Everyone who draws from life must go through different stages complications of work. The process of learning to draw at a certain stage is associated with drawing a still life (from the French nature morte - dead nature).
The world of nature and things surrounding man in everyday life, - an inexhaustible treasury of forms and color shades. The simplicity and plastic perfection of everyday objects, the sophistication and delicacy of flowers, the unique structure and juiciness of fruits and vegetables, and much more have always been the objects of attention of artists. Drawings and paintings in which they are embodied in figurative form household items, tools, vegetables, fruits, food, game, bouquets of flowers, etc., are called still lifes.
Still lifes can be “seen” directly in life and “staged” specifically to solve different visual tasks. Both of them attract attention, which is why still life is given so much space in fine arts that he became by right an independent genre. A “seen” still life is a natural grouping of objects depicted by the artist, and a “staged” one is composed of deliberately selected objects necessary to realize the author’s specific plan.
The image of a still life has its own certain pattern and methodological sequence. It is completely impermissible, for example, just after starting a drawing, to start working on minor details in detail, if the main form has not yet been determined and the tonal idea of the production has not been decided. This immediately leads to fragmentation of the drawing, which is then incredibly difficult and sometimes impossible for an inexperienced draftsman to correct. In addition, such haste leads to errors in proportional relationships, and hence to failure, lack of self-confidence and disappointment.
Remember that in visual practice there is a proven method of sequential work on drawings, based on the principle: from the general to the specific and from the specific again to the general enriched with details.
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Work on a still life begins with the selection and placement of certain objects: in our task - a plaster model of a prism and a wooden vase for pencils, brushes, etc. (Fig. 21). The selection of full-scale production components must be logically justified, complete semantic connection. It is advisable to choose things that are expressive in shape and volume.
After the still life is staged, you choose specific place, from where the production is clearly visible (we have already talked about the most optimal distance from the drawing to the full-scale object: it should be approximately three times the size of the life itself).
The expressiveness and truthfulness of a still life image depend on your ability to observe, compose, construct a drawing, model it with tone, etc.
Before actually working on the drawing, it is advisable to make one or two sketches of the production to find a rational and effective layout of the image on paper. It is advisable to complete sketches quickly, based on the first, still very fresh impression of the production, trying to convey in them characteristic features nature, the relationship and proportions of the shape of each object, the ratio of the image area to the area of the sheet format.
Once you have determined the composition of the image in the sketch, you can proceed to direct work on the format. Given the nature of the production, you have already chosen the format - horizontal or vertical.
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Now you are faced with the task of going through several stages of drawing a still life. Such stages, i.e. individual moments- stages or steps in the development of something; in working on a drawing there are usually no more than four.
Undoubtedly, initial stage any image is its compositional placement on a sheet of paper. You already have a sketch, use it in a non-mechanical way.
Here the main place is given to determining the entire width and entire height of objects at once to limit the field of the image; the positions of each of the bodies relative to each other and the plane on which they are placed are immediately outlined with light lines.
At the next stage of drawing a still life, you must clarify the place of each of the two objects in the image and determine their proportional relationships. During this period of work, also identify the constructive basis of the form. Here, base the solution to all problems at this stage of the image on a careful analysis of the production. For now, build the form with just lines, seeing your drawing as a “framework”, but follow a certain measure so that they do not look the same thickness everywhere (Fig. 22).
Carry out the third stage of work as a further refinement of the shape of bodies that have volume and relief. These signs of objects are perceived only under conditions of light and shade. Therefore, you must not only outline big light and a large shadow, but also to define with light strokes all the main gradations (gradual arrangements) of chiaroscuro. These patterns of distribution of light, halftones, own and falling shadows have been discussed in the textbook more than once, and you know about them. You just need to carefully monitor in situ and compare on paper how much one object is darker or lighter than another. In addition, do not forget also about the difference in the pattern techniques work in pencil in order to identify differences in the textures of objects already at this stage of drawing. Everything taken together and considered from the perspective of perspective construction, volume and relief of forms, tonal solutions, materiality leads you to last stage work on a still life drawing (Fig. 23).
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Final stage provides for the process of completing the work - a generalization of the entire linear and tonal structure of the image. If the foreground and background are drawn in detail, both bodies of the production destroy the integral perception of the picture, there is no softness of transitions in the modeling of the form with tone, then such an image needs to be improved, which is a generalization. In this case, it is necessary to soften the background, destroy clear boundaries in it (to create the impression of depth), “bring closer” one object to the foreground and “move away” another, somewhere in in the right place to lighten, in other cases, on the contrary, to thicken the tone and thus achieve the integrity of the picture (Fig. 24).
All stages of working on a still life drawing are not stages of the image separated from each other. Here a consistent process takes place, logically conditioned by unity and indivisibility, the result of which should be a correctly composed, correctly constructed, moderately worked out tone, expressive educational drawing still life.
Now let’s look in great detail at how the process of creating a still life drawing made from plaster takes place. geometric body- a hexagonal prism and a wooden vase for storing drawing tools.
After the format is chosen, it is determined what size the image will be printed on paper, especially since in preliminary sketches you are looking for proportional relationships between the image and the format. Proportions are woven into visual perception in accordance with the structure of the eye and the principles of its operation. Each person who draws determines the ratios of quantities and, do not be surprised, distinguishes among them the ratio of the “golden section”. You see in the setting that a vase standing vertically looks more preferable than a prism lying at an angle to it. This means that in your drawing you will pay attention to the vase. special attention, and you will begin to associate the placement of the image on paper with it. It will be located in the drawing no other way than in relation to the proportions of the “golden section”.
Such a character visual perception confirmed by numerous experiments conducted in different times in a number of countries around the world.
The German psychologist Gustav Fechner in 1876 conducted a series of experiments, showing men and women, boys and girls, as well as children, figures of various rectangles drawn on paper, asking them to choose only one of them, but making the most pleasant impression on each subject. Everyone chose a rectangle showing the ratio of its two sides in the proportion of the “golden ratio” (Fig. 25). Experiments of a different kind were demonstrated to students by neurophysiologist from the United States Warren McCulloch in the 40s of our century, when he asked several volunteers from among future specialists to bring an oblong object to the preferred shape. The students worked for a while and then returned the items to the professor. On almost all of them the marks were made exactly in the region of the “golden section” ratio, although the young people knew absolutely nothing about this “ divine proportion" McCulloch spent two years confirming this phenomenon, since he personally did not believe that all people choose this proportion or establish it in the amateur work of making all kinds of crafts.
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Interesting phenomenon observed when viewers visit museums and exhibitions fine arts. Many people who have not drawn themselves can perceive with amazing accuracy even the slightest inaccuracies in the depiction of objects in graphic images and in picturesque paintings. These are probably signs of a person’s aesthetic sense, which “does not agree” with the destruction of the harmony of form and proportions. Is it not with such a requirement for a sense of beauty that the phenomenon of the “golden proportion” is associated (as soon as this proportion is not called “divine”, “golden”, “golden section”, “golden number”)? It’s not for nothing, apparently, in all centuries of human civilization “ golden ratio"was elevated to the rank of the main aesthetic principle.
For you compositional foundations constructing a still life drawing should not be a stumbling block, because a person is endowed with the ability to clearly see the surrounding environment within a field of clear vision (at an angle of 36°). It is the proportional values within the field of clear vision that are clearly distinguished by the eyes, and your task is to recognize them in order to correctly construct the drawing. The fact is that a person who draws sees the objective world in the same way as someone who does not draw. However, if you take an arbitrary point of view to construct a drawing, distortion will occur. You need to remember that in constructing an image everything is interdependent: point of view, field of clear vision and distance to the objects in the image. This means that in the process of composing the image, you need to select such a part of the enclosed space (sheet of paper), which would include still life objects and part environment(background). The objects in the image should be neither too big nor too small. Otherwise, the large image “comes out” of the format, and the small one “sinks” into it. To prevent this from happening, try to consider the sheet of paper and the dimensions of the image as a single whole of the compositional solution of the still life drawing.
After organizing the plane of the paper, objects need to be drawn as the eye sees them and as they exist in reality. To do this, you clarify the perspective changes in the shape of the vase and prism and at the same time try to immediately understand their objective structure, design, and analyze the lighting conditions. Chiaroscuro on objects is distributed according to the same laws that you became familiar with when drawing plaster models of geometric bodies.
Each drawing is at the same time a new knowledge objective world, which is accompanied by the acquisition of knowledge, experience, new skills and motor skills of hand movements. Having placed the drawing on a plane and, for now, conveying the boundaries of the shape of each of the two objects in light lines and outlining the volume of the vase and prism with the same light strokes, you continue your work, moving on to the next stage. Now you continue to further refine the characteristic features of the form, all the time comparing the drawing with nature. Then you begin to work with relationships that involve determining the correct proportions, the relationship between spatial plans, details and the whole.
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The method of working through relationships allows the draftsman to acquire knowledge and skills to the extent that they influence the development of a person as a professional artist.
So, the first stages of your drawing: solve the layout problems, outline the general silhouette of the still life, highlight both objects and show the proportions, at the same time feel the connection of the forms, their correspondence to the general structure of the image. When working with relationships, the drawing is clarified by comparing and contrasting, i.e. comparing the image with the whole and the parts with each other. At the same stage of drawing, you should begin to identify the volume and relief of the shapes of the objects in the image, working through them according to the principle - from the general to the specific. This is the only way you will always see the whole - in structure, and in proportions, and in tone.
When you have confidence in the fidelity of the drawing and the correctness of the intended light-tonal relationships, you can safely move on to modeling the shape with a tone gradually saturated with density.
On this important stage work - transfer true portrayal of a still life, as our eye sees it and how it exists in space, you need to see the whole nature all the time, that is, when touching with a pencil to this or that place in the drawing, do not lose sight of the entire setting and the entire drawing as a whole. Always remember that you are accumulating knowledge, skills and abilities gradually and consistently and work on the still life accordingly. Tonal relationships in nature cannot be accurately conveyed in a drawing due to the discrepancy between the original light and the whiteness of the paper. They can be conveyed only by following light and shadow relationships that are proportional to nature, and you know that the quality of the tonal pattern depends on such transmission.
During the modeling of the drawing in tone, when you carry out all the work from the general to the specific, a moment inevitably comes associated with a great desire to take on the final elaboration of one or another part of the image, which is very attractive in production. This is where you get to the specifics, following the principles of drawing.
In practice, both educational and creative drawing there are two often in contact with each other technical way pencil tones on paper - shading and shading.
Hatching, unlike shading, has its own distinct features. An experienced draftsman can only achieve the transfer of all the tonal and material properties of nature. At the same time, he uses a variety of strokes along the trace of a pencil on paper - straight and curved, short and long, overlapping each other in several layers. Consequently, shading should be understood as techniques for applying tone with strokes. The direction of shading in a drawing is very important. By using strokes directed according to the shape of the object, one can achieve volume, and, conversely, by haphazardly applied strokes, the form is destroyed, the image is covered with shapeless spots.
Masters of drawing often used shading, a technique of rubbing a layer of pencil, applied flat with a lead, over the surface of the paper to obtain a soft solid tone using either shading or paper swabs and, very often, cotton wool. This technique was used very often and effectively by Ilya Efimovich Repin.
In the process of work related to the transfer of light and shadow relationships, the lightest and darkest places in the full-scale setting are determined and, adhering to them as tonal guidelines, they gradually gain the necessary aperture. And all the time you need to compare and compare the drawing with nature again. To do this, you can even move a short distance away from the drawing so that you can see your work from a somewhat distant point of view. There is another technique for comparison - look at the drawing in the mirror, being half-turned towards the image. The mirror should also reflect the natural object. Such a comparison can help you see mistakes in tone and eliminate them. The mirror technique is also effective because it allows you to see your work from an unexpected angle. Each painter not only gets used to his image, but often, due to inexperience and still ineptitude, ceases to notice serious mistakes in the drawing, not to mention the tone. Such an unexpected look will help you immediately see this or that flaw, which turned out to be difficult to pay attention to due to the inability to critically look at your own drawing.
The last stage of working on a still life drawing is related to the draftsman’s ability to complete the image, i.e. bring the image into line with the general visual impression with a seamless perception of the full-scale production.
Security questions- What is still life?
- How many stages of painting a still life do you need to go through?
- What do you understand by the term "layout"? What role does layout play in a drawing?
- Why should a full-scale production be perceived not in parts, but as a whole?
- What does it mean to apply strokes to a form?
- What is the methodological sequence of working on a still life?
- How do we understand the term “generalization of a drawing”?
There is a sense of beauty in every person. And one of its manifestations is fine art. Drawing calms, relaxes and makes it possible to realize creativity. If you are just taking your first steps in painting, then some recommendations on how to draw a still life with fruit will certainly be interesting and useful.
Such living “dead nature”...
Still life - word French origin, which translates as “dead nature.” This is the essence of such paintings: they are combinations of various inanimate objects. Most often, artists paint vegetables and fruits, that is, things that require rich colors. Another feature of this composition is the image of the fabric. Objects may lie on it or a table may be covered with it, but all artists try to meticulously draw the texture and color of a piece of material.
Still lifes fit perfectly into any interior - this is another reason to learn how to draw them: finished painting you can decorate the hallway or kitchen. And every time you pass by, you will not be able to resist praising yourself for your zeal and perseverance.
Required materials
In order for the work to proceed smoothly and nothing to distract you from drawing, you need to prepare in advance everything that you will definitely need:
- canvas or sheet of paper. The size can be any, but the quality must be excellent. Otherwise, the lines will fall poorly, and because of this you can completely cool off on fine art;
- simple pencils of varying hardness and softness. With them you can easily create various effects, including shadows and volumes;
- nature, that is, objects, fabric - everything you want to see in the picture;
- good lighting. To draw small details and build shadow projections, the lamp must be diffuse and have a powerful bulb.
Now you can start studying master classes for beginners, describing how to draw a still life with a pencil step by step.
3 simple master classes
You should start drawing with a sketch. It is he who determines how easy or difficult it will be for you to work. This sketch is being made hard pencil, and in strokes, not complete lines. Otherwise, after the auxiliary contours need to be erased, traces will remain. All objects that are provided in kind are depicted in the sketch using simple geometric shapes. The main purpose of a sketch is to determine the spatial arrangement of objects on the sheet.
"Friendly company"
Professionals advise starting to draw still lifes with images of large objects: small details You can make a serious mistake. Therefore, our picture shows kiwis, grapes, pears and bananas - objects with quite obvious structural details.
Instructions:
- We start with a sketch. To do this, on a separate sheet, draw the location of each part using a triangle.
- Using chaotic strokes, without pressing hard on the pencil, we sketch objects in the form of circles and ovals. Grapes are circles, pears are ovals, lemon is a larger circle.
- We outline the contours with clearer lines and erase the auxiliary lines.
- We make shadows using a hard or hard-soft pencil.
- We draw the lines of the structure of pears, bananas and grapes using a TM pencil.
- We detail the kiwi in the section. Using a hard-soft pencil we make the core of the berry, depicting it as multi-layered, with seeds.
- Lightly shade the lines in the center with an eraser to give it a natural look.
- We draw the main lines and erase the auxiliary ones.
- We color all the depicted objects - the picture is ready.
Beauty demands... to be eaten
Despite literal translation names of the genre, the main task of the artist is to show the perfection and naturalness of the depicted “goodies”, if we're talking about about still life with berries and fruits.
Instructions:
Fruits and berries look very beautiful in a vase. In this case, we can do without fabric, which means we don’t have to draw extra shadows.
Instructions:
Tricks for Beginners
- If you paint in black and white, don't forget about the shadows: they will attract special attention.
- Don't neglect background. A wall, a window frame, an old tree - these elements add a unique atmosphere.
- Color images relieve monotony by adding orange, green, cream, blue paints.
- Don't try to combine many elements in one still life.
There is a sense of beauty in every person. And one of its manifestations is fine art. Drawing is calming, relaxing and allows you to realize your creative potential. If you are just taking your first steps in painting, then some recommendations on how to draw a still life with fruit will certainly be interesting and useful.
Such living “dead nature”...
Still life is a word of French origin that translates as “dead nature.” This is the essence of such paintings: they are combinations of various inanimate objects. Most often, artists paint vegetables and fruits, that is, things that require rich colors. Another feature of this composition is the image of the fabric. Objects may lie on it or a table may be covered with it, but all artists try to meticulously draw the texture and color of a piece of material. Still lifes fit perfectly into any interior - this is another reason to learn how to draw them: the finished painting can decorate the hallway or kitchen. And every time you pass by, you will not be able to resist praising yourself for your zeal and perseverance.
In order for the work to proceed smoothly and nothing to distract you from drawing, you need to prepare in advance everything that you will definitely need:
Canvas or sheet of paper. The size can be any, but the quality must be excellent. Otherwise, the lines will fall poorly, and because of this you can completely cool off on fine art;
Simple pencils different hardness and softness. With them you can easily create various effects, including shadows and volumes;
Nature, that is, objects, fabric - everything you want to see in the picture;
Good lighting. To draw small details and build shadow projections, the lamp must be diffuse and have a powerful bulb.
Now you can start studying master classes for beginners, describing how to draw a still life with a pencil step by step.
You should start drawing with a sketch. It is he who determines how easy or difficult it will be for you to work. This sketch is made with a hard pencil, and with strokes, and not complete lines. Otherwise, after the auxiliary contours need to be erased, traces will remain. All objects that are provided in kind are depicted in the sketch using simple geometric shapes. The main purpose of a sketch is to determine the spatial arrangement of objects on the sheet.
"Friendly company"
Professionals advise starting to draw still lifes with images of large objects: you can make a serious mistake in small details. Therefore, our picture shows kiwis, grapes, pears and bananas - objects with quite obvious structural details.
Instructions:
1. We start with a sketch. To do this, on a separate sheet, draw the location of each part using a triangle.
2. Using chaotic strokes, without strong pressure on the pencil, we sketch objects in the form of circles and ovals. Grapes are circles, pears are ovals, lemon is a larger circle.
3. We outline the contours with clearer lines and erase the auxiliary lines.
4. Make shadows using a hard or hard-soft pencil.
5. Draw the lines of the structure of pears, bananas and grapes using a TM pencil.
6. We detail the kiwi in the section. Using a hard-soft pencil we make the core of the berry, depicting it as multi-layered, with seeds.
7. Lightly shade the lines in the center with an eraser to give it a natural look.
8. Draw the main lines, erase the auxiliary ones.
9. We color all the depicted objects - the picture is ready.
Beauty demands... to be eaten
Despite the literal translation of the name of the genre, the artist’s main task is to show the perfection and naturalness of the depicted “goodies”, if we are talking about a still life with berries and fruits.
Instructions:
1. Limit the drawing area to a few strokes.
2. Sketch a mug with a strawberry sprig.
3. Add the outlines of apples and pears.
4. Draw a thicker line around the outline of the fruit.
5. Coloring apples and pears matching colors, given that each fruit has an unpainted area - a highlight. On the widest part the color should be the most intense.
6. Use red strokes to detail the strawberries.
7. We finish drawing the mug, making it in color.
8. Color the fabric, shading the areas that are partially under the fruit. The picture is ready.
Draw a bowl of fruit
Fruits and berries look very beautiful in a vase. In this case, we can do without fabric, which means we don’t have to draw extra shadows.
Instructions:
1. We start with a vase. We carry out straight line cut.
2. Add a semicircle, making it a little flat for stability.
3. Draw the slightly curved rim of the vase.
4. We make line sketches of fruits (oranges, bananas, grapes - the simplest nature).
5. Use an eraser to remove unnecessary lines, including those that intersect with the rim of the vase.
6. Determine the contours of the berries that will be on foreground, “darkening” those that will be in the background.
7. Draw the surface on which the vase stands.
8. Add highlights to the jug and draw additional decorative elements to your taste.
9. Coloring the picture - so we managed to draw a still life “vase with exotic fruits».
Tricks for beginners If you paint in black and white, don't forget about the shadows: they will attract special attention.
Don't neglect the background. A wall, a window frame, an old tree – these elements add a unique atmosphere.
Eliminate monotony from color images by adding orange, green, cream, and blue colors.
Don't try to combine many elements in one still life.
Did you know that the process of drawing not only instills in a person a sense of beauty, but also helps to cope with stressful situations, calming your nerves and creating peace in your soul? In view of this, it is recommended to devote at least some of your free time to this activity. Let's learn how to draw a still life with fruit with a pencil.
General information
To learn how to paint a still life with fruit, you must first understand what the term itself means. In addition, you need to know what attributes you should prepare to create your own masterpiece. future artist. A painting depicting inanimate objects (it doesn’t matter, one or more) is called a still life. Translated from French this term sounds like "dead nature". Depending on the flight of fancy, you can use flowers, objects in paintings household items, fruits and vegetables. Still life often contains an element such as fabric (of any color and texture).
Required Attributes
To cope with the upcoming work and master all the nuances, you need to prepare in advance necessary tools. You will need:
A sheet of paper or canvas (it all depends on what size you want to create your first masterpiece);
Simple pencil;
Fabric and objects that you will use as nature;
Good lighting.
If you plan to paint a picture, then, in addition to everything, you must decide what type of paints you will use (watercolor or oil) and choose brushes and a palette accordingly. And, of course, don't forget about water.
Graphics technique
In order for your painting to turn out most similar to the chosen composition, you must first master the technique. You should learn to convey highlights, shadows and texture. A still life with fruit in pencil begins with a sketch. It is depicted on a separate sheet. Here they simply record the arrangement of objects without drawing them completely. When the sketch is ready, you can begin to depict the elements on the main canvas. When drawing, do not press too hard on the pencil. IN otherwise When you remove an incorrectly drawn line, marks will remain on the paper. When creating the outlines of objects, you should not draw every line; draw a sketch with chaotic movements. You should know that artists use pencils of varying softness for individual lines. During the image process, the set allows you to create various effects on paper. That's why if you want to do everything right and portray beautiful still life with fruit, approach the choice of “tool” with great responsibility.
Creating a Sketch
As everyone understands, to start working, you first need to create a composition. You must decide on the main background of your painting, as well as what elements will be present in it - whether you will depict one object or decide to use several. For example, you can paint a still life with fruits and vegetables, or diversify your painting with a bouquet. It is advisable to use plain fabrics as a background. Next, use whatman paper to determine the center of the composition and sketch out a sketch future painting. The first thing you should draw are simple elements: an oval or a circle. For example, an ordinary apple is depicted using a circle; to sketch grapes, details in the form of small balls are used. The main thing is to make sure that the objects are located in their places, that is, maintain proportionality.
We depict objects
When you have managed to correctly position all the objects on the sheet, it’s time to move on to drawing them. To do this, write fruits into the figures shown using clearer lines. Make all details, contours clear and remove auxiliary lines. To create the right look, do not forget to use a pencil to position the shadows correctly. This action is performed using shading, initially darkening the darkest places with a gradual transition to lighter ones. The shadows are drawn with an extremely sharp pencil when applying layer by layer. The final stage is to check the image of all objects, special attention should be paid to the tone layout.
Still life with fruit - step by step
Let's explore how to create a painting using an orange, grape and kiwi as an example. It is better to use real items for this purpose, so purchase them in advance. Believe me, to acquire skills and practice, it is better to draw from life. To make it easier for you to create your first masterpiece, strictly follow our instructions.
Drawing details
First, we outline the location of the fruit on paper. To depict the halves of a kiwi and an orange, draw inclined lines and only then draw ovals. Now you can start directly drawing the fruit. Let's start with orange. To do this, we divide its sketch using auxiliary line into two parts. Then we draw slices in each half, depicting them as triangular sectors.
We fill the area where the grapes should be located with circles, and for the kiwi we draw only the core. It is advisable to start shading the sketch with grapes. To do this, using the softest pencil (8 "M"), draw each circle in a circular motion. Please note that the lightest place in the grapes should be the middle, as well as the edges. This is done so that the berries do not merge with each other. Now let's move on to drawing the orange. First, let's shade the peel. To do this, use a “T” pencil to apply shading to the shape of the fruit. Then we will apply spots and dots. This is done with a "TM" pencil. This way you can convey the texture of the orange.
Draw the fruit slices with a “T” pencil. We move from the center to the edges. To more accurately convey the image of the fruit, use a “TM” pencil to depict “feathers”. To make the drawing more similar to the original, use an eraser to make the corners more round and erase a small circle in the center. It's time to portray a kiwi. For this purpose, use a “TM” pencil to apply strokes to its surface (without pressing). And to make the fruit more realistic, we will make small lines on the surface with stronger pressure. Now let's draw the core. In the center of the kiwi, using a “TM” pencil, draw rays (several layers). This way we will convey the texture of real fruit. Soft pencil draw the seeds, then use an eraser to make the middle lighter.
grape leaf
If you have some free space left on your workspace, you can add an element such as grape leaf. To do this, draw the shape of the leaf in the form of a spatula. Then we will create veins that must come out from one point (this characteristic feature grape leaf). We make a more accurate sketch of the leaf shape. Now you can supplement the veins with smaller branches and create the corners of this element. Let's start shading. Using a “T” pencil, from the point where the veins converge, draw dashed lines to the ends of the element. Next we will add volume.
To do this, apply an additional layer with a “TM” pencil. But you only need to do it at the edges and top of the sheet. The final stage of painting involves applying shadows and bringing out the veins of the leaf more clearly. Your painting is ready. Many people believe that painting a still life with fruit is much easier than painting, for example, a still life with a bouquet. In principle, big difference there is no difference between these paintings. When creating both drawings, it is necessary to depict every detail. The only difference is that still lifes with fruits and flowers have more elements.
Still life is a genre of fine art in which the artist captures inanimate objects. Translated from French, this is what it sounds like: “dead nature.” More accurate, however, is the English phrase still life, which translates as “still life.”
The beauty of the genre
Still life art emerged as a genre in the 17th century in Holland. Depicting ordinary objects, artists sought to express their plasticity, and even poetry. Throughout the history of painting, masters freely experiment with the shape, color, texture of things, compositional solutions in the execution of the drawing.
Doing it step by step is not such a difficult task for beginning artists. The main thing is to choose the desired composition and see it in spatial perspective. This small lesson will help to implement the said attempt.
How to draw a still life with a pencil
We will step by step consider where to start working, how not to make a mistake with the arrangement of objects in the space of the drawing and how to correctly depict light and shadow. The very first thing you need to do is select objects for the still life. You should not start drawing too complex objects; it is better to take the most ordinary things with geometrically understandable shapes for drawing: a cup, fruit, box. You can use photographs, but it is preferable to pay attention to nature, since only with it you will have more possibilities examine objects in detail and clarify details. As you master the art of still life, you will be able to complicate the shapes and compositions.
Let's take care of the lighting
Before drawing a still life with a pencil, we will gradually place objects next to each other, not forgetting about the light source. Objects can be located at some distance, but it will be more interesting if they slightly overlap each other's edges. The flow of light from the lamp will allow you to more expressively emphasize the contrast of shades and highlights. It's better if it falls from the side. Relying not on artificial, but on sunlight, you must remember that the luminary does not stand still, so the angles of light and shadow will change.
Let's start drawing
Before drawing a still life, with a pencil we will gradually mark the locations of the objects, how their edges and lines intersect each other. Let us clarify the plane on which objects lie, horizontal line behind the composition separating the table and the wall. Let's outline the perspective: in order to depict objects in three-dimensional space, we will remember that they cannot be drawn on the same line. The sizes of objects that are closer to us will be larger than those that are located further away.
We sketch with light sliding lines. In order not to be mistaken with the proportions of objects, let’s mentally imagine the central axis for each of them. You can depict it on a sheet of paper on which we draw a still life with a pencil. Let's sketch it step by step geometric shape, underlying each object, and from it we will create the object itself. The apple and the cup will be based on circles, the boxes will be made from parallelepipeds, the sugar bowl will be based on a square, and its lid will be an oval.
Once the shapes have been determined, we will begin to refine the objects with neat and confident lines. Using an eraser we will get rid of the initial strokes.
Final Steps
How to draw a still life with a pencil, gradually creating the volume of objects? Here main role shadows play and light glare. Let's copy them from life, shading the darker parts of the objects more tightly. It is also important to pay attention to in which part of the composition the shadows are more concentrated, how and where objects cast shadows on another object and on a plane.
We will bring the finished sketch to perfection, adjusting the details of the drawing, tightening the shadows and texture of objects with strokes.
