Final - Still Life

Overall thoughts and learnings:

For my final art piece, I chose to create a still life composition. My aim was to strike a balance between a challenging subject that would push my developing skills and not overextending myself with something overly complex.

In this composition, I featured a small pear, a green apple, and a mug with a paintbrush resting inside its handle.

The most demanding aspect of this piece was achieving the correct interplay of shadows, particularly on the mug and between the various fruits. The fruits themselves presented an intricate play of multiple shadows, cast both by the mug and by each other. While I believe I managed the shadows reasonably well, there's definitely room for improvement, particularly in refining the values.

One of the challenges I encountered was finding the right values for the pear. Initially, they appeared too bright, and I only discovered this after working on the piece and comparing values. I went back and darkened the pear, but I feel that in the process, I may have lost some of the finer details and highlights. Further adjustments are needed to make the pear even darker and achieve the correct value. The pear presented a unique challenge, primarily stemming from the intricacy of rendering subtle highlights essential for realism. In my current drawn rendition, it appears somewhat flat and unmistakably hand-drawn, particularly due to the smaller highlights. Improving my skills in portraying these nuances, especially in scenarios with less pronounced highlights and shadows, is a focal point for my ongoing development.

Creative Process:

In the creation of this piece, I decided to diverge from my previous still life assignment, where I solely relied on a standard HB pencil. Instead, I opted for a diverse array of pencils to enhance the quality of my work:

H Pencil: I utilized the H pencil for initial sketching and to add lighter shadows to the mug and background. This pencil's lighter value allowed me to sketch freely without the fear of leaving indelible marks. Knowing that this value would be my lightest, I felt at ease, knowing I could easily layer other pencils over it.

HB Pencil: The HB pencil came into play during the refining stage of the sketch and for adding shadows to the pear. It struck a balance between darkness and precision, enabling me to bring out more refined details.

2B Pencil: When it came to achieving the dark, dramatic shadows, the 2B pencil took center stage. Its darker lead allowed me to create depth and contrast that added dimension to the composition.

4B Pencil: The 4B pencil played a crucial role in rendering the paintbrush handle and the nuanced contact shadows. It brought a level of depth and realism to the piece that I had not initially anticipated, making the paintbrush truly stand out and contributing to my overall satisfaction with the artwork.

This multi-pencil approach made the drawing process significantly more fluid and enjoyable. Using the H pencil for the initial sketch gave me the freedom to explore without inhibition, as I knew I could easily modify it with other pencils. Additionally, the broader value range of the H pencil proved invaluable when rendering the mug, which featured shades that were only slightly darker than white. Ultimately, incorporating the 4B pencil introduced an entirely new dimension to my piece, enabling me to highlight contact shadows and elevate the paintbrush's presence. I am genuinely pleased with the results achieved through this diverse pencil selection.

Future Goals:

While I consider this piece a successful demonstration of my current skills, I am acutely aware that there is a vast room for improvement, especially in my mastery of values and tackling complex subjects with reflective surfaces. I am committed to an ongoing journey of growth and refinement, building upon the foundational skills I have acquired during this course

Reference images: