Still life 101

Still life 101 online course is the first in this series of courses designed to give you a solid foundation in draftsmanship for animation. In this course, you will learn the hardcore discipline that will mold you into a super artist animator!  Accordingly, you will be learning about the history and importance of still life, and developing your drawing skills through the practice of using these important concepts in your art. There are many resources on still life drawing and we encourage you to seek them out. Believe it or not Still life drawing will make you better with figure drawing and even animal drawing.

• Learn to accurately portray shapes and forms in your art,
• Break down the construction of a piece
• Show accurate perspective and depth
• What is line quality
• How to portray shading and light
• The overall composition, and color.

But, what does still life have to do with animation?

Still life drawing is a tried and true form of painting and drawing for thousands of years. Generally, the artist must stand before the subject matter and take over 3-4 hours to get it right. You must master such things as composition, perspective, the contrast of shapes and textures, and overall draftsmanship.  Because the subject does not move you can really take your time and take many precise measurements. You will learn to eyeball the competition for maximum appeal. Unlike figure drawing, you can take as long as you want as the model will not grow tired. Consequently many a student will grow restless and tired by the first hour. This only shows the unskilled immaturity of the student, as a true master can spend days on the same still-life subject.

A fine artist means a fine animator!

So how does this benefit the would-be animator? This is a fine art skill that will help develop your composition and drawing skills. This will make you a better artist thus making you a better animator.