Fast and easy!
When you are going to draw objects from life, it is advisable to use them odd number(for example three strawberries, five trees). This creates visual interest. It's also useful to overlap objects, as in this example. Fruit is a great exercise for painting texture. In this project, the smooth surface of the grapes contrasts beautifully with the rough surface of the strawberries.
The color palette for this lesson is very diverse. If you do not find such a pencil in your set, replace it with a similar one.
Step 1. How to draw fruit still life colored pencils.
As always, first I draw a sketch with a simple pencil.
Step 2. How to draw a fruit still life with colored pencils.
To create the strawberry seeds, I covered the design with tracing paper and used the tip of a ballpoint pen to press in the dots. When I removed the tracing paper and painted the berries with poppy red, the white dots showed through the color. Please note that I left some areas unpainted to create highlights. 
Step 3. How to draw a fruit still life with colored pencils.
In this step I darkened the strawberries with raspberry red and Tuscan red, leaving some light highlights. I then created the light leaves using the lime color and the dark leaves using the grass green color. I applied dark green in the shadow areas. 
Step 4. How to draw a fruit still life with colored pencils.
Next, I filled about half of the grapes with blackberry color in an uneven layer, with light and dark areas. 
Step 5. How to draw a fruit still life with colored pencils.
Next comes a layer of azure blue and blending with the previous layer. I painted the stem using green ocher and burnt sienna. Now let's move on to green grapes. The first layer is yellowed chartreuse and canary yellow, again with highlights. I also tinted the plate with cool 30% grey. 
Step 6. How to draw a fruit still life with colored pencils.
After shading the green grapes with lime and green ocher, I used a white pencil to highlight the highlights on all the fruit. I then used black to darken the areas between and under the fruit. To finish, I used French 90% gray to darken the plate and weft edge. 
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Today, everyone without exception is familiar with watercolor paints from early childhood. Everyone drew with them at least once in their life. Already from kindergarten, children learn to handle paint and a brush, apply strokes, and create simple drawings. But not so long ago, until the 19th century, watercolor was not very popular among artists. It is believed that the birthplace of this paint is China. In this country, paper was created on which masters depicted their creations using this type of paint.
Gradually, watercolor achieved its place in the sun and found its use among many artists from all over the world. The technique of painting with such paints allows you to achieve a special effect of a certain mysticism, illusoryness, transparency and lightness of composition in the created picture. Only at first glance this drawing method seems difficult. In fact, there is absolutely nothing difficult here. You can easily get the hang of it using our step-by-step tutorial.
In today's article you will learn how to paint a still life with watercolors. Still life painting this fall can attract almost everyone. Initially, we need to choose what we want to reproduce in the image. To make a still life seem bright and beautiful, fruits and vegetables must be different. They should vary in color, shape and size. We will take vegetables, namely eggplant, cucumber and carrots. The vegetables we have selected are completely compliant and differ from each other in every aspect. Now let's prepare the materials and tools.
You will need the simplest and most common set:
- White sheet of paper for watercolor
- Paint brushes
- Container with water
- Simple pencil
- Eraser
- Palette
Before you start working on the still life, it's worth lightly dampening the watercolor paints that we'll need.
Step 1
You need to sketch the drawing with a simple pencil. You need simple and soft, almost imperceptible lines to sketch out the contours of the vegetables. At this stage we decide from which side the light will fall. To make it easier to navigate, we sketched the sun on the sketch, which will be erased later with an eraser. Also, you need to pay attention to the shadow line, which we will draw later.
Step 2
When the sketch is ready, you can start working in watercolors. To do this, we select one element of the design and wet it with a damp brush. In our drawing, the cucumber became this first element of painting. Now we choose a very light one green paint and apply it with a brush to the cucumber.
Remember, we will not be using pure color solutions. To get this or that color, you need to mix the colors with each other on the palette that we have prepared. In the meantime, while the surface of the cucumber is wet, we will darken it a little. Just remember to leave a small reflection on the vegetable.
Step 3
Leave the cucumber and let the paint dry on it, and let's move on to the second element. Now we will decorate the carrots. We will do this in the same way as in the first case with the cucumber.
We depict the figure gradually, moving from light to dark shades. When you paint with watercolors, you need to adjust the tone.
Step 4
We still have one more vegetable left that hasn't been drawn. This is an eggplant. We will draw it in the same way as in the previous two cases, following the same principles.
Don't forget about the sun's glare, too. In the case of glare, it all depends on how shiny the surface of the object itself is. The more it shines, the more visible and brighter the beam will be. The size of such a highlight directly depends on the size of the vegetable, and its color on the smoothness of the surface. In our case, there is no glare at all on the carrot, but on the eggplant there is the largest glare, due to the smooth surface. And the glare on it is the brightest.
Step 5
Let's go back to the initial stage of drawing a cucumber. The dark shade will just resemble a real vegetable, and will also emphasize its shape.
Step 6
We will perform the same actions with other vegetables. In this case, it is necessary to correctly convey the features of each object: color, size, structure, shape. Remember, each pit has a darker shade. The deeper the hole, the darker its color.
The features of each element should be emphasized in accordance with natural vegetables.
Step 7
Looking at the drawing, it seems that everything is hanging in the air; we need to add shadows falling from the vegetables. The darkest shadows will be near and under the vegetables.
We need to finish painting the green top of the eggplant.
Step 8
Since the carrots turned out to be slightly pale, we need to correct this and add a natural color to it. To do this, we take rich orange paint and apply it to the carrots. If the color is still not saturated enough, repeat the procedure again.
We will add dark green grooves to the cucumber, as well as pimples characteristic of this vegetable. And on the carrot we will add a recess darker than the main color. Now let's move on to the eggplant. We will make the side that does not receive light darker. To do this, let's take a more saturated shade. The palette should have a sufficient number of colors, or even three shades of each color. Now we need to let the drawing dry. Then we carefully look at all the details. If you don’t like something, you can correct it and add other shades that are darker than those already in the image. If everything suits you and you are happy with what you see in the drawing, the work can be considered completed.
When working with these figures, the main principle is to draw on the wet. Also, equally important is mixing colors to get the right shade. The main thing is to try to work with different colors and shades, and not just use ordinary colors.
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This lesson will be useful for beginning artists who want to paint a still life with gouache. Beginners will learn some secrets of drawing surfaces and textures and will allow them to see in practice the main rules of painting.
What you will need:
1. Paper (A3 format). Whatman paper is ideal.
2. Brushes. You need to prepare three flat synthetic brushes (small, medium and large), as well as a medium bristle brush.
3. Artistic gouache. Poster gouache is not suitable for painting - it dries quickly and forms streaks. Gouache should be good quality, so it is best to purchase paints in specialized art stores.
Stage 1
First, the composition is created using a simple pencil with a soft lead. It is better to start by marking the table plane with a horizontal line. When determining the height, it is recommended to rely on Fig. 1. The far corner of the table is slightly visible on the right - it needs to be marked with a diagonal line. Then, in compliance with the rules of construction, objects are outlined on the table. Light lines indicate the fabric and its folds. It is important to observe the shape of objects and their location relative to each other.
When pencil sketch will be ready, you can start coloring it. It is better to start with a general background - apply the first layer of paint, making short strokes with a large flat brush. Afterwards the main tones are thrown onto the jug.
Important! There is no need to strive to completely and “perfectly” paint the entire background or other object. The main mistake that beginners make is that they first try to sketch the entire background, leaving white spaces in the picture where objects will be located. After that, they paint over all the objects one by one, and completely. Or vice versa, the objects are painted first, and then the background. This should not be done - the completed painting will look as if objects cut out from magazines were pasted onto the sheet. In the end, a successful composition will not work out. Any picture needs to be painted all at once, gradually. Experienced Artists they alternately return to one or another object, sometimes to make just a couple of strokes - and so on until the picture is completed.
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Stage 2
Now you can start working on the jug - you need to draw it on top of the already applied layer of paint, not forgetting about smooth transitions between shades. You can do a lot with gouache, but it is important not to overdo it so as not to create the appearance of dirt in the picture. During this work, a medium flat brush is used.
Drawing objects must be done taking into account light divisions: light, penumbra, shadow and reflex. In Fig. Figure 3 shows the diagram - it is made in the form of a grid for ease of understanding. The most difficult thing is understanding the reflex. There should be white highlights on the lightest part of the object - on a glossy surface they are more noticeable and brighter.
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Stage 3
After finishing the jug, the main color shades are applied to the tabletop. Do not forget that the planes of the table (vertical side and horizontal surface) should differ from each other in tone saturation. The vertical plane needs to be made darker than the horizontal plane, which is better illuminated.
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Stage 4
Now you can start painting the glass bottle, covering it with the same tone as the main background. It will be transparent, through it you can see the back wall, which acts as a background. For this reason, the main shade of the bottle will be the background tone. But you need to remember that the bottle still remains visible, it has size and volume. This can be conveyed in the picture by highlighting light paint edge of the bottle. Afterwards, a few cold tones are added to the bottle, with the help of which it will be possible to convey glass on paper. To add volume, a reflex is drawn. At the end of this work, highlights are created. There are various highlights on one bottle: some are pale and softened around the edges, others are bright and noticeable. Before you start creating highlights, it is recommended to carefully consider how they look in the author’s painting. In general, the presented drawings will help you understand how to draw a still life with gouache.
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Stage 5
Now it’s the turn of the pan. First, it is worth remembering the light separation grid, and for this you will have to return to Fig. 3. Not forgetting this principle, paint is applied to the pan. Dark gray and light tones are used first, and the most dark paint left to emphasize the texture of old, chipped and worn metal.
Read more about how to convey old worn metal in a painting. To achieve such a texture, you will need a coarse bristle brush, and a dry one. Should be ready by now Gray background pans with chiaroscuro. A dry brush is lightly dipped in gouache; you don’t need to take a lot of paint. According to Figure 6, straight, long strokes are made from top to bottom along the darkened side of the pan. The strokes should be rough and full of holes; even during the stroke, the paint on the brush should run out. Before doing this, it is better to practice making similar strokes on a separate sheet so as not to spoil the picture.
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Stage 6
Now you need to finish the pan. Empty areas are covered with basic tone paint using a small brush. A reflex is drawn on the side of the pan, directly on top of the black texture. Handles are drawn and the outline of the pan is indicated. There is no need to greatly detail the subject so that individual parts of the picture do not fall out of the overall style. We must not forget about the interconnection of objects.
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Stage 7
Now you need to start draping around the pan, painting it completely with paint. This is best done with a large flat brush. It is important to remember that the fabric is illuminated unevenly; it appears lighter on one side. In the drawing, multidirectional planes should differ in tone from each other: the vertical plane is made darker than the horizontal. This also applies to the fabric on the table.
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Stage 8
Now it’s the saucer’s turn; its main color is white. Volume is given to it using bluish-gray and gray paint. Then the edge of the saucer is outlined with blue pigment - it should not be too dark. The lower part of the saucer does not need to be made too light, since it is in the shade.
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Stage 9
When the space of the painting is almost completely covered with paint, the drawings are detailed and refined. First, the folds in the fabric are worked out (this is easy to do even for beginners). Recommended to use more lungs tones on the fabric to give the image a natural look.
The dishes on the table cast shadows. Next to each of the objects you need to draw the shadow cast from it using cool shades. Shadows should not be bright and sharp, but rather look diffused.
Stage 10
Now you can move on to the last item - the apple. It is drawn according to the principle of light separation, like other already drawn objects.
The apple casts a colored light onto nearby objects and surfaces. A pinkish tint is added to the saucer along with the shadow of the apple.
It is important to remember that through color the interaction of all objects in the picture occurs. Objects transfer part of their color to each other. By analogy with an apple, the relationships between other objects and surfaces are displayed.
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Stage 11
After the painting has been completed in general outline, you need to pay attention to those details that were left unattended. If the sketch made in pencil has already been erased or has become invisible under the paint, then you can draw the contours again. Then they will be painted over, because gouache is a thick and opaque paint.
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Stage 12
In order for the picture to acquire depth, volume and solidity, you need to use one artistic device– at the end of the work, barely noticeably blur the contours of objects in order to soften the line of contact between objects and the environment.
You probably know very well what a still life is, and you have seen it more than once. I won't go into terminology because terms are good, but they won't tell you how to draw a still life. Therefore, I propose to take pencils and move from words to action - draw a still life with a pencil.
How to draw a still life with a pencil
Looking at main drawing lesson how to draw a still life pencil, I think it became clear to you what plan the still life drawing will be.
Create a sketch of the drawing with a simple pencil. There is nothing superfluous in the sketch, only the outlines of objects.
We begin to draw a branch with flowers with colored pencils. I first draw a twig green pencil, and then darken it with a simple pencil. It is necessary to darken so that the drawing does not turn out “bland”, because one green color won't look nice. In combination with some dark pencil, the branch will turn out more interesting.
For comparison, look at the picture below and then the next one and you will see this.
We finish drawing flowers and a twig in the lesson on how to draw a still life with a pencil. Please note that I drew the branch before the vase.
First, let's finish drawing that part of the branch that will be slightly distorted in the vase - pay attention to this Special attention. The vase should be evenly decorated with blue, leaving the left edge untouched - white. Outline the edge of the water.
Next we draw water. It will be dark on the left side, and almost white on the right. You need to try to make a smooth transition. Moreover left-hand side The water should be darker than the vase itself. I even added a little Brown. Pass the eraser over the water with right side and in the center, slightly touching the twig. The figure below shows everything clearly.
The vase is almost ready, but the glass effect will appear after we draw the background.
The next step in the lesson is how to draw still life in pencil will be drawing the background. It is the background that will play a decisive role in this drawing. The main task is to make it smooth, with soft transitions.
I paint the background with light shading and then shade it with a piece of cotton wool over the entire sheet. When you hatch, do not press on the pencil at all! The background pencil color is exactly the same as the vase.
Around the vase, the background should be darker and smoothly rise up to a lighter tone. Pay special attention to the background and be patient.
When my background was almost painted, I saw that the middle of the vase was not transparent enough. You need to deepen the tone in the middle of the vase, in other words, add of blue color. Also, for greater transparency of the vase, you can add strokes with a simple pencil. At the same time, add darkness on the left side of the water. That's what it's all about the main role background - he showed exactly what needs to be improved.
As for the reflection, copy the bottom of the vase and the flower “in reverse”, without clear outlines.
Once everything is done, see what you can fix, wipe down, or clean up. If nothing – great! But that rarely happens)).
The lesson on how to draw a still life with a pencil is over, I’m looking forward to seeing you in the next lessons - and, of course, I’m looking forward to your comments on this lesson.
Did you know that the process of drawing not only instills in a person a sense of beauty, but also helps to cope with stressful situations, calming your nerves and creating peace in your soul? In view of this, it is recommended to devote at least some of your free time to this activity. Let's learn how to draw a still life with fruit with a pencil.
General information
To learn how to paint a still life with fruit, you must first understand what the term itself means. In addition, you need to know what attributes a future artist should prepare to create his own masterpiece. A painting depicting inanimate objects (it doesn’t matter, one or more) is called a still life. Translated from French, this term sounds like “dead nature.” Depending on your flight of fancy, you can use flowers, household items, fruits and vegetables in your paintings. Still life often contains an element such as fabric (of any color and texture).
Required Attributes
To cope with the upcoming work and master all the nuances, you need to prepare in advance necessary tools. You will need:
A sheet of paper or canvas (it all depends on what size you want to create your first masterpiece);
Simple pencil;
Fabric and objects that you will use as nature;
Good lighting.
If you plan to paint a picture, then, in addition to everything, you must decide what type of paints you will use (watercolor or oil) and choose brushes and a palette accordingly. And, of course, don't forget about water.
Graphics technique
In order for your painting to turn out most similar to the chosen composition, you must first master the technique. You should learn to convey highlights, shadows and texture. A still life with fruit in pencil begins with a sketch. It is depicted on a separate sheet. Here they simply record the arrangement of objects without drawing them completely. When the sketch is ready, you can begin to depict the elements on the main canvas. When drawing, do not press too hard on the pencil. Otherwise, when you delete an incorrectly drawn line, marks will remain on the paper. When creating the outlines of objects, you should not draw every line; draw a sketch with chaotic movements. You should know that artists use pencils of varying softness for individual lines. During the image process, the set allows you to create various effects on paper. That's why if you want to do everything right and portray beautiful still life with fruit, approach the choice of “tool” with great responsibility.
Creating a Sketch
As everyone understands, to start working, you first need to create a composition. You must decide on the main background of your painting, as well as what elements will be present in it - whether you will depict one object or decide to use several. For example, you can paint a still life with fruits and vegetables, or diversify your picture with a bouquet. It is advisable to use plain fabrics as a background. Next, use whatman paper to determine the center of the composition and sketch out a sketch future painting. The first thing you should draw are simple elements: an oval or a circle. For example, an ordinary apple is depicted using a circle; to sketch grapes, details in the form of small balls are used. The main thing is to make sure that the objects are located in their places, that is, maintain proportionality.
We depict objects
When you have managed to correctly position all the objects on the sheet, it’s time to move on to drawing them. To do this, write fruits into the figures shown using clearer lines. Make all details, contours clear and remove auxiliary lines. To create the right look, do not forget to use a pencil to position the shadows correctly. This action is performed using shading, initially darkening the darkest places with a gradual transition to lighter ones. The shadows are drawn with an extremely sharp pencil when applying layer by layer. The final stage is to check the image of all objects, special attention should be paid to the tone layout.
Still life with fruit - step by step
Let's explore how to create a painting using an orange, grape and kiwi as an example. It is better to use real items for this purpose, so purchase them in advance. Believe me, to acquire skills and practice, it is better to draw from life. To make it easier for you to create your first masterpiece, strictly follow our instructions.
Drawing details
First, we outline the location of the fruit on paper. To depict the halves of a kiwi and an orange, draw inclined lines and only then draw ovals. Now you can start directly drawing the fruit. Let's start with orange. To do this, we divide its sketch using an auxiliary line into two parts. Then we draw slices in each half, depicting them as triangular sectors.
We fill the area where the grapes should be located with circles, and for the kiwi we draw only the core. It is advisable to start shading the sketch with grapes. To do this, using the softest pencil (8 "M"), draw each circle in a circular motion. Please note that the lightest place in the grapes should be the middle, as well as the edges. This is done so that the berries do not merge with each other. Now let's move on to drawing the orange. First, let's shade the peel. To do this, use a “T” pencil to apply shading to the shape of the fruit. Then we will apply spots and dots. This is done with a "TM" pencil. This way you can convey the texture of the orange.
Draw the fruit slices with a “T” pencil. We move from the center to the edges. To more accurately convey the image of the fruit, use a “TM” pencil to depict “feathers”. To make the drawing more similar to the original, use an eraser to make the corners more round and erase a small circle in the center. It's time to portray a kiwi. For this purpose, use a “TM” pencil to apply strokes to its surface (without pressing). And to make the fruit more realistic, we will make small lines on the surface with stronger pressure. Now let's draw the core. In the center of the kiwi, use a “TM” pencil to draw rays (several layers). This way we will convey the texture of real fruit. Soft pencil draw the seeds, then use an eraser to make the middle lighter.
grape leaf
If you have some free space left on your workspace, you can add an element such as a grape leaf to your still life. To do this, let's draw the shape of a leaf in the form of a spatula. After which we will create veins that must come out from one point (this characteristic grape leaf). We make a more accurate sketch of the leaf shape. Now you can supplement the veins with smaller branches and create the corners of this element. Let's start shading. Using a “T” pencil, from the point where the veins converge, draw dashed lines to the ends of the element. Next we will add volume.
To do this, apply an additional layer with a “TM” pencil. But you only need to do it at the edges and top of the sheet. The final stage of painting involves applying shadows and bringing out the veins of the leaf more clearly. Your painting is ready. Many people believe that painting a still life with fruit is much easier than painting, for example, a still life with a bouquet. In principle, there is no big difference between these paintings. When creating both drawings, it is necessary to depict every detail. The only difference is that still lifes with fruits and flowers have more elements.
