The Still Life: how I create…

I used this copyright free images of glass vases from the internet to create this still life image.  It’s inspired by Ludmilla Skripchenko who was my featured artist for this project.  It’s all about the overlap in her work.  The transparent nature of glass makes the overlap so fun to explore.  Think of stained glass, flattening the objects and cubism when you do her work.  It’s super fun!  Oh…and I will use colored pencils so you can do this in your Creativity Journal (see my shop).  Watercolors would be really lovely if you do this on watercolor paper.  Try it!!

Photography by Paul Garreth

This is the photograph I worked from to create by sketch. Notice how I flattened out the image and used it only as a resource. I had a friend tell me that she went to the glass vases aisle in a thrift store and took pictures to inspire her work! Great idea!!

Step One: Do a light pencil sketch of the outer shapes you are including in your sketch. Start with a plumb line for all the symmetrical objects…but don’t be too worried about this-Ludmilla’s objects are often very organic.

Step Two: Using a 0.3 felt tip, permanent ink pen, outline the shapes of the object that is closest to you (in the foreground) and highest on the page. Rely upon your contour skills to follow along the edges and allow yourself to stray a bit. Make your vases slightly asymmetrical to add character!

Step Three: Add more shapes to the image with an ink pen. The key to Ludmilla’s still life compositions is the overlap. Make sure all the objects overlap somewhere except the small objects that you add last. Draw you lines without lifting your pen off the paper so they are confident, smooth and single.

Step Four: The straight line of the table surface is a real grounding element of her work. Make sure to add that line in a strategic spot that doesn’t interfere too much with your other lines.

Start adding the foreground elements. These little shapes like lemon slices, cherries, flower petals, fill in the negative space and lead you into the glass vases.

Step Five: Have fun adding more lines that overlap, twist, turn, even make a spiral here and there. Think of the shapes you make like stained glass windows. Divide up the spaces into interesting small shapes that you can later add color to.

Step Six: Here’s my image with the extra lines drawn in. Don’t overdo it! Maybe 1/3 of the primary lines have this embellishment.

Step Seven: This is optional, but adding some long, slightly curved vertical lines in the background bring even more texture to the piece. They also segment the background giving you opportunities to color in shapes instead of trying to color the whole background at one time.

Step Eight: Add any other little objects necessary to balance the composition. I thought it needed some cherries.

Step Nine: I call this stage the “Icing on the Cake”! With a medium weight felt tip (0.5 or more) start coloring in some small shapes made by the overlapping lines. Do this in every object, just a little bit at a time and them let it build as you see fit.

Step Ten: Here’s my finished black and white image. Feel free to stop here! It looks great!!!

Step Eleven: Prismacolor pencils are a slow controlled medium which makes them great to use when you're unsure of how your color should look when finished. Start with the lightest color that you see in the color from your photograph. With Ludmilla, all of her colored shapes grade or move from light to dark. Build up the color by applying another darker toned pencil or by pressing more firmly with the first pencil. Here you see various levels of grading.

Step Twelve: Build the colors slowly moving towards the darkest color in the objects and then blend that color with the lightest color.

Step Thirteen: Here it is all finished! I tinted the photo slightly, but it does have a bit of a blue cast.

Way to GO!!!

Here’s my Ludmilla still life in watercolor. I little more vibrant but a little harder to control if you are inexperienced.

Buy my Creativity Journal on Amazon and fill your book with all ten projects! There is space for journaling, ideation and to create the final project. The QR code in the book links you to the journal so you can take it with you and be creative anywhere you go. You just need a pen, curiosity and joyful effort!!