I have started a new project and will be posting it on my blog. The first post of what I did last night is already there.

I set up a still life of 26 items, have sketched it and started to add some color It is on 100lb Bristol smooth by Canson. 9x12 inches with colored pencils of various brands.

I did a similar one with the same list of items (but chose different items to fill the list this time). This time I am doing a portrait view as last time it was landscape view. That one was done I think in November of last year. I was fairly new to colored pencil then and am anxious to compare both of the pieces to see any progress I have made.

thats awesome jean! i just went and checked it out and i really like the whole idea..you should host one here on drawspace for us. yours is coming out great!

Feel free to print the list and try it. This is my second time to do it and I really am enjoying it.

i think i shall..it will take me some time but i would love to try it if you dont mind..this one should create lots of different artwork too. thanks for the post my dear

You have your work cut out for you there Jeanne. Great idea to combine all the pieces in one drawing though. Clever you.

Kay, we've tried something similar here previously. I guess it died out for one reason or the other. We can of course revitalize it. Why don't you pick a list of items and give people a week to draw one, ten or all of them? With the Scavenger Hunt concept, all items must be drawn from life, no photos, so its good to choose common items or concepts.

its great fun to see what people come up with.

I had become lazy about doing my scavenger hunts. Something like the 26-item one gets my fires burning again. It will be fun having one on here too.

Great start with the "Hunt" Jeanne.

Tally Ho Jeanne! Good luck with the rest of the pic!

I worked several hours on the picture tonight and it's finished. Posted on my blog.

Wow Jeanne that is beautiful!! i am going to start hunting tomorrow and get it all in a pile then get it arranged somewhere out of babys reach and at least get a photo..i live in a very small abode and i dont have much room to set it up as i would like and LEAVE it there as i work..too much activity in too small an area dogs, children and the biggest worry of all hubby..

what a really great job on this though, it really came out very nice. you should be very proud of this lovely artwork my dear

Jeanne i hope you dont mind but i am taking the liberty of posting the list here on drawspace for those that might be interested in participating..i for one look forward to it..

The List:
shelves or cabinet
vase
bottle
pitcher
fruit
stuffed animal
something yellow
figure (doll or sculpture)
clock, hourglass or timer
brass or gold object
seashell
favorite gemstone or rock
books
box (can be small/decorative)
a tin (Altoids, cookie tin, etc.)
bowl
copper object
silver object
flowerpot
flower
leaves/greenery
plate
cup
musical instrument (real, decorative, or mini)
wooden object
drinking glass

awwww....i went around and got all these things together and tried to get a good composition..i am not happy with the photo at all and am not sure how to get a good close photo of so many items. i tried taking a pic of each half and making one big pic with no success. i have already picked up all the things too..so now i have to go scout around AGAIN, get them composed and try to take a better picture..that is a lot of stuff to squeeze into a photo..see the gold rings in the box dont show and the only copper i had was some pennies that i put with the rings but they dont look right either..i suppose i can fake some of the stuff to some degree.

Click to view attachment

Kay, I guess that your frustration comes from the very arrangement of your items. In my view they should not be aligned in a row like in a store shelf but rather placed in groups, so you can see only an angle of the item, or three quarters of it; also if you get a lower table so you can photograph them from above with a high resolution setting.
By lining them up you create monotony and also you don't have the casted shadows of items on other items, play of light and shade which is also very important in drawing still life.I wil make a drawing of what i mean for better explaining my point.

thanks elena, so when i can gather them all up again and reshoot i shall place them elsewhere and lower and perhaps even put a light shining on it from the right

wow,

great job Jeanne

Kay, good luck

I too chicken to try one of these, too many little things
I also don't like drawing still life very much, but I know I should to practice my observation skills.

Here is a poor sketch of things that are not in/on the same plane.I might redo it later.

When it comes to composition and still life we can always learn from the masters. Look at a painting by Cezanne how he arranged his apples and oranges in a pyramid.

i see what you are saying but i have always wondered about these pictures being broken down in this matter...i do not believe he stood there and said ok i am going to put these apples in a triangle shape etc..i see artwork broken down like this often and it has never made any sense to me. i think they must have simply made an arrangement that is pleasing to their eye and some one else came along somewhere down the road and started drawing lines and coming up with geometric shapes..etc.

i dont believe davinci painted any of his paintings with 'hidden codes' either, i think he simply painted something that appealed to his taste and some wise guys came along later and said "oh yes, see how he placed this here, and that forms this triangle and look over here is a square surrounding such and such and look he put this here, that must hold some mysterious hidden meaning or message..lol...


but i get the idea and shall try again..

I am sorry if i offended you Kay.I just tried to help.The wise guys are aestheticians, art critics, art professors that teach art to students and explain it to folks in this way. The artists in question were mature artists which means had the skill to arrange in a wise way their items, knowldge that came from experince with real life objects, light, shadows, volumes, etc.
Stiil life photography is an art too and all this arts have a science behind them that can explain the reason why is this way and not the other.
take a look of this picture

The masters would not be masters if they couldn't give us a lesson in art.

no no elena..no offense at all taken hon, i know you would only try to help me..

i have just never understood art when broken down like that, it seems when things start being broken down like that it makes things appear far more technical than they actually are. like there was some deep need to make it really difficult.

i have actually read about composition through out learning how to draw and it just never 'works' to my way of understanding ..i dont know why.

but you certainly didnt offend me at all and i always appreciate your input my dear