Arranging still Life

Ell69

I'm going to paint a still life of fruit , on a large canvas, 20''x24''. Just wondering has anyone any tips so this will work out ok. In terms of what fruit to put side by side, do the rules of colour apply to painting fruit?. I'm painting in acrylic, would you include the table or just the fruit in a bowl. I'd like to do it really close up like the fruit taking up most of the canvass. Not sure how this would work either. What are your thoughts and tips?. Its for my own kitchen. I'm thinking I'll have to arrange it and photograph it as fruits not going to last long.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Depends on your style. Include the table though (maybe even add a tabklecloth...? Difficult to say without seeing composition.

The other point is make a note of the tones as well as the colours. Which areas are dark colours, which are light and try to arrange it so that the focal point (area you want the viewer to see first) has strong light and dark contrasts.

Might be an idea to ask here:
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=42

P.

Ell69

Thanks, great forum.

sonx

When we did still life in school we set it all up yeah using table and table cloth, re the fruit going off, you just need to set it up take a large photo from different angles and they you have it can't go off once captured! I'd move away from the fruit too if you could do something more original as everyone has done fruit and perfected it so it's a hard one to compete against!

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Ah, but therein lies the challenge! Friut has infinite colours, textures and possibilities for arrangment. The challenge is: how do you arrange your still life so that people say "wow! That's a cool painting of a bowl of friut!" and not "Meh.... There's another painting of a bowl of friut..."

Says he who paints people instead of still lifes...