Composing a still life is perhaps the most daunting task when it comes to starting a new painting. An unharmonious composition can ruin a painting, no matter how skilled the artist might be. In my opinion, it is one of the most important parts of a painting, second only to an accurate drawing. However, composition can be frustratingly subjective; what is pleasing to some may not be pleasing to others, so it is important to keep several tried-and-true guidelines in mind when designing your composition. I found that I was able to identify a good composition when I saw one, but I struggled to create one myself. So, in case you struggle with the same problem, I decided to share with you in depth all that I’ve learned about composition to give you a good place to start when composing a still life.

Choosing a surface to paint on is daunting to those who don’t know their preferences yet, and it’s difficult to find a comprehensive source of information on how to go about preparing that surface. Of course, if you are unsure of what surface works best for you, I’d encourage you to experiment until you find what you like, but I’d like to help you in your search by sharing my experiences figuring out what works best for me and why, as well as any other helpful information I’ve learned along the way.