Still Life is the art of drawing inanimate objects, rather than people or landscapes. Kids will enjoy creating the perfect composition for their picture, just as much as bringing it to life on the page. They will learn about spatial arrangement, perspective, proportion, shade and colour.
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Setting up your composition is the first task. Typically, this art form includes flowers or food, particularly fruit, against contrasting textures such as glassware. Place a fruit bowl full of fruit in the centre of your desk. If you’re not using fruit, then you could try a vase of flowers or pick three to four objects which have different textures, colours and reflect the light in different ways. These objects can be used to tell a story or show an idea.
Using a pencil, create a simple observational drawing of the composition on your desk. Use lines and shading and always be aware of your light source. Look at the shape of the objects, how they overlap, and how you can simplify the form in your picture.
These instructions use a fruit bowl as a classic example but you can draw whatever you wish. You can also use any art materials you like to bring your picture to life; pencils will teach you a lot about shade, watercolours about colour and pastels about texture. Try drawing the same picture using different materials and see how they compare.
