Still life story telling

As with any other subject, composition is all important to success. Still life brings the opportunity or individuality in your storytelling, since all the elements are under your control. With good lighting and a balanced arrangement, you’ll be most of the way there.

Lighting

Strong lighting results in immediate drama, producing deep shadows and vivid colours – it just makes subjects more fun to paint. Try using a spotlight to create a good breadth of values. I typically set up items on a shiny surface for extra reflections, with a dark background and spotlight placed above and to the side, such as in (above). The spotlight allows for the pop of white paint that brings