5 Secrets of Vintage Still Lifes

Still life may seem like a simple genre.
But in fact, it has

a lot of nuances and pitfalls: working with composition,
chiaroscuro, planarity, and more. Often, it is difficult
for beginners to paint a still life as they are not familiar
with these nuances – and therefore cannot control
the process.
In this guide, I’ll talk about five effective tricks that

will help you create beautiful still lifes in a vintage
style, even if you have very little experience in drawing.
Let’s get to know

each other?
My name is Nina Orlova.
I am a watercolor painter.
I studied at the Kosygin Textile
University at the Department
of Applied Arts.
I’ve been working with watercolor since 2013, and since 2015 I’ve been
actively teaching others how to do it, both live and online. I cooperated
with Faber Castell as an artist and teacher of children’s MC; I developed
several author’s watercolor courses.
My creative credo is to always learn, look for new topics, complicate

and improve my works. I hope to pass on my love of drawing to you!
Why I love still lifes
The main theme of my works
is household items, vintage things, fruit
and vegetable compositions. My eye
clings to objects that seem ordinary
to many: I want to show their beauty
and originality on paper.
Here are some of my paintings.

I like to play
and experiment with
chiaroscuro, colors,
artistic rhythm. I like
to explore the textures
and composition
of objects. I infect
my students with this
affection, and perhaps you
will be among them;)
And now, as promised,

I’m going to share
techniques that will
help you create
spectacular, attention-
grabbing still lifes, even
if their protagonists are
completely mundane
household items.
By the way, we will try

all these techniques
together at the free
Vintage Marathon. Sign up
and draw with me!
I’m going
to the marathon!
Secret No. 1
Forming the focus of attention
Even if there are many objects in the painting, not all of them attract
the attention of the artist (and later, respectively, the viewer) in the same way.
Depending on the plane, the position of objects in relation to the zones of light
and shadow, we pay different attention to the objects.
Take a look at a still life with gooseberries. There are many of the same berries
here, but I painted them in different ways. A couple of berries in the foreground
are as detailed as possible; the gooseberries in the mug are more generalized;
And the berries that are in the shade are actually painted in spots, almost
without details.
When we paint objects with varying degrees of detail, we give the still life
the volume: the objects will have more space in the painting, and it will be
easier for the viewer to focus on the work and look at it more interestingly.
Secret No. 2
Keeping the color bright
I often see the following mistake among the beginners:

they seem to be afraid to paint an object bright
and saturated, they strongly dilute the watercolor with
water, and the result is a faded still life, not at all like
a colorful reference.
Look at the picture of the pumpkin. It is juicy orange on its

own, and here it is also under bright lighting. Accordingly,
I boldly conveyed all this brightness on paper. Therefore,
we do not hesitate to draw in a rich and contrasting way,
if our reference requires it:)
Secret No. 3
We work in wet-on-wet
technique
If we want to apply watercolor layer by layer, but in such a way that

this layering was not visible, then we need to work in wet-on-wet technique.
That is, apply the next coat of paint without waiting for the previous one to dry.
If the wash dries out, then you should wait until it dries completely - and then
wet it again with clean water and continue working.
When we work with wet washes, the colors blend seamlessly into each other.
Look at the still life with pots: in order to convey their smooth texture, I worked
in wet-on-wet technique. This allowed me to add color saturation, darken
shadows, but not lose the texture uniformity.
Secret No. 4
Removing the superfluous

If we transfer to the
picture everything
that we see in the
reference, we will
most likely only
spoil the still life
with an abundance
of details. Take a look
at the mushroom
work above, and then
the reference to it:
As you can see, I did

some preliminary work
with the reference:
I chose objects
and details that I will
leave in the still life,
and screened those
that I am not going
to draw. This allowed
me to make a nice
composition and arrange
the mushrooms
in the picture beautifully.
Secret No. 5
Identifying contrasts
When painting still lifes, it is necessary to work

with contrasts: add the accent details so that the finished
picture was not faded and the objects on it were quite
visible.
Consider the picture of pears. In the center of the

composition here is a metal mug. It is light on its own,
but I added contrasting details to it: I emphasized the
bottom with dark spots, played with light and shadow
on the rim and handle. The pears themselves also have
accents: dark stalks.
Due to the juxtaposition of light, non-saturated fragments

with bright and contrasting ones, the still life becomes
livelier, juicier and more voluminous.
Let’s draw together!
We will draw all these 5 pictures on the free
«Vintage Marathon with Nina Orlova»!
The program includes 5 classes where we will learn how to draw

watercolor still lifes in a vintage style: antique dishes, fresh
fruits and vegetables, wild mushrooms.
The records of the broadcasts will be available

in your personal account while the marathon
is going on + 3 more days so that you definitely
had time for everything!
I want to join
the marathon!
And for those who carefully watch all 5 broadcasts,

I will give a great bonus lesson:
You will draw a delicate

lavender bouquet!
Come, I’m waiting

for you!
Sign up
for the Vintage Marathon

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Still life may seem like a simple genre.

But in fact, it has

In this guide, I’ll talk about five effective tricks that

Let’s get to know

My creative credo is to always learn, look for new topics, complicate

Here are some of my paintings.

And now, as promised,

By the way, we will try

Forming the focus of attention

Keeping the color bright

I often see the following mistake among the beginners:

Look at the picture of the pumpkin. It is juicy orange on its

If we want to apply watercolor layer by layer, but in such a way that

Removing the superfluous

As you can see, I did

When painting still lifes, it is necessary to work

Consider the picture of pears. In the center of the

Due to the juxtaposition of light, non-saturated fragments

The program includes 5 classes where we will learn how to draw

The records of the broadcasts will be available

And for those who carefully watch all 5 broadcasts,

You will draw a delicate

Come, I’m waiting

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