How do you paint an all white still life?

Question

I am trying to paint a still life where the background, and all the objects are white. Im having a hard time. Dose anyone have any examples of all white paintings? Or any tips of seeing the "colors" in the objects?

Answer 1

Use the colours of the shading. Greys and blues for colder tones, warm browns, warm greys etc for warmer ones.
And use some imagination, sometimes a little bright colour worked into the shading adds a very nice dramatic effect.
Paint the shadows, not the objects.

Answer 2

Why not try using texture! Give each object in the composition a unique texture.eg: flowers with strong impasto petals and leaves. Produce different textures by using a variety of implements to apply the paint eg: rollers, brushes,painting knife. You could also graduate the textures so that the bolder ones were used for the focus/ foreground and lighter textures were applied for background. The textures will reflect light at different angles and create variety in the composition particularly if you add some angled linear texture by using, say, a comb. Finishing the work with gloss varnish on the main objects and matt on the background could also help. You could also try applying some "found" materials to your work such as textile cuttings and paint over them. Good luck. .

Answer 3

The main goal of painting still life with the same colour, say all white, is to master the light and shade tips.
This could be the only tip I can help with on here:
-leave the high lights of the nearest object to you white,
- then use 3 shades of half tone or something all over the painting (light half tone, medium half tone, dark half tone using only one colour at first until you perfect it, say an ultramarine blue with white, it will give you a wide range of tones without using black, later you can try other colours with white)
- the last touches would be only the ultramarine blue on the darkest areas of the objects.

there you go :)

Answer 4

You have to be able to see the 'reflected colours' in the white objects. There will be other colours in the room and you will see them reflected in the white objects... I'm an artist - I see what ever colour I want to see. If I want the highlighted part to be warm - I will paint warm colours into that area. If I want the shadows to be cool I will use cool colours. I get very creative and make it very colourful.. I have never done this type of painting - but I wouldn't let it stop me from using alot of colour.

Answer 5

Do you have the still life set up? This can help a lot! When you have it set up, look at specific areas, like a single shadow and see what kind of colors you can see there (a wild imagination helps). then when you are painting, exaggerate this color a little. It gives the painting vitality and expression. I don't know of any specific still lifes like this, but you could look at landscapes of snow scenes. I think they would help a lot. Good Luck!!!

p.s. also look into color theory and what colors create depth (like purple) and what colors create highlights (like yellow).

Answer 6

Paintings have their own Light. so you can have a dark Back ground and still can bring light into your painting. From a side angle for example. or in the For ground. Does that help a little

Answer 7

Nothing is ever stark white. White is very reflective of the surrounding colors. The sky can be seen. Also, white comes in different hues or shades. There's ivory white. Gray white and etc.

Answer 8

I have seen this done. You will use grays, blues and believe it or not, some red and yellow. The reds and yellows will be only very subtle touches, just slivers so to speak. The majority of your shading will be in the grays and blues.