plate no. 2813

Still Life with Self Portrait

oilRealismstill lifestill lifevasesbowleggstabletopshadows

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in depicting reflective surfaces and understanding subtle value shifts to create form. It also provides practice in creating a sense of depth and atmosphere through soft edges and muted colors.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 10 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes and placement of the objects, paying attention to proportions.
step 02
Establish the background with a thin wash of neutral colors, focusing on the overall tone.
step 03
Block in the dark values of the vases, leaving areas for highlights.
step 04
Begin building up the mid-tones and highlights on the bowl, using soft blending techniques.
step 05
Add the eggs, paying attention to their subtle shadows and highlights.
step 06
Refine the shapes and edges of all objects, softening some edges to create atmosphere.
step 07
Add final details, such as reflections and subtle color variations.
step 08
Glaze with thin layers to unify the painting and adjust values as needed.

color palette

primary · ivory black · raw umber · titanium white

secondary · yellow ochre · burnt umber

Achieve the subtle color variations by mixing the primary colors with small amounts of secondary colors. Use white to create highlights and dilute the paint for glazing.

techniques