Want to know the best still life drawing ideas for every artist? These are great still life drills for artists of any skill level.
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Still life can be intimidating but it doesn’t have to be! Learn about great still life drawing ideas, most of which don’t even need to be done in a studio. I create still life pieces while I’m on vacation or watching TV. It really doesn’t need to be complicated. Learn how you can do it too.
You are going to learn about still life drawing ideas, basic drawing skills, simple still life drawing, how to make a still life drawing, still life drawing example, and more!
After learning about all of these still life drawing ideas you will be on your way to developing your drawing and still life abilities.
Supplies needed:
- Drawing Set: has pencils, sharpeners, blenders, and a sketchbook that all conveniently comes with a travel case.
- Various random objects
17 Great Still Life Drawing Ideas
Still Life at Home
When you hear still life drawing you probably think about some fancy art studio where an artist draws a bowl of fruit. There are a few problems with that: you don’t have a fancy art studio to go to and you don’t have fruit for a bowl.
What if I tell you that you don’t need any of that stuff?
The truth is you can do still life drawings with anything around you. Is there a bowl, a cup, and a remote right next to you? Put it on a flat surface and you have set up a still life arrangement.
One thing you want to think about when combining objects for an arrangement is how they work together. The best arrangements have small, medium, and large objects. This gives your drawing depth, but it also helps you as the artist with placement, proportions, and lines.
1. Basic Drawing Skills
This set up has a remote (small object), a bowl (medium object), and a glass (large object).
The main point of these still life at home arrangements is to practice your basic drawing skills. Of course, you can make them as professional-looking as you want, but they can also be a quick 5-minute exercise.
2.
Computer monitor
A simple still life drawing is a computer. They are easy to find, with little to no setup required. You can just sit down and start drawing.
3.
This setup has a water bottle and a tape measurer.
Typically three objects make an easy still life composition because you have a small, medium, and large object to work with. However for your sketchbook and practice if you only have two objects that is A-okay.
4.
This still life drawing has a tissue box and a plastic bottle.
This simple still life drawing is a good example of why it is better to use objects of varying sizes. Although the tissue box and plastic bottle shouldn’t be the same height they look the same height because of the placement of the items. It would make a good drill for you to do something like this so you can experience the challenge that two items of similar size cause.
Don’t have a lot of room for art? Check out How to Paint in a Dorm Room in 9 Easy Steps for ideas on how to create art in small spaces.
5.
This simple still life drawing example is a door knob.
If you are wanting to work on your ellipses this is a perfect object for you to draw.
You might think this would be an easy drawing, but don’t get discouraged when it is harder than you think it should be. With all of the ellipses it is a challenging still life.
6. Simple Still Life Drawing
This still life set up has a box, a paper cup, and a wax container.
The simple objects in this still life makes a perfect still life to practice basic drawing skills. Using a box instead of a book makes it easier to draw because you won’t have the pages of the cracked book make the angles weird to draw.
7.
This still life drawing pencil sketch is of a small plastic basketball.
This is a super easy still life drawing idea. You can combine it with other objects or draw it on its own depending on how much time you have to draw.
Want more creative drawing ideas? Check out this post:
8.
A plastic cup on a book
This very easy still life drawing is super simple. Only two objects, but the composition is still good because of the height and length of the two objects.
My favorite part of this drawing is that I was able to do it outside on a nice summer evening.
9.
Lake landscape
This landscape sketch was drawn en plein air, but that doesn’t mean you can’t count it as still life. If you want to draw it do it and don’t get caught up on the right way on how to make still life drawings.
Still Life in Studio
The benefit of doing still life in a studio is that you get a consistent background and you can easily change the lighting. This is most important when you are shading or painting your still life drawing.
If you are serious about improving your drawing and painting abilities I highly recommend that you find and take a still life course. When I enrolled in a still life class my art abilities improved exponentially. Not just in drawing but also in painting, noticing reflections and shadows, composition, and so much more. It’s very helpful to have an experienced artist correct you and show you how to do things in real time.
10. How to Make Still Life Drawing
This still life arrangement has an oval container (small), a plastic pear (medium), and a ceramic mug (large).
One drawing still life tip is to draw the overall shape that encompasses all of the objects. It creates a sort of frame for you to draw in so you know how big to make your objects.
11.
This still life drawing has a candlestick, coconut, and mug.
Play with different placements of the objects. If you usually have the tall item in the back move it to the front.
It’s good to step out of your comfort zone. It will help challenge your art skills.
12.
A pumpkin, apple, and coffee mug
When drawing your still life don’t be afraid to erase A LOT. You will need to move objects around on your page to get them just right. Sometimes that means erasing the entire object and redrawing it. This can be frustrating and disappointing especially if you drew it really well. However, it will be worth it in the end.
13. Still Life Drawing Ideas for Beginners
This arrangement is composed of a candlestick, an apple, a pear, and a book.
This was my very first attempt at a still life drawing. Not terrible but not great either. Every time I look at it I think about what I could do to make it better. However, I am glad that I kept it because I can see how much I have improved.
Keep a record of your drawings to see how much you have improved. This can be especially beneficial when you are feeling stuck and not happy with any of your work.
Check out 39 Things to Sketch when Bored: Ideas Easy to Hard for more sketching ideas.
14.
Large teapot
If you are working in a studio and not sure of where to focus the light on your object remember the rules of thirds. The painting will look best if the reflection is on the first or last third of the object. You don’t want it right in the middle.
15. Still Life Drawing Example
5 item still life drawing
When you are picking the still life objects you know to choose objects of various sizes, but how many objects should you choose? As a general rule odd numbers of objects are not only easy to arrange, but they will also look better.
Frankly, I don’t know why this is the case, but it is. Trying to set up an arrangement with 4 or 6 items is very frustrating.
16.
Hallway in a remodeled parking garage
This en plein air still life drawing is of a long hallway. It was first drawn in pencil and then retraced in permanent maker.
You could draw your apartment, house, church, or favorite restaurant. Just remember where you sit so that the angles are the same because it will most likely take you more than one sitting to complete this project.
17. Still Life Drawing with Oil Pastels
A cup and an apple still life drawing with oil pastels.
When thinking of a still life drawing you, like many people, may think of a conventional drawing like the one above. You might get so caught up with the end product that you forget about the hours of drawing, erasing, redrawing, tracing, and painting that results in the iconic still life painting.
When I first started still life I never thought I could make something like the painting above. I wasn’t wrong either. If I had tried to paint that at the time I started still life, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. But with hours of practice, patience, and effort, I was able to do it.
And you can too!
As Beyonce once said “I strongly believe if you work hard, whatever you want, it will come to you. I know that’s easier said than done, but keep trying.”
So keep trying, keep drawing, and keep progressing!
This post is all about still life drawing ideas.
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