Judi Whitton looks at what to consider when painting still life in watercolour – what to leave in, what to take out, and how to bring all the separate elements together for a balanced painting

Judi Whitton is a well-established watercolour artist and an enthusiastic plein-air painter. She has had many successful solo exhibitions and is a popular tutor. Her latest book Painting Venice was published in 2015, price £24 plus p&p. For more details and to order this and copies of her other books, go to www.watercolour.co.uk or email judi@watercolour.co.uk

All still-life arrangements by Sue Wales

Oh what joy it is to paint a still life. You are warm and comfortable. You can fiddle with the subject matter to your heart’s content, you are in charge of the light and it does not move, unless the flowers begin to wilt.

Rules

I find it very difficult to give any specific rules for painting still life; overall the rules are the same as those for landscape painting. Shape is the most important consideration, tone is second and colour third. You may disagree! A lead-in can be helpful as is a sense of depth and try to sit any vessels down rather than leave them floating. Avoid symmetry, steer clear of placing a ‘horizon’, such as a table top, midway across the paper, stay away from placing one vessel centrally and so on. You can, of course, always break the rules. As in landscape painting, it is helpful to keep your first impressions of the subject uppermost in your mind and try to maintain the essential essence of it in your finished work.