Still life is one of the most prolific genres of art in the world. Nearly every artist in the world has completed a still life drawing, whether for a class assignment, a commission, or a personal project. On the surface, the depiction of objects may seem boring, uncreative, even tedious. But the truth is that those artists who practice the art of still life drawing can capture life and movement in those still, inanimate objects, creating meaning in the depiction of the mundane. One of the most famous still lives in the world is Still Life: An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life (1640) by Harmen Steenwijck. This allegorical painting is a part of a larger sub-genre of still life, the vanitas. In simple terms, vanitas refers to the temporary pleasures of life. Pictures within this genre often include lavish goods, like golden goblets and sumptuous textiles, next to human skulls as a reminder of the transience of life. Not all still lives are so dramatic though, such as the works by South Korean Artist SooYoung Chung. Chung paints objects and scenes from her daily life that reveal information about her personality. Across her work, she paints buckets of cheeseballs and brightly wrapped candies- a snacky artist!

In this still life drawing course, we will learn and master the technical aspects of drawing inanimate objects, but we will also explore young artists’ personalities, identities, and interests through the objects and themes they choose to use. How to Draw Intermediate: Still Life Drawing is the next step for any young artist with basic drawing knowledge interested in mastering essential drawing skills. This 12-week course will take learners through the process of creating a visually stunning still life that will help them master proportion, perspective, lines, value, textures, composition, and more. They will complete seven still life projects with five or more objects. 


REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE:
It is recommended that learners come in familiar with basic drawing skills and vocabulary. Be sure to ask your learner if they know what the grades on their pencils mean, what values are, and if they know what a contour is. If they cannot answer these questions, I recommend checking out my course How to Draw Basics: Still Life Drawing first. Or, if your learner is completely new to art, How to Draw: Foundations is a great beginner course!

LESSON SUMMARY:
Lesson 1: Materials & Fundamentals 
In our first class together, we will begin with introductions of ourselves and of the scope of the course. After brief introductions, I will review the materials artists will need with them. Then, we will go over fundamental drawing skills and techniques. To ensure all learners enrolled in this course know basic drawing concepts, we will spend our first lesson reviewing important drawing knowledge. Basic drawing know-how will also ensure that young artists have developed basic art-making skills, such as a steady hand, observation, simplification, and how to build forms. 

Lesson 2: Making a Photo Lightbox & Setting Scenes
In this lesson, we will begin by assembling a lightbox together. For this project, learners will need a box or cardboard/poster board, a box cutter or scissors, tape, a translucent paper or fabric such as wax paper, tracing paper, parchment paper, or very thin fabric, one or two lamps or flashlight/torch with working lightbulbs. There will be illustrated instructions for young artists to follow along as we build our lightbox in class together. Learners will be encouraged to manipulate the lighting conditions, arrange objects in different ways and put different objects into their lightbox, to use different colored papers or fabrics if available for the background of their boxes. 

Lesson 3: Composition Intensive
Composition is essential to a stunning still life. In our composition lesson, we will begin by reviewing basic framing and the eight elements of composition. After our review, we will practice two composition drawing exercises that will encourage young artists to draw interesting, dynamic designs and ensure their compositions are clear to viewers. The first exercise will be doing gestures (quick sketches) of dynamic still life set ups from provided photo references. These quick sketches will force students to simplify and help them understand what successful compositions look like. Our second exercise will be a value-blocking exercise. 

Lesson 4: Still Life focused on Form & Proportion 
For our first still life, young artists will use simple objects (objects composed of one or two forms, for example a paper towel roll or a can of beans is a cylinder, a book is box) in a variety of sizes. Using simple objects will help learners focus on constructing the forms rather than details. Additionally, a variety of sizes of simple objects will encourage young artists to measure their proportions properly. Please have the objects to be used in the still life and the lightbox ready before class begins. We will begin this lesson by reviewing how to measure proportions using a pencil, pen, knitting needle, or a similar utensil. Then, we will warm up by practicing composition sketches as we assemble our still lives in the lightbox. Once young artists are confident in their measuring and have their objects assembled for their final still life drawing, we will begin to work on the still life. Young artists will be required to measure every element of their still life and construct their drawing using basic forms. 

Lesson 5: Still Life Focused on Contour 
Our second still life will be focused on line. The quality of line an artist uses tells the viewer a lot about what the artist saw while developing the drawing. A quick expressive line indicates motion, a long, bold line shows concentration, a broken, sketchy line suggests a messy sketch. By manipulating the line, an artist can make something appear close or far away, create an illusion of texture, and much more. Line is incredibly important to drawing! As with the previous still life, the subject should include at least five objects, have a dedicated theme, fill up the page, and be worked for at least 60 minutes. 

Lesson 6: Still Life Focused on Value 
The third still life will have a focus on light and dark, or value. Value is important for depicting volume, shading, and shadows. The way light and dark is used in an image is an important factor in the tone, or the emotional elements of a piece as well. Mastering value may be challenging, but with help from the lightbox, young artists should be able to see the shadow shapes of their objects easily. As with our previous still life drawings, the subject should contain at least five objects, have a dedicated theme, fill up the page, and take at least 60 minutes to complete. 

Lesson 7: Still Life with Fabric Component 
Our challenge for the fourth still life is to include a draped fabric element. A fabric component is a great way to add movement, texture, and/or pattern to a still life. But, fabric can be tricky to draw as it folds in unusual ways and is often very detailed. With three still lives complete, young artists should have the confidence to tackle this tricky subject. Before they begin drawing, I will explain the different types of folds they may encounter and demonstrate how to draw them simply. Practicing drawing fabric in a still life is a great way to start drawing fabric for other drawings too- from fashion to figures and design. 

Lesson 8: Sill Life with Glass Component 
The fifth still life will be required to include a glass component. Glass is a wonderful element to include in a still life due to its interesting transparent nature and the unique shiny texture. Learners can use a variety of glass objects, from glassware like wine glasses or drinking glasses, mirrors, glasses, paperweights, or sculptures. If no glass is available, clear plastic will do in a pinch. The glass component in our fifth still life will challenge young artists to carefully observe texture and value, as well as any distortion to other features of the still like the glass might cause. Before learners begin their still life, I will demonstrate how one might draw glass and discuss what to look for when drawing glass elements. 

Lesson 9: Still Life Master Study
Establishing compositions from one’s imagination is a great way to develop a working understanding of how design works, it also gives young artists plenty of freedom to explore the objects and elements that they find the most interesting. However, studying from the masters gives insight on how to bolster one’s still lives to the next level. The challenge for the sixth still life is to base it on another artist’s work. There are plenty of incredible artists who have worked in the still life genre to take inspiration from, such as Caravaggio, Vincent van Gogh, Rachel Ruysch, Picasso, Audrey Flack, and plenty others!

Lessons 10 & 11: The Final Still Life
Our next two lessons will be dedicated to our final project: a themed still life with at least three objects of various size, shape, color, and texture on a large surface. Young artists may pick any theme they like, but it should be clear and engaging. They will curate at least five objects of various sizes, shapes, textures, and colors that fit their theme. The objects should be arranged in a visually interesting way. As with our previous lessons, young artists will warm-up with several composition sketches.

Lesson 12: Critique of Work 
Our last lesson will begin with an introduction to critiques and practice of them. Utilizing the Critique Guide, learners will practice critiquing each other’s artwork. A critique is an oral or written statement that is used to analyze, describe, interpret, and judge works of art with the goal of starting or contributing to a discussion regarding the artwork in question. Critiques teach artists and critics to engage in positive, constructive dialogue about art by providing a space to ask questions, engage with pieces, speak persuasively, and justify one’s opinion. Art critiques should be an important part of any artists’ process.