✏️ STILL LIFE DRAWING
✏️ YOUR SKETCH KIT
This capstone lesson combines everything you have learned. Set up a small still life on a table, block the shapes lightly, build values across all objects, then refine edges for a polished finish.
- ✏️ Graphite pencils: H for blocking, HB for midtones, B for deep shadows
- 🍎 3 to 5 simple objects: fruit, mug, box, or a small plant in a pot
- 🪑 Table or desk: a clear surface so cast shadows read clearly
- 💡 One lamp: side light makes forms easier to see than overhead room light
- 🧽 Kneaded eraser: lift highlights and clean construction lines
Time: about 15 minutes · Work big to small · Finish one area before jumping around
PAGE 1 OF 5, STILL LIFE SETUP
ARRANGE YOUR SCENE
SIMPLE OBJECTS ON A TABLE
A still life is a group of everyday objects you draw from real life or from careful observation. Pick three to five items with different shapes: a box, a mug, an apple, maybe a small plant. Place them on a table with one lamp from the side so shadows point the same direction. Leave space between objects so edges do not tangle. Put the tallest item off-center for a livelier layout. Sit at the same eye level while you draw so proportions stay true. Even a heroic houseplant with silly eyes starts as simple pots and leaf masses on a flat surface.
⚡ DID YOU KNOW?
Art students have trained on still lifes for centuries because they teach shape, light, and patience without needing a model to pose.
SETUP!
PICK SHAPES
📦 Mix boxes, cylinders, and spheres.
🎯 Different forms test different skills.
🎯 Different forms test different skills.
ONE LIGHT
💡 Side lamp, same direction all lesson.
🌑 Cast shadows fall one way only.
🌑 Cast shadows fall one way only.