Transparent and Reflective

Still-life

Step One: Drawing and

Composing

You now have three paintings under

Composition
Because we are now painting more
than one object, it is important to
consider composition. This still life
purposely has a large amount of
objects in its arrangement. Your job is
not to paint all of them, but choose a
couple objects from which to paint.
Since you are not allowed to move the
still life objects around, or excessively
delete objects you dont want to
paint, you will need to creatively crop
the still life, focusing on just a few
objects.
Thumbnail Sketches

your belt. Each of these paintings

utilized simple forms and a very
limited color palette. For this next
assignment, we will be painting a still
life that contains multiple objects.
These objects will be more visually
complicated, involving transparent
objects, such as clear and colored
glass, as well as shiny reflective
objects, such as opaque glass
ornaments.
Painting more than one object within a
painting poses several new
challenges. Not only will we need to
mix a palette with multiple colors, we
also need to pay special attention to
how the objects are placed in the
paintings compositionthe overall
design in a work of art; the strategic
placement of objects on your canvas.

It is very easy to want to jump in and

start painting, but we need to narrow
our focus rather than drawing on your
canvas the first thing you see within
the still life. We will visually
brainstorm by sketching several
thumbnail sketches of possible
compositions.

In order to visually see different

possible compositions, we will be
making a view-finder.
A view-finder is a small frame that
helps you see possible compositions in
a still-life. Your mind, now less
distracted by the surrounding objects,
is able to visually frame successful
compositions before even beginning to
draw thumbnail sketches.
The goal is to create a small
rectangular frame with an opening

that is proportional to the size of your

canvas. It needs to be pretty small;
sixteen times smaller than the canvas,
or 1 x 1 .

first thing we see. There are a couple

reasons for this:

To make a view finder:

1. Take a piece of paper and fold it
vertically into a one-inch strip.
2. Fold it in half, so that it makes a
90 degree angle. You now have
one corner of your viewfinder.
3. From the inner corner, measure
one side 1. Fold the strip
paper again at a 90 degree
angle, folding so that the inner
side of the paper is aligned with
the 1 mark. You now have two
defined corners of your
viewfinder.
4. Repeat step 3, this time
marking the other half at 1
from the original inner corner
(should be the adjacent side to
the 1) and folding the strip of
paper at a 90 degree angle.
This should complete the other
two corners of the viewfinder.
5. Tape all sides of the viewfinder.
Now you are ready to use your
viewfinder. By holding it further away
from you, you begin to zoom in on
the subject matter, seeing only a
couple objects close up. Holding the
viewfinder closer to your eye, you
begin to zoom out, seeing more
objects from farther away.
Focal Point
Probably one of the most important
aspects of a composition is its focal
pointthe object or area in a
composition that is the main focus. As
a viewer, the focal point is usually the

The focal point is in contrast to

the rest of the painting, either
lighter or darker than its
surroundings.
The focal points color differs in
color or intensity from its
surroundings.
The focal point has more detail
than its surroundings.
The focal point is isolated from
other objects.

Here are a few tips on placing your

focal point:

Your focal point should not be

on the edge of the canvas, but
fully inside of the canvas. You
want to keep the viewers eye
within the painting, not force it
off the canvas!
Rule of thirds: If you make an
imaginary tic-tac-toe along your
canvas, where each line
intersects is a prime spot for a
focal point. See figure 2.
Putting the focal point in the
dead center of your composition
is often looked upon as being
boring or less dynamic than
placing it according to the rule
of thirds. However, there are
exceptions to every rule!
A painting can have more than
one focal point, often called
accents or counterpoints, see
figure 3.

1. Use an axis line to determine

where the object stands in
space.
The axis line will be in the
center of the object. This is
particularly useful if the object
is lying at an odd angle.
2. Use ellipses (or other geometric
shapes, depending on the
object) to visually construct
your object. Make sure they are
centered on your axis line.

Figure 2 Student Example #2,

Melissa Hessler, 2010

Place the ellipses wherever you

see a shift in width, adjusting
their width appropriately. The
depth of the ellipse (how fat or
skinny it is) should be the same
for each ellipse of the object.
3. Form the silhouette of the
object by connecting the dots
of the outer edges of the
ellipses.
By visually constructing bottles in this
manner, you can avoid many of the
proportional issues you may encounter
otherwise.
Drawing Objects in Relation to
One Another:

Figure 3 Student Example #3,

Chloe Eckberg, 2010

Step Two: The Under-Drawing

Drawing Individual Objects:
Here are a few tips when drawing
bottles, vases and any other
symmetrical three dimensional
objects:

Now that you have some idea of how

to draw individual objects, you will
now need to draw them in relation to
each other. For this still life, not only
do the objects vary in size, but also in
their position in space.
By using sight lines and landmarks,
you can begin to visually record where
objects are in relation to each other.
Sight lines are simply imaginary

horizontal and vertical lines you use to

observe relationship between objects.
To see these within the still life, you
can use a sighting stick, such as your
pencil or a ruler and holding it up to
the still life.
For example, in figure 4, lets say we
want to figure out where to place the
red ball among the other objects.
First, using a sighting stick, aligning it
vertically to the right edge of the red
ball, we notice that it lines up with the
edge of the gold ball above it.
Likewise, if we rotate our sighting stick
horizontally, we can see that the top
of the red ball aligns with the light
reflection of the gold ball to the left.

Figure 4 Student Example #4,

Christi Humble, 2011

Step Three: Mixing Your

Palette
Now that you have a successful underdrawing, it is time to mix your palette.
Like in the drawing process, you will
be using your observational skills.
Start by creating a working palette, or
the starting tubes of paint you will use
to mix your palette. Dont worry at
this point whether or not you will use

all these paintsjust collect all the

paints you think you might use.
Begin by placing a generous amount
of each paint in a line on one edge of
your palette. Place all your warm
colors on one side of the line and all
your cool colors on the other.
Like in the last assignment, create a
tonal palette for each object. This
time, you dont necessarily need to
mix 7 values for each object. Rely on
your observations: how light is the
highlight? What about the light mass
and shadow mass?
Once you figure out how many values
you need, you need to find the right
hue (which color on the color wheel)
Note: you will be fairly limited due to
the amount of pigments that are
available in getting the exact color of
what you are observing.
Now, since there are multiple objects
sitting close to each other, you will
notice colors beyond simply the local
color in each object. For instance, a
red vase may contain a reflection of a
blue object. Is the reflection a pure
blue? Or is the blue reflection more of
a dull purple, since it is mixed with the
red of the vase?
If the reflection is a dull purple, there
are two ways you can go about
creating this colored reflection: either
by mixing it on the palette, or by
applying blue paint wet-on-wet into
the wet red paint of the vase.

Step Four: Painting

Work from general to

specific. Paint the entire

painting, blocking in color and

value of each object as stated
above. Then go back and fix
areas, adding highlights and
other fine details. This way you
dont have one object that is
overworked in the painting
while the rest of the painting
look out of place and
incomplete.

different colors around the

edges.
Note how contained most
reflections arethey are like
little spheres and organic
shapes. Note that not all the
reflections are always white.
Blend the edges of the
highlights; spend time rendering
these as you would other
objects.

Glass

Paint in the blocks of color you

see in the glass. Forget for a
second that you are painting an
object and paint the shapes and
patterns that you see.
Look at the edges of the glass
notice how the edges of the
glass objects are not always one
continuous edgeoften times
the difference between the
cloth and background is
nonexistent. As you are
painting the edges, notice if
there is more than one line of
color.
Most likely, many of the lines
you made in your drawing will
not be present within the object
itself. This is because glass
distorts: while you may be able
to see the bottom of the glass,
the inside may not appear to be
a perfect ellipseglass will
distort what is inside or behind
it.
Save the highlights of the bottle
for last. Note that not all the
highlights are a pure white.
Also, some might contain more
than one value, or have

Be as observant as you can, truly

looking at the distortions rather than
painting what should be there. Be
careful though not to lose the
proportions that you so carefully
obtained in your under-drawing.
Reflective Objects
Like with the glass, paint in the blocks
of color you see in the object. Forget
for a second that you are painting an
object and paint the shapes and
patterns that you see.

Objects that are shinier tend to

show more contrast, (containing
both dark and light value within
the same object) since they
reflect more of their
surroundings then their matte
counterparts. The highlights
are usually white.
Matte objects on the other hand
reflect less of their
surroundings. Their highlights
may be more of a mid-value or
lighter, but not white.
Notice how different colors are
reflected on the reflective
objects. Does the color retain
its actual color in the reflection,

or is it affected by the local

color of the reflected object.
For example, if there is a red
object reflecting onto a purple
object, is the resulting reflection
a pure red, or does the purple
morph it into a red-purple?

Contemporary Artist: Janet Fish

While still-lifes are often associated
with beginning painting and drawing
classes, many artists go on to paint
still life professionally. Janet Fish is
one example of a contemporary stilllife painter of transparent and
reflective objects.
Janet Fish was an artist emerging in
the 1960s. This is a time when
abstraction was the focus for the
majority of the art world. While she
began painting in an abstract
expressionist manner, she soon
realized she was more interested in
realism.1
She is best known for her paintings of
colored glass. As a painter, she is
interested in the play of light and
reflection.

1 Heller, Nancy G. Women Artists: An

Illustrated History. Fourth Edition.
Abbeville Press, New York City: 2003.
Pg. 204

Sketchbook Assignments
1. Draw three vases you observe in the still life, using the visual construction
method of axis lines and ellipses. These should just be line drawings, no
coloring required.
2. Make at least 6 thumbnail sketches of possible compositions from the still life.
Make sure you do block in the colors of objects this time, since this will affect
how the composition reads.
3. Write down the pigments you use in your working palette and then with your
finger or small brush, dab that color next to its name. Then write down the
color mixtures you use in your painting palette for each object. For example:
Red vase: alizarin crimson and cadmium red.

Grading Rubric: Transparent/Reflective Still-life

F (0-59)
Poor

D (60-69)
Below Avg.

C (70-79)
Average

B (80-89)
Good

A (90-100)
Excellent

Total

1. Canvas
2.
Composition
3. Palette
4. Blending
5. Form
1. Canvas: Does the canvas have neat edges with no smudges, (i.e. painted white gesso, bare canvas)? Are the
corners folded under in a presentable manner?

2. Composition: Is the composition pleasing? Where is the focal point and how is it placed?

3. Palette: Does the painting contain the necessary values as demanded by the subject matter? Have you chosen
the appropriate hues? Is the intensity of hue believable?

4. Blending: Does the painting show a believable transition between hues and values?

5. Form: Does the painting resemble the reality of the subject matter? Does it create the illusion of form?