outpriced those of
fellow Dutch master Rembrandt.
Still Life with Apples
and a Pot of Primroses
ARTIST NAME Paul Cézanne
PAINTED IN 1890
DETAILS Oil on canvas
Cézanne was an outlier among still life
artists because he wasn’t painting any
symbols or semiotics. He was concerned
only with what was in front of him, and
the interplay of light and shadow, colours
and tones, and shape and depth that he
observed. For that reason he’s often
thought of as the bridge between the
creatively figurative Impressionists
before him, and the deliberately
fractured representations of the Cubists
who came after. Matisse and Picasso are
alleged to have called Cézanne “the
father of us all” in reference to his focus
on form and visual planes, from which
they extrapolated wildly to conjure new
ways of seeing. Cézanne’s mix of artistic
representation with an exploration of the
hidden complexities of visual physics
may seem obvious with a hundred-odd
© Public Domain, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Yorkof Women in the Arts, Washington DC
years of hindsight, but at the time it was
so electrifyingly new and world-
changing that it was, of course, mocked
by the stuffy art critics of the time.
Cézanne’s deceptively straightforward
philosophy was influential beyond
painting; Ernest Hemingway says in his
book A Moveable Feast that he was
“learning something from the painting of
Cézanne that made writing simple true
sentences far from enough to make the
stories have the dimensions that I was
trying to put in them.”
This particular painting is unusual
within Cézanne’s oeuvre because it
contains a floral subject, something
typically too physically fragile to stand up
to the artist’s prolonged periods of
observation without changing
significantly. It also speaks to Cézanne’s
sphere of influence: the great
Impressionist Monet previously owned
the painting.

17
18
© Public Domain, Wiki Commons, Private CollectionYorkof Women in the Arts, Washington DC
The history of still life
 Top 10 still-life paintings

ARTIST NAME
A Still Life of Mackerel, Glassware, Anne Vallayer-Coster
PAINTED IN c1774
a Loaf of Bread and Lemons on a DETAILS Oil on canvas

Table with a White Cloth Anne Vallayer-Coster was a prodigiously

talented still life artist but, like the 18th
century French royal court – in
particular Queen Marie Antoinette –
whose patronage made her famous, her
oeuvre is perhaps a triumph of style over
substance. That’s not to denigrate it in
any way – it was precisely this that
encapsulated her appeal to the
decadent French aristocracy, with its
fascination with an imagined, arcadian
simplicity best exemplified in Marie
Antoinette’s Le Hameau de la Reine, her
fantasy-idyll ‘peasant village’ at the
Château de Versailles.
Vallayer-Coster was perfectly capable
of painting all sorts of still life subjects,
from a fantastically feminist bust of the
goddess Minerva complete with
weaponry to the more usual fruit,
flowers, and musical instruments, but
it’s this painting that sums up the tension
at the heart of her style; the same
tension that ultimately gave rise to the
French Revolution and The Terror. Like
Marie Antoinette playing milkmaid, here
Vallayer-Coster has taken an incredibly
simple, peasant subject – a poor dinner
of bread and fish – and elevated it with
aristocratic flamboyance. The
exuberant froth of glassware, chilling in
ice in a silver bowl behind the fish,
suggests champagne will soon be
poured. The hothouse lemons, exotic
curiosities at the time, that are casually
flung on the table, the cruet of equally
simple but expensive dressings, the
pseudo-rustic cottage loaf made,
tellingly, of white flour, the fragrant
jasmine sprig masking the odour of the
fish, all combine to show the prism of
privilege through which the French
aristocracy viewed peasant life.
Despite her association with the hated
Marie Antoinette, the staunchly royalist
Anne Vallayer-Coster survived the
massacres of The Terror to exhibit again
at the end of her life, taking work in a
tapestry factory and as a watercolourist
until the Bourbon Restoration.

19
Ram’s Head, Blue Morning Glory
ARTIST NAME chunk of white Anglo-Saxon Protestant destiny’, its supersized ideal of
Georgia O’Keeffe northern Europe that just happened to hegemonic capitalist democracy. But in
PAINTED IN be on a new continent an ocean away 1929 O'Keeffe, seeking a new creative
1938 from its homeland. O’Keeffe changed challenge, disappeared into the deserts
DETAILS that by exploring the landscapes in which of New Mexico. In this arid landscape,
Watercolour the people of the USA now found she began to create images that
and gouache themselves, and the effect they had on reconnected suave, streamlined,
the American psyche. air-conditioned modern America to the
Georgia O’Keeffe was one of the 20th Raised in Wisconsin, O’Keeffe’s early dangerous liminality of its Wild West
century’s most significant American work celebrates that most iconic of past. She reminded the buttoned-up,
artists. She taught the nation a new way American landscape artefacts, the city-based society of its hinterland. Her
to see itself. Previously, the United States skyscraper, one of the ultimate symbols work, like this, is as stark and as deadly-
had defined itself culturally as a hefty of the American ideology of ‘manifest beautiful as the desert she loved. As well

20
 Top 10 still-life paintings

Chaffinch Nest and May Blossom

ARTIST NAME
William Henry Hunt
PAINTED IN c1845
DETAILS Watercolour
and gouache
The Victorian art critic John Ruskin was
notoriously hard to please, so when he
calls someone “the finest ever painter of
still life”, it’s worth paying attention.
Unlike many of the artists here, William
Henry ‘Bird’s Nest’ Hunt (his nickname
came from his favourite subject) did not
start life with many advantages. He was
the working-class son of a tin-plate
maker from the then insalubrious Covent
Garden, and he was disabled: his
butcher uncle, not mincing his words,
said of him: “He was always a poor
cripple, and as he was fit for nothing,
they made an artist of him.”
Hunt was apprenticed to the mystically
inclined John Varley, a close friend of
another working class art hero, William
Blake, but Varley’s taste for astrology
and woo didn’t rub off on his pupil.
Instead Hunt was more inclined to
scientific observation, and this made him
a favourite of art patron Dr Thomas
Monro, of the infamous Bethlem
(‘Bedlam’) Hospital. Monro often invited
Hunt to his country house, where it’s
said he was pushed around the
countryside in a hooded wheelbarrow,
sketching madly all the while. The
Victorians’ ecological nonchalance
meant he thought nothing of taking
egg-laden nests back to his studio, from
which static indoor spot he managed
nonetheless to create an image redolent
with symbols of boyish springtime
frolics, such as maying and bird-nesting.

“Victorian art critic John Ruskin called Hunt

‘the finest ever painter of still life’”
© Alamy

as the sky-blue morning glory, she

frequently painted jimsonweed, also
known as datura, used as hallucinogenic
shamanic medicine by the local
Indigenous peoples, as well as painting
the limitless possibilities of the blue
desert skies. O’Keeffe magnified and
celebrated the physicality of the
southern United States of America for
the land it was, not the transplanted
Europe its society thought it wanted to
© Alamy

be, contributing to the countercultural

shift of the mid 20th century.

21
The history of still life
Vanitas Still Life
ARTIST NAME
Maria van Oosterwijck
PAINTED IN 1668
DETAILS Oil on canvas
In the lower midground of this toweringly
accomplished vanitas painting sits a red
admiral butterfly. A still life symbol of
both ephemerality and Christian
resurrection, this particular breed –
vanessa atalanta – is the signature motif
of Maria van Oosterwijck, one of the
most sought-after painters of the Dutch
Golden Age (the other was another
woman, the later flower painter Rachel
Ruysch). It’s a device she used again and
again; a flash of red to draw the eye into
her chiaroscuro compositions, a
decorative arrow to point to something
she wants the viewer to pay attention to
– in this case the book that notes
22
Sunflowers
ARTIST NAME
Vincent van Gogh
PAINTED IN 1888
DETAILS Oil on canvas
© Public Domain, Wiki Commons, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
In 1987, Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers
briefly became the most expensive still
life painting in the world, as it set the
then record for the most ever paid for a
painting at auction, at $39.85 million
(that’s about $94 million today). But
was it this painting? No. There are 13
Sunflowers in two different series, and
the 1987 record breaker was Still Life:
Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers, which was
bought by Japanese businessman
Yasuo Goto, and now hangs in the
Sompo Museum of Art in Tokyo. The
version seen here hangs in the Van Gogh
Museum in Amsterdam.
Van Gogh loved sunflowers because
to him they symbolised his friendship
“calculation – we live unto death and die with fellow artist Paul Gauguin, and he
unto life” – and of course the seal of her painted so many images of them
identity and the painting’s authenticity. because he wanted to decorate his
The maintenance of her authentic studio and lodgings, the Yellow House,
identity in a society and era in which in Arles, France, with them, with the aim
women were supposed to be dutiful of the building becoming a creative
Protestant wives and mothers (such as retreat for himself and Gauguin, as well
Ruysch, who bore ten children and was as other artists. In one letter to artist
lauded for it) was vitally important to van Emile Bernard on 21 August 1888 he
Oosterwijck. She refused a proposal wrote, “I’m thinking of decorating my
from artist Willem van Aelst and stayed studio with half a dozen paintings of
single all her life, which she devoted to Sunflowers”; the next day he wrote to his
painting. This devotion is evident from brother Theo, “I’d like to do a decoration
the assured strength of this vanitas for the studio. Nothing but large
painting, which mixes memento mori Sunflowers”. Van Gogh soon realised
subjects like the skull and cut, wilting that sunflowers were, effectively, his
flowers, with symbols of resurrection brand: in another letter to his brother
and rebirth, such as corn and wheat, and from January 1889, he said, “You know
the globe, which alludes to the only other that Jeannin has the peony, Quost has
thing that van Oosterwijck was devoted the hollyhock, but I have the sunflower,
to – her deeply held faith. in a way.”
23
© Public Domain, Wiki Commons, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
The history of still life

Symbolism in still life

Discover the secret codes hiding in plain sight in seemingly ordinary
paintings of fruit bowls and table scenes, says April Madden

O
n the surface, still life is a simple
genre in which the artist observes
and represents what’s in front of
them. But, like a clever trompe
l’oeil painting, all is not as it
seems. Despite appearances, very few still
life masters chose a completely random
assortment of objects for their
composition. Some, like Cézanne, selected
an arrangement of shapes and colours in
order to explore spatial and tonal
relationships between objects: still life as an
intellectual exercise in form, optical physics,
and colour theory. But for many others, the
objects that they chose to represent, and
the way they chose to represent them, are
loaded with symbolism that speaks quiet
volumes about the artist, their patrons, and
the culture and society in which they lived.
This has been the case ever since classical
antiquity, and it’s a rare artist who simply
paints what they see without considering
the symbolic nature of their still life
composition.
One of the most popular subjects for
still life has always been fruit, for both
practical and philosophical reasons. In
practical terms, making studies of the
In Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, John Singer
same piece of fruit over several days as it
Sargent alluded to the language of
ripens and then rots is an excellent flowers in the still life elements of his
exercise in observation and replication. In composition, depicting the two girls
philosophical terms, it’s a meditation on among the flowers as innocent and pure
the nature of mortality, death and decay,
and on the artist’s observation of it. It’s a
study that boils down to the essential “One of the most popular subjects for
question at the heart of figurative art: is
the artist merely replicating their still life has always been fruit, for both
observations, or are they saying
something about them too? practical and philosophical reasons”
For Cézanne, apples were a cheap and
accessible resource that were available in populated his still lifes with them. But for wicked queen in Snow White uses an
a variety of tones and complementary many other artists, apples had a far apple as the vector for her poison.
colours with textures ranging from deeper meaning. They related to the Other fruit has meaning too. Oranges
smooth to dappled and from matte to a biblical story of Adam and Eve and the are golden in colour and were associated
high shine. This and their non-uniform Fall of Man; they could represent by the Hellenistic Greeks with the Garden
sizes and shapes made them a perfect temptation, forbidden fruit, seduction, of the Hesperides, a legendary orchard
subject for his experiments in relational wantonness, rejection and castigation, that bore golden apples so precious in
geometry and light, and that’s why he heresy, and evil. There’s a reason that the myth that three goddesses fought over

24
 Symbolism in still life

Reading
symbols
Symbols in art are a rich multilayered
language that can be both read,
and decoded

Symbolism is a visual language that has built

up over centuries and forms part of what is
called our conceptual map – our shared
cultural dictionary of meanings. The
philosopher Roland Barthes had an equation
that explained what a sign – a symbol with
an agreed-upon meaning – is, and how it
works. It runs ‘Signifier + Signified = Sign’. In
the still life paintings we’ve been looking at,
for example, the Signifier could be an apple,
and the Signified its obvious meaning, food
from nature. Therefore, the apple is a Sign
that denotes food from nature, and by
extension lots of it. It’s a fairly obvious
meaning that is immediately apparent. But
you’ll have noticed the word ‘connotes’
cropping up a lot in this discussion too, and
that alludes to a second part of Barthes’
equation that governs more hidden,
subtextual meanings that you might need to
probe a bit to discover. The second part of
Barthes’ equation runs ‘Sign + Myth =
Mythology’. A Myth that we’ve attached to
apples is the biblical story of the Temptation
in the Garden of Eden, when Eve tempts
Adam to eat the forbidden fruit, and the two
are cast out of God’s Garden in
consequence. Put the Sign and the Myth
the possession of one, leading eventually TOP In this bodegón image,
together and it’s this Mythology that is
to the Trojan War. They therefore mean Juan Sánchez Cotán has
subtly referenced, or connoted: apples depicted a ripening melon,
riches and wealth, while their perfumed
stand for temptation and for sin. It’s not overripe quince, cucumber,
blossom is associated with love; some
immediately obvious: you need to know the and a cabbage – peasant
orange trees can have both blossom and foods that need to be used
story to decode the hidden meaning, but
fruit on them at the same time. In up before they go bad,
once you have an idea of the Myths an
Botticelli’s Primavera the artist sets his alluding to the harsh
image might be referencing, you can infer all realities of life
enigmatic spring scene in an orange
sorts of inner meanings.
grove just like this, alluding to the golden
ABOVE Pineapples, so
ABOVE Apples initially denote food, plenty, orbs on the family crest of his clients for expensive they could be
and the bounty of nature, but their deeper the painting, the wealthy and powerful rented for parties, became a
meaning relates to the tale of Adam and Eve, Medici family of Renaissance Florence. symbol of wealth, as in this
as in Dürer’s painting of the pair with 19th century still life by
Art historians still don’t know what many
meticulously observed fruit John F Francis
details of Botticelli’s painting mean, but

25
The history of still life
we can guess that overall he’s comparing
his clients to the bounty of spring and
showing off their super-rich status.
A lot of fruit symbolism comes from
ancient myth. Pomegranates are
associated with the classical Greek myth
of Persephone and Hades, and symbolise
death and rebirth. Grapes are a symbol of
the Greek god Dionysus (Roman
Bacchus) and denote wine, revelry and
joie de vivre; alternatively they can
symbolise the wine in the Christian
Eucharist and allude to the blood of Jesus
Christ. In Asian imagery peaches
symbolise immortality – a banquet of
peaches keeps the ancient Tao deities
youthful. But not all fruit symbolism is
from antiquity. In Georgian London
pineapples were so exotic and expensive
that you could rent them by the hour to
display on your dinner table when you
had a party; they’re still visual shorthand
for decadence and fun to this day.
Other kinds of plants also have
meaning. Vegetables represent
nourishment and the bounty of the earth;
they can also connote the hardworking
26
farmers who produce them or the
peasantry for whom they made up most
of their diet. A breakfast piece is a style of
16th century still life from northern
Europe that features the simple items of
a lower-class morning meal; a bodegón is
its Spanish equivalent. Unlike the lavish
still lifes of the Flemish Baroque, packed
with elaborate fantasies of indulgent
banquet spreads, these more austere
subjects have a moral element rooted in
workaday, no-frills Dutch Protestantism
or the deliberate self-denial and
asceticism of Spanish Roman Catholic
sects like Opus Dei. They feature eggs
and cabbages and seasonal fruit, with the
occasional haunch of meat or fish, often
past its best. The message here is that it’s
the simple, peasant produce that is real;
wealth and decadence is fleeting.
Another symbol of fleeting transience
is flowers. Their tendency to wilt and fade
is a strong allusion to the fragility of
beauty and success – which makes it all
the more ironic that the Dutch flower
painting craze of the early 17th century
was driven by tulipmania, the vogue for
an exotic Turkish flower. In a spectacular
case of life imitating art, the merchants
who had paid fortunes for tulip bulbs, and
for artists to depict their blooms, as a
symbol of wealth and prestige, were
brought low when the tulip bubble burst
and the bottom fell out of the market. For
Dutch merchants in 1637, tulips really did
mean the swift and spectacular decline of
what was once beautiful and precious.
Flowers can have a deeper meaning
than symbolism. Floriography, or the
language of flowers, is a centuries-old
system of code that became extremely
popular in the straitened society of
Victorian England. It’s from here that we
get the idea that red roses mean intense
romantic love and white lilies mean
innocence and purity, and it’s in this
context that John Singer Sargent used
them in his painting Carnation, Lily, Lily,
Rose, influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites,
particularly Millais’ use of the language of
flowers in his painting Ophelia, which
directly references blooms that the titular
character mentions in a key speech in
Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Like the ill-fated

Ophelia though, lilies also connote death.
Sometimes still life artists don’t want to
beat around the (rose) bush when it
comes to mortality. While bees can
represent hard work and industry,
butterflies denote resurrection, and stag
beetles connote Christ and the ability to
resist earthly temptation, other insects or
worms gnawing at a still life’s blooms or
produce are referred to as memento mori
– reminders of death. A still life that
revolves around such a macabre subject
is known as a vanitas, and its message is
one of the temporary nature of earthly
wealth and vanity. The origin of vanitas
paintings is in 17th century Holland, newly
emerged from the Spanish Catholic yoke
and with a burgeoning Protestant middle
class. These were the kind of people too
sensible (and not wealthy enough) to get
involved in the tulipmania bubble, but
they still wanted to engage in
conspicuous consumption – even when
the paintings they were commissioning
were about the futility of exactly that.
These vanitas paintings might contain
a skull as a very literal memento mori, or
“For devout
Christians the
ability to turn
an hourglass
over could
also mean
resurrection”
ABOVE LEFT This vanitas
painting by Pier Francesco
Cittadini packs in every possible
memento mori it can: fading
flowers, a skull, a discarded
violin and sheet music,
abandoned armour and a sword,
a snuffed candle, and a pile of
books, including one titled The
Madness of the Wise, or
Liberation, a Tragicomic Poem
ABOVE Ambrosias Bosschaert
used flowers and insects to
symbolise the ephemerality of
life. The tulips in this painting
were fabulously expensive, but
shortly afterwards the bottom
fell out of the tulip market – an
ironic case of life imitating art
Symbolism in still life
something a little more allusive. On the
face of it, books and musical instruments
might seem like they denote knowledge,
education and refinement, but like most
other still life subjects, something else
lurks beneath the surface. The pages of a
book turn inexorably towards its end;
knowledge can always be forgotten. And
in the days before music could be
recorded, it was the very definition of
ephemerality, lasting only as long as the
flautist blew and the fiddler sawed. A
musical instrument left casually propped
up or abandoned could also suggest lack
of effort or neglected talent, often meant
as a stern admonition not to squander
one’s education or waste one’s time.
Clocks and watches serve a similar
symbolic purpose of denoting access to
the advantages of wealth and modernity
combined with the very literal message
that time is ticking. Old-fashioned
hourglasses say the same, but with an © Wiki Commons, Prado; San Diego Museum of Art; Bonhams; Hampel Kunstauktionen
added touch of finality – an hourglass, by
definition, has a limit – although for
Christians the ability to turn an hourglass
over could also mean resurrection.
So next time you’re looking at a still life
painting, make sure to investigate the
symbols the artist might be hiding on
those untidy tables, jumbled windowsills
and cluttered sideboards. These
seemingly random or even rather
pedestrian compositions of scattered
bric-a-brac and fruit and veg are
brimming with secret inner meanings. A
still life can conceal or reveal a moral
lesson, religious revelation, social
commentary, or even a love letter. What
messages will you hide in yours?
27
30 Compose a still life
Lancelot Richardson introduces a variety of compositional tools
for arranging a still life, and suggests ideas for selecting objects

40 Techniques for still-life textures

Lancelot Richardson demonstrates how to draw a variety
of common still-life textures in different media

48 Bitesize
Whether you have half an hour or an afternoon to spare, follow these
quick, simple and fun tips and start experimenting with your art today

28
29
Develop skills

Compose a still life

Lancelot Richardson introduces a variety of compositional tools
for arranging a still life, and suggests ideas for selecting objects

omposition plays an especially The process of setting up a still life is an The ideas here are not strict rules, but

C
important role in still life subjects
because the artist has control over
the arrangement of the subject
from the start. They can select and
rearrange objects, and manipulate the setting.
The ideas covered here will look at
some of the considerations that go into
picking still life objects, and put forward
some potential ideas for arranging them.
It is also possible to manipulate
perspective and lighting, two elements
that can profoundly change observed
elements such as line and shape.
important step, possibly more so than
any other. When the arrangement
doesn’t work in reality, any drawing or
painting will be held back by that
limitation. Coming up with good
arrangements of objects can be a
challenge, but it is fine to keep moving
things around, adding or removing
objects, or experimenting with the setup.
It may help to sketch arrangements out
on paper whilst adjusting them if it is
difficult to visualise the major shapes or
leading lines.
more suggestions for potential
approaches. There are countless
effective solutions to composing a good
image. Still life subjects are a good way to
exercise our compositional muscles, and
learn skills that can be applied to almost
any other subject. Whilst other genres
tend not to allow for as much
manipulation of the subject, still life can
help us become better at finding pleasing
shapes and arrangements. A good
composition can make even the most
mundane subjects interesting to look at.

LANCELOT
Brighton, UK
Lancelot is a painter and
freelance illustrator. He also
works at independent drawing
school Draw Brighton as a life
drawing tutor, and currently
teaches their online life
drawing course provided
through Patreon.
lancelotrichardson.com
Materials
• Graphite Pencils – 2B, 4B, 6B
• Kneaded Eraser
• Gummed Eraser
• General’s Charcoal Pencil: Medium
• Willow Charcoal
• Charcoal Powder
• Blending Stump
• Seawhites A4 Cartrige Paper – 140 GSM
• Seawhites A4 Cold Press Watercolour Paper
• Winsor and Newton Watercolours
• Winsor and Newton White Gouache
• Faber Castell Albrecht Dürer
Watercolour Pencils
• Watercolour Brushes – Synthetic – 1’’,
3/8’’ flats, #7 round

30
 Composition
Favourite books
Books are a popular element in
still life arrangements – here I’ve
picked a favourite scene from an
illustrated book. Multiple books
can be stacked to show the
Plants spines for some variety in colour,
This plant was picked because it and can lift or prop other items
has been raised over the course in an arrangement.
of a few years, and is one of
many present in my workspace.
The random natural shapes of
plants can help balance an
arrangement with lots of
man-made items. Shoes
Items of clothing or other
accessories are a good option
for a self portrait still life, as they
are items that show our tastes,
and reflect our daily life. Shoes
in particular work well, as they
show wear and tear.

Symbolic objects
Some ideas may not be expressed
well by physical objects, or objects
that can fit into an arrangement. This
shell was selected to indicate
Postcards and photos interests in swimming and nature.
Postcards are a versatile option, as
Pastimes can be represented by tools
they can show a number of ideas, such
or related objects.
as favourite artworks, places visited, or
other interests. In a similar way, photos
can be used to introduce depictions of
relatives or inspirational figures.

Types of still life

SOMETIMES KNOWING WHERE to
start can be the hardest part of painting.
Deciding on painting a still life involves
more than just composing a scene – you
have to know what kind of still life you
want to present. One of the most popular
types of still life arrangement now are
self-inspired, using an arrangement of
objects that express the artist, such as
items that revolve around their hobbies,
their personal history, or their personal
effects like clothing and accessories.
Some setups may also be arranged
around furniture or small spaces
regularly used by the artist. This informal
category of still life was made more
popular by New Zealand artist Frances
Hodgkins, who included her own
possessions in abstracted paintings of
still life arrangements.
Vanitas arrangements are a more
traditional form of still life that express
the artist’s personal interests, but
also incorporate more symbolic
objects, particularly those representing
life and death, wealth, and the passage
of time.

31
Using perspective
in a composition
PERSPECTIVE AND PROPORTION
are closely related. This is especially
true for still life subjects, as many
common objects have box-like or
cylindrical forms that clearly show the
effects of perspective.
We’re sensitive to errors in
perspective, so if the proportions of
these objects are incorrect, it may
detract from the overall image.
Boxy and cylindrical forms both
change as they are viewed at different
angles and elevations. Other elements,
such as flat rectangular panes, can
produce lines that converge as they
recede from the viewer. Repeating
objects are a good way to inject a sense
of scale too, since they reduce in size
the further away they get.
32
Follow these steps...
1
To start, I lay out the major shapes of
the composition by sketching them with
a watercolour pencil and washing in
major areas of colour with watercolour paint.
When drawing from life, observation is often
a more useful starting point than something
like a perspective grid. Though this approach
allows for some room for correction later, it
helps to use negative spaces between
objects to improve accuracy. In this case, the
brown colours of the chopping board are
useful for ensuring the spacing of the objects
is correct.
2
The chopping board is a major
perspective cue as it has two edges
that point into the page.
These edges converge as they get further
away from the viewer, strongly indicating
linear perspective. Take care to observe these
angles correctly – I often compare them to a
vertical or horizontal line by holding a pencil
up against them.
This also leads the eye in from the bottom
left towards the top right – perspective can
be an effective way of directing the viewer
around the composition, as lines can be
arranged to point in a specific direction. Try
rotating rectangular objects when setting up
an arrangement.

3
The cup and plate both offer
challenging ellipses. Cylindrical
objects have a circular opening or
surface that changes to an ellipse when
viewed at an angle. This ellipse narrows the
closer to eye-level it gets – here the mouth of
the cup is proportionally narrower than the
plate, which is closer to a circle. For good
ellipses, always check the width vs the height
and ensure this proportion is correct. When
drawing cylindrical objects, the wide side
ellipse should be at a right angle to the
vertical sides of the cylinder.
4
Though subtle, when viewed from
above, still life objects often show an
element of three-point perspective.
For example, the vertical edges of this block
of cheese converge slightly as they point into
the chopping board and away from the
viewer. This becomes more obvious when the
angle is closer to a bird’s-eye view. This helps
the composition by introducing some more
varied angles and a sense of volume. It can
also help lead the eye in arrangements with
multiple tall objects. If you are not sure if a
line is perfectly vertical, try holding a pencil
up against it.
5
Repeating objects are an effective
way to introduce a sense of space and
perspective into a still life. As objects
get further away from the viewer, they
decrease in size. Here grapes are used to lead
the eye through the arrangement. They have
a reasonably consistent size, so the sense of
diminishment from the nearest grapes to the
furthest ones is easy for a viewer to take in.
This is most effective with small items that
can fit into a composition several times, and
reasonably familiar items, such as coins or
small fruits, that have a recognisable size.
6
These final details added with
watercolour pencils help enhance the
sense of perspective in the image.
The pattern on the mug becomes
foreshortened as it wraps around the side,
with the marks becoming more closely
packed and narrower. The texture of the
chopping board helps to emphasise its
vanishing lines, as it is orientated to point in,
towards the cup. Surface features such as
pattern and texture need to follow the form
of the object, and change depending on the
effects of perspective.
Composition
Points of view
The angle a still life is viewed at can drastically
change its composition. To mix things up,
experiment with setting up compositions on
higher surfaces, such as shelves or counters,
or lower ones, such as boxes, or the floor.
Eye-level viewp oin t
An eye-level view puts the ellipses of the cup
and cylinder roughly edge on, so they are
almost flat. Only the sides of the box are
visible here – as it is viewed at a corner, the
edges of each side start to converge as they
recede into space. This angle emphasises
shape and vertical lines.
Overlooking viewp oin t
This viewpoint looks down on the items, so
the tops of all the objects are visible, but there
is no dramatic distortion. The ellipses start to
widen as they are viewed from higher angles.
This is a good angle for showing the
three-dimensional shape of objects.
B ird’s-eye viewp oin t
A bird’s-eye view looks directly down at the
items. Here, the vertical lines start to
converge on the box and cylinder as they
point into the table. The ellipses can now be
seen as circles, as they are no longer tilted
from the viewer. This viewpoint works well for
displaying the flat arrangement of items.
33
Develop skills

Composing your still life

COMPOSITION IS ABOUT how elements can be
arranged in an image to create a more harmonious
or engaging whole. It plays an especially important
role in still life as the placement of the objects is up
to the artist – they can, and should, be rearranged.
An interesting composition will make artwork far
more visually engaging.
Off-centre verticals
Sometimes an initial idea – a shape, a certain This bottle is intentionally a bit off
viewpoint – can drive a still life arrangement, whilst centre to create a more interesting,
other times, a good arrangement can be achieved by uneven triangle shape to the
experimenting with the placement of objects. Don’t composition as a whole. If it were in the
be afraid to add and remove objects from setups, centre, the triangle would appear more
symmetrical and lack a sense of flow.
prod items around, or otherwise experiment.

Point into the arrangement

Though not a strict rule, it is generally
better to let items like jugs, or the spout
from this juicer, point into the
composition. The pointed shape of the
Varied heights and sizes spout directs the eye much like a
Including different-sized objects helps leading line.
push visual contrast in an image. Here
these walnuts are small and more
numerous, to contrast with the larger items
like the fruit. Even though they are a similar
shape, the varied sizes add interest.

Angles
In this composition, the base of the
arrangement is intentionally a little off
being a perfect horizontal. Whilst
horizontal and vertical lines are great
for stabilising a composition, perfect
ones may look stiff.

34
 Composition

Composing with shape

SHAPES ARE A simple way of
creating an armature for a still life
arrangement. They can be used to
enclose an arrangement, or form
leading lines.
Any simple shape works well for
this, with triangles and circles
being especially effective. This
approach can also be extended to
certain basic symbols, such as a
cross or S-curve.
This example uses a triangle to
enclose the composition, making
the most of the varied heights of
the objects and complimenting the
eye-level viewpoint.

Overlaps
Even though this is an eye-level
arrangement, its individual elements
overlap to add a sense of depth and
space. Here the lemons overlap the
orange, which in turn overlaps the
bottle. This helps strengthen a sense of
spatial depth.

35
Develop skills

Leading lines
LEADING LINES ARE underlying rhythms to an
image that are created by the subject, such as the
edges of objects, repeating objects, or even the
direction an object is pointing in. These direct the
eye through the image. Good use of leading lines
should engage the viewer and encourage them to
comfortably explore the image, or direct them to
important focal areas.

Horizontal lines Vertical lines

Horizontal lines can help stabilise Vertical lines can be implied by
a composition. There are a lot of tall objects – bottles often play
diagonals in this arrangement, this role in a still life. When
which feel more dynamic; these balanced with horizontal lines,
carrots remind the viewer they help clarify the orientation
everything sits on a flat surface. and stabilise an arrangement.

Focal point
The focal point is the place leading lines
direct the gaze of the viewer to. This can
make a composition more engaging as it
gives the viewer something to focus on,
and may be used to highlight an
important element in an arrangement.

Curved lines and fabric
Curved and diagonal lines are more
dynamic than horizontals or verticals,
and add some energy to a composition.
Fabric is especially useful for this, as it
is flexible and can be positioned to
serve an arrangement.
Repeating items and broken lines
Leading lines are often considered in a
fairly literal sense to be the result of
edges, or objects pointing in a certain
direction. However, a trail of repeating
objects can have a similar effect, such as
these bay leaves.
Blocking leading lines
If the leading lines push too strongly in
one direction, they can point the eye
out of the composition. Here, the yellow
tin is used to block this and creates a
slight diagonal to direct the eye back
towards the focal point.

36
 Composition

The Fibonacci spiral

THE FIBONACCI (OR GOLDEN) approximately 1:1.62. It creates pleasing way. It can be flipped or rotated for
spiral is a spiral that fits within a golden compositions because it introduces different compositions. It particularly
rectangle – a rectangle with proportions off-centre focal points, leading lines, and suits arrangements with strong curved
that fit the golden ratio, which is divides space in a visually interesting lines, and natural subjects.

Leading lines
A spiral is an excellent tool for
creating leading lines into the
Let it breathe composition as the curve leads the
The way the Fibonacci spiral forms eye from the outside of the image
from squares helps with dividing up the inwards. This is most effective with
visual areas of the composition. The curved objects or forms.
top left square here is left empty to let
the eye rest, and balances ‘busier’
areas of the composition.

Focal point
The centre of the Fibonacci spiral
makes for a strong focal point. It works
especially well because it is always
off-centre without feeling too
off-balance. The spiral itself creates
leading lines that curve in to this point.

Big and small

Incorporating big and small items into a
composition helps add visual interest. This
can be facilitated by a Fibonacci spiral as
the spiral loops inwards and tightens,
fitting smaller items, compared to the
larger arc of the outside of the spiral. 37
 Follow these steps...
1
This setup uses direct
light from a single source.
There is little light reflected,
so the shadows are dark. Because
the shadows dominate, it’s easier
to start by sketching large tonal
shapes rather than specific
objects. In some areas, the form
shadows on the objects fuse with
the surrounding cast shadows or
dark backdrop, creating a more
unified shape.
The role of lighting

2
STILL LIFE ALLOWS for complete control of the As the shadows are
subject, including the lighting arrangement. By intense, a large area of
changing the lighting setup, it is possible to change tone engulfs the
the dark and light tonal shapes that make up a background and fuses with the
composition. There are many ways to light a still life edges of leaves and the pot. The
– how this is done depends on the desired focus skull and flowers, being pale and
and results. well-lit, need their lighter tonal
Let’s compare two broad categories; direct and values preserved so they can
indirect light. A direct, single light source, such as a produce an interesting contrast.
lamp, will cast strong shadow shapes that show form As darker tonal values dominate
well, and can be manipulated to create interesting this arrangement, these two
light and dark patterns. An indirect light source, such elements stand out and create a
as a north-facing window, produces scattered light balanced focus.
that more evenly illuminates a subject, showing

3
colours and patterns more effectively. Here, the shadow
drowns out detail in darker
areas, so only well-lit areas
have visible detail to work with.
The textures on the orchid, the
pattern on the pot, and details on
the skull are added now. This is
also the time to correct tonal
shapes and tighten high-contrast
edges, such as those around the
skull. This setup has dramatic
lighting, so it’s important to
preserve the lightest areas.

38
 Composition

Follow these steps...

1
This arrangement uses a soft light source which is reflected back into the composition with a
white sheet. This means that the overall shape of the objects is far clearer as they are more evenly
illuminated, but the shadows are less defined. I used an artificial light, but natural light (without
direct sunlight) works even better. I started this drawing by sketching out the major shapes of the
objects, and the one clear shadow on the right of the composition. As the shadows on the objects are
soft, they cannot easily be defined with shapes.

2
Indirect light has a
less consistent direction,
and objects are more
evenly lit. This means that the
shadows aren’t as strong and the
tonal arrangement we see is
more defined by local tonal
values; how dark or light an
object is. The skull, being very
pale, is separated from the plant
and pot, which are darker. This
means the silhouette of objects
is better preserved, and the large
tonal shapes in the composition
directly relate to the shapes of
the objects. Now it’s easier to
see the orchid’s leaves and the
far side of the skull.

3
This final stage uses a
charcoal pencil to refine
the details. It’s important
to ensure this doesn’t darken the
individual objects too much –
the skull remains separate from
the pot because its shadows are
much lighter than the pot. All
marks made darken the page, so
too much detail work will
confuse the overall light and
dark shapes. Since everything is
well illuminated, it is far easier to
make out fine details in this
arrangement, as they are not
lost to shadow. Indirect lighting
is especially good for still life
arrangements with lots of fine
details or patterns.

39
Develop skills

Techniques for
still-life textures
Lancelot Richardson demonstrates how to draw a variety
of common still-life textures in different media

S
TILL LIFE OFFERS a variety
of different textures, ranging
from hard, inorganic subjects
like ceramics and metal to soft,
natural objects like fruit and
flowers. Here, we are going to look at how
to create different textures for a range of
common still-life subjects in a variety of
different drawing media. A lot of the ideas
presented here can work in different
mediums as well, such as mark-making
to indicate texture, ensuring textural
marks follow overall form, and
understanding how reflections help
indicate different types of surface.
It can be difficult to differentiate
between different materials in our
drawings. Sometimes, when textures are
ignored, everything tends towards a
matte, plastic feel. One way to avoid this
is to vary the marks in a drawing, creating
a more tactile feel. These marks needn’t
perfectly match the object – many
textures are too small to perfectly
replicate – but the overall behaviour
should be imitated instead. Tonal shapes
can also help express textures, especially
on hard, smooth objects. Most still-life
subjects have relatively even surfaces, so
outlines play less of a role. Texture might
be better conveyed with tone, shape, and
different mark making – rather than
shading everything in the same way, it is
possible to vary lines, or use marks like
dots or dashes.
In a larger arrangement of multiple
objects, look at how one object differs
from another in surface appearance.
Does it reflect light differently, and do
some objects have shiny highlights, like
metal? Are there any directional marks,
like on wood? Looking for these
differences and expressing them well in a
drawing will help the viewer distinguish
between different objects.

LANCELOT
Brighton, UK
Lancelot Richardson is a
painter and freelance
illustrator. He also works at
independent drawing school
Draw Brighton as a life
drawing tutor, and currently
teaches their online life
drawing course provided
through Patreon.
lancelotrichardson.com
Materials
• Willow charcoal
• Conté à Paris: Sanguine pencil (610)
• General pencil charcoal – medium
• Kneaded eraser
• Blending stump
• Winsor & Newton white gouache
• Winsor & Newton professional watercolours
• Synthetic brushes: 1-inch flat, 3/8-inch flat, #7 round
• Faber-Castell Albrecht Dürer water-soluble pencils
• Dip pen & drawing nibs: mapping nib, G-nib
• Indian ink
• Graphite pencils: Marie 2H, 2B, 4B, 6B, 8B
• Seawhite 140gsm cartridge paper
• Seawhite cold pressed watercolour paper

40
 Techniques for still-life textures

Citrus fruit
FRUIT OFFERS A VARIETY of different
textures, from its outer skin, to the inside
of the peel and the flesh. For citrus fruits,
like this orange, there is a lot of textural
contrast between these components.
The outer skin has a randomly dimpled
texture, whilst the pith inside has a softer
feel, and the flesh is formed of many tiny
juice sacs.
Showing the behaviour of a texture
with indication – such as a few dots for
the dimples where they show most
clearly on the rind – is an effective way to
imply the more complex details. It is
impossible to draw every single dimple or
each individual juice sac, so try to
indicate these by using different marks
for each component instead.

Fruit innards – highlights

These highlights were created using
the point of a round brush and
some white gouache with a little
yellow in it. The lightness helps to Rind
convey a sense of wetness. The skin’s random dimpled
texture was made by
dragging the side of a pencil
over it. The lighter orange
was created by dragging a
fairly dry brush with gouache
on. The last few dimples were
added with a round brush.

Techniques for
still-life textures

Pith
There are stringy structures on the pith
that run roughly lengthways up and
down the orange. Little shadows have
been placed between these to indicate
the texture. Watercolour pencil was
then lightly applied to break up and
soften the surface.

Oil sacs Fruit innards – juice sacs

When viewed at a cross section, it is
possible to see the oil sacs in the peel.
These can be portrayed by ensuring the
boundary between the orange and white
layers is rounded, uneven and bumpy.
The key to drawing these juice sacs is to follow
the direction they align in as they point away
from the peel. The divisions were added with a
watercolour pencil, and the lines are slightly
‘wobbly’ to indicate an organic structure.

Texture follows form

The textures of this onion and garlic bulb follow their
rounded forms, wrapping around from root to dried out
stem. The papery thinness of the skin is conveyed by
broken contour lines and occlusion shadows, such as the
split on the onion, and the different layers on the garlic.

41
 Ceramic textures
The highlights on glazed ceramics imply a similar
smooth, shiny surface to metal and glass, but instead
ceramics have their own colours. The rim of the dish
here is still unglazed – the little dots and lack of
highlights show a more matte, porous texture.

42
 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.

43
 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.
44
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.
 Techniques for still-life textures

Follow these steps...

1
Here I’ve started by
identifying the shapes of the
different masses of fabric,
and marking out some of the
more significant folds. The
curvature of a fold – does it bend
sharply or gently – helps with
indicating the thickness and
Freehand straigh t lines stiffness of fabric, as thicker
Objects built on a lot of straight lines, such as these fabrics are less flexible.
books, can present a challenge because of the
temptation to draw perfect lines. However, these are
often too harsh, creating a hard-looking surface.
Freehand lines, even when imperfect, often show a
little more softness.

Fabric
FABRICS CAN HAVE A diverse range of textures, ranging
from smooth silks to dense furs. However, these all share some Techniques for
similar properties, being flat and bendy. Fabrics are not self
supporting, and will fold in on themselves or hang from other still-life textures
objects, pulled down by gravity.
Complexity is often the biggest challenge of drawing fabric, as

all the folds can get overwhelming. Try to unify smaller tonal
shapes into larger ones. Pay special attention to the edges of
shadow shapes as well – are they bumpy to conform to a knit,
or are they sharp thanks to an especially thin fabric?
2
Each of these fabrics has a different pattern and tone. A layer
of willow charcoal helps to separate the darker fabric from the
lighter ones. Shadow shapes have also been added here, though
they are not pushed too far on the lighter fabrics – the deeper
shadows are added with charcoal pencil.

3 4 5
This satin fabric has a It is important that patterns bend This blanket has some more
characteristically shiny texture, so with fabric, as this helps to show how unusual textures. A corded pattern
highlights are preserved as the white folds are forming. This in turn implies running across it has been rendered in
of the paper to preserve this glossiness. The how flexible the fabric is. As long as it follows a series of lines that bend with it. The seams
twist in the centre of the image shows how the surface of the fabric, the pattern can be on the right also help convey how thick and
thin the fabric is by folding in with a sharp simplified – here I focused on the negative heavy the blanket is, alongside the more
change in direction. shapes formed by the pattern. open folds.

45
 Develop skills

Local tone Growth rings

As this drawing is in ink, a lighter Growth rings are a unique
tone of wood is drawn using a lower pattern to wood, appearing as
density of marks. Even though alternating dark and light curved
there are fewer marks, the direction stripes. Try to avoid drawing
still follows the grain of the wood. outlines around this pattern, as
Short marks in a different direction it counteracts the grain
indicate damage. direction of the wood. Instead,
build up the density of marks to
show darker rings.

Damage
Wood shows damage easily,
and in turn, this adds a bit
of character and history to
the surface. Damage may
show up as lighter or darker
marks, such as due to Grain
stains, or the treated outer The grain of the wood will heavily influence
layer getting scraped away. the direction of the marks describing the
surface. Here all the marks travel in the
same direction for each piece of wood as
much as possible, with the density of
marks increasing to show darker tones.

Hard surfaces
These boxes have flat surfaces, and most
of the hatching follows the direction of the
wood. Here perpendicular hatching (a
‘waffle’ pattern) helps indicate a vertical
flat surface, though it is slanted to follow
the direction of the box in perspective.

Wooden boxes Touch and texture

WOOD IS A SOMEWHAT
intimidating texture as it has a high
density of detail, but there is a lot of
leeway between being perfect and
simply conveying a convincing
texture. It is very directional and
patterned, but in most cases, has a
fairly smooth surface.
Wood can come in many
different types and colours – this
example shows two boxes, one
made of a pale wood, and one
made of a darker, treated wood.
The darker wood’s tone has been
pushed a little further with a layer
of ink wash.
Texture and touch are closely related. One little
exercise to improve textural marks in our drawings is
blind touch drawing. Hold a small object behind your
back, out of sight, and draw what you can feel on the
page in front of you, without looking at the paper. This
abstract sketch comes from some cork bark.

46
 Techniques for still-life textures

Follow these steps...

1
To get started, I sketched
out the flowers and jar with
a green water-soluble pencil,
and added a loose wash in
watercolour. It is a good idea to
completely eliminate the white
of the paper at this stage, as
small parts peeking through can
disrupt the textures and
patterns in later stages.

2
Here the leaf shapes
have been added using
Flowers watercolour mixed with
gouache. Shape can help convey
FLOWERS COME IN MANY different shapes and sizes. This texture and structure; even at
simple bouquet shows a variety of larger, floppier petals and this stage, the difference Techniques for
stiffer small ones. The yellow roses and pink dianthuses have between delicate stalks, thicker
flat petals, whilst the blue irises curl in on themselves, even stems, and flat leaves is fairly still-life textures
crinkling at the edge in places. apparent. Another layer of the
One challenge of conveying the feel of petals is how thin and background black has been
delicate that are. Each petal has very little thickness, so lateral, applied to define the shapes of
form-sculpting marks are of little use. It is better to make marks the bouquet as well.
in the petal’s growth direction – this is especially effective when
a petal bends over on itself.

3 4 5
Like the leaves, it is important to Here, the light areas have been Watercolour pencils have been used
define the silhouettes of the flowers added using gouache mixed with to add some extra textural details,
before adding details. The fine little watercolour. The reflections on the jar including some indication of the veins
petals of the alliums are already different to indicate the glass, whilst light helps define on the irises and dianthus flowers – these
the larger, curving ones of the irises and the leaves and petals. The thin, delicate tend to radiate from the centre along the
roses. Petals are very thin and flexible, but structure of the petals is more obvious, petal to the edge. Gouache was also used to
are also light, so they are more self- especially where the petals fold over on further refine shapes, such as on the roses,
supporting than fabric, for example. themselves, like on the irises. and push the lighter tones on the alliums.

47
Develop skills
Bitesize
Whether you have half an hour or an afternoon to spare, follow these
quick, simple and fun tips and start experimenting with your art today
STEVEN HUGHES
Michigan, USA
Steven is associate professor
of illustration at Northern
Michigan University. His
paintings and illustrations
have been featured in many
exhibitions and publications
including the New York Times.
primaryhughes.com
1
Block out key shapes
Starting with a layout drawing, I loosely
identify the big shapes using straight
lines. In the next step the subject will be
reduced in value to just black and just white.
In order to plan for the difference between
dark and light, or as the Japanese refer to it,
‘notan’, I think of a greyscale and split it in
half. Everywhere in the subject that is a 50%
grey or lighter will be left white. Conversely,
anything darker than 50% is represented as
black. So, in this step I’m beginning to
identify that line of separation on the forms
or between elements.
48
Designing compositions with limited values
ONE OF the most difficult parts of
working in colour is controlling the value
contrast, because it’s so easy to be
seduced by the hue and saturation of the
subject or paint. That’s why studying the
pattern of light and dark in the early
stages of a new composition is essential
to a successful final piece. Simplifying
your subject matter into two, three, and
four values establishes a strong
understanding of the compositional
balance and heightens the awareness of
low contrast areas that may need to be
reconsidered. Personal preference
should dictate the choice of black and
white media that is used to develop these
value plans. The sketches can be highly
refined, or quick shorthand notations as
thumbnails. Grey and black markers, ink
wash, digital media and charcoal are all
excellent media to lay down values
quickly, but I prefer graphite for the more
developed work shown. The extra effort
needed to layer the pencils and create
the values allows more time to assess the
image and walk through the stages in a
way that is similar to how I would paint. It
comes down to a personal preference; if
you find an approach that feels right, then
it’s more likely to become routine.
2
Two-value
approach
Leaving the white
untouched, it’s time to fill in
the black. I lay down the
graphite in layers with 6B,
4B, and 2B rather than using
heavy pressure with one
pencil, so that I can search
out the right shapes and
refine the edges. If the
balance of the composition
suffers from a pure black and
white interpretation, I can
make adjustments to it
before moving to the final.
3
Bitesize

3
Three-value approach
As I start to make these studies
more complex, this three-value
step is especially helpful at establishing
local value contrast. The introduction of a
midtone allows me to divide the dark and
light shapes of the initial stage into
smaller elements. I’ve made sure that
light objects are placed against dark or
midtone grounds, and that darks are on
lighter values to ensure clear silhouettes
and readability. This stage usually reveals
if there are any low contrast areas that
need more attention.

4
Four-value approach
4 The final example illustrates a
4-value approach. I have black,
white, and now two midtones to work
with compositionally. This gives me the
ability to create the illusion of a little more
form and sense of light, dedicating one
midtone to be part of the light half of the
greyscale range, and one part of the dark
half. It also allows for continued
development of the local value contrast
as can be seen between the books.

Most valued player

Tonal values are incredibly important. If
they’re not correct, the viewer will be
able to tell, even unconsciously.

49
 My finished ‘kluk kluk’
bottle uses simplified,
shapes and lost edges to
convey the complex shape

Follow these steps...

of this famous glassware

1
Find your object
For an interesting subject,
I’m using an antique
Holmegaard bottle I own – the
so-called ‘kluk kluk’ bottle,
named after the sound it
makes when pouring. They’re
gorgeous, strange and lots of
fun! I start by marking out the
general shape of the bottle,
and the outlines of the bigger
shading areas. I’ve already
decided where I’m going to
lose some of the edges.

2
Plot values
I’m aiming to have,
roughly, a three-value
structure with the paper as
white, greyish mid-tones in
HB pencil, and dark accents
created with a 4B pencil. I’m
keeping the mid-tone fairly
uniform here, and will taper it
off to white where some
deeper shadows occur on the
real bottle. This reversed-
value effect will help the glass
feel more filled with light.

3
Add depth
I have now captured
most of the effects – so,
I’ve started to hack in some
Sketching glass in pencil darker areas with the 4B
pencil. I also decide to take
some shading areas right
GLASS EFFECTS can be intimidating to re-create. outside of the bottle’s shape.
Many artists will do detailed renderings, but it can be This kind of technique helps
difficult to keep focus over long tasks like that, keep me from getting too
picking up on every subtle difference and effect. literal. I’m also working to stay
Here, I observe my subject – a shapely glass bottle bold with my mark-making,
– and break it into areas of bigger shapes, giving a and not devolve into ‘noodling’.
pleasing effect with much less work!

4
Lift areas
At this point, I felt
some areas had
DAVE BRASGALLA become a little too fussy, so I
Stockholm, Sweden went in with shaped
Dave is an illustrator, graphic
kneaded eraser to lift out
designer and concept artist,
who also loves to pursue and clean up a bit. I also look
personal projects using around for any other edges I
traditional painting media. can lose. Lastly, I go back in
See more of his work at with the 4B pencil in order to
www.pixelhuset.se
really push some dark
values that I hope will help
guide the viewer’s eye
around the image.

50

Follow these steps...
1
Find the colour
The dominant colour of this flower is
a violet-blue shade, so I tackle all the
petal, sepals and tepals in the same way.
I start drawing the veins with Sapphire
Blue, then go in quickly with a gentle layer
of Light Violet to cover all the petal. At
this stage it’s important to avoid pressing
heavily with the pencil. Then I apply a
layer of Lavender, emphasising the dark
areas that I then intensify with a Violet. I
finish with a light layer of Light Blue Sky
that helps give a cold blue tone. I draw
each layer in a different direction
(cross-hatching). For the bud on the left I
use Ultramarine Blue for the veins and
the outline, then use a Light Yellow and a
Light Green for the brighter parts.
Use coloured pencils to
depict an iris in detail
2
Add texture
The sepals (outer petals) are a
complex area. They have a stripy
part that I depict with a layer of light
Cadmium Yellow. I then draw the veins
using Red Ochre, Raw Umber and a bit of
Plum, one on top of the other. I use Raw
Umber for the area in shade, where the
Yellow mixes with the Light Green of the
base of the flowers. For the larger parts of
the sepals (known as the ‘falls’, and only
two are visible in the foreground)
I draw the thick and irregular veins first.
I leave the white parts as bare paper, but
for the lower part I put down three layers:
Light Violet, Violet and Light Blue Sky in
the same manner as that used for the
upper petals.
3
Natural tones
For the only spathe visible on the
left (the leaf of the flower bud), as
well as layering it with Light Yellow Ochre,
Burnt Sienna, English Red and Natural
Umber to mark the outline, I also use
some dotting in Brown and Burnt Sienna
to re-create its natural unevenness.
Bitesize
I ENJOY DRAWING and find the results
I achieve from using coloured pencils
very satisfying. Whether preparing a
sketch for a painting or copying from life
on paper, coloured pencils have proved
themselves to be very versatile.
I love botanical and floral subjects, and
the patterns that are present in the
petals of the Siberian iris quickly caught
my eye. I couldn’t resist buying a bunch
of them, with the aim of working on a
drawing at home.
Lately I’ve been using rough paper, but
I’ve chosen a smooth surface for this
article because it enables me to better
render all the details. I’ll use a layering
technique and leave only a few areas on
the paper uncoloured. After drawing the
iris in graphite I start to colour it in.
ENZO FORGIONE
Turin, Italy
Enzo has worked for ten years
as a full-time painter, taking
on many commissions for
clients. He has a degree from
the Fine Art Academy in Turin
and is a member of the
Society of Botanical Artists.
www.enzoforgione.it
4
Finish the stem
I colour the stem and the other
green parts with a base layer in
light green, and then intensify the
central part of the stem with Grass
Green. I then draw some stripes in the
green part at the base of the sepals,
before applying some dotting in Burnt
Sienna and English Red.
51
Develop skills

Blending with
coloured pencils
TO GET THE MOST from coloured
pencils, we can take advantage of their
semi-transparent nature and mix
complexity into the tones. Rather than A top tip on tips!
Vary the pencil
relying upon the individual and flat
sharpness from
colour of each pencil, mixing the colours sharp to dull points
will make things more dynamic. Having for a more random
some knowledge of colour theory can be application of colour
useful, but this is also a great
Blend scale (left)
opportunity to experiment! In this
Blending and smoothing variations: normal
article, I’ll be using a complementary gradient with overlapping colours (left); colourless
red applied over greens to darken and blender (middle); white coloured pencil (right)
slightly neutralise the tone.
Pressure scale (below)
Pressure will create a noticeable difference in
texture. Shown here from left to right: light
STEVEN HUGHES pressure, normal pressure and heavy pressure
Michigan, USA
Steven is associate professor
of illustration at Northern
Michigan University. His art
has been featured in many
exhibitions and publications,
including The New York Times.
www.primaryhughes.com

Follow these steps…

1 2
Sketch it out
Using a light colour, start
by drawing the contour of
your subject. Using the local
colour on the pear is a good
way to hide the original
drawing. Graphite lines often
remain visible and can dirty
the colour. Here, I’m working
on a white vellum Bristol
surface. When selecting your
paper, aim for a weight of at
least 250gsm, with a medium
texture surface and a
consistent grain. Smoother
paper surfaces won’t always
take multiple layers of colour.
Work light
We’re working light to
dark, so this stage will
identify the highlights, lightest
tones and establish a base
colour that will mix with the
layers applied on top. With
light pressure and a sharp
point, lay a warm yellow over
all the pear except for the
highlights. I’ve chosen a cool
grey for the shadow at this
stage. Avoid pushing so hard
that the paper texture is
smoothed, because this can
effect how additional layers
will go down.
3 4
Midtones
Continuing to work
with a sharp pencil,
apply the colours that create
a feeling of local colour for
the pear – I’m using different
shades of yellow-green and
green. Looking at mid-tones,
the pear is a mixture of
colour, rather than a single
flat version of yellow-green.
Burnt ochre is applied and
the shadow is given another
layer, this time a warmer
steel grey that combines with
the original cool grey for
more complexity.
Add depth
Finally, darker green,
brown, and red-violet are
used to define the core
shadow and darker parts of
the pear. The shadow on the
ground has been darkened
with layers of blue-violet and
dark brown. Lighter colours
(slightly grey versions of
yellow-orange, yellow-green,
and blue-violet) have been
applied over top. To finish,
lightly use a white coloured
pencil to lighten tones.
Check if any darks or mid-
tones need reapplying.

52
 Bitesize

Paint vibrant petals

in watercolour
FLOWERS are always lovely subjects
to paint, but their complex petals can
often be difficult to get right. By looking
at the contrasting effects of highlights,
midtones and shadows on a single
petal, I will show you how to get a more
realistic, tonal appearance with just a
few techniques, and only three basic
mixes on the palette.

JARNIE GODWIN
London, UK Mixing shadow tones
Working as a botanical I always mix my own shadow tones using transparent red,
watercolour artist, tutor and
blue and yellow. Mixing the three primary colours together
blogger, Jarnie is known for
her quirky compositions will always create black. Many premixed greys contain
of imperfect subjects. opaque pigments that can dull a mix.
www.sketchbooksquirrel.com

Follow these steps...

1 2
First wash
After laying a glaze of
clean water, I drop in the
lightest colour. While the
glaze is still wet, I continue to
build up the tone where I need
to by adding more touches of
paint several times. Lifting
colour with a clean, damp
brush maintains any
highlights and softens the
finish. Let each layer dry
before applying the next.
The midtone
Now onto the midtone,
which will form the
actual colour of the petal.
Working as before, I let the
water glaze settle before
dropping in the second
colour. Keeping the paint
away from the brightest
highlight, I leave plenty of
the first wash visible. Again, I
use a clean, damp brush to
lift off any unwanted colour.
3 4
Details
Shadows offer the
deepest tones and
will give the petal a three-
dimensional appearance.
Another glaze helps the darkest
paint spread, softly building the
deeper tones, and creating
higher contrast and tone. With
more variation and contrast it
will look more lifelike. At this
stage, wet-on-dry details can
also be introduced.
Build depth
Working wet on dry, I
apply the deepest
colour only where I want it.
This builds more depth and
movement with several
layers of paint. I also soften
the edges with a clean, damp
brush. The characteristic
markings are softened with
several complex overglazes,
made by mixing the hues on
the palette together.

53
Develop skills

Paint realistic
copper effects
PAINTING METAL EFFECTS is based
on the contrast of light and dark in
addition to environmental reflections.
For this example, I’ll take an old copper
glass holder standing on a glass surface.
Any form is based on alternating tones:
midtone-light-midtone-shadow-
reflection. But copper also needs to
include colour variations, made by
combining contrasts and additional
colours. The most difficult part is to not
get lost in all of those details.

OLGA STERNYK
Kyiv, Ukraine
Art graduate Olga has
Pain t glossy surfaces
illustrated several books, and When painting glossy surfaces, make the
has exhibited in Europe. highlights white, or almost white. They
Having experimented with should be very sharp and small. Shadows
many mediums in her time,
are also small and dark. Midtones are filled
she currently works primarily
in watercolour. with small reflections.
www.sternyk.com

Follow these steps...

2
Add contrast

1 3
Layer one
On the first layer I place
local colours for the
object and background. I
separate light from shadow
and leave the highlights. If
paint accidentally gets into a
highlight, I remove it with
some paper towel. After that,
I wet the area and dry it with
the towel again. The local
colour for the glass holder is
warm, the background is cold.
Now I add engraving. It
should contrast to a
light part. That’s why I paint
the engraving as cold and
dark while the local colour
remains warm. But the
engraving should not be
darker than the main
shadow. Shadows must
always remain darker than
any contrasts to a light part.
Also, no engraving should be
visible in the shadows.
Warm and cold
Here I add warm and
cold tones. Copper is
full of colours – it varies from
yellow, orange, brown,
green, cold grey and blue.
Highlights may be bright
white and shadows are
almost black. Because of
these variations, highlights
will be warm, midtones are
cold, shadows are warm, and
reflections are cold.
4
Get detailed
At this point I take my
smallest brush and
paint the tiny details. It is
important to assess the
whole painting again. I add
details and boost contrast in
the midtones and shadows.
But don’t get too bogged
down – it is also important to
ignore unnecessary details
because it will make the
painting more expressive.

54
 Bitesize

Follow these steps...

1
Ensure there’s contrast
Make sure you have some dark shadows that use
cooler shades, and warm, vibrant underpainting on
the light side.Work broadly and think about the apple in
relation to the background. You will need those cool,
dark shades to make the light tones stand out later.

Building tone helps

show off the final
sparkling touch of
the highlights, and
adds vibrant colour
and texture

2
Add depth
Use highlights to lift Next, introduce more
subtle shades. Add even
your still-life paintings darker tones and adjust the
colours while keeping the
WHEN SETTING UP STILL-LIFE overall tonal values. Working in
arrangements, a constant light source oils means you can build the
and some clear highlights are vital. painting in layers and paint a
Lighting subjects with a desk lamp, light colour over a dark or a
even if it is daytime, achieves this. My dark over a light, and
oil paintings are colourful, textural and constantly adjust the tones.
worked freely, but, underlying this, there Keep the edges soft to help
is a strong sense of tone. convey the round shape.
Start your painting with acrylic using

3
strong colours to create an underpainting. Final touches
Keep an eye out for the very dark areas of Soften the darker,
the scene. When the acrylic stage is dry, shadowy parts, so the
build the layers with oils, making sure you side of the object almost
have some strong dark colours and disappears into the shadow.
gradually build the tones. The highlights This emphasises the light side
will be the final touch, so leave the lightest and especially the highlight,
tones until last. Also, remember that even which contrasts with the
white or light-coloured objects have dark background tones, helping the
tones and subtle shades. Apply the oils apple to become more
with a knife and paint the highlights on three-dimensional. For the
thick to give a 3D effect. very lightest tone, mix white
with a tiny amount of a warm
yellow, and apply it thickly. The
thick paint catches the light
and creates extra sparkle.
SYLVIA PAUL
Dovercourt, Harwich, Essex
See tone, not colour
Sylvia’s work has featured in
If you have trouble seeing tones, try
many exhibitions including at
the RA Summer Show. She half-closing your eyes when looking at
has also exhibited in Japan. your subject. This will filter the colour
www.sylviapaul.com and simplify the tones. Practise by
doing a tonal drawing in charcoal and
white chalk on grey paper.

55
 P rojec ts

58 The delicious art of

coloured pencils
Follow Steven Hughes as he shares his process for creating
a variety of surface textures in coloured pencil

64 Find beauty in a fading flower

Julia Trickey creates translucent watercolour featuring minute detail

70 Fun tops for painting ammonites

Stephanie Law shares how to replicate the beautiful
textures and tones of ammonites in watercolour

76 Drawing with pastels

and Conté crayons
Capture the essence of natural forms with Rebecca de
Mendonça, combining pastels with Conté crayons

82 The Golden Age of flowers

Nel Whatmore explores the joys of depicting
flowers in the style of the Dutch masters

88 Add drama to your still life

Rebecca de Mendonça explains how to get drama into your
pastel work, and how to work lights over darks

94 Paint like Cézanne

Rob Lunn guides you step-by-step through an interpretation of
Cézanne’s painting method from initial sketch to final flourish

100Depict the beauty of orchids with oil

Enzo Forgione shows how to paint the intricate shapes and patterns
of this intriguing flower in a smooth and vibrant style

106Paint a high-key,contemporary
still life
Rebecca de Mendonça explains how to get drama into your
pastel work, and how to work lights over darks

114 Use a rich colour palette

Influenced by the 17th-century Dutch Masters, Georgia Cox
shows how to create a flower composition in a rich palette

118 Create a vanitas-style

still life
Howard Lyon creates a still life from personal items inspired
by the moody, symbolism-laden still lifes of old

124 Make a free and expressive

still life in acrylics
Artist Sylvia Paul shows how to paint this stunning still life painting

56
57
Projects

58

The delicious art
of coloured pencils
Follow Steven Hughes as he shares his process for creating
a variety of surface textures in coloured pencil
STEVEN
Marquette, Michigan, USA
Steven is associate professor
of illustration at Northern
Michigan University. His
paintings and illustrations
have been featured in many
exhibitions and publications,
including The New York Times.
www.primaryhughes.com
C
reating interest in a still life is
about engaging the viewer with
a variety of flavours. Colourful
sprinkles will certainly catch the
eye, but what makes someone
stop and continue engaging with the piece?
If you’re working realistically as I am,
research and the process of acquiring the
objects is a vital first step.
In this case that meant a visit to the
best doughnut shop in the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan, Huron Bakery.
Looking at the contrasts between props
guides the still life set-up for me. If
something is dark, put it against
something light, and vice versa. Play
pattern against solid areas and look for
repetitions to move the eye across the
composition. Once the objects are
organised, I pick up a camera and look
at viewpoint and cropping. This is an
alternative to sketching thumbnails, and
does double duty of providing reference
from which to work. You never know
when a hungry kid will run into your
studio and grab that carefully positioned
doughnut! The still life remains in
position as I work, allowing me to go
between photo or life to observe and
develop accuracy of colour and depth.
Coloured pencils
Ma terials
Steven uses Prismacolor
Premier (wax-based)
coloured pencils. He prefers a
paper surface such as Vellum
Bristol that is at least 100lb in
weight with a little tooth or
texture. An X-ACTO knife and
kneaded or white plastic
eraser can be used to gently
lighten small wax build-ups.
This coloured pencil drawing
is 7.25x10.75 inches on a
Bristol board measuring
10.25x14 inches. The extra
border around the drawing
allows for a place to grip and
move the piece without
1
Preliminary drawing accidentally denting a corner
With a coloured pencil that will blend into the or marring the surface.
form, develop a contour drawing of the subject
on Vellum Bristol or similar heavyweight paper. I
avoid using graphite as it can show through the
transparency of the coloured pencils and overly
grey or darken tones. If you worry about mistakes,
or naturally use a sketchier line, consider working
out the drawing on separate paper and transferring
it to the final Bristol surface with a light box.
59
Projects

Use layers
for colour
Developing more complex
colour through the layering of
multiple pencils is key to
unlocking the potential of this
medium. Just like nothing in
life is simply one thing or

another, no orange can be
fully realised with only the
orange coloured pencil. Light
and shadow will imbue your
subject with a multitude of
colours that need to be
observed and studied to
best capture them.
2 3
Patterns in the wood
Colours will vary for other varieties
of wood, but here I start by
creating the darker pattern of the wood
grain with Burnt Ochre and Light Umber.
Look for differences in edge and tone.
The lower-right corner is darkened with a
layer of Tuscan Red to begin establishing
a reference point for the image.
Establish local colour
With normal pressure, apply beige and Yellow
Ochre pencils over the entire table surface to
create a gradient of light to midtone (left to right). I
also add Clay Rose to the shadows and some of the
stripes in the wood grain. To darken some of the
cast shadows, I repeat step 2, while adding dark
brown to the mixture. I layer dark green over the
corner to increase its value range.

4
Build dark tones
A layer of Indigo Blue completes
the dark values of the lower
corner. Rather than using black, layers
of Tuscan Red, dark green and Indigo
Blue create a far more complex tone.
The wood grain becomes more visible
and the cast shadows darken through
the application of Yellow Ochre or Burnt
Ochre. A colourless blender helps
smooth the shadow tones. In the light
areas of the wood, I burnish with cream
and Yellow Ochre, solidifying the
gradation of light on the table.

5
White shadows
Putting a layer of Cloud Blue down before the other shadow colours
on the bag creates a barrier between the paper and the layers of
Jade Green, Clay Rose and Greyed Lavender that I mix into the bag
shadows. Reflected from the surrounding wood and orange juice tones,
light applications of peach, light peach and cream warm up the grey side
plane of the bag. Burnishing the bag with white helps smooth the tones. I
work with the cream and Greyed Lavender pencils to create depth inside
the bag and reveal a little translucency as it rests on the wooden table.
The doughnut shadows on the napkin reach a darker contrast through
layers of dark brown, Dahlia Purple, Clay Rose and Greyed Lavender.

60
 Coloured pencils

6
Add paper textures:
Using 30% Cool Grey, Jade Green,
Greyed Lavender, Cloud Blue and
touches of cream, I develop the high key
values and planar changes on top of the
bag. Cream neutralises the lavender
colour a little and warms up the
halftones. With the napkin, I first look at
the light affecting the whole surface. I
create a gradient across the napkin
(from top to bottom) with cream,
Greyed Lavender, Cloud Blue and 30%
Cool Grey. Using Greyed Lavender, “Cream neutralises
Cloud Blue and 10% and 30% Cool
Grey, I add dots to the napkin. View each the lavender colour
as an illuminated bowl, working with
dark on one side, drawing around the a little and warms
outside with grey and lavender, leaving a
highlight opposite the dark. up the halftones”

7
Shape the glass
Focusing on the darkest shapes in the base of the glass,
I draw with Dark Umber, 50% Warm Grey and a touch of
Blue Indigo. To save the white highlights, I outline their shapes
with 20% Warm Grey and add a layer of Goldenrod around
them, which becomes an undertone for the base. Mixtures of
Jade Green and 20% Warm Grey can dull the Goldenrod
slightly as needed. Increase the pressure and burnish with
white to finalise the smoothness of the tones. I place small
moments of higher saturation colours (Light Cerulean Blue,
orange and Light Aqua) along the edges of the bright highlights
to capture the prism effect of the glass.
Moving to the rim of the glass, I outline the contours with
dark green and Light Umber. Follow the inner edge to the outer
edge and watch your contours twist across the rim. The
highlights are covered in white to aid in removing any dark
tones that encroach on the shape too much. This is done with
an X-ACTO knife if necessary, by lightly scraping the wax from
the surface of the paper. The white pencil creates a barrier
between the paper and the dark colours. Be sensitive to the
quality of the edge. Sharp, firm, soft, or lost edges can all
happen along the rim. I do not want a uniform colouring book
outline and try to let the line stay responsive to the subject.

61
Projects

The first
time coun ts
For a lot of people, that first
professional job as an artist –
or otherwise – sticks with
you. Mine came via a
recommendation to visit an art
director in Cleveland with my
portfolio. The optimism of a
good review and a growing
feeling that I was on the right
path lead to one of the best
45-minute car rides I could
imagine. It only got better
when I found a commission
job from the same art director
waiting in my inbox when I
returned home.
8
The juice surface
The rim is darkened with more
pressure and the green neutralised
with Steel Grey, Jade Green and Light
Umber. Goldenrod and Sand is used to
develop the yellow tones seen in the rim.
With the orange juice, I note that the
surface layer has a ring of cooler
temperature surrounding a slightly more
saturated middle. To develop that subtle
contrast, I use light pressure with 10%
Cool Grey blending with Yellow Ochre
around a middle of Sunburst Yellow.
Canary Yellow is the base layer and
Burnt Ochre the darkening pencil as the
juice in the lower half of the glass
develops. Goldenrod, Yellow Ochre,
Sunburst Yellow are laid overtop to
create the gradation down the glass. I
burnish the juice with Yellowed Orange.
Note the higher saturation between the
liquid level and darker tones. Sand is
used to create the translucent brighter
tone at the liquid level.

9 10
Plan for reflections
I draw the reflection of the
doughnut in the glass very lightly
with Goldenrod to ensure the contour
edges blend into the darker ground. I lay
down Goldenrod, Burnt Ochre and
Sunburst Yellow to begin the rendering,
10% Cool Grey and Sand are used on the
tall reflection to the left side of the glass.
Twisted doughnut
Filling in the reflection, I
introduce small colour
variation to the sprinkles. It is
important to keep them all within the
yellow-orange colour space of the
orange juice. Too much hue contrast
and the sprinkles will no longer read as
reflections on the glass surface.
11
Create the
doughnut undertone
Using Tuscan Red, I lay in an
undertone that begins to establish the
local colour and value contrast on the
doughnuts. While I can render a little
more form on the left doughnut, I opt
for a flat two-value contrast on the
more complex sprinkle doughnut.

62
 Coloured pencils

12 13
Put the icing on top Use strong
To achieve the subtle variations of colour in the icing, divide the highlights, transitions for shine
midtones and shadow areas. I use dark brown and Burnt Ochre pencils in Like darker skin tones, there
the midtones, and Terra Cotta and orange when more warmth and saturation is are fewer light halftones on the
needed for the form. Where it needs to go really dark, Indigo Blue and dark green fill chocolate surface. I focus on making
out the last step or two of value range. For the cooler temperature colours, I take a strong transitions from the midtones to
30% Warm Grey to neutralise the saturation of the Tuscan Red. The warmer (more the highlights, and finalise the rendering
orange) halftones around the middle also have white applied to smooth over the of the left doughnut. The second
texture. Greyed Lavender and Sienna Brown or Jade Green work well to dull the doughnut is next in line to receive
saturation of the Tuscan Red in the highlight areas. additional form and shading with the
Use a colourless blender to smooth the chocolate, especially when beginning to Tuscan Red pencil. For more contrast, I
contrast with the cake texture. I also begin laying orange and Goldenrod over the also darken the corner behind the glass
cake part to establish an undertone that mixes with subsequent shading. with dark brown and Sienna Brown.

14
Two is better
than one
Referencing the colours and
contrast on the completed doughnut, I
bring the sprinkle doughnut’s chocolate
icing to a conclusion with Tuscan Red,
Sienna Brown, dark brown, Indigo Blue,
Burnt Ochre, Clay Rose, Slate Grey and
20% Cool Grey.
15
Sprinkles on top
I develop the cake part of the doughnuts with orange, Sienna Brown, Burnt
Ochre, Light Umber, Dark Umber and Goldenrod. To create the sprinkles, I
use: Tuscan Red, Poppy Red, magenta, Deco Yellow, Canary Yellow, Clay Rose, 30%
Warm Grey, True Green, Parrot Green, Indigo Blue, Hot Pink, Blush Pink, and Jade
Green. Using a highlight or shadow tone on each sprinkle provides a cylindrical form,
but can be mind-numbingly tedious. Be sure to take breaks and give each one some
attention. Scratching highlights out with an X-ACTO knife (sgraffito technique) is an
option, or you can draw around the highlights and save the white of the paper.

63
Projects

Find beauty in
a fading flower
Julia Trickey creates a translucent
watercolour featuring minute detail

64
 Fading flower

JULIA
Bath, England
Julia’s a botanical artist and A ttract ion
tutor who loves painting the
detail and beauty of nature. Before you even pick up a
She’s particularly drawn to pencil, take a good look at
less-than-perfect subjects, your subject. What attracts
such as autumn leaves, seed you to it – colour, texture,
heads and fading flowers.
detail? This is what you need
juliatrickey.co.uk
to get across to your viewer.

F 1
or this workshop I still adhere to the Establish your
basic principle of botanical art – to lighting scheme
represent my subject accurately and By working from the real
in detail – but have chosen to capture plant material, as well as
it at this fading stage for its aesthetic carefully taken
appeal. I’ve also enlarged and cropped the photographs, you can keep
flower somewhat, to focus in on the detail and to checking structure and
give the viewer a different perspective. detail as your painting
When starting any new painting I’ll progresses. Set your
think through the stages and techniques subject up, lighting it from
I need to accurately capture my subject’s one side (traditionally the
key natural characteristics. This may left) to give yourself a good
include looking at more complicated range of lights and shadows.
parts or textures of the plant, or having a A little extra, optional back
trial run. light will help to emphasise
Here, you’ll see how I work in layers the translucence nature of
of watercolour to capture the light, the petals.
shadow and form of the petals, how
to use masking fluid to deal with the

2
arrangement of stamens in the centre of Observational
the flower, and how to build up details drawing
towards the end of the painting process. Start with a carefully
observed drawing, referring
to the photos that you’ve
taken and the real flower.
Draw this on tracing or
inexpensive paper – this way
you don’t need to worry
about making mistakes and
spoiling the surface of the
watercolour paper. Scale up
your subject if you like.

3
Transfer
the drawing
Materials To transfer the drawing
to the watercolour paper I use
n Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolours graphite transfer paper. This
n Fabriano Artistico HP 140lb extra white is sandwiched between the
watercolour paper (old stock) 21x21cm drawing and the watercolour
n Jackson’s One Pound Sable paint brush, paper, and works just like
size 4 (no longer available) carbon paper. However, you
n Ruling pen may prefer to use a traditional
n Drawing nib lightbox and trace the image,
n SAA white masking fluid or use a bright window in the
same way.

65
Projects

Masking
Using a ruling pen or drawing
nib for applying masking fluid
gives you finer results than
using an old brush. Choose
the more liquid brands of
masking Fluid, such as Pebeo
Drawing Gum.
4 5
Masking fluid
Before starting to paint,
decide if any of your
image needs masking out.
This means you can protect
parts of your painting while
you work on background
colours or other areas of the
picture. Here, I’ve decided to
mask out the stamens in the
centre of the flower.
Wet-in-wet petals
Working on one petal at a time,
aim to create its form using wet-
in-wet watercolour techniques. Wet the
area until thoroughly and evenly wet.
Wait for a surface sheen (rather than
lots of surface water) before dabbing in
colour, adding stronger colours where
you see darks or shadows. Stop once
the paper starts to dry, even if you
haven’t quite finished.

6
Work in layers
If you don’t manage to capture all the colour or form of
a petal in one wet-in-wet layer, don’t worry. Botanical
watercolours are built up over several layers and so you can
revisit areas as many times as needed. However, the absolute
golden rules are never fiddle with drying paint, and allow each
layer to dry completely before working on the next.

7
Build up shape and form
Work on each petal, building up the form using wet-in-wet
techniques. On subsequent layers carefully retrace your
steps when applying the water to avoid developing a double
edge to the shape, which would need correcting later. Add new
colours and strengthen shadows as needed. Compare the
tonal value of each petal and then adjust them accordingly.

66
 Fading details
Minute flower

8
Deal with hairs
The back of the anemone petals and stem have quite a
hairy texture. These hairs can be applied with a fine
drawing nib and masking fluid. This enables you to continue
with wet-in-wet techniques over these areas, while ignoring
the hairs for now. You’ll see that the paper remains white
where the hairs have been masked out.

9
Tackle the flower centre
Now that you’ve got some shape and form on each petal,
it’s a good time to look at the centre of the flower. Wash
greys and other neutral colours over the masked area – try to
create some form on the central ‘mound’ and background
colours behind the masked stamens and filaments. You can
also start defining some of the outer stamens.

10
More stamens
and filaments
Once this first layer has
dried you can use masking fluid
again to add more texture to the
central mound and to further define
stamens and filaments. In this way
you can create a realistic layered
look. Paint over the area again with
stronger greys. Remember to
constantly refer to your photos or the
real flower under a magnifying glass.

67
Projects

Worth the risk

The first time I exhibited a set of larger-than-
life, faded flower paintings was a nail-biting
experience. I wasn’t sure how they would be
received. However the judges loved them
and they were awarded a gold medal.
Sometimes it’s worth taking a risk.

11
Add detail
While the centre of the flower
is drying, you can start adding
detail to the petals. This is done with
small amounts of stronger paint on the
brush. The veins are then drawn on,
following the undulations of the petals.
Don’t make these marks too strong
initially because they need to blend into
the background. You can strengthen
them later as you see fit.

12
Back to the middle
Once you’re happy with the
depth of colour behind the
masked stamens and this area is
thoroughly dry, you can remove the

masking fluid. Rub it off carefully with a
clean finger. The white shapes left by
the masking fluid will seem quite stark
and will need refining. Start this by
washing greys and beiges over the
white shapes.
13
Refine the centre
The centre of the flower is where the eye is drawn to,
so take time studying the detail before attempting to recreate it
on your painting. Consider each shape and decide if it’s darker or lighter
than the one next to it. If you find this too complicated, focus on getting
the main stamens right, then hint at the ones behind.

68
 Fading flower

Balance the

14 tones and detail

Continue to build up the detail
on each petal and the flower’s centre.
Look at your picture at arm’s length
every now and again, or in a mirror, to
check the overall balance. It’s fine to
wash colour over the detail if you need
to either soften the detail or to
strengthen areas of the painting.

Finishing touches

15 Having removed the

masking fluid from the
petal backs and stem, you can soften
the hairs with thin washes of colour.
Paint in the leafy collar using the
same techniques used on the petals:
wet-in-wet, then dry brush detail.
Revisit the painting after a few days
to check whether you need to make
any final adjustments.

69
Projects
Fun tips for
painting ammonites
Stephanie Law shares how to replicate the beautiful
textures and tones of ammonites in watercolours
B
eside my studio desk I have a
collection of ammonite fossils,
whose various textures, in
addition to their spiraling form,
are always an appealing
distraction. I decided to paint them in the
style of traditional botanical art, which
takes a scientific, very detailed and faithful
approach, while also maintaining
a simple compositional aesthetic.
To select which fossils I wanted to
paint, I went through my collection,
touching each fossil and making my
selection based on contrast of texture.
I also looked at colour and chose the
ones with the most visual interest.
I settled on three subjects arranged
in a roughly triangular formation. The
first is a Perisphinctes ammonite, and it
has an ivory-coloured shell with sharply
delineated ridges and a fine webwork
of cracks along parts of the surface.
The smooth white is contrasted by the
rough sandstone core.
The second fossil has a lovely
opalescent sheen across the surface
and a delicately wavy texture of ridges.
Imperfections on the surface provide a
nice contrast to the iridescence.
The final fossil is composed of the
mineral pyrite. One side of it has been
cut away and polished to a reflective
sheen, revealing the druse crystals
inside the compartments. As well as
these two contrasting textures, there is
a third texture of the uncut inner spiral,
which is a dull bronze with tight ridges.
70
Ma terials
Stephanie paints with watercolour on
illustration board. She enjoys working on
Strathmore’s Illustration Board for Wet
Media because of the vibrancy of the way
the watercolours look on its surface, as well
as the crisp detail it captures.
n Mechanical pencil, 0.3 lead
n Kneaded eraser
n Watercolour Brushes, no. 0, 1, 4
n Strathmore Illustration Board for Wet
Media, 10x10 inches
n Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors:
Piemontite Genuine, Quinacridrone
Coral, Buff Titanium, Lemon Yellow,
Quinacridrone Gold, Tiger’s Eye Genuine,
Green Gold, Green Apatite Genuine,
Undersea Green, Sleeping Beauty
Turquoise Genuine, Ultramarine
Turquoise, French Ultramarine,
Quinacridrone Purple, Van Dyck Brown,
Payne’s Gray
n Gouache: Permanent White
STEPHANIE
Oakland, USA
Stephanie primarily works
with watercolours. She is the
author of a series of
watercolour technique
books, Dreamscapes, and
the creator of The
Shadowscapes Tarot. She’s
also known for her dream-like
paintings and botanical art.
www.shadowscapes.com
Create composition
1
and start sketching
After selecting my ammonites,
I arrange them in a balanced triangular
formation. It is not perfectly equilateral,
nor are all of the spirals rotating in the
same direction. These slight deviations
from perfect symmetry create a more
interesting composition for the viewer.
For the druse-filled ammonite, I combine
the polished and sliced specimen with
a solid one to that I can have more of the
inner spiral on show.
71
Projects

2
Glaze underlayer
Starting with the shadows on the white
Perisphinctes ammonite, I mix Quinicridrone
Purple and French Ultramarine. With a no. 0 round
brush, I glaze an underlayer of purple tones for
shadows on the white shell.

3
Sandstone base layers and texture
With a clean no. 4 round brush, I paint the entire shell
area. While it’s still wet, I paint wet-on-wet with a mixture
of diluted Tiger’s Eye Genuine and Buff Titanium. While that is
drying, I mix Tiger’s Eye Genuine with Piemontite Genuine and
a touch of Quinacridrone Gold. One of the qualities of the
Tiger’s Eye Genuine and Piemontite Genuine pigments is that
when given enough liquid to flow in, the particles clump
together and create a granulated texture when it dries. This
provides a perfect underlayer for the sandstone. I wet the
sandstone areas and paint this mixture more concentrated
than before, wet-on-wet with a no. 1 round brush.

A clean slate
“What happens to the pencil
lines?” I’m often asked. Some
of them get rubbed away as a

4
Refine the textures
Using various mixtures of Tiger’s Eye
Genuine, Piemontite Genuine and
Quinacridrone Gold, and a no. 0 round brush, I
use dry brush technique (very little paint on the
brush) to lay in shadows between the ridges.
Maintaining the peak of each ridge as unpainted
white paper is key to sculpting these ridges.
result of the repeated passing
of the paintbrush over the
surface. If your initial sketch
is dark, take a kneaded eraser
and roll it into a rod shape.
Gently roll it across the pencil
lines and you can pick up any
excess graphite.

72
 Ammonites

5
Focus on cracks and details
With diluted Buff Titanium, I glaze a warm
wash along the outer edges of the shell with
a no. 1 round brush. Along the inner edges, I glaze
a diluted mixture of Green Apatite Genuine and
Turquoise Genuine. Glazing like this over the
previous dry brushed textures softens some of the
lines, without obliterating them. I make sure to keep
the highlights along the central peak of the ridges.
With a no. 0 round brush, I use mixtures of Van Dyck
Brown and Payne’s Gray to paint the cracks.

6
Create colourful highlights
In advance, I prep the following colours in my
paint dish: Turquoise Genuine, Ultramarine
Turquoise, Green Gold, and a mixture of
Quinicridrone Purple and French Ultramarine. With
a clean no. 4 round brush, I wet the entire ammonite
area to prepare it. With a no. 1 round brush, I paint
wet-on-wet, starting with the Green Gold towards
the inside curve, and spreading through the green
tones and purples as I come towards the edges of
the spiral. I let the pigment bloom and spread for
more organic transition of shades.

7
Neutral tones
I prepare a mixture of
diluted Piemontite
Genuine and Undersea
Green. After the previous
layer has dried completely,
with a no. 4 round brush I wet
the entire ammonite area
again. This time I keep the
wet-on-wet areas to the outer
edges of the curve of the
shell. When that is dry, I glaze
some of the stone textures
along the inside curve with
a no. 1 round brush.
Little joys
Finding the unusual in the
everyday is how the magic of
art happens. I’m constantly
surprised by little things that
jump to the forefront that I
never noticed before, and this
is one of the reasons I love
doing botanical art – it draws
me into the obscure details of
my subject matter that I would
normally gloss over.

73
Projects

8 9
Refine the textures Add deeper tones
With the same mixture of Piemontite Genuine Going back to the original
and Undersea Green, I use a no. 0 round four colours I used for the
brush to dry brush the subtle ridged texture along highlights in the first step, I use a
the curve of the shell. In contrast to the first no. 0 round brush to dry brush
Perisphinctes ammonite, these curves are much deeper toned emphasis. I retain
softer and not as sharply delineated. I keep the very the lighter shades along the
outer edge of the shell lighter to retain that highlights of the softened ridges.
luminous reflective quality of the iridescence.

10
Final highlights
With the same brush, I dry brush some
highlights in the darkest reflected areas
along the outer part of the shell. I still follow the
contours of the ridges with these spots as well.
With a very diluted mixture of Piemontite Genuine
and Undersea Green, I glaze over the outer area of
the shell with a no. 4 round brush to soften and
blend the dry brushing. I do not glaze over the
central, most colourful areas because I want to
retain the bright reflected highlights. With the
no. 0 brush, I add a few white gouache highlights.
Now I can move on to the next ammonite.
11
Underlayers
With my no. 1 round
brush, and a mixture
of Buff Titanium and Lemon
Yellow, I paint a wash over the
cut and polished surface of
the ammonite. Switching to a
clean no. 4 round brush, I wet
the uncut areas of the fossil.
With the no. 4 round, I paint
wet-on-wet with a mixture of
Tiger’s Eye Genuine and
Piemontite Genuine.
Make time
It can be hard to find the time
to make art, especially when
your free time is precious. I’ve
found that the answer is not to
try to force myself to create a
masterpiece each time I set
brush to page, but to learn to
relax and play, because that is
where inspiration springs from.

74
 Ammonites

12
Shadows
With my no. 1
brush, I paint
glazes of Tiger’s Eye Genuine
in the druse compartments
of the fossil. With enough
liquid, the pigment
granulates and creates a
texture. With my no. 0 brush,
I use a mixture of Buff
Titanium and Lemon Yellow
to add some glazed shadows
along the cut surface. I try to
keep the gradation smooth,
because this is the highly
polished reflective portion.
I lightly glaze Undersea
Green in the upper portions
of the cut surface.

13
Glaze ridges
Using my no. 0 brush, I glaze Van Dyck Brown along
the outer surface of the ammonite to define the
shadowed ridges. As the curve comes up and to the left, I
gradually mix more Piemontite Genuine with the Van Dyck
Brown to glaze the slightly curvy ridges as they come up and
around the outer edge of the spiral. With the same brush,
I dry brush Payne’s Gray into the druse openings. I keep the
brush extremely dry so that it can skip across the paper and
leave unpainted areas of texture.

14
Add some sparkle
I prepare a mixture of Van Dyck Brown and
Ultramarine Turquoise. I glaze the cut surface of the
fossil very lightly along the upper edges with my no. 1 brush.
I keep a thin line of the yellow underlayers showing at the
borders. I also use this same mixture to glaze the textured
spiral ridges and darken those shadows. I mix a touch of
Quinacridrone Gold with Permanent White Gouache, and
using my no. 0 brush, I paint very small pinpricks of reflected
light from the crystals in the darkest parts of the druse.

75
 Projects

Drawing with pastels

and Conté crayons
Capture the essence of natural forms with Rebecca de Mendonça,
combining pastels with Conté crayons

REBECCA
Exeter, UK
Rebecca co-founded The New
Pastel School and teaches in
the UK and Italy. Her book
Pastels for the Absolute
Beginner, published by
Search Press, is available now.
rebeccademendonca.co.uk

or this tutorial, I am using soft

Materials
F
pastels and Conté crayons for
drawing, rather than painting.
Most of the work here was done using the
There is always a debate about
materials above. The blues and greens were for
whether pastels are a drawing or
the peacock feather. Any pastel surface could
painting medium, but I think it
be used for this.
depends entirely on the way you use them.
n On the right: Pan Pastels Yellow Ochre and
Here I will be using limited colour to
Diarylide Yellow Tint
capture the energy and texture of
n Unison pastels BE1, NE4, Grey 27, Grey 28
natural forms by changing my mark
n Willow charcoal, Conté Crayons, brown,
making and feeling for the flow of line. As
black and white
I draw each piece, I hold it in my hand to
n Broken shards of the above
feel its weight and use other senses as
n Pencil rubber, cut into small pieces
well as sight. I want to convey more than
n Scalpel
just what it looks like. What does it feel
n Left: Faber Castell PITT Pastel Pencils;
like? Is it hard and spiky, and heavy to
Pale blue 1122-140 , Black 1122-199, Brown
hold? Or light and fragile, and easily
1122-176, Dark blue 1122-151, Green and Blue.
crushed in my hand?
Unison pastels including BG 7, BG14, Green 20.
Whatever the subject matter might be,
Conté Crayons, blues, purples and pale green.
we can convey all of those sensations
The Conté Crayons came in a mixed set of 24.
with the quality of our marks…

76
 Conté crayons

Test out your materials

1 Pastels and Conté crayons vary in hardness.

To test out how they behave, do lots of
experiments, pressing as hard as you can, then just
letting the pastel graze the surface of the paper.
See how they smudge. Notice how some make an
intense mark, others are subtle. You can use these
variations to get great contrasts in your work.

Use mult iple

senses
Think about the weight and
energy of your subject. Hold it
in your hand, feel it with your
fingers, then draw what it feels
like as well as what it looks like.

77
Projects
Pick a mark
Use up lots of paper
experimenting with the
different marks. Let your lines
dance and twist, use the
pastel on its end, side and
edge. Which marks feel right
for you?
78
2
Experiment
with marks
There are so many
different ways that you can
draw with pastels or Conté
crayons. I break my sticks in
half and use them on their
ends, twisting and turning; on
their edges for linear work;
and on their sides to make
broad, sweeping strokes. By
alternating all of these as you
draw, your pastel can dance
around the surface.
3
Twisting lines
and fragile
leaves
If you want to practise your
drawing, it is always good to
have an object in front of you,
rather than a photograph. As
my paper is light in tone, I
loosely sketch in a mid-tone
base layer, using Pan Pastel
powder applied with a tissue.
This gives me a base to draw
over with darks and lights.
4
Relax and go
with the flow
To get a feel for the
flowing curves, I use a brown
Conté crayon on its edge,
twisting and turning around
the form. At the sweetcorn
base I press hard to give
weight and shadow, and
higher up, as the leaves grow
thinner, I reduce the pressure.
 Conté crayons

5 6
Lights over darks Light as a feather
One of the many joys of drawing with pastel is Holding the peacock feather as
when you put a light over a dark. So I draw in delicately as I can, I draw it with
the fine details of the corn, and sharp shadow lines brown Conté crayon, equally as
with a broken shard of black Conté. I emphasise delicately, letting the strokes float off at
light on the leaves with a soft white Unison pastel, the ends. I smudge it lightly to give a soft
and cut into edges to make shapes more delicate. base for the eye.

7
Pure pigments
For the intense colours of the feather’s
eye, I use Unison pastels and Conté
Crayons. If you don’t have the right colours,
you just have to go with what is in your box,
mixing them on the surface. I make marks in
the direction of the fronds, smudging lightly.
Leaving some flecks of white showing
through helps create shimmer.

79
Projects

8
Pastel pencils
for the fine lines
For the thin lines
running through the eye, and
for the finest ends of some of
the fronds, I use a really dark
Faber Castell PITT Pastel
Pencil. I keep the point on
pastel pencils with a sharp
scalpel, which is also useful
for cutting shards of pastel
for details.

9
Strong and
spiky character
The essence of this
dried artichoke head is in the
hard spiky leaves, in contrast
to the soft, fluffy seeds in the
centre. To get that strong
feeling, I make hard,
aggressive marks with Conté
crayons and Unison pastels,
working with speed and
energy, creating strong tonal
contrasts. Using soft pastels
adds to the weight and
solidity of the form.

10
Light and
prickly
For the finest feeling
of prickles, I use shards and
sharp edges. If you drop your
pastels on the floor and they
break, keep those little bits!
Remember, an edge is as good
as a point. Pastel pencils are
great for fine work, but if you find
you need intense highlights, a
broken soft pastel can give more
exciting results.

80
Conté crayons

81
Projects

The Golden
Age of flowers
Nel Whatmore explores the joys of depicting
flowers in the style of the Dutch masters
ften the most important part of NEL

O
Leeds, UK
painting flowers is taking time Nel Whatmore is joint founder of The
to really choose your subject New Pastel School and has been
and arrange it in a way that is Artist in Residence at RHS Harlow
both interesting and tells a Carr Gardens in Harrogate and
became a professional with the help
story. I always think that flowers or plants
of the Prince’s Youth Business Trust.
have different personalities, which is www.nelwhatmore.com
perhaps a little bizarre, but it helps me paint
them, as understanding the essence of what
you want to convey influences the marks
you make, the energy with which you apply
the pastel, and the colours you choose.
In this article I will show you how I
choose a certain palette of flowers,
arrange them to create a focus, and
decide on where I want the viewer to
look. One of the things people have
difficulty with is what colours to choose.
So if you think doing a multi-coloured
arrangement is rather overwhelming,
then try choosing flowers that are just
two colours, say white and green, and
then add in just one focal flower of
another colour, for example, a nice pop
Materials
of pink. Colour doesn’t have to be hard, • Sennelier Pastel Sand Card – Light
just paint what you are inspired by and Blue Grey
you can’t go far wrong. • New Pastel School Floral Set featuring
I paint a wide variety of subject matter Unison Pastels
and so all of the tips in this article can be • Variety of PanPastels
applied to landscapes, seascapes or still
lifes. As artists we are trying to draw our
viewer in and engage them and move
them with colour, line and light.

82
Projects

Collect your reference

1 Working from life is always better than working

from photographs, as the experience of being
able to feel the texture of the flowers and leaves and
their weight and rigidity all inform how we paint them.
So being asked to do this article gave me a lovely
excuse to go out into my garden to gather a selection
of plants. The Dutch Masters’ exploration of still lifes
often included a wide variety of plants all nestled
together set against rich dark backgrounds. So take
time to gather a wide range of plants and decide on
your colour palette and background colour.

Arrange your

2 still life
Taking time to arrange your
flowers makes all the difference. I
decided that I wanted my focal
point to be the white tulip at the
bottom of the arrangement, as
the centre of it creates a natural
point of interest anyway. See how
pretty much everything in the
painting either obviously or more
subtly draws your eye to the
white tulip.

PanPastel

3 first layer
I love PanPastels for many
reasons as they give good coverage
and a softer mark, particularly on

Decide on a sandpapers and also it saves your

hand getting sore rubbing in, which is

focal p oin t always a bonus! Initially I want to get

So many of the decisions we need to
make as artists relate to where we
wish our viewer to look in our
painting. Therefore being clear as to
where we want our main focus to be
and then secondary areas of interest
that all support or lead our eye to the
focal point are important.
the rough colour areas in of each
flower so that I am happy with the
colour relationships and tones, while
always bearing in mind where my
focal point is, ie the white tulip at the
bottom. Please note: the Sennelier
pastel sand card is a sand paper and
water cannot be applied to it.

84
 The Golden Age of flowers

Add tonal variation to

4 each flower
Decide which direction your main light source is
coming from and for more dramatic effect use a table
lamp, so that you have more directional light to shine at
your still life. I then roughly put three tones into each flower
or leaf so that I have then worked out my approximate
palette. As well as having a main focal point I want the
viewer’s eye to roam around the painting so the gorgeous
orange tulip to the left against the darker tulip and the
large pink tulip are the secondary focus. I always think it’s
important to keep the viewer interested.

Vary your

5 mark
making
I started to introduce a
wider range of marks
as texture and sharper
marks will always
draw your eye, as will
any colour as it
increases the amount
of yellow in it. So
notice here how using
the end of the pastel
rather than the side
makes more
directional marks that
have more energy.
Also see how the
brighter the yellow the
more the edge of the
tulip looks as though
the light is catching it.

Warm and cool colours

6 Within every flower or leaf try to work out which

is the cooler side and which is the warmer.
Generally speaking the side nearest to the light, as I
have mentioned already, veers to the warmer side of
the spectrum and the side in shade has more blue in
it. For example, looking at the pink and white tulip the
top petal is much more orangey and the bottom more
of a reddy purple. This is what gives objects form. The
blossom further down the stem is more of a lilac and
the blossom at the top of the stem is more of a
creamy white as it is nearer to the light.

85
Projects

The importance
of con trast
Spend time looking at edges and the contrast between
them; this allows you to make petals come forward when
there is a high contrast and melt into the background where
the contrast is reduced.

Introduce a background

8 I often get asked whether I put my background

in first or last. The answer is, it depends and
sometimes I put it in as I go. My basic rule is if the
paper colour is doing a lot of the work for you then I
probably put highlights to the background in as I go. If
it is very much darker, as in this case, I usually put it in
later and will also turn the work, as I go, so that the
darker pastel does not fall on to the lighter pastel
The importance of edges and contrast

7
areas. I don’t put a darker background in with the
The greater the contrast is between two areas of a painting and the same intensity or weight of mark, all over, as that will
sharper the edges between them, the more they will stand out. For immediately make a picture look flatter.
example, if you look at the white tulip, the top petal against the dark brown is
sharp and the contrast between the two colours is great so it really pops out,
unlike the bottom petal which is actually bending away from you and so the
edge is melting away into the background. Pay a great deal of attention to
varying the quality of the edges of your flowers as that is a very good way of
making petals come forward or recede.

Look out for subtle changes

9 of colour
When putting a background in, never use just
one colour, as this picture tries to illustrate. Taking the
time to use a variety of darker colours, will push
flowers further into the shade or out into the light.
Remember, if you put in your background later, you
will need to revisit all your edges and where they
meet your background so that everything doesn’t
look too stark.

86
 The Golden Age of flowers

Vary how

10 heavily you
press
It’s a very simple thing to say
but so important. As applying
the same pressure to all your
marks in every place on your
painting will lead to a painting
looking heavy. Be very
conscious of what type of
plant you are painting. If it is
very light and feathery then
paint it with very light
pressure. In the same way
that there are subtle
differences in the darkest
tones of the background,
similarly the lighter flower
centre stage needs a careful
fading from warm light to
the coolness of the inside of
the flower.
V ary your
marks
This may seem like a very obvious
thing to say but it is also easily
forgotten. It is not only about the
shape of a mark but also the
pressure. Listen to the sound the
pastel is making on your surface.
If you are making the same sound
all the time, change it up a little.
Different marks reflect different
textures of foliage and also the
weight of them.

Pause and reflect

11 I spend far more time just looking at my paintings than

working on them. I put them away in drawers and then get
them out sometimes weeks or months later, in order to try to look at
them with fresh eyes. It’s easy to over work something in our
desperation to ‘finish’ a painting. So just pause, turn it upside down
or look at it in a mirror and ask yourself whether your eye goes to the
focal point you want it to go to.
If you’re not sure, work on it upside down as your brain will see
your painting more as a pattern and all that interference of your mind
saying that it doesn’t look like a tulip will reduce and you will just see
colour tone and shape.

Do small studies before

12 large adventures!
Finally, I use small shards of pastel to introduce
even finer marks and also have darkened edges of leaves to
make them disappear into the background as it increases
the mystery in a painting. I also usually clip a painting to a
clean sheet or board to really see how it would look when it
is framed. This was actually a small study of around 30cm x
30cm in size that I did in preparation for a much larger
painting. I find it useful to do smaller paintings of a larger
study as many of the problems I may come up against
when doing a larger piece can be explored and solved.

87
Projects

REBECCA
Exeter, UK
Rebecca co-founded The New
Pastel School and teaches in
the UK and Italy. Her book
Pastels for the Absolute
Beginner, published by
Search Press, is available now.
rebeccademendonca.co.uk

88

Add drama to
your still lifes
Rebecca de Mendonça explains how to get drama into
your pastel work, and how to work lights over darks
I
trained as a theatre designer, perhaps
because I’ve always been drawn to the
beauty and intensity of stage lighting.
Rembrandt and Caravaggio are among my
favourite artists. I just love a bit of drama
and intensity. Pastels are a wonderful
medium to capture this, particularly as you
can work lights over darks, so that your
subject emerges from deep shadows.
Good-quality pastels have rich, moody
colours as well as luscious, soft lights, so
high contrasts can be achieved.
Dramatic still lifes
In this workshop I’m using a still life
with shiny objects to show how to lay
down layers of dark under-colours, then
gradually introduce subtle hues to
create lustre, and finish with highlights
to add shine and sparkle.
I’ve also included some examples of
how I’ve applied this technique to other
subject matter, including people,
landscapes and animals. They’re all
very different, but all use strong tonal
contrasts to create atmosphere.
89
Projects

Ma terials
When selecting pastel colours remember to include good quality rich darks and soft
lights. Notice how few bright lights there are here.
Top: scraper to refresh the surface between layers, pencil eraser and scalpel
Middle, in order of use:

n Cream Conté Crayon and willow charcoal to sketch out.

n Unison Colour Soft Pastels, BV 5, BV 18, BG 7, Dark 8, Dark 5, Grey 19, Y2, BE 18 or
Grey 25, BV 4, Grey 28 for last highlights.
n Surface is Colourfix Pastel Primer, but could be any textured pastel surface

1
It’s all about the lighting
You can create drama by having a strong light
source from one direction. The top image is lit
with an Anglepoise light directed at the still life to
create high contrasts, warm tones, shine and
sparkle. The bottom image is lit with natural light
from above on a dull day, and is far less inspiring.

2 3
Composition and flow Layers on textured surfaces
Drawing out in charcoal and a You can build more layers on a textured
cream Conté crayon can help you surface, such as Canson Touch or Colourfix
think about tonal contrasts from the Pastel Primer, than on paper, so you can create
outset. Lines of flow between fabrics more depth. This medium-dark brown is a good
and objects will lead the viewer’s eye base for the warm objects, but any dark colour
around the picture, all part of ‘telling would work. I start sketching in the first layer of
the story’, whatever the subject matter. dark blues for my background.

90
 Dramatic still lifes

4 5
Moody blues
As I intend to work lights over
darks, I add these same dark
blues as the shadow base for the
objects. I add lighter turquoise blues to
the foreground fabric – letting the darks
show through, to show that the fabric is
slightly transparent – and deep green to
the background to add layers of interest.
The darkest dark
This is where a dramatic piece
gets its real depth. Screw up your
eyes to look at your subject, find the
deepest shadows, and don’t be afraid to
press hard to get a good layer of pastel
on. I use dark brown, not black. If you go
over edges and lose shape, you can
erase pastel with an eraser.
6
Smudge and add layers
I smudge back a lot of the deep
darks. Using a warm mid-brown
as the base for the brass lamp, I start to
add medium-tone layers to the objects.
This warm glow reflects onto the silver
candle stick and pot. By scraping off the
excess pastel dust between layers, I can
refresh the texture of the surface.

7
Time to shine
First, using a soft light, such as Unison Brown
Earth 18 or Grey 25, I add light marks for
highlights. Then, clockwise, I touch them gently
with my finger to soften them back. Next, over
those softened marks I add light highlight marks
and don’t touch them at all. This three-stage
process creates soft highlights that glow.

91
Projects

8 9
Tiny details Less is more
To get tiny fine details and bright little shine marks I I don’t spend hours on details, but use a few quick
break the pastels into shards, either with my fingers or strokes to convey the feeling of a pattern or, in this case,
by using a scalpel to cut them. These sharp pieces of soft the gold edge of the fabric. With other subject matter I feel that
pastel are far better for bright highlights than pastel pencils, this helps to create a feeling of life and movement. Our brains
as the pigment is richer. are very adept at filling in the gaps.

Clean regularly
You can refresh your dusty surface to get
your lights to shine out over the darks with a
straight edge of a blade, piece of plastic or
card. This solves the problem of too many
layers of pastel getting muddy and mixed.

10
The last touches of magic
I add brighter purples and blues to enrich the fabrics. To finish off the
illusion of sparkle and shine, I add more flicks of highlights, with a shard
of cream pastel, the only very light pastel I’ve used. These flicks are few and far
between, and carefully observed. I never smudge the last touches, or they’ll die back.

92
 DISCOVER THE SKILLS YOU NEED
TO PERFECT YOUR ANIMAL PORTRAITS
Whether you want to paint your pet, or bring a little wilderness into your home,
our professional artists are on hand to reveal their secrets to dynamic and
engaging animal portraits!

ON SALE
NOW

Ordering is easy. Go online at:

Or get it from selected supermarkets & newsagents

Projects

1
94
 Paint like Cézanne

Paint like
Cézanne
Rob Lunn guides you step-by-step through an interpretation of
Cézanne’s painting method from initial sketch to final flourish

ROB
Bath, UK
Rob is a self-taught painter,
and loves to paint in oils. His
influences are Vincent van
Gogh, Caravaggio and Ilya
Repin. He has taught art
workshops since 2012.
www.roblunn.co.uk

P
aul Cézanne was known for his
experimental style, always
pushing to expand the viewer’s
experience of conventional
subjects. Here, we’ll observe
his painting method, with blocky, stabby
brushstrokes and muted notes that
emphasise his eye for colour. We’ll try to
re-create a painting with the feel of one
of his works. Notice I don’t say “copy”
– we want to be inspired by Cézanne,
not slavishly knock out a version of one
of his paintings. Brushstrokes are like
handwriting. We all have our own
Get the set-up

individual marks and it’s important to
recognise this and embrace it.
I paint in oils because I love the
freedom they offer, with long drying
times and sculptural qualities.
Portraiture is my main passion and
I always like to add a bit of character
to my still-life elements too. This
gives them personality and informs
the way I paint them.
We’ll leave the composition of our still
life simple so we can concentrate on
technique. Feel free to add any still-life
elements you wish, but I’d advise
staying away from any objects with a
very decorative finish.
We’ll start off by setting up our scene
and getting ourselves prepared. Then
we’ll work our way through the painting
step by step, breaking the process down
into easy-to-manage chunks.
1
Make sure everything you need is close to hand.
A viewfinder can be fashioned from A4 paper
and used to aid drawing and composition. I added
marks to break the height and width into thirds. This
can then be relayed to your panel if you feel less
Ma terials confident drawing accurately. Play with your objects
and lighting to see what different effects you can
create. Move elements around until you’re happy.
Rob likes these oils as they’re
realistic colours and retain the
most saturation when mixing.
n Michael Harding Oil Paints
n Acrylic-primed 3mm MDF
n Rosemary & Co. Ivory
short-handled Filberts
n Kitchen roll
n The Masters Brush
Cleaner and Preserver
n Bartoline Brush Cleaner

95
Projects

2
Gesture drawing
First make a gesture drawing using
charcoal. This is like a dress-rehearsal for
your composition – it’s much easier to rub
charcoal off than paint. This drawing should only
be about the placement and general flow of
objects, plus marking out any big divisions in
tonal value. Keep your marks light and energetic.
Once you’re happy you’ll be wiping it off, so get
your composition working now.

G reat idea!
Try squinting at your subject.
This will break down the
different levels of tone and
colour, and it can stop you
getting swamped down with
too much detail, especially at
the beginning of a painting.
3
Construction
Now re-create your gesture drawing, but in oil
paint. Use a dry-brush technique – take a little
paint on your brush and wipe it a few times on kitchen
towel, so it’s as dry as possible, and sketch your
composition back in. Don’t just copy the charcoal lines;
take this opportunity to remeasure and retune your
drawing. Identify the main blocks of tonal value and
colours again. Keep it simple, quick and full of life.

4
Premix colours
It’s a good idea to premix as many
colours as you think you’ll need
before you start painting. You’ll obviously
mix other colours as you go, but this is a
good start. Hold a little of the colour on
your palette knife up to the subject in
place. You’ll get a better idea of accuracy
under the correct lighting conditions. To
keep colours brighter, mix together
complementary colours around the
colour wheel instead of automatically
reaching for black or white.

96
 Paint like Cézanne

5
Build up darks and midtones
You can now apply colour. Using a dry brush
with a scrubbing action (forefinger on top of
the ferrule, with the end of the brush running under
your wrist), work in the mid and dark tones. Squint,
measure and adjust as you go. Keep it light and
don’t worry about staying within your construction
lines. You can see this technique in action in
Cézanne’s unfinished Still Life With Water Jug.

6
Think tonality
Tone is vital to a successful painting,
and knowing how to manage it is an
important skill to practise. My composition is
mainly midtone with a secondary bias to light
and just a small amount of dark. It creates a
fun and relaxed feel to the painting,
reinforcing the angle we chose to begin with.
Use a tonal scale tool to identify the tones and
make sure you’ve got the right balance for the
effect you want.

97
Projects

7
Reconstruction
stage
Next, reconstruct your
construction lines and
redefine the tonal areas.
Remember to keep the lines
light and energetic, and take
the opportunity to remeasure
and reassess your
composition. Always be ready
to change an element if it isn’t
working. Its adaptability is
one of oil paint’s most useful
qualities. Don’t be afraid to
wipe or scrape back and start
again, if you need to. A
scrunch of kitchen roll has
saved many a painting from
disaster!

8
Release the colour
With fuller, more loaded brushstrokes,
begin to apply your premixed colours,
but be ready to adjust them as you go. Work in
large shapes to begin with. At this stage
things can sometimes seem a little clumpy. If
your painting doesn’t immediately appear in
front of you, trust the process. Keep squinting
at your subject, stand back now and then, and
keep your kitchen roll close at hand. Be open
to change.

98
 Paint like Cézanne

9
Cézanne’s brushwork
Cézanne loved to create intricate
patchworks of colour and balance
them off with stabby, energetic
brushstrokes. He often gave his still lifes
quite solid outlines, repeating the
“reconstruction” phase later on in the
painting. An outline defines a form so
solidly that even a humble apple can stand
out next to decorative jug or armless
cherub. Have fun playing with your
brushstrokes to see the effects.

10
Begin to fine-tune
Work into the larger areas and add
layers of detail as you go. Look for
unusual colour details that pop out. Cézanne
liked to make a feature of these, so run with
them if you spot them. Strong colours will
bleed out into their environment, and adding
touches of complementary colours next to
each other will help the colours sing. The last
touches should be the highlights.

99
Projects

Depict the beauty

of orchids with oils
Enzo Forgione shows how to paint the intricate shapes and
patterns of this intriguing flower in a smooth and vibrant style

100
 Depict beauty

ENZO
Turin, Italy
Enzo has worked for ten years
as a full-time painter, taking
on many commissions for
clients. He has a degree from
the Fine Art Academy in Turin
and is a member of the
Society of Botanical Artists.
www.enzoforgione.it

B
ecause I work mainly as a botanical
artist, the subjects for my paintings
can be found just by leaving the
house and going for a walk in a
garden or park. Nature is such an
amazing source of inspiration. I think that
focusing on a flower and drawing attention to it
is a way of celebrating the uniqueness of nature,
and, indeed, the planet!
For this workshop, I’ve chosen
to paint one of my favourite orchids – a
Paphiopedilum (slipper orchid) hybrid –
which has just bloomed in my
greenhouse. I’ll show you how easy it is
to get hooked on the intriguing geometry
and vibrant colours of orchids and how
to capture their amazing details.
Over the years, I’ve developed a fairly
direct painting technique. And while it
still takes more than a single sitting to
paint a flower, I try and get all the effects
in before the paint dries.

1
The reference sketch
A quick sketch in coloured pencil is
a good way to build up a balanced
composition, study possible difficulties
and try to solve them. I always take a
photo to keep as a reference for checking
details and shade of colours. It’s
particularly useful to have your image
close to hand on an iPad.

Materials Charcoal sketch

Enzo paints on universal primed cotton
(medium/smooth grain, approx 18x18
inches) or stretched canvas or canvas
2 I square off the area I
want my painting to
cover (14x14 inches) using some
board. He uses synthetic round soft brushes paper tape. This is useful to do
(from 000 to 6), a flat bristle brush, a badger- when using thick canvases,
hair brush (a round extra soft brush no. 6 or which you might not want to
8 can be used instead). Other kit includes frame. You can tape off the four
charcoal, a painting knife, mahlstick, edges of the canvas and paint
wooden palette, paper towels, cotton buds, right up to them. I can now
white spirit and paper tape. sketch the orchid on the
canvas using charcoal.

101
Projects

3
Arranging the palette
I place my colours in order of use.
First is the background: light and
deep tones of Chrome Green, Sap Green,
Atrament (a greenish black), Raw Umber

and orange. My orchid colours are: Alizarin
Crimson (or Crimson Lake), and Burnt
Carmine to blend with Lamp Black. I keep
the white separate to mix with Payne’s
Grey. I generally dilute my colours with
poppy oil, which enhances their
brightness and slows down the drying.
4
Build up the leaves
The leaves gives structure to the
composition with an intricate
geometry. I keep this part smooth with no
sharp outlines, as if it was out of focus.
After I blend the outlines, I soften
everything with the badger-hair brush.
Look deep
For me, creative processes always start
from a deep observation of the subject
I want to paint. Sketches are good,
but photos are also a helpful reference.

5
Create natural effects
Cotton buds are handy for getting
stripes or dots that, after being
smoothed with the badger-hair brush,
give a very natural result. I also use cotton
buds to remove any excess colour and to
correct mistakes.

6
Making samples
Oil can be divided into three groups:
transparent, semi-opaque and
opaque. For my orchid I chose to use a red
Crimson Lake (transparent) because
I need its transparency in certain areas.
I also need it for the shadowed areas, so
I will blend and fade it with black. This
means I need to make samples so I can
ensure it doesn’t separate while drying.

102
7
Painting the
paphiopedilum
It’s now time to create the flower.
I start with the upper petal, which is a bit
challenging, as I need to suggest a slightly
convex shape. The dark lines helps define
this. I mark the lines in black first, then fill
the spaces in between with red, blending
patiently and carefully. Finally, I use the
badger-hair brush to get a smooth result.
With a cotton bud, I remove some colour
from the lower part, where it will eventually
meet the bright green stem, which should
blend into the red nicely.

8
Depicting the labellum
The labellum is the central petal at
the base of an orchid, and has a
different shape. In order to suggest all the
complexity of this modified petal, I add
bright spots of light with Titanium White,
and add dark areas to give depth. The
lower part is rounder, so, again, lights and
darks will help. Its surface is uneven and
slightly hairy, so I use a cotton bud to
remove colour and create texture, then
soften with the badger-hair brush. Next,
using a flat bristle brush dipped in diluted
Zinc White, I gently flick (with the help of a
palette knife), to create ‘hairs’.

Adding petals
Tidy tips
• Keep white spirit to hand in
two jars. One to clean off
9 Lateral petals complete
the flower. The lower
parts are stripy, so to get all the
transparency of the red, I use
excess paint, the other to
the cotton bud to remove some
rinse the brushes.
paint. I do the same for the
• Cover the wooden palette
upper parts which, despite
with some glass – it’s much
being pretty dark, are also
easier to clean that way.
slightly stripy and uneven.

103
Projects

The final touch

First place
Enter competitions – you
never know what will
10 I love this last part because it’s a bit like magic, where everything comes together and
makes sense. With a round brush (size 000), I paint the tiny hairs on the upper part of
lateral petals and also the light strokes that hit the upper outlines.

happen. At this year’s SBA

annual exhibition, I was
awarded the Great Art Prize.
This was an unexpected, but
gratifying award. I was
flattered, and it has given me
the motivation to continue
with my work.

11
Stretch the
canvas
As mentioned, I use
cotton canvas pinned on a
board. Now, after removing
the tape, I stretch the canvas
onto a stretcher, folding it
carefully at the corners. I then
staple it firmly to the stretcher.

104
 Depict beauty

Lo and behold…

12 There is now a Paphiopedilum in bloom,

vibrant and detailed, captured on the
canvas! The final size is 14x14 inches, with all the four
sides nicely painted so there is no need for a frame.

105
Projects

Paint a high-key,
contemporary still life
Follow oil painter Rob Lunn through the creation
of a still-life painting from start to finish

106
 Contemporary still life

Canestra di frutta ROB

(Basket of Fruit) Bath, UK
by Caravaggio Rob is a self-taught painter,
and loves to paint in oils. His
influences are Vincent van
Gogh, Caravaggio and Ilya
Repin. He has taught art
workshops since 2012.
www.roblunn.co.uk
David &
Goliath

S
till-life painting hasn’t always
enjoyed its current position in the art
world. The genre used to be referred
to as rhyparography, defined as the
painting of ‘mean, unworthy or sordid subjects’.
It was seen as a lesser art form next to the
loftier genres of portraiture or landscape.
Fortunately, tastes changed and still-life
painting now enjoys a much more rich and
diverse history.
The first ever still-life painting is credited
to the 15th-century Italian master,
Caravaggio. In his 1599 painting, Canestra
di frutta (Basket of Fruit), Caravaggio
Ma terials gives us a warts ’n’ all depiction of this
everyday subject. The grapes are well past
n Canvas board, 8” x 10” their best-before date and the apple has
n Rosemary & Co. Ivory short-handled something living in it. Also, the basket
Flats sizes: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8,10 & size 2 rigger itself is teetering on the edge of the table
n Michael Harding Oil Paints: Ultramarine – you almost feel compelled to push it
Blue*, Blue Lake*, Green Lake, Bright back. Historians have theorised about the
Green Lake, Bright Yellow Lake*, Yellow true meaning of Canestra di frutta, but,
Lake*, Yellow Lake Deep, Permanent whatever its meaning, it’s clear
Orange, Scarlet Lake*, Alizarin Caravaggio packed this simple subject
Crimson*, Magenta, Ultramarine Violet, full of narrative. With a twist, a painting of
Titanium White*, an apple can be a depiction of man’s fall
Burnt Umber from grace. In my still-life painting,
*Denotes scaled- David & Goliath (oil on board 10” x 10”), a
down set for those segment of tangerine and a sugar pot take
on a budget. Mixes on the role of the biblical struggle of right
will have a lower over might.
saturation (intensity) In this tutorial you’ll learn how to build a
of colour. modern still-life oil painting using this
n Kichen roll exciting medium. Step-by-step I’ll guide
n Old Masters Brush you though the process, highlighting what
Cleaner & Preserver to look out for and what pitfalls you might
(+ TLC) encounter. We’ll look at setting up your
n Bartoline Brush composition and controlling it like a
Cleaner miniature theatre. Then we’ll go through
each stage of the process, building the
painting up in manageable steps. If you’re
new to oil paints and you don’t know
where to start, this tutorial will set you off
on the right foot.

107
Projects

Lean on mahl
It’s all in the prep work Lean on a mahl stick to save

1 First off, spend some time making sure you have everything
you need close to hand. Don’t suffer for your art – make
sure you’re comfy. At this stage of composition I’m essentially
damaging your wet paint surface.
Mahl sticks can be easily made
at home with a simple length of
playing. Experiment with different subjects and configurations doweling. Hold the lower end in
until you find something that excites you. Don’t forget to play your non-painting hand and prop
with your lighting too – remember that you can use form the top end against the edge of your
shadows to help describe the elements of your composition to support or easel.
the viewer. I’ve got two lamps in this set-up: one directional light
coming in from the left and one facing up into the shadow box so
it bounces off the interior cloths, both fitted with daylight bulbs.

2
Put the life in still life
Someone once said that every
painting is in fact a portrait. With that
in mind I always like to add a sense of
narrative, even in a still-life painting. With
this composition I’m using my lovely
Haphazard Harmony ceramics by Dutch
designer Maarten Baas. These little fellas
have great character and instantly add an
element of fun and personality to a still-life
set-up. In this arrangement I’m imagining
the coffee cup being the star of the piece,
surrounded by the supporting cream jug,
sugar pot, coffee pot and cake. I’ve placed
the silver coffee pot so the viewer can see
all the elements of the composition
reflecting back at them.

108
 Contemporary still life

3
Perform a dress rehearsal
Before I open a paint tube, I get the charcoal out for a
dress rehearsal (sometimes called a gesture drawing).
My shadow-box acts like a theatre and allows me to control
all the elements of my still life. You can create a simple
shadow box using a large cardboard box. This stage is all
about testing your composition. If there’s something you’re
not liking, now is the time to change it. Try moving the
lighting and repositioning the elements of your still life if
need be. Remember that placing objects in front of each
other within your composition will enhance the feeling of
depth in your painting.

Time for a lock-in

4 This stage is about saving all the hard work and

preparation you’ve put into your painting so far. To
save time I’m using acrylic ink in an Aero Colour Liner pen,
but a fine brush will work just as well. You don’t want to go to
town on detail in this step – just try and retain enough
information to inform the painting after the next stage.
Applying the ground will obliterate your charcoal gesture
drawing so there’ll be no going back, but don’t forget that
each stage is an opportunity to re-evaluate and correct.

109
Projects

5
Get a solid
grounding
A ground is just a layer of
colour laid down before you
start applying paint proper.
There are no hard-and-fast
rules about which colours to
use when applying a ground
but try and think of a colour
that is sympathetic to your
composition. Here I have a lot
of cold greys, creams and
blues, so I’m choosing a Burnt
Umber ground that will add a
subtle warmth below the layers
of paint. Because my
brushwork is ‘painterly’, it is
inevitable that some of the
ground will show though in the
finished painting. This is
nothing to worry about – on the
contrary, it will add a feeling of
harmony to your work. I’ve
gone for a roughly 50% toned
ground to use as my mid-tone.

6
Tonal stages
Two main aspects to
colour are saturation –
or the vibrancy of the colour
– and tone. These two
aspects of colour should be
tackled separately, but they
always inform each other
too. Tone is about how light
or dark a colour is. It’s a
good idea to get yourself a
tonal scale tool so you can
gauge the tone accurately.
Identify your lightest light
and your darkest dark.
Once applied, these will
inform your decisions on
all the tones in between.
Here I used a sheet of
kitchen roll to knock back
the lighter areas and applied
more Burnt Umber for the
darker areas.

110

Load, release,
repea t
When painting wet into wet, it’s important
to keep your brushstrokes distinctive.
Overworking brushstrokes will just turn
your painting into a palette! Load your
brush with paint and release in a controlled
and purposeful stroke and then repeat.
Make this your painting mantra. I might
print this onto t-shirt to wear at workshops!
Contemporary still life
Mix it up
7 Take the time to pre-mix the
majority of your colours before
you lay down a single brushstroke.
Taking the time to observe and analyse
the colours in your composition will pay
dividends once you start painting. Solid
draftsmanship joined by careful colour
observation allows for expressive and
powerful brushwork, so don’t sell your
work short. My piece is all about greys
and creams so I’ve mixed my own black
using Alizarin Crimson, Blue Lake and
Bright Yellow Lake and 99% of my
colours will derive from this base
colour. I then take that grey out to
a number of colour options.
Blocking in (part 1)
8 The blocking-in stage is all about pushing the painting along as a
whole. It’s also your first chance to test the paint mixes you
developed in the last step. If any colours don’t sit right, now is the time to
give them a tweak. Don’t get distracted by detail at this early stage – you
just want to loosely ‘block in’ the main large shapes of tone. Squinting at
your subject can help you view less detail. By roughing in the main blocks
to begin with, it will allow you to evaluate the subsequent parts of the
painting as you move through.
111
Projects

I nvest in a
brush-washer
I tend to do most of my brush cleaning with
a wad of kitchen roll, but sometimes you
need to give them a thorough clean. Brush
washers have a perforated metal insert
submerged in your spirit. Not only does this
clean your brushes quickly but it allows the
pigment to sink to the bottom, enabling you
to recycle the spirit.

Blocking in (part 2)
9 Even though I was trying to not to
get distracted by details, you can
see that I still managed to get caught
up here and there. I find I’m constantly
having to remind myself to keep things
loose and not focus in on details too
soon. It’s always tempting to add that
highlight that will bring life to an object.
I doubt this will ever change and that’s
okay. It’s good practice to go over the
basics again and again, like a musician
practising musical scales. Force
yourself to use a big brush for this
stage – it’ll encourage you to use bold,
simple brushstrokes.

Take a step back

10 Take a step or two back from
your easel – it’s all too easy
to be too close to your work. Try
viewing it as a reflection in a mirror, or
even turn the panel upside down.
These techniques can enable you to
see things in your work you wouldn’t
normally have noticed. Controlling the
levels of detail in your painting can
guide your viewer to the parts of the
painting you want them to focus on. By
painting everything in focus, you can
leave the viewer not knowing the
hierarchy of the objects, and thus what
the narrative of the picture is.

112
 Contemporary still life

11
Redefine form
So you’ve decided where you
want your focal point to be and
you want to start re-establishing some
of the definition of form you had in
your original sketch. Now that the level
of detail is increasing, you can start
using those smaller brushes. A rigger
brush is a handy companion for
defining the rim of an object or the thin
umbra shadow around an object’s
base. Remember that those areas of
greater detail are where the viewer’s
eye is going to be drawn. Render the
focal point of your composition and
leave the other parts with larger and
bolder brushwork.

12
Finishing touches
Finally, you’ll be relieved to hear that it’s time
to start laying in those finer details, such as
highlights. Choose these finishing touches carefully
though – it’s all too easy to overwork a painting at this
stage. Less can definitely be more. Don’t worry about
making mistakes – they enable you to learn. Each
painting is a like a stepping stone, each leading onto the
next. Allow yourself the space to grow from each painting
and enjoy the process. It’s all about the journey, and with
the right knowledge you can start off on the right foot.

113
Projects

Use a rich
colour palette
Influenced by the 17th-century Dutch Masters, Georgia Cox
shows how to create a flower composition in a rich palette

L
ast year I visited an exhibition of
17th- and 18th-century Dutch
flower paintings at the National
Materials
Georgia is using a ready-primed
Gallery. It was a breathtaking show
30x30cm canvas. This is
and included work by the artist
a manageable area to cover
Rachel Ruysch. She was regarded as one of
if you’re working from actual
the most renowned flower painters,
size. She also uses Winsor &
producing hundreds of exquisite paintings
Newton oil paints, Pro-Arte
right up to her death at the age of 86. The
short handle brushes, and Zest-
thought of her always inspires me and it’s
It Oil Paint Dilutant and Brush
great to find an artist that you can connect to
Cleaner. She uses bigger
in some way.
brushes for the background.
Rachel Ruysch worked with some
complicated arrangements and a
daunting level of technical expertise,
Create
1
but here I will simplify my painting –
just selecting a few carefully chosen the composition
elements. To create your composition, Arrange your plants. Here
find some interesting plants, twigs, fir I’ve used a block of floral foam
cones, flowers, or visit your local florist to put them in (this can be
for dried flowers. If you’re just beginning, bought from florists). Play
dried flowers are a great idea, as fresh with the arrangement and mix
flowers are forever changing and can be it up a bit – you want a variety
more difficult to capture. Also, working in of shapes and colours,
oils offers the flexibility and time to paint nothing too symmetrical. Ask
the dried flowers, and once the paint is yourself what the main focal
dry, you can paint over any mistakes. point is going to be? Which
For this workshop, I will use an colours work well together? Is
arrangement from an old bouquet of the arrangement top-heavy?
roses and eucalyptus, all set against an You’re aiming for a well-
exciting contrast of beautiful teal. composed harmonious effect.

Bath, UK
GEORGIA
Straight up
Georgia Cox is a graduate of
Falmouth College of Art, and
Remove any dents in your
has exhibited widely including canvas by lightly sponging
at the National Portrait Gallery just-boiled water over the
and Mall Galleries. Her current back of it. The dents will
work sees flower compositions instantly disappear like magic!
painted in oils with gold leaf.
www.georgiacox.com

114
Rich colours

115
Projects

Colour
of ground
A blank canvas can feel
intimidating, so get a layer of
paint on it – a ‘ground’.
Experiment in holding
different coloured card or
fabric behind your
arrangement to see which
colour works best. To add
more interest, add a thin layer
of another colour over the
ground after the first has
dried. You’ll need to do this
over a couple of days.

Place the larger elements
2 After your coloured ground is dry, you can
roughly start to place the larger masses. I’ve
started with the roses. You can keep rubbing out
with your rag until you get it right. Check the
placement of each element by holding up your
paintbrush in front of your arrangement, as if you
are following an imaginary plumb line.
3
Block in colours
With a larger brush, block in the
dominant colours to get down the
general shape and proportions. I’ve
decided the yellow dahlia is going to be
the focal point of my painting. Don’t
spend too long working on just one
aspect – you may still have to change it.

4
Start to
define edges
If you’re happy that
Get your palette
everything is where it should
be, you can use a small brush
in order
I always lay out my paint on the palette in
to define the edges. Try to get
the same order each time, so I don’t have to
a feeling for the nature of the
think about it. This is a good habit to get into.
plant. How does that stem
Usually oils are laid out from dark to light as
join a leaf? Where do those
this is the order in which they are applied to
petals overlap? Reserve the
the canvas. Highlights come last.
sharpest edges for the focal
area of your painting.

5
Add colour
Start to bring in colour. Once the paint has
dried, you can add thin layers of colour over the
top to build up rich hues. Try to avoid using pure black
and white straight from the tube. If you like, you can
accentuate some colours – here I’ve made my roses
a lot pinker than they actually are.

116

Negative
space
Pay attention to the negative
space. This is the space that
surrounds the object and the
spaces in-between. It is as
important as the subject itself.
Giving yourself enough
negative space will help give
your subject more definition.
8
Work on
small details
By now the colours
should have been built up in
stages, with the shadows all
in the right places and the
brushstrokes blended in. So
now, using your smallest
brush, add in the top layer of
smallest details – tiny hairs,
blemishes, the veins on a leaf.
I’ve found that a miniature
painting brush in size 10/0
works best for this.
Rich colours
6
Consider shadows
and light
Be aware of where your light
source is coming from. Make sure you
think about this when you’re putting in
the shadows. Shadows aren’t black,
rather they are darker and lighter values
of colour within the shadow.
Create a smooth finish
7
Take some time to closely observe your
subject. You want to convey the silkiness of a
petal, the hairiness of a stalk, the crispness of a
curled leaf. You can achieve a more realistic effect if
there are no obvious brushstrokes and they are
well blended (as seen in the paintings of the great
Dutch flower painters).
9 10
Add highlights Is it finished?
When you’re adding a highlight, try Cast your eye over the painting. Have you
to avoid painting a hard line around spent more time on some areas than
its edge. Squint your eyes to see exactly others? Viewers will be able to tell which parts you’ve
what colour it is. Remember to mix struggled with or haven’t enjoyed working on. Have a
colours into your highlights. No straight look using a mirror to get a different perspective. Can
white from the tube! you rework any of the problem areas?
117
Projects

118

Create a vanitas
-style still life
Howard Lyon creates a still life from personal items
inspired by the moody, symbolism-laden still lifes of old
HOWARD
Utah, USA
Howard Lyon has a love for
beauty in all things, people,
nature and the fantastic. He
is currently creating works
for galleries, Brandon
Sanderson, Magic: The
Gathering along with as
various private commissions.
www.howardlyon.com
Keep your
tubes clean
If you have been painting for a while,
you know your tubes can get really
messy around the top. Instead of
squeezing paint directly from the
tube onto your palette, squeeze
some out and cut it off with your
palette knife and then put that on
your palette.
S
till-life paintings can tell a story
or give insight into the mind of
the artist. They are also a great
opportunity to develop a design
where you have almost complete control
over the placement, shapes and values of
each element of your composition. The
principles of design and narrative that
apply to still-life painting are applicable
in just about every other genre of
painting, regardless of subject matter.
This makes the exercise of creating
your own still-life painting a very
valuable one.
Here, I will walk you through the
process from the initial sketch to
gathering items, composition,
transferring your drawing,
underpainting and then finishing the
painting in oils. I will also discuss the
materials used including the brushes,
paints, palette and panel. While this
painting will be done in oils, you can
work with any medium you are
comfortable with.
One of the challenges of still-life
paintings is the fact that you must build
the entire scene from nothing. With a
landscape or portrait there is a certain
amount of subject matter that is
predetermined. When starting a still life,
the question of “What should I paint?”
can be daunting. I will discuss that
process and give some tips that will
help you build your composition.
I‘ll also talk about choosing the right
setting for a still life and how that might
add to the story you are trying to tell in
your painting. Thinking about a still life
as a portrait of yourself or someone you
know is a wonderful way to create a
personal and meaningful work of art.
Vanitas-style still life
Ma terials
n Mahl stick
n DaVinci Pro Panel, Ultra Smooth
n Oil paints in Flake White; Radiant Yellow;
Indian Yellow; Yellow Ochre; Raw
Sienna; Cadmium Orange; Quinacridone
Red; Mars Red; Transparent Brown
Oxide; Raw Umber; Cobalt Blue;
Ultramarine Blue; Phthalo Blue;
Dioxazine Violet; Manganese Violet;
Phthalo Turquoise; Viridian; Cadmium
Green
n Acrylic paint in Raw Umber
n Rosemary & Co Series 279 Long Flat,
size 3
n Rosemary & Co Eclipse Long Filbert,
size 2
n Rosemary & Co Eclipse Long Filbert,
size 2 (worn down)
n Rosemary & Co Eclipse Long Flat, size 1
n Rosemary & Co Eclipse Long Filbert,
size 0
n Rosemary & Co Eclipse Long Filbert,
size 0 (worn down)
n Rosemary & Co Red Dot Pointed Round,
size 2/0
n Grumbacher Academy Synthetic Round,
size 6
n Grumbacher Goldenedge 4633, 3/4-inch
n Graphite transfer paper
n Red ballpoint pen
n Printer to print out the image for transfer
119
Projects

Construct your foundation

1 This might be the most important part of the
whole process. Design is king and this is
where it starts. Do some sketching to work out
what kind of movement and shapes you want to
create. This isn’t meant to be a rigid guide, but
something to give you a strong idea of where you
are going with your lighting and shapes. For me,
the most important aspects of your composition
are the shapes, then values, form, colour and
details – in that order.

2
Choose your subjects
I went through some of my props
and treasures and chose things that
resonate with me. These are all objects
that are special to me. The antique glass is
beautiful in the way it has aged. I love
copper and was gifted the copper pot by a
dear friend. I hammered out the copper
plates the candles are on. The candles
represent my spirituality. The gold ribbon
represents the path of my life. I later
added bread rolls. They represent my love
of creation and the joy of giving to others
to feed or inspire them.

3
Choose the setting
Next choose where the still life is
going to be set up. I first tried setting
up in my studio but I wasn’t happy with the
overall feel, so I went outside and started
to look around. If I were painting from life
my studio might be the better choice, but I
decided that I would use photography and
utilised the benefits of that medium. I
chose these old stairs out in my workshop.
I love the light, dust and weathering. The
steps are symbolic of ascending and also
add some depth to my setting.

120
 Vanitas-style still life

4
Photograph the still life
I’m including some of the other shots I took before I
found what I wanted. You can see I tried to establish
some height, depth, and an ‘s’ shape to give some
movement. I also used the light shape of the candles and the
book to break up the shapes. I made sure to space out the
dark and light bottles as well, and to position them and the
ribbon to enhance the ‘s’ line of the design. The final photo is
simpler and more refined than the other arrangements.

Likeness comes
from shape
The likeness of something comes from
the shape of the shadows or the dark
shapes vs the light shapes. If you start by
looking for the shadow shapes and
getting those drawn accurately, that is
often the key to getting a good likeness
for whatever you are painting.

5
Adjust your reference image
I didn’t particularly like how centralised the large
candle was, so I nudged it over in Photoshop. I also
added a little vignette around the corners, reduced the
contrast in the middle, and brought out more saturation in
the blues, greens and reds to make sure there was plenty of
exciting colour to contrast with all the greys and browns in
the composition. I have gone for a roughly 50% toned
ground to use as my mid-tone.

Transfer the image

6 Now that I have finalised my reference it is time to

transfer it to my panel. The panel is a DaVinci Pro
Panel, Ultra Smooth. I bought it from Jerry’s Artarama. I
chose the very smooth panel because the painting is small
with lots of detail. I converted the photo to black and white
and printed it out at scale. I then taped graphite paper to my
panel and taped the printout over it. I like to use a red
ballpoint pen to trace the image. This gives me a fine line
that is easily distinguishable from the printed image.

121
Projects

7
A quick underpainting
I chose to start this painting with a
monochrome imprimatura. I did this in
acrylics to speed up the process. I like the Golden
Open Acrylics for the extended working time. The
goal of this stage is to get a rough block in of the
values. You can be fussy here, but I have found
that getting a messy approximation is quite
effective and saves me the time of trying to
render everything out at this stage. This is just a
foundation to build the colour and detail on.

8 Choose your palette

We are ready to apply some colour, so we
need to decide our palette! I have quite a
few colours laid out for this painting. I could have
used fewer, but it is often fun to break out your
colours. The really important thing here is to get
a range of temperatures. You can see I have
warm and cool reds, blues, greens and purples.
The yellows are all quite warm. You can see the
list of pigments I am using in the materials
section of this article, but know that temperature
options are more important than exact colours.

9
Jump in with colour
It is now time to get started with the colour
and the final pass of the painting. It’s been
a lot of work to get here, but this is where the fun
starts for me! It is critical to use fresh paint. I
don’t use any medium other than a little bit of the
Gamsol that stays in my brush from rinsing them.
As I apply colour, I will block the forms in roughly
at first. I also start with the dark shapes and
move to the light shapes.

122
 Vanitas-style still life

10
The importance of edges
Whether an edge is hard or soft is as important as
what shape, value and colour something is. Hard
edges draw attention. You can also use the edge to add
colour or imply colour.
1. Notice how the soft edge on the candle helps convey the
translucence of the wax.
2. I used the edge of the bottle to create a warm transition
between it and the background.
3. The roll has hard and soft edges depending on what is
behind it.
4. The edge of the ribbon transitions into red to emphasise
the gold glowing light being reflected off of it.

11
Finishing touches
As I worked my way through the painting, I kept
asking myself what needed to have more details and
what could be rough. The dark bottles in the background
remained simple, but the little crumbs on the sketchbook
provided a beautiful portion of detail and contrast. I tried to
give every object a small passage of detail, but saved the
tightest rendering for a few key elements. Don’t let yourself
make every object the star of the show, but let some support
the rest of the composition and others really stand out.

Photograph your work

12 With our painting finished, it is time to get a good
capture of it. I like to use flashes but this layout will
work with LED or hot (always on) lights. The key is to have
Use grey to
linear polarizing film over the lights and a circular polarizer
on your lens. Make sure the two pieces of film are oriented
neutralise colours
the same way. I marked mine so I could easily keep them Nature is typically not very saturated. To reduce the chroma of a colour
oriented. Then you rotate the circular polarizer until the glare without making it muddy, mix a neutral grey to the same value as your
is removed. I could write a whole article on this step, but I colour and then add that into the mix. It will drop the chroma without
hope it’s enough to get you started! making it muddy.

123
Projects

Make a free
and expressive
still life in
acrylics
Artist Sylvia Paul
shows how to
paint this stunning
still life painting

124
Free and expressive still life

125
Projects

SYLVIA
Dovercourt, Essex
Sylvia exhibits in galleries
across the UK, and her work
has been in open exhibitions
at the Mall Galleries and the
Royal Academy Summer
Exhibition. She also held two
solo exhibitions in Japan.
www.sylviapaul.com
Ma terials
n Winsor & Newton
Professional Acrylic:
Titanium White, Payne's
Grey, Lemon Yellow,
Cadmium Orange,
Cadmium Yellow Medium,
Cobalt Green Deep, Cobalt
Blue, Ultramarine Violet,
Ultramarine Blue,

S
till life isn’t everybody’s cup of
tea, but for me it has always been Cerulean Blue, Cadmium
a favourite. I like having complete Red, Quinacridone
control over the colours and style Magenta
of the setup, the objects, drapes n Impasto Gell Matt
and the way they all work together. Medium
Flowers from the garden are a must, n MDF Board 56x76cm;
and in this painting the retro coffee pot primed with gesso
and cups really set the colour and tone. n 2in and 1.5in decorator's
I take my time to get the setup just right. brushes
I am aiming for a very relaxed painting, n Palette knives
without lots of detail but hopefully with
lots of life and energy. The acrylic paint dries quickly
First, I create an underpainting using allowing lots of layers. The
vibrant and sometimes contrasting impasto medium extends the
colour. I build the painting in layers. paint while keeping the thick
Working at speed firstly with a large consistency. The large
brush and then a palette knife I capture brushes help apply the paint
the mood with expressive marks, without detail.
vibrant colour and texture.

126

50 shades
of grey
Many colours can be created
from just a few tubes of paint.
To make greys, practise
mixing complementary
colours with white. For
example, try Cadmium Orange
mixed with Cerulean Blue and
white. Learn the colour wheel.
Insp ired
The coffee pot in this painting
was borrowed from a friend
who has a collection. Ask
friends or family to lend their
interesting objects to inspire
a new series of paintings.
1 2
Start bold
Using a decorator’s brush, I start
the painting with some bold colour.
This is the underpainting – the first layer
of paint that will provide a colourful base
over which to work later on. I am not
worried about drips and don’t want any
detail, just lots of vibrant colour.
3 4
Look for shapes
As I apply the vibrant colour, I am
looking for shapes. Not just the
shapes of the objects themselves, but
the spaces between them – the
negative shapes. Just a few simple
marks help me to plot the composition.
I am keeping it all very free and working
over the whole board.
Free and expressive still life
Find the composition
In these early stages, I am using a
viewfinder – a piece of card with a
window cut out to the same shape as my
board. I can shut one eye and look
through to see the composition. This is
very helpful as I start to draw in the
objects with the brush.
Cover up
The white of the board is nearly all
covered now and the colours are
rich. As the darker tones are added, the
objects are becoming more obvious.
I am gradually working over the whole
board, trying not to concentrate on any
details, just the basic shapes. The
flowers are simplified blocks of colour.
127
Projects

5
Keep it sketchy
I’m using the paint thickly now, and it is still
wet as I draw into it with the end of an old
brush. This creates a textural surface as I pick out
some sketchy detail in the coffee pot. This is still
the underpainting and I’m excited to see the
gorgeous colour and texture coming together.

6
Add more colour
Going back in with the broad brush, I add
more colour on the tabletop and among the
flowers. There is a white cloth on the table in my
setup, but at the moment in the painting it is green
and blue. The white will be added later. Using the
end of an old brush, I scratch in to the flowers.

“I’m excited to see the

gorgeous colour and
texture coming together
in the underpainting”

7
Coffee break
At this stage I am finishing the underpainting.
I give a little more definition to the coffee pot
and fruit and add some more foliage. Keeping the
painting very free and sketchy, I have created a
colourful textural surface and the basic elements
of the composition are there. It’s time for a cuppa
before I switch to my palette knife.

128
 Free and expressive still life

8
Use a palette knife
Using a palette knife to apply the paint, the
background drape is now a soft green, with
a little of the orange showing through. The cloth is
now white. The palette knife with thick paint picks
up the texture of the underpainting. Using it lightly,
I leave some of the vibrant colours to show through.

9
Add a little detail
With the knife I can continue to work freely
without getting bogged down with too much
detail. I’m still looking for the negative shapes as I
paint around the objects, and the green on the table
helps the coffee pot and cups stand out. I add a
little detail to the objects but keep it simple.

10
Keep it clean
The dark tones of the vase
help the light and vibrant
flowers to stand out. I paint the flowers
with the palette knife, making sure I
keep it clean. I paint directly and at
speed, keeping the colours fresh and
the marks clean. I use the shape of the
knife to describe the shape of the petals.
Making it...
My first exhibition was at a
local library; I hired the space
and did all the preparation
myself. As a result I was then
asked to exhibit in a gallery.
To get your work seen, join an
art group, hire an exhibition
space, take part in an open
studio scheme, or set up a
social media page.

11
Know when to stop
It can be hard to know when a painting is
finished. I remind myself of what I wanted
to achieve. I wanted to capture a mood with
expressive marks, vibrant colour and texture –
I wasn’t aiming for detail or precision. There comes
a point when to carry on working on a painting
would ruin the vitality and muddy the colour.

129
 SUBSCRIBE &
SAVE UP TO 61%
Delivered direct to your door
or straight to your device

Choose from over 80 magazines and make great savings off the store price!
Binders, books and back issues also available
Simply visit www.magazinesdirect.com

No hidden costs Shipping included in all prices We deliver to over 100 countries Secure online payment
 Master texture Fine details Get loose
Core skills to help you achieve Learn to capture intricacies for a How a more relaxed approach
9021

realism in your art striking still life can add character

Paint a vanitas Explore mediums Modern approach

Be inspired by the Old Masters From oils to ink and watercolour, Give your still lifes a contemporary
and embrace symbolism experiment with new methods twist with unique subjects
9000