Scholar's Tea Room

The above is a still-life drawing, composed using an animal skull and at least 3 other objects in the scene.

One of the elements of design I'm proud to have accomplished in this piece is the aspect of movement. The leaves, flowers, skull, and shadows all have a certain 'sway' in their placement and design. This gives the viewer's eye the effect of following lines throughout the composition, towards the focal point. Which is in this case, the bottle and skull at the centre of the image.

Another element I aspired to utilize well was the use of spacing. At first, both the top left and the top right of the image were empty. To remedy this, I added a few extra leaves to the top right corner of the image. Now, there is a sort of unity between the skull and the leaves. The majority of the image is present at the right half of the piece, however this ensures that no full space is too cluttered and that there is a varying visual experience for the viewers eye.

 Looking back on it now, I notice several things I would have wanted to improve upon, such as the barely visual logo on the bottle. In the darkening process, it appears that I may have forgotten to outline the print and design, therefore making the text appear faded. Another thing that bothers me is the shadow to the bottom left of the image. I'm pleased with the placing of it, however the darks still strike me as being awkward in the location. After several attempts to fix this area, I decided it was presentable... At least, enough so to get by.


In general, I am however pleased with the overall outcome of this piece. In particular, I'm quite proud of my shading in most locations. So to speak, the animal skull. I believe it to be the most realistic of the compilation I put together.