Decorative still life. Methods for completing assignments in art school

Like any other genre of photography, still life is impossible without composition. Moreover, still life is exactly the genre where composition plays a paramount role and requires the closest attention from the photographer. After all, a reportage shot can be forgiven a lot if the author caught a really good moment. And home photos - have you noticed how mothers are touched when they see their child in a photograph, albeit a mediocre one? It is unlikely that we will expect the same condescension from the audience by photographing an orange with a bottle. To have a positive effect, you have to try. And, of course, you should start with the composition of the intended frame.

Relatively speaking, composition in a still life is a harmonious combination and interaction of objects in the frame. Through composition, you can consistently show the viewer everything you wanted, create a mood, convey an idea, and even tell a story.

Composition in a still life can be divided into several types:

• geometric
  
• spatial
  
• color

Geometric composition

It's no secret that all objects have a geometric (or close to geometric) shape. It is also no secret that it is human nature to associate each figure with something specific to it. For example, angles are subconsciously associated with pointers. When you look at a square or rectangle for a long time, a feeling of stability arises (maybe because our subconscious mind completes the drawing of a stable building). And the circle creates a feeling of comfort and calms. It is also worth remembering that horizontal lines (a person lying down) are much calmer than vertical lines (a person standing). As for the diagonals, the ascending lines - leading from the lower left corner to the upper right - look more intense than the descending ones: we still read from left to right, and our gaze has to “climb” across the picture to get to the very top. But there is also a certain feeling of victory hidden in this, isn’t it?! Descending lines running from the upper left to the lower right, on the contrary, are traditionally associated with relaxation, sadness, or even decline.

All these little tricks can and should be used for your own purposes - in order to convey the concept, the idea of ​​​​the photo.

Emphasis by space

If there is a need to highlight a certain object in a still life, assigning it the role of the main character, here you can play on the spatial composition. For example, putting the main subject in the foreground, in front of everyone else. Or adjust the light so that the leading element is illuminated brightest, and those objects that are behind and in front of it are dimly illuminated. Or you can do it more cunningly - light a stick of incense or release cigarette smoke, thus drawing an aerial perspective in the frame: the main attention will be focused on the front objects, since the distant ones will drown in a romantic haze.

You can also play on the technical aspects of the camera: if you want to show every object in detail, including the backdrop or draperies, then shooting should be done with a closed aperture. But if it is important to highlight one subject, then the aperture needs to be opened as much as possible. You should not ignore the capabilities of optics: in frames taken with wide-angle lenses, objects are greatly distorted, and the closer the object is to the camera, the larger it will appear in relation to the distant ones. Conversely, long focal lengths “collect” the perspective, making the space much flatter.

Color composition

If photography is done in black and white, knowledge about the properties of color effects will not be useful to us. But if the photographic work is planned in color, you should not ignore this area of ​​research. Turning our attention to the psychology of color, we will see that each of the colors has, in addition to its original color, its own meaning. Warm colors (orange, yellow, red, terracotta) remind us of summer, sun, warmth. This is the first association that arises when looking at a photograph done in these colors. In addition, from a painting course you can learn that such objects seem visually closer. The same cannot be said about cold colors: blue, green, pink, purple - these colors slightly distance the object from the viewer, and are usually associated with winter, cold, water.

It is important to remember about contrast, sometimes you can play on it, but often ill-considered color combinations repel or distort the meaning of the entire production. If you decide to photograph a cucumber against an orange background, think about whether the background will draw attention to itself? And is this what you really wanted to achieve? You also need to remember that any object has the ability to reflect or absorb the color shades of nearby objects, and even two objects of the same color on the same background can look different precisely because of the difference in their textures.

The saturation of color also has an impact on the viewer: compositions in soft pastel colors will create a feeling of peace and nostalgia, while bright, flashy colors, on the contrary, are suitable for attracting attention, conveying expression, and assertiveness. This is why bright colors are so loved by advertising photographers, while art photography often gravitates towards a muted, calm tone.

Of course, any composition must entirely obey the general color scheme, the law within the picture - otherwise it will fall apart. That is why you should be careful with color contrasts, they can have a serious impact - both making the work more interesting and destroying it by placing unnecessary accents.

Black and white

Despite the lack of color, black and white still life has its own laws, and contrast also plays an important role here. The color itself in this case is replaced by tone - a different game, but it also has rules!

You've probably noticed that overweight women very rarely wear white. The fact is that white color seems more voluminous than black. In a black and white photograph, the eye first grabs the lightest spots and only then moves on to the dark ones. Many visual illusions are based on this effect: if you look at a sheet with even black and white stripes, it will certainly seem that the white stripes are wider. You must always take this rule into account when setting up a composition, and also take into account that a bright white object, whether it is in the foreground or the background, will certainly appear as the main thing in this composition, and the eye will fall primarily on it.

Contrasts

As already mentioned, contrasts play a special role. Existing within the same composition in the image, they can both highlight objects and, conversely, hide them. A work built on barely noticeable fluctuations of light and shadow without spots that focus the viewer’s attention seems monotonous, monotonous, and inexpressive. Sharp contrasts create tension and dynamics.

Rule of thirds

Of course, when talking about composition, one cannot fail to mention the rule of thirds. By drawing four lines in your mind through the frame - two dividing it into three equal parts horizontally, and two drawn vertically - you can calculate the most effective zones of the frame: they are located at the points of intersection of the four lines with each other. It is best to place the main subject of the composition in these zones.

In reality, the rule of thirds is a simplified rule of the golden ratio, which will be somewhat more difficult to obtain. To do this, the frame needs to be divided into eight parts horizontally and vertically. And then draw lines on the right and left, as well as below and above, at a distance of 3/8. At the intersection of these lines there will be points of the golden ratio. But dividing into three parts is much more convenient than into eight parts, so it is used in the composition more often: the difference is not so noticeable to the viewer, and the harmony in the frame, if any of these rules are observed, is obvious.

Rhythm

Rhythm, that is, the repetition of the same or similar lines, is a very powerful compositional tool that allows you to manipulate the viewer's gaze. A “path” of alternating objects can take you very far. But you shouldn’t overplay it - the rhythm can kill the entire composition, depriving it of dynamics and making it monotonous.

Internal communications

When creating a setting for photography, you must ensure that there is a connection between the objects in the frame. Objects can be connected by shape (egg and onion), by color (tomato and red pepper), by meaning (apple and cinnamon sticks). Objects must communicate and captivate the viewer, looking from one object in a still life to another. This approach gives integrity to the composition, makes it interesting, understandable and at the same time mysterious - it is not at all necessary to reveal all the internal connections at once; the most interesting things can be hidden inside the composition or hidden for a short time from the viewer, for example, with light.

We can talk about composition endlessly, but the main thing on which a still life is based (as, indeed, photography in any other genre) is the idea, plot and soul of the photograph. And composition is as much a tool in the hands of the photographer as the camera itself. Remember what you want to convey to the viewer! And use all available compositional techniques to your advantage.

Chess stylization of still life. Master class with photos

Thank you for your attention! I wish you all creative success!

In our painting classes, special attention is paid to still lifes made in decorative painting technique.

Decorative painting is a diverse and extensive topic. Developed by our teachers, there is a series of lessons on learning decorative techniques for working with paints. For examples, special still lifes have been prepared, in which various techniques and features of the decorative style can be clearly shown.

The purpose of the assignment is a decorative still life.

• Learn to depict objects using decorative painting tools.
• Master the skills of transforming, dividing and arranging flowers according to shape.
• Try different decorative painting techniques.

There is a common belief that decorative painting styles do not fit into the academic curriculum and are contrary to the basic rules of painting. In fact, this is a deep misconception. All methods and principles of decorative style flow directly from the academic program and are its further development and the continuous evolution of all academic art.

At first glance, the simplified modeling and lack of realistic images may present the wrong image. The decorative execution of the work poses many other, more complex tasks.

Decorative painting involves a deep study of local color, the composition of color spots, the search for expressive accents and effective spatial solutions.

The artist is required to convey the image and impression of the real model as clearly as possible, using a minimum of means. It is necessary to show the volume of the object, material, texture, without resorting to classical modeling. The importance of analyzing the shape of an object increases; it is necessary to select and model a stylized image that transfers the object from a realistic image to the color plane.

In decorative painting, the line acquires greater importance, which becomes a full participant in the picture and, along with color and tone, participates in the formation of the overall composition. Changing the thickness and expressiveness of the line more clearly emphasizes the volume and plasticity of the object.

Also, great variety can come from changing the shape and frequency of strokes, which will immediately turn the surface of the canvas into a decorative panel or mosaic.

At the first stage of getting to know the possibilities of decorative painting, we recommend painting a series of still lifes, since in a still life it is possible to select combinations of objects and fabrics in order to clearly demonstrate the techniques of decorative style.

Types of decorative still life.

There are several common techniques that have proven themselves in practice and in the learning process. The names are selected arbitrarily, since in modern painting there is no clear, international classification of styles and uniform names.

Painting from scraps. All color combinations in this technology are depicted in the form of separate segments, emphasizing the structure of objects and revealing their most expressive properties. Pure colors and flat display of space are often used.

Painting with a clearly defined outline. To enhance the shape and color relationships, the so-called “stained glass method” is used, when all objects and places of refraction of the form are outlined with black or dark lines, creating clear outlines and boundaries between colors. Works made using this technique turn out to be very spectacular and bright.

Other decorative techniques are based on combinations of pure colors, various types of changes in strokes, the use of a palette knife, wide brushes and other tools. The format of the article does not allow us to describe every technique and method of applying paint. You can learn more by attending our classes.

Students perform decorative still life at an art school using the following method:

1. Arrangement of objects on a sheet.
2. Transformation (form stylization).
3. Overlapping or intertwining silhouettes with each other.
4. Filling silhouettes with texture and decorative solutions.

As you know, a still life is a production of inanimate objects. In easel painting, still lifes are painted traditionally: they sculpt the volume of objects, convey chiaroscuro, linear and aerial perspective, space... In decorative still life, this becomes unimportant. The shape of the depicted objects becomes flat and conventional. There is no chiaroscuro. Instead, each silhouette is worked out decoratively.

The transformation of form needs to be discussed separately. Its essence lies in transforming the original form of an object into a conventional one. That is, the drawing is simplified and stripped of unnecessary details. The form is reduced to a conditionally geometric one, that is, it is based on simple geometric shapes (circle, rectangle, triangle...). For example, a jug can be composed of a circle and a cylinder, and top and bottom can be completed with circles or ellipses. Thus, only the nature of the object remains. He must be recognizable. And the contours will already be transformed and brought to the general style.

Overlaying or braiding silhouettes- This is a technique in decorative art and design. The overlapping of silhouettes on top of each other is understandable by definition - this is when objects obscure each other and the image becomes, as it were, multi-layered. But braiding is more difficult. For example, when part of a jug is obscured by an apple, the intersecting parts of the jug and apple may be rendered by the artist in a completely different color. Objects become as if “transparent” and their intersecting parts are visible to the viewer. The silhouettes of objects are intertwined in such an intricate way that, as a result, they are sometimes difficult to distinguish. And this gives decorative work a special appeal.

Filling the outlines of objects with texture- is not particularly difficult. You can spray paint, you can lay the paint in chaotic strokes, etc. But filling the silhouette with a decorative solution is more difficult. The artist comes up with some kind of “ornament”, although this word is not entirely suitable here. He fills the silhouette with this “ornament”. This “ornament” is created on the basis of a generative line. A formative line is a line that forms the outline of an object. For example, the outline of a Greek amphora will be gracefully curved. Therefore, the interior decoration of the silhouette will be based on lines curved in a similar way. Individual parts of such decoration of objects, as well as the objects themselves, can be braided. Also, you can skip the literal ornament between them. Therefore, this type of decoration is not just about filling silhouettes with texture or coloring alone. This is a more complex process. But also more spectacular, on which the essence of a decorative still life is based.