SETTING UP A STILL LIFE

By Jeannine Swarts

 

Good design is the dominant consideration when setting up a still life.  Designing is concerned with the relationships between things, such as the objects in a still life.  The whole pattern of objects and the whole piece of paper need to be considered in the design.  It would be great if there were a set of rules for designing a still life!  There have been attempts to formularize compositional laws which have given us interesting, subjective, and often contradictory results.  On this note, let us explore some of the current theories on still life.

 

Some of the reasons for using a still life set-up are:

1. It is an effective method to learn the processes, methods, and techniques of drawing based on direct observation.
2. You can begin with forms of limited complexity so the skill of eye-hand coordination can be developed.
3. If using objects, the still life can be set-up and left in place until the drawing is complete.
4. Light can be adjusted and maintained without the need for a specific time of day.
5. It can be drawn anywhere in the house, garden, garage, etc.

Nearly any object that one can see is potentially a good subject for a drawing.  Include anything and everything you see every day.  There are three types of forms:

1. Regular or symmetrical forms, human or mechanically made and predictable structures.  Their basis in geometric solids (cubes, spheres, cylinders, cones, wedges, etc.) is more apparent than in irregular forms.  Examples are bottles, tools, shoes, hats, etc.
2. Irregular or natural forms are organic or derived from nature.  They range from symmetrical or nearly symmetrical, to highly complex forms with or without formal organization.  There are geometric solids (an orange or apple is spherical) or they may be vague or lacking entirely in shape (the tangled mass of roots from a plant).
3. Cubic forms are generally composed of flat planes and straight edges.  Any kind of box or box-like structure such as a book, and any form composed primarily of flat planes are included in this category.  They can provide surfaces on which to place other forms, varying the height of different objects and creating object relationships, but more importantly they provide drawing experiences that test your knowledge of basic perspective principals such as convergence, diminution, and consistent eye level.

The advantages of including irregular forms in a still life are multiple.  The forms provide a rich resource for line variation and tonal structure due to the infinite range of edge and surface character.  They can be manipulated for variety and interest in a way that regular or mechanical forms cannot.  You can peel an orange, slice an apple, break off cloves from a garlic bulb, partially peel a banana, snap a twig in two, and generally observe and record changes in many natural forms over a short period of time as they decay or dry or mold or shrivel.

 

Compositional Considerations in Setting Up a Still Life

 

Consider the rule of thirds for successfully dividing your still life for the placement of objects.  The rule of thirds dictates placing the focal points at any of the four intersections among lines dividing the picture into thirds both horizontally and vertically.

 

Adequate lighting on the still life and the drawing surface is important in order to be able to see the information without visual confusion.  When exploring line variation or value structure or any other concern that relates to tonal structure, it is important to keep the light source as singular as possible.  A consistent light source is most effective in defining and revealing form.  A singular and raking light source is generally best for form definition.  Are there shadows?  Are they interesting or would the arrangement be more appealing without them?

 

Set-up time can vary from a few minutes to days.  Take your time as this is one of the most important steps in the process. 

 

Look for the big shapes, values, and linear movements.  Analyze the value pattern for contrast and value key, and the color design for expression.  Is there unity in the design?  Dominate and subordinate movement makes an interesting composition.  A large vase of flowers could be dominant with a small vase as subordinate to echo the larger.  Think in terms of shape, color, value, space, texture, line, edges, and the principles of dominance, movement, variety, and unity.

 

Link and overlap objects to form a rhythmic flow.  This allows a dominant element in the middle of a drawing and uses the overlapping shapes to provide movement away from the center.  Repeat shapes as much as possible without being too obvious.  Repeated shapes can start out boldly and repeat more softly.  A twig placed at an angle may echo the edge of the bowl, or a fold in the cloth in background.

 

The background should be an integral part of every drawing.  It can provide light, shadow and space, and with something as simple as the fold of a cloth or the direction of a shadow it can complete the compositional unity of the drawing.  Are you using a cloth backdrop?  Try to place the folds so they strengthen the movement of the arrangement.  Placing a still life on a white or light colored sheet helps to enhance reflected light, which plays an important role in helping to describe and define volume.  Reflected light sometimes eludes the artist in their early works of tonal structure so it is helpful to make it easily visible.  Striped cloth can also and some pattern and interest to a still life.  Incorporating drapery with folds into a still life not only provides options for more complex and unified compositions, but also provides an element of softness as well as additional opportunities to explore line work and tonal structure.

 

Ground the forms you are drawing by clearly indicating the surface upon which the objects rest.  Table edges can be shown in their entirety or can be cropped by the edges of the drawing format.  In addition to grounding objects, indicating the surface upon which objects rest provides an additional visual element for breaking up space and enhancing compositional interest.

 

Evaluating the Composition

 

Try squinting the eyes.  It helps you see the value pattern of the design.  Does your eye stick on a shape that is too dark or too light, with no path to lead you out?  Squinting helps you determine those values by simplifying shapes and making them easier to judge.  With squinting you shift to a pattern-sensing mode so you can see the whole instead of the parts.  Ask yourself the following questions:

 

Self-Critique Summary

1. Why are you drawing this scene?  What do you want to say?
2. Do the shape and size of your paper help or hinder the overall theme of the drawing?
3. Is the division of space decisive?  Is the scene clearly a landscape, skyscape or close-up?
4. Is there an organized movement through the drawing?
5. Have you grouped objects artistically
6. Is there just one focal point?  Is it well located?
7. Is the perspective correct without being mechanically boring?
8. Have you created a sense of depth?
9. Is the value range consistent with the mood?
10. Is the basic light-dark design an interesting abstract pattern?
11. Are the negative shapes in the drawing varied?
12. Is your drawing predominantly warm or cool?
13. Have you used detail appropriately?  Are the textures expressive?
14. Is the total presentation attractive?
15. Does the drawing have a particular mood?
16. Did you squint to see your subject more simply?
17. Do you have both hard and soft edges?
18. Do the forms look solid and three-dimensional?
19. Do the elements appear to move back in space?
20. Did you overlap some of the objects?
21. Did you soften the most distant objects?
22. Did you exaggerate the size difference between the nearest and furthest objects?

February 2006