Composition

Tips for still life composition

1. keep arranging your props until you feel good (it sometimes takes her quite a long time)
2. make things uneven - spacing between things colours number of objects, edges, direction of strokes, warm and cool colours
3. avoid awkward kissing of objects (2 apples just touching)
4. the rule of thirds (divide the canvas into thirds (vertically and horizontally  and the sweet spot is where the lines meet
5. fool around with the light

And most of all don't be afraid to break the rules.

Exercise: "Take a simple object, some pieces of paper and make different compositions. 

NOTE: she said take a simple object so I pulled out a salt shaker.  Salt shakers are quite complicated but I really enjoyed doing this exercise. It just took me longer than I would of liked.  I am having a show and in conjunction gave a talk.  The title was painting in a series.  This little project shows that even with a one object you can see me getting more comfortable painting it.

No salt was spilt in the making of this art. 

 

Double Espresso

I wanted to try to paint 2 mugs - one inside another.  Carol does it all the time and of course she makes it look easy.  There are a lot of angles and ovals that are hard.  I started with drawing lines at the edges, filled in the lines, and the shapes.  A little more paint and I am done.  Now I see something wrong with the upper handle, but I am pleased.  I really learning a lot from her book. I would continue to work on it if it was for a complete painting but this is an exercise learn and move on.