How to Draw Still Life

Summary: Still life refers to an art form in which the subject matter is inanimate. Popular subjects for still life art can include natural objects, like fruit or flowers, or man-made objects, and these subject often carry some symbolic meaning. Although evidence of still life art can be found on the walls of ancient Egyptian tombs, the modern concept of still life became popular in the Netherlands in the 17th Century after images of religious subject matter were banned by the Dutch Reformed Protestant Church. Artists found that still life subjects could be arranged not only for design composition, but with disguised symbolism. This made still life very popular with the Dutch middle class. Still life has remained popular since, having been reinvented and restyled by new generations of artistic influence.

In this series of free video lessons, expert Juliette Karch will show you the basics of still life drawing, including tips on materials you’ll need, how to use perspective, and shading techniques.

This series is an Equilibrio Films production.