Oil Painting Steps for Still Life

The genre of still-life paintings created by the Dutch of the 16th & 17th centuries utilized allegorical symbolism, which is continued by today's artists who still represent popular objects that spark meaningful memories that define our era. 

PHOTO of still life. 'Tipping Point ~ Taurus & Tin'

2020 shocked the world and brought our economy to a standstill. Most of us are confined to our homes with fear of seeing a person face-to-face, due to the imminent death of the elusive spread of COVID-19.  Mental health and well-being became a reality for everyone, and we all had to find a way to get out of bed in the morning. From my life experiences, I have found that creative activities have always been my go-to for uplifting mental health and promoting mindfulness. 

My healing room sanctuary, the art studio!

Art-making has always been my sanctuary, a place where I can leave the world behind and soothe my mind. It's a deeply personal journey that takes me away from the stressful tick-tock world. 

Amidst the chaos of 2020, I made a deliberate decision to paint a few objects displayed on the windowsills of my studio. Each object was carefully chosen to create an allegorical, symbolic still life in oil paint.

Display of objects in the studio window.

The allegorical symbolism and its meanings for this painting, 

'Tipping Point ~ Taurus & Tin':

• Tin Can = preservation of ideas, methods & beliefs.

Tinned food has a longer shelf life (established beliefs and methods), whereas fresh foods (new ideas) decay unless there is a plan in place to preserve them.

• Taurus = Strength & Power

The Taurus Bull settles the dispute by goring or butting the necessary issues that are at a tipping point, an evolution... out of the dark into light.

• Seashell = logic & reason

Nature demands balance and fills the void. Nothing is random; everything has a purpose.

• Building Blocks = mankind's purpose & contribution

Humans have natural creative intentions to serve or to destroy individuality and the environment we build.

• Red block = Primal life forces
• Blue block = Peace & revelation

PAINT ON THE PALETTE:

• Holbein Cadmium Yellow
• *JM Paillard Louvre Raw Sienna (Historical paint from France)
• *JM Paillard Louvre Madder Lake (red)
• Grumbacher Pretested Azo Red (no longer available)
• *JM Paillard Louvre Cobalt Blue
• Later added Holbein Prussian Blue
• Later added Gamblin Chromatic Black
• Holbein Burnt Umber
• Winsor & Newton Titanium White

* A box of old oil paints was purchased by my sister at an auction, and she gave them to me to use. They were smeared with a leaking tube of paint, so it was hard to read the labels. It turns out that some of the paints were created by the JM Paillard Louvre brand (Jacques Michel Paillard, born in France in 1808), which was manufactured in Paris in the 1800s and continued to be produced into the 1960s. JM Paillard is the brand of oil paints Vincent Van Gogh used for his oil paintings.

 

Photo in black and white for a value study.

 The oil painting preparation in steps:

STEP #1: Planning and Preparation.

 I select a range of oil paints and create notes for studying oil painting. 

Years ago, I bought a big box of thick & shiny surfaced printer paper at a clearance store. I discovered that I can practice oil paint mixes directly on the surface of the paper without it soaking through to the other side. I keep my oil paint notes, labeling all the colors and the painting's title for reference later. I hole-punch the notes when dried and put them into the palette sample binder. 

Creating these preliminary studies and mixing paint is not just a step, but a journey. It's a fun exploration of color mixtures and a crucial part of the process that allows me to approach the painting with a sense of direction.

I do use throw-away palette paper, but I prefer to use glass instead, as I like how the paint moves around on the surface. I found a piece of glass from an old framed painting, and it's the right size for a small palette. I placed a sheet of grey mid-value paper on the back of the glass to help me judge the saturation and values of my colors. I used good old duct tape to stick the paper and to protect the sharp edges. The glass palette is easily cleaned up with paint thinner & a paper towel. Even if the oil paint has dried, use a large palette knife to scrape off as much as possible, then dribble a bit of thinner over the areas and leave it for 30 minutes. Come back with a palette knife and a paper towel to return the palette to a clean state.

* I use old phone books to wipe my brushes while painting to save on paper towels.

STEP #2: Preparation of the drawing.

For preparation drawings, I use drawing paper the same size as the painting surface and then use the basic guidelines to draw the placement of the objects. The tools for this are a ruler, a pencil, and an eraser. Once I get the basic shapes figured out the way I want them, then it is time to do the tracing onto the gesso-prepared 11"x14" canvas.

STEP #3: Preparation, tracing, and drawing onto the canvas.

I use tracing paper occasionally, but using vine charcoal rubbed to the back of the finished drawing is a quicker, cheaper, and more effective way to transfer the drawing without leaving permanent marks on the painting surface. Store-bought tracing paper often contains wax and is not always suitable for removing it from painted surfaces. The vine charcoal tracing lines will be mixed in with the paint, so they will never be visible, nor will they shine through the layers of paint. I use a colored pencil for tracing the drawing so I can keep track of what I traced.  The vine charcoal on the back of the tracing is leaving lines on my canvas from the drawing.

The painting process in steps:

STEP #1: Underpainting and Blocking-in.

I want to get rid of the white canvas right away, so I like to thinly paint in shapes called blocking-in. I use a mop-style brush to gently fan over the surface, smoothing out any hard edges of the oil paint. I let this dry overnight, and it will keep my basic drawing intact.

STEP #2: Defining shapes into color blocks.

I had thought to add wrinkles to the backdrop sheet, but in the final step, I decided the wrinkles were distracting and opted for a warmer color to complement the shimmer of the blue-ish bull and tin can.

STEP #3: Defining the tin can with reflections and silver surfaces.

Using purples mixed with red and blue, I paint the bull's reflection rippled onto the tin's textured surface. I add some yellow reflections onto the tin, picking up the yellow ground.

STEP #4: Defining the bull's colors & cardboard texture.

I mixed the Prussian Blue with Cobalt Blue to get a dark value. 

I wanted to enhance the vertical lines of the cardboard, so I added mixed yellow highlights in stripes.

STEP #5: Adding reflective light values on the bull's shiny surface.

To define the bull's ceramic body and to highlight the light reflecting off the bull, I added the light details. The shadow under the bull is darkened with mixed purple scrubbed dry over the yellow cardboard ground.

STEP #6:  Defining the shell.

 I used a mix of yellow ochre, raw sienna, and cadmium yellow mixed with titanium white and grey purple for shadow.

STEP #7: The Building Blocks and the Bull's Reflections and Highlights.

Another layer of color values to adjust the dimensional quality of blocks and to define the tops more accurately. I added a shadow on blocks from the shell. 

The bull was detailed a bit more, with highlights and additional reflections, and a hint of Chromatic Black was added to the mix of blues for a slightly darker value. I'm really hooked on the new Chromatic Black, as it is transparent black, so it doesn't obliterate the original color, still keeping the blue hue intact. 

I add more color and values to the shell to create texture and depth.

STEP #8: Tin can's reflections & block's top.

What a fun challenge to create the texture of the ripples on the tin while also capturing reflections of the room and bull.  I had to keep my values focused on abstract, colorful shapes. 

Back to the tops of the blocks, I tightened up the details and glazed some reflection of the colored blocks onto the shell. 

I am still unsure about the backdrop triangle, as I am finding it distracting, and decided to change it entirely in the end.

Step 5: Background & Ground Shadows.

The background is changed to a warm yellow, which makes the highlights of the blue bull's reflective qualities pop and vibrate the edges of the tin can. 

Added a dark yellow mix to create more drama with the ground shadows. 

Tipping Point Taurus & Tin (oil on canvas) 11"x14"

I enjoyed the painting process and learned from the new challenges this painting presented. I look forward to setting up other still-life objects. 

Wish everyone an insightful outcome with 2020's self-isolating era, and may you find your creative healing that brings joy and peace.

Art Inspired Healing, Minaz