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Writer's pictureCris Gordy

Still Life: Going Bananas

Updated: Apr 9, 2020

A step-by-step lesson


Lesson objectives: Value study. Wet-into-wet technique. Separate objects by value and color.


Drawing: only regular paper, draw the subject lightly with pencil and shade. The light source comes from the left.



Step 1: I erase to soften the pencil marks. Paint the background first with Payne’s gray or a mix of ultramarine blue and burnt siena. I used P. Gray with a touch of U.B. Make two puddles, one very light, the other for the darker shadow behind the bananas.




Step 2: After the background is dry, I wet the bananas only and add a wash of cadmium yellow with a touch of orange (or burnt siena). I go back to the shaded areas and drop more orange and burnt siena following my value study. Add wet on dry green to the top of the fruit (olive or sap green). Add a touch of burnt umber (or darken burnt siena with a bit of gray or U.B.) to the top of the fruit where the bananas connect.



Step 3: While the paper is a bit damp and dry in some areas, add burnt umber to the ridges of bananas, to make them look ripe. Add darks as shown in photo. Paint the space between the banana stems with the same color and value as the background. Ready to make your smoothie now!



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