I know I don't talk a lot about reflective surfaces, mainly because we don't do anything that complicated in my Bob Ross classes. However I thought I would mention a couple of my little tips for getting them on the canvas. First, don't be intimidated! Just paint/draw what you see. On something that is highly reflective, you see it, colors and all. If you notice in progress photos, I blocked in the pear and the lemon right on the coffee pot even though they are not a dimensional part of the painting. Second, keep it simple. Students always want to immediately jump into complicated paintings right away. I use fruit because it adds a nice splash of color, and the coffee pot, has a nice smooth surface. Nothing too complex. Third, try using only one light source. Putting the light on the side of your still life, can add some drama and cast some really nice shadows. Painting can often times be about "seeing" in both still life and landscape work. Happy Painting!!
In still life there is a lot of reflective light.. in shadows too! :) love the painting it would look perfect perfect in a kitchen.
ReplyDeleteThanks Erika! I've been using a lot of gray in these because I felt like my paintings were getting to bright. It's really helped me to tone things down.
ReplyDeleteYou know...people who make this looks so easy to do just drive me crazy!! Jealousy you know.... Great painting...thanks for showing how to do this easily...now I'll have to try!
ReplyDeleteDave, thank you! Though I have to say, you are seeing the "cleaned up versions". There is a lot of painting that goes on between these three steps!
ReplyDeleteNice Painting! Good job on the reflection of the fruits! really nice! Thanks for sharing!...Daniel
ReplyDeleteGorgeous painting! You've really nailed the reflections. :) And your tips were great too, it really just comes down to looking and translating what you see, even if it's not always easy to do;)
ReplyDeleteThanks Daniel and Crystal!!
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