Painting is one of the best ways to deal with depression, improve your mood, and believe in your strengths and capabilities. It is believed that some special talents and abilities are needed for painting classes. In fact, you just need to have desire and perseverance. It doesn’t matter at what age a person begins to draw. Often people master the pattern in retirement age, and they do great work. The simplest plot for writing the first picture is a still life with fruit. At home, you can always find a vase or plate, and stroll to the market for fresh fruit.
What needs to be prepared for the first drawing?
In order to get started, it is enough to have special paper for drawing, high-quality simple pencils, an eraser, paint brushes, as well as good watercolor. Of course, you can draw on anything with any pencils, but not high-quality materials can complicate the process and discourage the desire to draw. Therefore, the first still life with fruit, for beginners, should be done on suitable paper, with good pencils and paints.
Tools and materials:
- Simple pencils of different hardness, it is better to purchase a set.
- Paper for watercolors or drawing format A3.
- Watercolor brush number 6, if desired, you can buy brushes of different sizes (squirrel, columns, goat).
- Soft eraser (eraser).
- Watercolor paints ("St. Petersburg" or "Ladoga").
- Easel. This is not the most necessary tool, it can be replaced with a chair.
- A paper holding tablet is suitable in size.
How to make a composition for a still life?
A correctly composed composition for a still life with flowers and fruits is half the success of the finished work. When choosing items, it is important to pay attention to their shape. If you use low objects, you need to add a couple of elongated elements, this is necessary for the harmony of the composition. To give the picture dynamism, objects must be of different shapes - round, angular and tightly composed. For a calmer composition, objects should be placed more spaciously and extended along a horizontal line.
It is very important that the composition is in contrast. If you make the same shape and color elements, the picture will not be interesting and boring. Therefore, when choosing items, you need to pay attention to color, texture, size and shape. If the composition is dominated by green, then you must add some red object. In any case, you should not forget about your desires, because the future still life with fruits is the artist’s creation, and only he can decide what the composition will be. The paintings painted with sepia or charcoal are in no way inferior to the works painted in watercolor.
Lighting and selection of a place for a still life
The best lighting is natural. For painting, a window seat is best. The brighter the room, the more convenient and easier it is to draw. In winter or in the dark, you can use lamps, but this complicates the work, although if you practice drawing constantly, the artist will get used to artificial lighting, and it will become easier to work.
- If the artist sits facing the window, and a still life, a vase of fruit - between him and the window, then the shadow will hide most of the details and shades. The drawing will turn out dark and with elements of drama.
- If you sit with your back to the window, and put a still life with fruit in front of you, then the objects will be illuminated in their entirety and there will be almost no shadows.
- If the artist sits sideways to the window, and the still life is also located, then the side lighting will emphasize the shape, shadow and balance the proportions of the composition.
Therefore, the first time to draw a still life with fruit for a novice artist will be more convenient and easier when it is located sideways to the light source.
Workplace preparation
Before you begin, you need to pull the paper on the tablet. To do this, moisten a sheet of paper and attach it to the tablet with a small amount of PVA glue, smearing the sheet around the perimeter. When the sheet dries, it will stretch out on the tablet. If this is not done, then when working with watercolors, for which you need to use a lot of water, a sheet of paper will go in waves. This will interfere with the correct filling of the drawing with watercolor. If the artist is going to draw a still life with fruit in pencil and pastel, then a sheet of paper can be fixed on the tablet with buttons or clothespins.
Then you need to make room at the window, put an easel or chair and fasten a tablet with paper on it. Opposite the easel, put a table or stool on which there will be a still life with flowers and fruits. It is very important to choose a background for the composition. As the background, you can use plain fabric or paper. When you have experience in painting, you can try to draw a picture with a colorful background or with beautifully laid folds of fabric.
Sketch drawing
First of all, you need to draw a sketch of the future picture. To do this, select the main element in the composition and draw up a plan of the picture. It is necessary to draw with thin lines, so that later they can easily be erased with an elastic band.
- Designate a horizontal line on the sheet, this will be the table on which the objects stand.
- Outline the points, lines and arrangement of the elements of the picture and sketch in two-dimensional projection.
- Draw the main objects, first draw them with rectangular shapes, and then round the corners, indicating their depth.
- Outline minor objects, such as fruits or flowers, and draw their shapes.
- Erase all auxiliary lines and errors with an elastic band.
- Outline the background, if necessary, for example, in the presence of drapery.
- Determine the location of shadow, light, partial shade, reflection and reflexes. Label them on the sketch.
Watercolor drawing
After the sketch is ready, you can begin to fill the drawing with watercolor paints. In working with watercolors, one must remember that she loves water. Before starting work, the sketch or sketch should be moistened with clean water, prepare a palette for mixing colors. The palette can be a plastic board, which is usually included in a set of paints, or use a small sheet of paper. The water in the bank must be changed as necessary. When drawing in watercolor, you need to stock up on a roll of paper towels so that you can squeeze the brush or remove excess water from the drawing.
Work stages
First you need to fill in the background of the picture. To do this, choose the right color, mixing paints with each other. Drawing in pure color is not recommended, since there are light and dark places in the drawing, the transition from light to shadow should be smooth. For example, if you mix yellow and blue paints, you get green, while changing the proportions of these paints you can get a huge amount of shades of green.
After filling the background, you can begin to stain large objects, while not forgetting about chiaroscuro. Dark areas make the tone darker than light, thus creating a three-dimensional image in the picture.
Then start writing small objects, also creating volume by enhancing the tone. From time to time it is worth moving away from the picture in order to evaluate the result as a whole and to correct errors in time. Watercolor paints are good because all errors can be easily washed off with water and paint the picture correctly.
When the work is ready, you need to leave it to dry and make sure that dust and other small debris do not stick to it. Rinse and dry the brushes in a vertical position with the working end upwards so as not to break the hair.
Success in creativity depends on desire and patience. It is very useful for a novice artist to consider still lifes with fruits, photos of which can be found on the Internet, books and magazines on art. Museums will also benefit greatly.