how to draw fruit still life

How to draw a  bowl of fruit  is a 4th grade art lesson. Easy to follow + learn.
Scroll down to find:
  1. examples of natural bowls of fruit 
  2. Artist James Peale, a realistic painter, is introduced with examples of his work
  3. step-by-step instructions with pictures of the project
  4. a lesson plan (including California State Visual Art Standards)

reference 

James Peale
  • born Chestertown, Maryland, 1749
  • died Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1831
  • American painter
  • known for his miniature and still life paintings
  • painted full-scale portraits, landscapes, Trompe-l'oeil, + still lifes
  • served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution
  • had a younger brother, painter Charles Willson Peale
  • 5 of his 7 children took up painting
  • Peale believed anyone could be taught to paint
 James Peale (1749-1831). c 1824 Still Life with Chinese Export Basket
fruit bowl still life for reference - note shape of various grapes + how they hang over bowl - notice fruit colors + shaded areas that are farthest from source of light
The Artist and His Family by James Peale. 1795. Coutesy Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
bowl of fruit for reference - notice fruit colors = source of light upper right + shadows lower left

step-by-step

1. draw horizontal line as shown - SLIGHT curve - bowl bottom
2. 2 horizontal lines up from each end for sides of bowl
3. bowl top SLIGHT curve like bottom of bowl
4. circle for apple - overlap bowl
5. erase apple-line below bowl
6. draw circle for orange - overlap as shown
7. erase lines as shown - to illustrate fruit are inside bowl not on top of
8. draw 2 circles for pear - top circle slightly smaller than bottom circle
9. connect sides of pear connecting 2 circles
10. erase inside of pear
11. on table, lower left, draw a circle with triangular end - curve end of triangle for strawberry
12. erase inside of strawberry 
13. draw large triangular shape for grapes - round corners
14. erase lines inside of triangular area for grapes
15. draw circular grapes in triangular area - try to keep most the same size
16. draw rectangular stems on apple, pear, + grapes
17. erase fruit lines that were thru the stem
18. color pear using yellow-green
19. green leaf on grapes, top of strawberry, lower right of pear - pear is curved, shading should follow shape of pear
20. add some brown for shading on pear - lower right side - color following shape of pear - curved coloring - color stems brown - color circle inside top "star-shape" on orange
21. color orange with orange
22. shade lower right of orange using brown - coloring line should follow shape of orange 
23. use red to color apple
24. add yellow-orange to upper left area of apple in a circular shape for highlight
25. with black draw short lines on lower area of strawberry
26. color grapes a violet lightly 
27. darken EACH grape on lower area with violet or blue-violet with curve lines as shown - add veins with green on leaf of grapes
28.
29.
30.
31. lightly shade under + to the right of bowl of fruit + strawberry - black line where items touch the table
32.
33. ALTERNATIVE; no grapes
34. Here are 2 views - table color differs
34

objective

Students will learn how to illustrate bowl of fruit.  They will be familiar with shadows + what they do to color + how they transform their art work into more advanced pieces.  Students will have examples of actual paintings + photographs of fruit bowls for reference. 

materials

  • white drawing paper approx. 9"x12" or larger if desired
  • crayons or colored pencils
  • erasers
  • pencils

activity

  • show students the photographs of actual fruit bowl paintings.
  • explain to students that they will illustrate the actual fruit realistically.​
  • follow step-by-step instructions above to complete art project
  • leave ample time for clean-up
  • give younger students jobs for clean-up

vocabulary 

  • Balance - Visual equilibrium in a composition; achieved by organizing the weight and attention of all elements in an artwork.  Types of balance are symmetrical, asymmetrical, radial, and crystallographic.Collage - An artistic composition made of various materials (e.g. paper, cloth, or wood) glued on a surface. ​Color - The visual sensation dependent on the reflection or absorption of light from a given surface.  The three characteristics of color are hue, value. and intensity.  Color Harmony; The use of compatible colors to help unify a composition. 
  • Elements of Art - Sensory components used to create works of art ; line, color, shape, texture, value, space.
  • Expressive Content - Ideas that express ideas and moods.
  • Harmony - The principle of design that combines elements in a work of art to emphasize similarities of separate but related parts. 
  • Media - Plural of medium, referring to materials used to make art; categories of art (e.g. painting, sculpture, film).
  • Proportion - The size relationships of one part to the whole and of one part to another.
  • Realistic - Representing familiar things in a way that is accurate or true to life.
  • Scale - The size of an object or image that is measured by its relationship to the other objects and images that are recognized for their normal or actual size.
  • Space - An area in which objects or images can exist.
  • Shape - A two-dimensional are or plane that may be open or closed, free-form or geometric.  It can be found in nature or is made by humans. 
  • Overlap - When one thing is put over another.
  • Primary Colors - Refers to colors red, yellow, and blue.  From these all other colors are created.
  • Secondary Colors - Colors that are mixtures of two primaries.  Red and yellow make orange, yellow and blue make green, and blue and red make violet. 
  • ​​Unity - Total visual effect in a composition

variation

  • use paint, oil pastel, chalk pastel to color with
  • add other  fruit to bowl or sitting on table ( lemon - kiwi - tropical fruit )

ca state visual arts standards


1.0 ARTISTIC PERCEPTION
Develop Perceptual Skills and Visual Arts Vocabulary
1.1 Describe and replicate repeated patterns in nature, in the environment, and in works of art.
3.0 HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL 
  Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of the Visual Arts
     3.2 Identify and describe various subject matter in art (e.g., landscapes, seascapes, portraits, still life)
​
​2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION
Creating, performing, and Participating in the Visual Arts.
Students apply artistic processes and skills, using a variety of media to communicate meaning and intent in original works of art.
Communication and Expression Through Original works of Art
2.4 Plan and use variations in line, shape/form, color, and texture to communicate ideas  or feelings in works. of art.
2.7 Use visual and actual texture in original works of art.

4.0 AESTHETIC VALUING
Making Informed Judgements
4.4 Select something they like about their work of art and something they would change.