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Simple Still Life Tutorial

Want to take your painting journey further? Learn to paint REALISTIC still life paintings in this COMPREHENSIVE 4 part tutorial!

Welcome to the studio! I want to share with you some awesome still life painting techniques! This is no ordinary tutorial. This series of demonstrations were specially crafted and designed to help you take your paintings to the next level.

Working from direct observation; painting Still Life, is an essential practice for the aspiring painter.

Whether you just started painting with a couple of pieces under your belt, or you’re an intermediate painter, this tutorial is for you! I want to show you some incredible techniques that will help you create work with the look and feel of the old masters! Big claim? Sure it is… this is about starting off on the right path with the right technical approach. This tutorial will have you covered!

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4 MP4 Files – 10.24GB – 8 hours of content
viewed in 1080p, no subtitles

$79 USD

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This tutorial contains SIX different subjects that build in complexity from one to the next, showcasing a range of techniques and approaches. In each demonstration, I will talk you through how I create 3-Dimensional still-life paintings that feel ALIVE!

We will talk a bunch about materials and I’ll share with you the brushes I use for specific techniques, as well as the colour combinations to create realistic paintings with a sense of light and depth. Though I painted each of these pieces from life, I will also share the photographs of each still life, giving you exclusive access to high res images, so you can try your hand at these techniques!

Included in this tutorial are two BONUS FEATURES! To give you even more vital information; one on COLOUR THEORY and how I arrived at my palette, and another bonus section on BRUSHWORK, focussed on building a painterly surface!

My aim with this tutorial is to give you the information and techniques you’ll need to take your artwork to another level and hold nothing back, giving you the essential techniques to get you started!

If you want to expand your repertoire of painting techniques, this is an essential TISCHLER TUTORIAL to add to your collection!

I’ve dedicated the last 18 years to mastering painting; let me show you some great techniques that will save you the time and effort grinding it out in the studio. Take your STILL LIFE paintings further – check out this tutorial!

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

IN EACH DEMONSTRATION I SHOW YOU MY FIRST STROKES, CONSTRUCTING THE STILL LIFE AND ESTABLISHING THE COMPOSITION. THIS WILL HELP SOLIDIFY YOUR IMAGE WITH CLEAR ZONES, READY FOR THE INITIAL COLOURS.
WE THEN BLOCK IN OUR STILL LIFE WITH BOLD STROKES OF COLOUR, OR CREATE A BISTRE, WHICH IS A TONAL UNDERPAINTING; ESTABLISHING OUR LIGHTS AND DARKS. THIS IS KEY FOR ACHIEVING THOSE OLD MASTER VIBES! FROM HERE WE SLOW THINGS DOWN AND I SHOW THE PROCESS OF LAYING IN REFINING STROKES OF DETAIL, TO MAKE THE STILL LIFE COME TO LIFE!
YOU’LL COME AWAY WITH A NEW UNDERSTANDING FOR HOW TO CREATE A REALISTIC LOOKING STILL, THAT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE YOUR ARRANGEMENT!
YOU’LL ALSO LEARN HOW TO HANDLE OIL PAINTING MATERIALS WITH EASE, BY JUST ADHERING TO A FEW TRIED AND TRUE PRINCIPLES. OIL PAINTING NEEDN’T BE DAUNTING OR OVER-COMPLICATED. ONCE YOU HAVE A GRASP OF THE FUNDAMENTALS, COVERED IN THIS TUTORIAL, YOU’LL BE PAINTING UP A STORM!

THIS TUTORIAL HAS SEVERAL SEGMENTS; EACH SEGMENT FOCUSES ON A DIFFERENT SUBJECT, APPROACH OR TECHNIQUE!

Colour Theory

We need to talk about colour and go back to basics! In this segment, I discuss the primaries and how I mix clean secondaries. There are some ideas here that need to be challenged. I show you different combinations to mix a range of tones and then show you how I arrived at the palette I use. This will solidify your understanding of colour and get you started on the road to mastering your palette!

Brushwork

How did the old masters create such amazing surfaces in their paintings? It all comes down to a mastery of their materials and an understanding of what oil paint does! Here in this segment, I talk to you about my particular process of matching the right brush for the technique and how to create engaging painterly surfaces through blending and layering. This is the trick to

creating cool-looking 3D effects!

Still Life with Eggs

We kick things off with a bit of a challenge! In this demonstration, I show you how to create a round three-dimensional form, bathed in light. We create this piece in one sitting working from life. Here we have an ostrich egg, a chicken egg and a sparrow’s egg. It’s vitally important to have the right brush for the job to create not only a smooth surface but an even transition of tones! After the paintings dry, I show you how to glaze the piece to push the dynamic of light and shade even further with transparent films of paint.

Onion Study From Life

I challenge you to paint an onion! Why paint an onion? It’s important for the artist to learn to see. Beauty and interest are everywhere, it’s just a matter of stopping to appreciate it! Here we study the many intricacies of this subject and faithfully represent what we see on the panel. This is painted in one sitting, focussing on colour combinations and texture!

Apple Study From Life

In this demonstration, I show you how to control the palette by limiting our colour arrangement. To get our subject to look 3D like you could pick it up and bite it, we start with muted colour and flesh in the painting quickly. From here we begin to tease out the intricacies of the delicate tonal shifts, all working wet into wet or all prima! The apple leaps off the panel as soon as those highlights appear!

Quince Still Life

How did the old masters do it? In this demonstration, we really achieve those old master’s vibes with a simple and effective technique of a bistre underpainting. This establishes the composition and the tonal values quickly while allowing for warmth to come through in our subsequent layers. What’s important here though, is the initial set-up, with an abundance of dark to let those lights explode off the surface!

Pears Still Life

We take a similar approach to our quince painting, but here we get to the finished underpainting/block in with one sitting, ready for a glaze. This is an effective technique for achieving a sense of realism rapidly. There are even a few “out of the box” painting techniques to share with you here for aching crispy detail. Sometimes it’s not about detailing the whole thing, just being strategic with our finer marks!

Pumpkins Still Life

We’ve been working up to our most complicated still life yet; in this demonstration, I want to show you how one subject can tell a story and have so much visual interest. Here in this painting, we discuss the techniques covered in the previous demonstrations but at a larger scale. I am constantly balancing visual elements to create interest. I want to show you the dynamic combinations of light against dark, of soft versus sharp and of muted against saturated. This demonstration will have you coming back again and again – SO MANY TECHNIQUES!

Retouching and Varnishing

I included this special segment due to the sheer volume of requests for more information on the subject. What do we do with our paintings once it’s finished? Here I show you a process of retouch varnishing and getting our painting “show ready”; we discuss best practices for this to ensure the longevity of your painting. All oil paintings should be varnished and there’s a brief segment on final varnish and the materials I use for this.

Brush Cleaning and Studio Practice

This tutorial really has it all! I’ve never included a segment on studio practice and what I do at the end of every painting session. My brushes last me years and years because I stick to a few simple practices, and that’s what I want to share with you here. Sometimes bad habits can not only create a mess but take the joy out of the entire exercise!

Q & A

What do I need to know before download the tutorial?

The files are relatively large so ensure you have enough space on your computer before commencing the download. Once i’ts saved on your computer you can then save this to a USB stick or portable drive to free up space.

You’ll need a good/fast internet connection to download the tutorials, as the speed of your connection will determine how long it takes to complete the download.

Make sure you download files individually, one at a time. An interrupted internet connection will cause the download to pause so please if your download stops, un-pause it instead of starting again.

If I need technical support regarding downloads, can I contact you?

Absolutely, for a technical issue, we are only an email away!

Are your tutorials good for beginners?

I make tutorials that everyone will gain something from. If you are a beginner, then this is a great place to start. You’ll no doubt learn some crucial techniques to accelerate your development as a painter. If you’re an advanced or professional artist you’ll come away with some new tricks refreshing your approach to creating paintings.

Can acrylic painters gain something from your tutorials?

Absolutely, whilst the mediums have their differences many of the concepts here are the same. It all comes down to colour and composition and these elements are universal in painting

How much of the process do you share?

All of it! Whilst this presentation doesn’t show every single brushstroke I have filmed every stage of this painting. This piece took well over 80 hours; I boiled it down to the essential techniques into 7 hours!

Do you talk about colour mixing?

Yes! Frequently. Colour mixing is important and intermittently through the presentation I show my palette and how I mix some of the colours in this painting.

Can the viewer paint along with you?

You’re more than welcome to paint along. However I recommend using this tutorial as a guide to paint your own scenes and take these techniques to create your own unique vision. This will give you the nudge you need to take your paintings to the next level.

Do you show how to achieve details?

Yes, I have zoomed in to show some of these finer details being applied, particularly on the trees and in the grasses in the foreground

Does the download work for iPad & Phones?

Yes, you can use your iPad to view the download, but please find out what software your version will require to watch a MP4 file first.