Still Life Painting
To develop observational painting skills through still life arrangement and painting.
- Framework: EYFS
- Unit: EYFS Expressive Arts & Design
- Learning area: Expressive Arts and Design
- Level: EYFS 3-4
Objectives
- Observes object colours carefully
- Mixes colours to match observation
- Creates a still life painting
- Discusses own artistic choices
Materials
- Still life objects: fruits, flowers, vases, toys
- Ready-mix paint
- Varied brushes
- Canvas boards or heavy paper
Instructions
Let children arrange the still life objects themselves: 'We're going to paint these objects. How shall we arrange them? What looks beautiful together? What goes in front?' This curatorial decision develops aesthetic thinking.
Introduce still life as a genre: 'Lots of famous artists painted still life — Paul Cézanne painted apples and oranges. Georgia O'Keeffe painted flowers. Today we're going to paint like them.'
Before painting, look carefully: 'What colours can you see in this apple? Just red? Look more carefully — there's a dark red here... and a yellow patch here... and a lighter pink here.' Colour observation is everything in still life.
Teach mixing colours to match: 'To get that orange-red, mix some red and a tiny touch of yellow together.' Guide experimentation without prescribing exact amounts.
Allow children to paint their own interpretation — not a 'correct' representation. A child who paints a bright blue apple because they prefer blue is making a valid artistic decision.
Display still life paintings beside the arranged objects for family and visitors to compare. This juxtaposition generates rich conversation about representation and artistic choice.