Still Life and Object Study
This domain tests close observation of objects, proportion, ellipses, overlapping, texture, light and composition. A still life is not a list of objects; it is a arranged group with a single visual logic.
Core rules
- Choose a viewpoint and eye level before drawing. Establish the whole group with light construction lines, then measure height and width against a unit.
- Group objects as a triangle or pyramid. Overlap creates depth. Negative shapes between objects help check accuracy.
- Ellipses on cylindrical objects change with eye level: flatter near eye level, fuller above or below. Bottle shoulders and bowl rims must follow the same ellipse family.
- Use one light source. Separate local colour from light and shadow. Texture should be suggested at edges and in a few accents, not everywhere.
Worked example
Arrange a bottle, an apple and a cloth. Place the bottle left, apple right front, cloth folding behind. Set eye level slightly above the table. Draw a construction box for the bottle, an ellipse for its base and neck, and a sphere for the apple. Check the apple against the bottle height. Shade from upper right: left sides dark, cast shadows to the left. Keep cloth folds simple and directional.
Traps
Drawing objects separately without relationships causes wrong scale. Pointed ellipses look flat. Outlines without volume lose marks. Cast shadows that float or point in different directions break light logic. Over-detailing the background distracts.
Key points
- Establish eye level and group composition first.
- Measure objects against one unit.
- Ellipses must match eye level.
- One light source governs all shadows.
- Suggest texture selectively.