Pumpkin Harvest

We have pumpkins galore, and this year I discovered the Cinderella Pumpkin, which is almost red.  Here are a couple set up in still life.

Pumpkin Harvest

Yes, the small one in the background is nearly heart-shaped. Perhaps I should save it for Valentine's Day?

As always, remember to follow the "Send Your Pictures" rules on the right when you are ready to share your artwork.  You may paint from the posted photograph or your own still life set up that has pumpkins and a similar harvest theme.  Happy painting!

Glass

Sylvia Young

Jo Liddell

Jo Liddell

#   #   #   #   #

Painting glass is always a challenge.  Here is a photo of bottles and jars from a recent still life set up.

Bottles & Jars

The shadows on the left are interesting because they include colored light that is being transmitted through the bottles.

You may paint this, or set up your own still life using clear or colored glass pieces.  I look forward to seeing your art!

Again, there are no deadlines to the Still Life Workshop challenges, so work on them at your own pace.  The next still life painting challenge will be posted on Sunday October 21st (more or less).

Follow the "Send Your Pictures" rules on the right when you are ready to share your artwork, but most of all, have fun!

All Strung Up

mico

#  #  #

The latest still life class set up at our gallery includes a mandolin, a violin, and a guitar.  This is an exercise in "shiny" - bottles, instruments, etc.  Again, pick an area for your focal point.  Maybe you just want to do one of the Ball jars, or maybe you like the violin.  It's up to you, and this picture has a lot of possibilities!

All Strung Up

If you want to see more pictures from our gallery still life setups, you can click here.

Again, there are no deadlines to the Still Life Workshop challenges, so work on them at your own pace.  The next still life painting challenge will be posted on Sunday September 23rd (more or less).

Follow the "Send Your Pictures" rules on the right when you are ready to share your artwork, but most of all, have fun!

Summer Still Life

Nora MacPhail

mico

mico

Today's challenge still life comes from the open studio we hold every Wednesday afternoon at the Lakewood Arts Council Art Center.  Although it is fairly complex with many elements, the objects are simple-shaped with generally matte surfaces and minimal shine or gloss, and the color scheme is basically complementary blue/orange.  Pick out a couple of things for your focus area and work on those.

Summer Still Life

Again, there are no deadlines to the Still Life Workshop challenges, so work on them at your own pace.  The next still life painting challenge will be posted on Sunday August 19th (more or less).

Follow the "Send Your Pictures" rules on the right when you are ready to share your artwork, but most of all, have fun!

June 2012 Challenge: Daisies in Clay Pot

Rebecca Wang

Cathy Gondek

Lydie Pieplu

#     #     #

This month's challenge presents some materials that should be easier to paint than what we had in our first two challenges.  The clay pots are a dull surface without reflections, so it's a matter of showing the color and the light versus dark values to create the forms of the pots.  There are no reflections, so it should be easier to focus on the shapes within the image.

Daisies in Clay Pot

While the background fabric has a bit of a lace pattern to it, it's not necessary for you to include that detail if you are struggling with it.

Again, there are no deadlines to the Still Life Workshop challenges, so work on them at your own pace.  The next still life painting challenge will be posted on July 22nd (more or less).

Follow the "Send Your Pictures" rules on the right when you are ready to share your amazing paintings.  Have fun!

New Challenge: Single Rose Hot Cocoa

Cathy Gondek

Sylvia Young

Rebecca Wang

Barb Benik

The challenge this month is a simple floral of one rose, variety Hot Cocoa.  An AARS from several years ago, this variety is super hardy in our crazy foothills climate along the Front Range of Colorado.

Hot Cocoa

Although this may appear daunting at first, it actually can be simplified to a few basics.  The flower is nearly a perfect circle.  The vase is made of narrow ellipses that are slightly skinnier at the top of the vase than they are at the bottom.  The color scheme is nearly complementary; if you don't like it, change it to your preferred colors, or do a gray scale painting.  The shape of the vase is plain.  The background is uniform.  There is only one rose to paint, and it is shaped like a shallow bowl facing the viewer.  Practice  getting that basic shape on some scrap paper, then tackle it for your finished flower.  You won't need to add a lot of detailed petals if the basics are there to make it look like a flower.

Good luck!  I look forward to seeing your artwork.

Our "Maiden" Voyage: Tomatoes on the Vine

Rebecca Wang

Madhavi Reddy

Sylvia Young

 We're rolling out the first picture of this blog with a simple image of tomatoes.  But wait, is it really going to be so easy?  The tomatoes themselves are well lit, but the shiny black surface they are sitting on can be a challenge.  There are shadows there, but LOOK at the reflections of their little bottoms.  Hmmm...

Vine Tomatoes

Good Luck with our first Still Life Challenge.  Please follow the directions on the right under "Send Your Pictures" to submit images of your art.  After a cursory review, they will be posted here for the world to see!  Thank-you for your participation.