This document summarizes an art student's still life project where they studied techniques of other artists, took photos of still life setups, and experimented with different mediums including drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, sculpture and photography. The student analyzed their work and provided feedback on how to improve compositions and techniques. They enjoyed gaining new skills across multiple mediums and developing ideas throughout the project.

2. » The work of others » My own work
» Still life
observation
» Photographs of
the still life
» Artist studies
» Composition
» Mark making
» Colour
» Collage

3. The work of others
Photograph of the still life
» By looking at and copying
other artists’ work, I was able
to develop my techniques
and style, and practise
different ways of
representing what I see.
» Drawing from the still life
allowed me to put what I
had learnt into practice,
and later inspired some of
the compositions for my final
outcomes.

4. Artist studies
Albrecht Durer –
Feet of An Apostle
Vincent Van Gough –
Corn field with
cypresses
Ronald Pratt –
Serene Alpine autumn
Anthony Casay –
Pink Sunset

5. Edward Bawden –
A frog and an ox
Juan Gris –
Still life with violin and glass
Katsushika Hokusai –
Peonies and butterfly
Artist studies

6. My Work
Collage inspired by
Pablo Picasso
Composition inspired
by Ronald Pratt
» Using the rule of thirds, I organised
and split my piece, which gave it a
more abstract, cubist feel; and limited
my colours to red so the composition
would remain harmonious.
» Here, I created a scene similar to a
landscape, using shells and stones.
The colours are the opposite to what
we would expect which creates a
slightly surreal mood, complemented
by the objects in the landscape.

7. » Line
» Tone
» Proportion
» Mark Making
» Texture
» Colour
» Composition

8. » The different techniques allow focus to be drawn to
different areas or aspects of a drawing, and gives
different information about the objects and their
properties. Combining the formal elements within
one drawing creates a more realistic drawing as it
describes multiple aspects of the object.
Colour Mark making Tone
Line Proportion

9. » Pencil
» Charcoal
» Ink
» Pen
» Coloured pencils
» Oil Pastel
» Watercolour
» Acrylic Paint

10. » With black and white media, the objects are
defined by tone and texture, so these become very
important aspects of the drawing. Some media
allow much more spontaneity and freedom than
others, which affects the style and level of detail in
the final piece.
Pencil Charcoal Ink Pen and white ink

11. » When using colour, the intensity and blending of
the colour varies depending on the medium, and
this affects the overall feel of the piece. The
application style can also create texture through
brush strokes with thick paint, or direction of
colouring when using pencils.
Acrylic Watercolour Oil Pastel Coloured pencils

12. » Painting
» Collage
» Collograph Printing
» Sculpture
» Photography

13. » These techniques each give a very
different equivalent of an object, some
focusing on colour, texture, shapes or
proportions.
Painting with colour
Photography Sculpture Collograph Plate Collage

14. » General Workshop
˃ No running around.
˃ Keep bags out of the way.
» Collograph Printing
˃ Wear an apron and gloves to protect skin and clothes
from ink.
˃ Avoid ink or water spillages; clean up immediately if any
occur
˃ Take care when using rollers so fingers do not get stuck or
crushed.
˃ When cleaning up use white spirit; avoid spillages or
inhaling it.

15. » Large Scale Mixed Media Drawings
» Collograph Prints
» Abstract Collage
» Colour Painting
» Sculpture and Photography

16. Final Pieces

17. » I think there is
too much
concentrated
empty space,
which takes
attention away
from the
objects, which
are mostly
gathered on
the right side of
the drawing.
Mixed media

18. Negative space in mixed media
» This piece shows
different levels of
equivalence - in
the negative
space and
object silhouettes
for shape and
proportion, and
in the tone and
textures of the
objects for their
materials.

19. » The first print is the most
effective, as the ink is
contrasted most by the
background, while the softer
contrast in the green one
makes it more peaceful.
» The scarf in the pink print did
not work well, but the
gradient draws the typewriter
to the bottom and the other
objects up. Collograph Prints

20. » There are too many contrasting
textures and colours in the
middle which detract from the
rest of the piece. This could be
solved by using less varied
textures, and lighter colours.
» The composition creates a
sense of falling or melting, as
the more abstract shapes flow
to the bottom from the shoes Abstract Collage

21. » When painting this piece I
started with very rough block
colours, which I progressively
refined.
» This helped me solve issues
with proportion early on, and
as I was not using guidelines,
it took me a few tries to get
the objects in the right places
in relation to each other. Colour still life painting

22. Sculpture
» This was one of my
favourite images, as
the cropping
accentuates its
growing and
evolving nature.
» The use of black and
white also allowed
me to increase the
contrast, giving a
much bolder image.

23. » Overall I enjoyed this project as it allowed me to
develop my skills and techniques whilst
experimenting with different media, some of which
I had never used before.
» I also had the opportunity to develop ideas
through the different outcomes, inspiring the next
one from aspects of the previous outcome, which
allowed me to refine and develop ideas as I went
along, both through planning and through
analysing each outcome and ways in which I
could improve its composition.