Still Life Drawing for Beginners: Set Up, Sketch and Shade

Posted by

Haanz Team

2026-10-18

On 2026-10-18

Haanz Art GuideFree, practical advice from the team at Haanz Art & Craft Materials

Still life is the classic way to learn drawing, and a regular part of school art lessons and exams. Fruit, bottles, cups and cloth stay perfectly still, so you can study shapes, light and shadow at your own pace. This guide to still life drawing for beginners explains how to set up a still life, measure and sketch accurately, shade convincingly, and which materials to use.

Setting up a still life

Choose simple objects: start with two or three items of different shapes, such as an apple, a cup and a bottle.
Vary heights and overlap: place one object slightly in front of another so they overlap. It makes the drawing more interesting and shows depth.
Use one strong light: a desk lamp or window light from one side gives clear highlights and shadows. Avoid light from several directions.
Plain background: a plain wall or a sheet of card helps you see shapes clearly.
Fix your viewpoint: sit in the same place each time so the view doesn’t change.

Still life drawing step by step

Look for the big, simple shapes first: circles, ovals, rectangles and triangles.
Lightly sketch the whole group, checking how tall and wide it is overall.
Measure: hold your pencil at arm’s length, close one eye, and compare heights and widths of objects.
Draw the tops and bottoms of round objects, such as cups and bottles, as ellipses (flattened circles), not as flat lines.
Refine the outlines, then lightly mark where the shadows fall.
Shade from light to dark, starting with the large shadow shapes.
Add cast shadows on the table and finish with highlights.

Drawing ellipses correctly

The openings of cups, jars and bottles look like ellipses. Ellipses closer to your eye level look flatter, and ones further below your eye level look rounder. Draw them with a light, loose movement of your whole arm, and make both ends rounded, not pointed.

Materials for still life drawing

Pencils: a range from HB to 6B, such as the NYONI Drawing Pencil and Graphite Drawing Pencil, sold by grade.
Charcoal: for bold, quick studies, a Marie’s Charcoal Pencil or Nyoni willow charcoal. See our charcoal guide.
Paper and board: an A3 sketch pad such as the Bomeijia Sketch Pad A3 160gsm, on a Drawing Board A3.
Blending and erasing: Art Nation Paper Stumps and an eraser pen.
Colour: try still life in Pentel oil pastels or colour pencils once you are confident with tone.

Prices change, so see each product page for today’s price. For shading methods, see our pencil shading techniques guide. Browse all papers for pencil drawing.

Common mistakes

Most of these mistakes come from rushing. Spend the first few minutes just looking at your setup before you draw anything.

Drawing what you think an object looks like instead of what you see. Keep looking up at the objects.
Outlining everything heavily. Real objects have edges made by changes in tone, not dark lines.
Forgetting cast shadows, which make objects look as if they float.
Making all objects the same darkness. Compare tones and push the darkest darks.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a still life drawing take?

Quick sketches can take 10 minutes; a detailed shaded drawing may take a few hours over several sessions.

What objects are good for beginners?

Simple shapes with clear shadows: fruit, cups, boxes and bottles. Add folded cloth once you are confident.

Should I draw from a photo?

Drawing from real objects is better for learning, because you see true light and form. Photos are useful when you can’t leave a setup in place.

Do you deliver islandwide?

Yes. We deliver across Sri Lanka in 2–5 working days, with cash on delivery, card or bank transfer. You can also visit our shops in Boralesgamuwa and Horana, open every day from 9 AM to 6 PM.

Not sure what to choose? WhatsApp the Haanz team on 0711 515 515 and we’ll help you choose materials for still life drawing.

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