A still life need not always entail setting up objects on a table, but can be anywhere. A collection of objects discarded by children in the garden for instance can offer inspiration for the artist who wishes to explore oil paints.
What is Sgraffito?
Sgraffito is a painting technique where the upper layer of paint is scratched off, revealing another color beneath. Sgraffito can be used to inject energy and movement into an oil painting, or to add texture to the paint. Various oil painting mediums such as impasto medium can be added to the paint to enhance the effect of sgraffito.
Oil Painting Supplies
The following art materials are required for the following step by step demonstration in oil paints:
- A still life setting consisting of objects in the garden
- Acrylic paint in cadmium red and cadmium yellow
- Oil paints in the following colours: titanium, pthalo blue, ultramarine, cadmium red, permanent rose, cadmium yellow, lemon yellow, viridian, burnt sienna and burnt umber
- A primed 12” x 16” (30.5 x 40.5cm) piece of MDF
- A size 3 and size 6 round sable brushes
- A ½ inch wide bristle brush
- A palette consisting of a china plate or varnished wood.
- Small pot of artists’ white spirits
- A sharp object or butt end of a brush for the sgraffito
- A few rags
- Soft pencil
Sgraffito Technique with Oil Paints
Bright colors were applied to the painting surface first. In this case, a mixture of cadmium red and yellow in acrylics. Acrylics dry quickly and the bright colors add contrast to the sgraffito technique. The still life setting was then carefully sketched on top. The palest areas of color were applied first, in this case, viridian, lemon yellow and white to represent the sunlit grass (fig 1)
Art Demonstration
The darker areas of grass were added next with a mixture of viridian, ultramarine and permanent rose (fig 2). This set the scene for the toys in the foreground, the trike, football and playpen (fig 3). These objects were painted via a fine sable and various bright colors to make them stand out.
Once the sky and tree were filled in, the sgraffito was applied. With the butt end of a brush or similar sharp object, the overlayer of paint was scratched off. The cool colors revealed warm colors beneath, adding energy and contrast to the painting (fig 4)
Oil Painting Technique with Sgraffito
Various areas of the painting were scratched over, echoing the contours of objects within such as the football, the playpen, tree and chair. Sgraffito can be a subtle effect, giving an undercurrent to the painting, or it can offer stark contrasts to a painting.
Still Life Study in the Garden
A still life study need not be limited to a table or shelf, but can be anywhere. In this oil painting demonstration, toys discarded in the garden offered interesting subject matter for the artist to study. To add an extra dimension, Sgraffito technique was practiced, whereby contrasting colors were laid one top of the other and the upper layer scratched off. Echoing the contours of the objects served to add a vibrancy and movement to the painting.
Rachel Shirley - I have written and illustrated several art instruction books entitled Oil Paintings from your Garden and Oil Paintings from the Landscape ...
