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DrawCollection ColorfulFruitStillLife March2022 FINAL

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Julius Yves Bagacay
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547 views

DrawCollection ColorfulFruitStillLife March2022 FINAL

Uploaded by

Julius Yves Bagacay
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Colorful Fruit Still Life

Draw a fruit still life using color


pencil layering techniques for
dimension, texture, and detail.

Supplies:
• pencil
• paper
• eraser
• colored pencils
• fruit (or wax fruit)
• bowls, plates, decorative
fabric (optional)

Janet Fish (American, born 1938), Embroidery from Uzbekistan, 2008, oil on canvas.
Museum purchase with funds provided by the Medici Society. 2009.8

Step 1
Gather several items of fruit for the still life (approx. 5-7 items).

Helpful hint: for best results, select a variety of contrasting colors, sizes, and shapes to
work with (ex: a tall green pear with a short red strawberry).

Helpful hint: use wax or plastic fruit if the still life will need to be set up over a period of
several days to avoid fruit from changing color or wilting during the drawing process.

Note: real fruit can be altered (ex: cut in half, sliced into sections, etc.) to add more
variety and detail to the drawing if desired.

Have time for a short survey? Let us know how you’re enjoying our digital resources!
Step 2
Assemble the fruit into a still life
arrangement.

Helpful hint: try several


arrangements before selecting a
final set up. Take a photo of the
final arrangement for later use.

Helpful hint: use bowls, plates,


or cloth to give extra pop to the
fruits’ colors (ex: orange fruit on
blue plate). Bowls can also be
turned upside down and used as
a pedestal to add height to the
composition.

Step 3
Select the perspective for your
drawing (ex: draw the entire still life
vs. a close-up view of just a few
objects).

Helpful hint: for best results, fill


the entire page with the objects.
Keep at least one object in-view
if using a close-up perspective to full view close-up view
provide context to the drawing.

Step 4
Draw a boundary box at the full-size you
wish for your final composition to be.
Draw the basic geometric shapes of all
the still life objects seen in your final
composition (ex: circle for an orange, oval
for a pear, etc.).

Helpful hint: compare the sizes of all


the objects to accurately gauge
proportions (ex: apple is twice as tall
as strawberry, but apple is equal in
height to pear, etc.).

Have time for a short survey? Let us know how you’re enjoying our digital resources!
Step 5
Refine all outer
contours of the
geometric shapes to
best resemble their
corresponding
elements (ex: refine
triangle to look more
like a strawberry,
etc.). Draw lightly
and erase former
lines as needed.

Step 6
Lightly draw all
interior shapes and
refine those details
as needed (ex: draw
the individual grapes
inside the shape
representing the
whole grape bunch
or seeds seen in a
strawberry shape).

Step 7
Lightly fill in the base color of each object with colored pencils (ex: use just a base color
orange first for an orange fruit).

Helpful hint: apply base color in a circular motion rather than straight lines to prevent
rounded objects from appearing flat.

Have time for a short survey? Let us know how you’re enjoying our digital resources!
Step 8
Add more layers of color and shadows to give the still life objects dimension and detail.

Helpful hint: enhance base


colors by blending other similar
hues into them (ex: add red to
an orange base color) and by
continually adding firmer
pressure with each color layer.

Helpful hint: create highlights


by layering white or lighter
colors (ex: yellow) over the
base color or use eraser to
lighten areas of color.

Helpful hint: create rich color


values by layering darker hues
(ex: blue, brown, or purple)
rather than black for shadows.
Use black sparingly as it is
difficult to erase and color over.

Resources
Color pencil blending techniques
Still life composition tips
Learn more about Janet Fish

Questions about or ideas for Draw from the Collection? Email [email protected]
The contents of this document are copyright ©2022 by the Dayton Art Institute, all rights reserved.
This document has been prepared by the DAI Education Department for educational uses only, and any commercial use is prohibited.

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