These design tips on arranging a still life will help you elevate your painting from a mere collection of objects to a cohesive, powerful, and well-composed work of art. Pat has a new art video workshop available, so click here to preview it and get your copy!
7 Tips for Arranging a Compelling Still Life
by Pat Fiorello
A frequent request I get in my workshops is, “Can you share how to set up a still life?”
There are no absolute “rules” and much of the thinking for creating any good composition, regardless of the genre, still applies here. The wonderful and freeing aspect of still life is that you are designing the whole scene, as compared to a landscape, for example, where you are editing what’s already there. It can be exciting to have that much creative latitude, but it can also be intimidating. Here are some of the things I think about as I arrange still life set ups for my own painting inspiration.
1. What is your intention for this painting? What do you want to say? Why are you excited to paint this painting? What is the concept, idea, theme, or specific “star” of your composition? Is there a narrative you want to tell with the collection of objects you are assembling? It does not need to be a literal story. It might be about the relationship of colors, shapes, or textures.
I typically take one element I am really excited by – maybe a gorgeous vase or a collection of flowers – and then build the arrangement around that. Feel free to think out of the box and make your set up personal (i.e. do you have favorite collections or meaningful pieces in your home) or perhaps something unexpected – small tools, memorabilia, keys, kitchen items.
2. Which contrasts do you want to emphasize to tell your story? Art is all about contrasts and we have many ways we can express that. Is the main contrast about color? For example, dominantly blue shapes with a small contrast of complementary orange? Or contrast of value?
Playing the full value range from light to very dark can convey a dramatic mood, while a closer value range can suggest a more subtle and sensitive feeling. (I often take photos of my still life set ups with both a dark and light background to see how different they feel.)
Do you want to emphasize a contrast of high chroma color vs. lower intensity background? Even contrasting textures – hard elements vs. soft, shiny and reflective vs. dull – can add interest to your design.
Size can be another contrast. Something delicate can give a spark of life to a lot of heavy items. Which contrasts are most essential to your story? A quick reminder: Once you think you have your set up ask, “Do I have some area that’s light? Dark? Bright? Dull? If you have all four bases covered, you’re assured of some interesting contrast.
3. Lighting is key. My center of interest is typically well lit. That’s where I want the viewer’s eye to go, typically not in the shadows (although you could do that – it’s your painting!). Set and keep a consistent light source. Think of yourself as a Broadway set director. What /where do you want to emphasize? Light also imparts unity across your scene. It provides a common temperature and intensity (i.e. strong spotlight vs. diffused natural light).
4. Rather than thinking of your still life as a collection of ‘things,” it’s important to think about eye movement around the composition. How will the viewer’s eye flow – left to right, right to left, front to back, top to bottom? Where will the viewer’s eye enter the painting, how will it travel to get to the center of interest and be kept in the painting?
This is no different than designing a landscape or figure painting. Any design strategies, such as circular, S-shaped, or L-shaped, can apply to still lifes too. The direction and flow of the light becomes a strong design element and can help direct the viewer’s eye throughout the “stage.” Shadows become a shape and can help keep the eye in a painting rather than flowing out. Repetition of color is another device that can help move someone’s eye around your canvas. And, of course, directional lines from elements in your scene, like a stem, knife, ribbon, etc., can guide the eye by acting as visual “pointers.”
5. Consider placement and what to include. I start with the “star,” envision where I want that on the canvas, and then place objects in relation to that. Thinking “shapes of color” rather than “things” can help get beyond literal thinking and get you into the mindset of massing shapes.
Try to group “like values” together to create fewer bigger shapes for more solidity rather than fragmentation in your scene. Once I’ve determined my focus, I will play, adding things in, taking things away, moving them, overlapping them, always judging how that will work relative to my original intention for the painting. Pay attention to your own response. Some of this will just “feel” right to you. Remember, sometimes removing something is as helpful as adding something. You need some breathing room/quiet space surrounding your key elements.
6. Repetition with variety is an important design principle. Try to avoid a jar and a piece of fruit of the same size and shape. Too boring. (Remember the importance of contrast!). I prefer using uneven amounts, e.g. including one or three peaches, instead of two, which might feel more static and predictable, unless I overlap the two peaches in such a way that they read as one larger shape.
If I have multiples of the same type of item, say roses, I try to vary their shape, size, and orientation. Have them face in different directions for added interest.
7. Play with the format, or orientation of the scene. Would a vertical, horizontal, or square best fit the intention of the scene and flow of eye movement you are creating? Say you have a long, thin vase with gladiolus. That might read better in a vertical format, which would emphasize the height direction of your “star.”
Again, this is a personal artistic choice, but actively consider different formats, rather than automatically defaulting to horizontal. It’s easy to consider this. Just take photos of your set up and crop in to see which seems most exciting to you and the best choice to deliver on the feeling you’re going for.
I share these considerations not to give any rules or “have to’s,” because it’s your art to create. But I encourage you to think of still life with an intentional design sense. Painting contrast, mood, and movement will help you elevate your still lifes from merely painting a collection of objects to creating a cohesive, powerful, and well composed work of art.
Have fun!
