The following several tips may be helpful for still life painting:

1. In composition, objects can either go across a shallow depth of field or into the canvas.

2. Decide on center of interest. Don't light all objects equally.

3. Decide on the concept, e.g. movement through space. Give the objects mass. Paint the shadows.

4. Everything has a distinctive shape. Get these in first and don't lose them.

5. Start with your center of interest.

6. Remember that, for objects to be lighted, the surface on which they rest also has to be lighted.

7. If the still life looks somewhat dull and monochrome, then add another color: try the complement.

8. Understand your subject. Decide what it is you want to bring out. Next, how you will do it. Then paint that process.

9. The ground plane is important. Establish this early and work up from it.

10. Objects have a line of shadow beneath them, which is commonly the darkest in the picture.

Hope the above tips can be helpful for you.

Xiamen Romandy Art Limited.

Website: www.oilpaintingcentre.com