Still Life Acrylic Project E-Book

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The problem with learning to paint is, where do you begin when you’ve got so many ideas but don’t know where to start?

Secretly you think you need to get complicated to create an accomplished still life, so when you attempt your first painting, your setup is elaborate.

Too many colours – too many objects, resulting in a piece that falls short of your expectations. The acrylics dry too quickly, and you just can’t get the blending or the colour mixing right.

But, there is another way.

I’ve created this project e-book because I’m passionate about still life’s and I want you to succeed.

I’ve designed 3 simple painting studies, manageable for a beginner or those short of time, that I’ll guide you through from start to finish. It will develop your observational skills and add three-dimensional depth and richness to your still life paintings.

With my project e-book, you’ll discover the magic of still life painting in a simple, manageable, and fun way. And now I’ve included a 45 min video lesson to bring your learning experience to life!

  • (NEW 2023) SUPPLEMENTARY VIDEO: Alongside the E-book, I have added an additional 45min video demonstration of the Clementines Colour Form Painting Project, to complete the learning process.

With my impressionistic approach, you’ll focus on capturing the essence of your subject rather than getting stuck in the details. I’ll guide you step-by-step, teaching you how to mix colours like a pro and how to add depth and richness to your paintings. In the supporting video lesson of the Clementines, you’ll watch as I demonstrate each step of the painting process, giving you a deeper understanding of the techniques.

You’ll gradually build up skills in a logical sequence, gaining an understanding of the properties of paint and how colour works together in paintings.

And, with my foolproof palette knife system, you’ll never struggle with colour mixing again! You’ll build your skills in a logical sequence and master the classical principles of great paintings. Plus, you’ll get insider tips from my own painting practice that will take your art to the next level.

It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece; it just has to be your masterpiece, with your energy to create a painting that you can be proud to display on your wall.

  • 3 x still life acrylic paintings, measuring 8 x 10-inch & 8 x 8-inch.
  • Detailed step-by-step instructions with clear photographs, in bite-size project sections.
  • Downloadable line drawings.
  • Downloadable full-colour reference jpeg images
  • Downloadable colour swatches with palette knife ‘recipes’ so you can easily match your paint mixes.
  • (NEW 2023) SUPPLEMENTARY VIDEO: Alongside the E-book, I have added an additional 45-minute video demonstration of the Clementines Colour Form Painting Project, to complete the learning process.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a digital e-book; you will not receive a paper copy through the post.

£24.99

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Description

This Still Life Acrylic Project Book is a downloadable PDF E-Book designed to help you understand light and shadow and create better acrylic still life paintings.

  • (NEW 2023) SUPPLEMENTARY VIDEO: Alongside the E-book, I have added an additional 45min video demonstration of the Clementines Colour Form Painting Project, to complete the learning process.

Throughout the lessons, I’ll guide you through 3 full-colour acrylic paintings from start to finish. I’ve broken each lesson into bite-size pieces, so you can complete each stage of the painting within a 2-hour window, something you can easily follow, even if you’ve never painted before.

You’ll learn how to mix and match colours accurately, observe colour shifts in the lights and shadows and create convincing subjects.

I’ve included an introduction to the materials you’ll need, along with reference photo, line drawings and clear colour swatches to use as a guide.

By the end of the book, you’ll learn how to filter your objects, look for relationships in stories, scale, size and the importance of planning a colour scheme, knowing all the same principles will apply to future more complicated arrangements.

What’s in the Project E-Book?

  • This project book takes you right back to basics, building your understanding of how light and shadows ‘work’, one of the biggest breakthroughs for students struggling to create realistic 3D still life paintings.
  • It’s a practical book that focuses on demonstrating clear, simplified techniques.
  • 3 x still life acrylic paintings, I demonstrate each technique on a painting measuring 8 x 10-inch & 8 x 8-inch, taking you from drawing, right through to the final brushstrokes.
  • Detailed step-by-step instruction with photographs, in bite-size project sections, so that you can follow along at your own pace.
  • Downloadable line drawings, full-colour reference jpeg images, colour swatches with recipes so you can easily match your paint mixes.
  • (NEW) SUPPLEMENTARY VIDEO: 45min video demonstration of the Clementines Painting Project. Added to complete the learning process.

“Thank you so much for this! I have never really learned how to paint traditionally but thanks to this book, it has made the journey much easier. You really do explain things very well! So far I’ve done the Clementines still life and I must say that it has been quite a hit since I posted it on my social media. It was my 1st attempt ever in painting and I am very proud of it. I know I have a long way to go but I just wanted to let you know how thankful I am to have found your book. Thanks again!”- Chin

Lesson Breakdown

Lesson One

Before we get started

An introduction to the materials needed for the projects.

Looking at a simple form and how to create convincing three-dimensional shapes within our still life, focusing on lightfall and shadows.

Lesson Two

Shadow patterns

A two-tone preliminary study combining cast and form shadows as one. Often the first sketch is the most effective at conveying the sense of form rather than an overworked, detailed drawing.

In this exercise, we’ll make a clear distinction between light and dark, helping to prevent the separation from becoming muddled.

Lesson Three

Colour form painting

This painting lesson of a group of clementines allows us to enjoy colour and develop a more fully finished painting.

We’ll create round objects with minimal blending using solid blocks of colour by establishing value changes using confident impressionistic marks.

Lesson Four

Painting the light

In this little jug painting lesson, we expand on the importance of value.

We work on a light object surrounded by bounced light, with colours in the shadows. We mix a warm and cool palette and isolate colours to create a premixed tonal map.

Lesson Five

A pastel palette

In our final still life painting, we work within an analogue colour scheme and bring all our observations of form together.

Fresh and light, using textural paint application and small shifts in hue for a more challenging piece.

Project Book Delivery

This Still Life Acrylic Project Book is a brand new instantly downloadable PDF E-Book.

You will receive a 100 page PDF document with supporting reference images to your inbox.
To learn the most, you need to see each stage of the painting, have a good guide to work from and have accurate colours to match.

So alongside drawing guides, colour mixing recipes and colour swatches, I’ve taken care to photograph every key stage from my perspective so you can clearly see the progress of the work, exactly what I’m doing as we go through the entire painting process.

It’s simple. It’s thorough. And it’s easy-to-digest

I photographed, edited, and coloured the book myself (with a little help from Vanessa!)

Course Requirements

Requirements for the Course

A PDF Reader – If you have a PC you may be able to view a PDF document by just double-clicking it. If that doesn’t work, you’ll need Adobe Reader. (free download Adobe Reader)

If you have an iPad or Mac, you can access your PDF’s through the built-in iBooks app. iBooks comes pre-installed on all new iOS devices, but in case you are running an older version of the operating system, you can download iBooks for free from the App Store.

On the Safari browser, tap the share icon . Swipe through the middle row until you see the orange iBooks logo and choose ‘Save PDF to Books.’ (more instructions from apple here).

A Colour Printer – to print out the reference images or access to a Print Shop

Glossy Photo Printer Paper – I use Epson Photo Glossy

1-2 hours of distraction-free you-time  – You’ll need to be able to dedicate a block of time for each painting demonstration

A love of tea & biscuits (optional, but some may say essential!)

FAQs

Still Life Acrylic Project E-Book

Absolute beginner.

An absolute beginner to acrylics who wants to complete a simple still life painting but would like help with colour mixing recipes and drawing guides.

If you have trouble creating realistic form within your still lifes, then you would see instant improvements through the lessons. Why? Because you will understand how changes in light influence change in value and this can transform your still life painting.

No, the book is a downloadable file, once downloaded it is yours to keep forever. If you change computer in the future just drop me an email and I’ll send you through some fresh links.

Yes, you can download to an iPad via ibooks and you can download to multiple devices.

If you have an iPad, you can access your PDF’s through the built-in iBooks app.

iBooks comes pre-installed on all new iOS devices, but in case you are running an older version of the operating system, you can download iBooks for free from the App Store.

On the Safari browser, tap the share icon   top right of the screen.

Swipe through the middle row until you see the orange iBooks logo

Choose ‘Save PDF to Books.’ (more instructions from apple here).

To open and save the .zip files on an iPad, I recommend using the Safari Browser and Documents app.

The Safari Browser will allow you to open the .zip

The Documents app will be able to save and extract the files from the .zip

1. Install the free Documents app to your iPad.

https://readdle.com/documents

2. Open Safari (this method will only work with Safari)

3. Go to your email and open your Order Receipt that contains all your Download files.

4. Tap the ‘Acrylic Still Life Project Book – Reference Images.zip’ file (you might need to tap it twice)

 

5. A zip icon will appear, Click Open in “Documents”

6. Zip file has been saved in Documents, Click ‘OK’

 

7. Double tap the zipped folder to unzip.

 

8. Double-tap to open the folder.

 

9. You can see now see your reference drawings and images, whoo hoo!

 

Not at the moment, this is a Still Life Acrylic Project Book downloadable PDF E-Book.

Yes, there are reference images in jpegs and line drawings to work alongside from.

Although the demonstrations are in acrylics the course has been designed so you could transfer the skills and knowledge to oils. The palette I use is available in acrylic and oils.

 

Mmm, it’s hard to say, If you’re absolutely new to painting I’d say no.

Many of the demonstrations and tutorials look at materials that are specific to acrylic painting – so I wouldn’t want you to have the additional complication of adapting the methods to oils.

However, If you’ve been painting with oils for a while, you could adapt the painting tutorials with oil paint as many of the techniques stem from a classical oil painting approach.

The demonstrations have been designed to utilize the quick-drying properties of acrylics and to work around all the issues that acrylics can have.

If you follow the lessons in progression then by the end of the course you will have three finished still life paintings, a group of clementines, a small jug and a teacup and macaron. Each completed with three different styles of colour palette.