Selected Examples - Watercolor Still Life Copybook

Author: None
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: Beautiful Basic Course is a compulsory subject for all fine art majors. Whether in fine art high schools or fine art academies, basic art education holds a significant position. The content of basic art education is mostly divided into subjects such as still-life sketching, portrait sketching, plaster sculpture sketching, and color still-life. The purpose of offering these courses is to cultivate students' artistic abilities in terms of observation, understanding, recognizing the characteristics of things, and applying painting techniques and language, guiding them smoothly into the art they dream of. The cultivation of artistic ability includes two aspects: the cultivation of artistic thinking, artistic imagination, and artistic aesthetic ability; the second is the cultivation of operational ability. Operational ability refers to the skillful use of tools and materials, allowing the subjective handling and imagination of the objects one sees and thinks of. The painter should observe the objects from a unique perspective, grasp their essential characteristics, and then express them through means such as lines, colors, light and shadow, warmth and coolness, space, structure, perspective, and. The cultivation of artistic ability in these two aspects is indispensable; they are complementary to each other. Without aesthetic ability, even if the technique is excellent, one cannot truly grasp the essential characteristics of the objects; conversely, even with boundless passion and countless imaginations, without solid basic skills, one cannot express one's own ideas and concepts, only engaging in empty fantasies. In basic teaching, cultivating students' artistic abilities, drawing from life and copying are the basic methods. Drawing from life involves painting directly in front of objective objects, training students to observe and express objects objectively, which can cultivate their keen sense of perception and proficiency in skills. However, some students may encounter various difficulties when drawing from life, such as the expression of texture, detailed rendering, spatial handling, and the black-and-white-gray relationships in the overall composition. Usually, teachers use excellent works as teaching models for students to copy and appreciate. Through copying, students can understand the original painter's intentions and ideas in the process of painting, learn specific methods for shaping objects, thus resolving doubts and quickly improving their painting skills. Copying excellent works can be divided into overall copying, partial copying, mirror copying, interpretive copying, and mental copying, among others. Students can choose the copying method according to their own weaknesses. Excellent basic teaching works are like a good teacher, teaching you how to handle the overall composition effect, such as the black-and-white-gray relationships in sketches and the warm-cool tones in colors, and also helping you solve details such as modeling, space, and texture. Teachers in the basic department often adopt a method of drawing from life as the main approach and copying as a supplementary method, achieving significant results. It is evident that learning from excellent works and absorbing their essence can compensate for poor painting experience while also cultivating the ability to distinguish between good and bad in terms of aesthetics. To promote the improvement of painting skills among fine art students and to encourage more students to join the art field, Anhui Fine Arts Publishing House has selected over a hundred outstanding works from published books over the years, dividing them into four volumes according to the basic teaching content of fine art academies: Portrait Sketching, Plaster Sculpture Sketching, Still-Life Sketching, and Watercolor Still-Life. The works in the books are exquisite and standardized, fully meeting the requirements of basic teaching. The images are clear, making them convenient for students to copy and appreciate. Most of the authors of the works are renowned professors and famous painters from major institutions, and their rigorous teaching attitudes are also reflected in their works.