Still Life Drawing Lesson Plan | Study.com (2024)

FAQs

How to facilitate a still life drawing lesson? ›

Now have students work together to arrange several classroom objects into the subject for their still life drawings. This arrangement should be displayed for all students to see clearly. Ask the students to use the paper and colored pencils to create their own still life drawings using the items on display.

Still life art is drawing or painting objects that are arranged in a certain way. These objects can be anything from fruit to vases . The aim is to look and think about the shapes and size of the objects in front of you.

Learning Objectives

Be able to give examples and define techniques. Improve their art vocabulary by using key terms during discussions. Create a composition using different kinds of mark-making techniques.

A still life drawing is created by placing objects in a design setting that utilizes available light and contrasts in shapes in an eye pleasing manner. The artist sketches the basic shapes first and continues to fill in details and/or color until the desired outcome is achieved.

There are four main types of still-life art: Flower Pieces, Banquet or Breakfast Pieces, Animal Pieces, and Symbolic Paintings.

Still life painting is a genre of painting that represents inanimate objects that the artist has arranged in a visually pleasing composition. The subjects of still life paintings are the objects depicted, including fruit or other food items, flowers in vases, and common objects found in the home.

Composition, drawing skills, shape, form, perspective, light and dark pattern; these things are the essence of the resulting image. Still life objects, or still life subjects can be almost anything.

The more specific each objective is, the better. Each objective should describe a specific skill, map to a specific activity in the lesson, be measurable, and support one or more state or national standards. Set only two or three objectives for each lesson to keep students focused and reinforce skills.

What is the aim of teaching drawing? ›

The root idea of the modern teacher of drawing, is to help the children to see, to remember, and express themselves—to see well, to remember intelligently what they see and eventually use it to express themselves, rather than to produce finished drawings of concrete objects.

An important element of still life art is the mastery of lighting. Artists play with shadows and highlights to create a sense of drama and depth. The way light and shadow is used breathes life into inanimate objects, transforming them into poetic compositions.

Avoiding unintentional repetition will also help to create a strong still life. Be careful to choose objects of differing sizes and arrange them in a way that breaks up any excessive patterns, and you will have a good start to a visually interesting still life painting.

The themes for a still life painting can be personal, cultural, societal, mythological, religious or philosophical and existential. Or, they can be based on material qualities, such as color or texture.

The best way to draw still life drawings is to carefully observe your subject and pay attention to details such as lighting , shadows , and proportions . Start by sketching the basic shapes and then gradually add in more details and shading to bring your drawing to life .

Bring something a bit larger, and draw big on it – it might be a little uncomfortable at first but is a great habit to get into. Often the class will provide a board or something so you have a hard surface to draw on. Ideally, they'll even have easels.

When it comes to setting up your own still life, there are alphabetical pointers to consider: accuracy, balance, contrast, de inition, ellipses and foreshortening. The images above illustrate how these principles can affect a still life setup, so try them all and get a good grounding in the principles.