plate no. 0647
Still life
Theo van Doesburg, 1906
some experience helpful
Students will develop skills in rendering form through light and shadow, understanding warm and cool color temperature relationships, and creating atmospheric depth in still life compositions.
technical profile
palette complexity
3
brushwork visibility
3
value contrast
4
compositional simplicity
4
study guide
est. 8 hrsapproach — 8 steps
- step 01
Begin with a tonal underpainting in burnt umber to establish dark and light areas
- step 02
Block in the major shapes of the pottery vessels with mid-tones
- step 03
Establish the light source and map the shadow patterns across all objects
- step 04
Paint the background atmosphere using loose, varied brushwork
- step 05
Develop the form of each vessel by modeling light, halftone, and shadow
- step 06
Add reflected light in the shadow areas to give volume
- step 07
Refine edges - softer where objects meet atmosphere, sharper on lit edges
- step 08
Add final highlights and adjust overall value relationships
color palette
primary · burnt umber · raw sienna · yellow ochre · titanium white
secondary · sap green · burnt sienna · ultramarine blue · cadmium yellow
Achieve the golden pottery tones by mixing yellow ochre with burnt sienna and white, add touches of green for the darker glazed areas
techniques
- ·chiaroscuro modeling
- ·atmospheric perspective
- ·color temperature shifts
- ·lost and found edges
- ·scumbling
common pitfalls
- →making shadows too dark and flat
- →neglecting reflected light
- →overworking surface details too early
- →ignoring color temperature in shadows
materials
surface · primed canvas or canvas board
required
- ·#6 flat brush
- ·#4 filbert brush
- ·#2 round brush
- ·burnt umber oil paint
- ·raw sienna oil paint
- ·yellow ochre oil paint
- ·titanium white oil paint
- ·canvas 12x16
- ·palette knife
optional
- ·sap green oil paint
- ·ultramarine blue oil paint
- ·medium (linseed oil)
- ·rag or paper towels
A warm-toned ground would complement this earthy palette well
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