Humanities Courses/
- AuthorMary Douglass
Dr. Ratchford Douglass has been an educator for over 40 years. She holds a BS in Animal Husbandry, a MEd PAVTE, and a PhD in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Ratchford Douglass is an independent researcher focusing on community development, education policy, and outreach in underserved communities.
View bio - InstructorChristina Boggs
Chrissy has taught secondary English and history and writes online curriculum. She has an M.S.Ed. in Social Studies Education.
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Still life drawings are drawings whose subjects are inanimate objects that never move. Learn about the definition of still life drawings, see examples of a still life drawing, and discover its types and evolution.Updated: 11/21/2023
Table of Contents
- Still Life Drawing
- Still Life Objects, Shapes, and Arrangement
- Examples of Still Life Drawing
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
What are good objects for a still life?
Any inanimate object can be used in a still life drawing. Fruit, vegetables, dead animals and birds, table ware, fabrics, and candles are the classic choices that are still used today. People and landscapes are not depicted in a still life drawing.
How do you create a still life?
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. The placement design may be random or organized to depict an event, emphasize a study in specific shapes, or send a message or statement.
What is still life drawing?
Still Life drawing is literally creating a two dimensional image of inanimate objects. Various media are used to emphasize a skill or topic. Still Life drawings created as preliminary studies for paintings are typically pencil, pastels, or pen and ink.
What is the example of still life drawing?
Examples of still life drawings include memento mori and vanitas drawings. The memento mori depict the impending mortality of man. Vanitas drawing allude to the vanity of man as corruption and doom. Both styles use skulls to represent death and clocks or watches to represent time passing.
What is an example of a still life?
Examples of classic still life drawings include Georgio Morandi's Still Life with Eleven Bottles, Peter DeWint's Still Life with a Broom, and Juan Gris' Nature Morte.
Table of Contents
- Still Life Drawing
- Still Life Objects, Shapes, and Arrangement
- Examples of Still Life Drawing
- Lesson Summary
Still Life drawing is literally drawing things that are still in life. Artists use the genre, methods, and media to create two-dimensional images of inanimate objects they arrange to focus on specific skills or themes. People and landscape vistas or scenes are not subjects in still life composition. Only objects such as tableware, fruit, dead animals, or vegetables are acceptable subjects. Still life drawing became popular with European artists in the 1600s even though the works were considered inferior and unimportant compared to portraits. Still life drawing is accomplished by arranging items into a design on a table or other setting. Lighting is considered or placed to provide the depth of contrast defining the object's shapes. Artists use different substrates and media to create still life drawings. Common substrates include hard surface products and modern digital canvas as well. The quality of the paper used depends on the purpose of the work. Better, more expensive papers are used for stand-alone works. Less expensive pads of thin sketching paper are typically used for studies of larger works, the practice of specific shapes or subjects, and are common in art education programs. Canvas and wood are reserved for higher level or complicated works by experienced artists. The prepared painted surfaces are for silverpoint drawings done in the historic style of the old masters.
- paper
- canvas
- wood
- painted surfaces
- digital canvas
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Once a substrate is selected, the artist chooses a drawing tool or media. Most of these media are used today individually or mixed with other media on the common substrates. Artists typically have a personal preference for the media they choose. Common combinations include a white colored pencil or crayon to highlight pencil or charcoal drawings. Pen and ink are often used to create sharp contrasts between shadow and depth. Choice of color can create mood and evoke emotions such as warmth or cold, calm or anger. The desired permanence of the work is also a factor. Wax or silver last for decades, for example. The sterling silver tools are used exclusively to create the ancient method of silverpoint drawings on painted wood and paper surfaces commonly used for still life drawings.
- pencil
- chalk
- pen & Ink
- charcoal
- pastels
- wax crayons
- colored pencils
- sterling silver wire
- digital graphic software
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Types of Still Life Drawing
Early still life drawings were more than just illustrations; they were communications to an audience. Much as we use snapshots today, still life drawings are often simplistic in concept and highly complex in detail to describe objects and themes. Symbolism is integral in still life drawings and is easily recognizable in both memento mori and vanatas drawings. For example, fresh grapes symbolize Christ, decaying or bruised fruit refers to mortality, and insects or vermin might represent corruption or evil. Skulls, the classic symbol of death, are often associated with extinguished candles or pipes with tendrils of smoke rising to the heavens to depict human mortality and the futility of the pursuit of immortality. Opulence foretold decay and death, hourglasses and clocks or watches foretold the slippage of time, the impermanence of the living world. The example of a memento mori themed work depicts the tragedy of short human life; we all have limited time on the earth.
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The vanitas themed work describes the futile quest for power and opulence, the transience of value in pleasures.
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- 0:04 Still Life Drawing
- 1:10 Types
- 2:30 Evolution
- 3:13 Lesson Summary
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Many still life drawings were the product of artist practice to depict specific shapes: a round apple, the drape of the fabric, the intricacies of the everyday relationships of objects. The shapes of common objects selected for a still life drawing provide design elements and focus on specific skills. Drawing round shapes such as an apple or grape, using a glass to demonstrate light refraction, or using fabrics to create shape and flow with light and shadow are standard methods to challenge the artist in a still life project. The arrangement of objects leads the viewer's eye through the drawing. When designed skillfully, the journey tells a story as choreographed by the artist. The height, shape, and placement of objects creates contrasts and harmonies within the work. Still life objects were also symbols used to create a social subject narrative and would be arranged and displayed to tell a story, send a message, or a covert political commentary.
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