5 MAKE OBJECTS glow

Use careful observation to suggest a sense of transparency, suggests Heather Ihn Martin

THE BENEFITS

With the right lighting, you can create a glowing still life subject that captivates viewers through a clever use of beautiful and unique colour relationships.

THE PROCESS

Late afternoon sunlight through a west-facing window creates dramatic and vibrant natural light, perfect for a back-lit citrus still life challenge. The drawback to natural light is that it is so fleeting and constantly changing, which can be frustrating for an artist. Luckily, you can achieve a similar look with spotlights.

Set up a warm light to be very low, usually right above and behind the fruit as you are looking at it. For this example, I actually laid the lamp sideways on the table (though be careful that it doesn’t get too warm against the surface). I found that having a second, cooler light positioned farther out near to my easel created some very beautiful and cool shadows which complemented the orange of the citrus well and heightened the effects further.

Be sure to walk around the subject, as well as looking at it at eye level and above, to find the best angle for your painting. While it might be tempting to show the light glowing through all of your segments, remember that it’s important to position some at different angles so that they appear duller or even in shadow and provide a contrast that again increases the effect.

For that extra glow, pay close attention to how the orange colour of the fruit might be reflecting into the shadows. It is a close observation of these subtleties that will really take your work to the next level. www.heatherihnart.coms