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Still life

Still life painting of a shiny metal teapot and some pears arranged on colourful fabric
Figure caption,
This still life by a student captures reflections of pears in a metal teapot

Still life is a collection of objects arranged in a specific .

The collection could be based on:

  • personal items
  • objects found in a particular environment
  • objects linked to a theme
  • objects of the same material

Consider the arrangement carefully. Think about how the objects lead a viewer's eye round the painting and how different objects can create and

Think about:

  • lighting
  • colour palette (cool or warm colours)
  • painting techniques
  • media and surfaces

Click through the slideshow for examples of still life paintings:

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 3, Colourful painting of different mobile phones, Student still life painting

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