Artists & Illustrators - April 2016_

Artists & Illustrators 37

TIPS • ADVICE • IDEAS

It helps to break down subjects into basic shapes, as Hazel Soan explains

SIMPLIFYING STILL LIFE

sketchbook

The most practical subjects to paint are things that do not move, so why not start with a still life? Before you begin, try to

understand the form you are about to paint, then use outline and light and shade to describe it. It helps to approximate objects

to basic forms such as the sphere, cube, cone or cylinder. It is then much easier to decipher the pattern of light and shade.

This is an extract from Hazel’s new book, Learn Oils Quickly, published by Batsford, RRP £9.99. To buy your copy

for only £8 including free UK P&P, call 0844 576 8122 and quote offer code CH1963. http://www.pavilionbooks.com

CUBE

A book is a fl attened cube.

Cubes exhibit gradual,

even blends across their

fl at surfaces. Use fl at

brushes and parallel

brushstrokes to suggest

the fl atness of cuboid

shapes and their surfaces.

CYLINDER

Mugs are cylindrical.

Cylinders are described by

grading bands of light and

shade. You can paint these

kinds of shapes with a fl at

brush and parallel

brushstrokes.

SPHERE

A lemon is roughly spherical; the

lights and shades on spheres are

shaped by crescents, so a round

brush and curved brushstrokes will

help to describe the form of a

spherical-shaped object.

CONE

The bowl is a conical shape. On a

cone, the light and shadow shows

itself in triangular shapes, so the

best way to describe the light and

shade on the bowl is to use a fl at

brush and triangular or diagonal-

shaped strokes.

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