How to Paint a Still Life With Oil Paint

Draw out your still life on the canvas.

Using a low odour thinner, thin down some Burnt Umber paint and wash over the canvas to create a toned background. You should still be able to see the pencil drawing. This makes it easier to see the true colours when you start painting.

Use a palette knife and begin mixing the darkest colours in the still life. This allows the contrast to be strong and so the shadows are dark enough.

Block in the colours and focus on shapes.

Mix Cadmium Red Deep and a little Ultramarine for the shadows of the doughnut and strawberries.

Mix Viridian and Burnt Umber for the deep green of the leaves.

Mix Cadmium Red Deep and Titanium White or Permanent Rose and Titanium White to create a variety of shades of pink for the block colours of the icing.

Add a little Burnt Umber and Titanium White for the doughnut under the icing colour.

Use a flat bigger brush to block these colours in directional brush strokes, blending into the darker shadows slightly.

Using a smaller flat brush, use Cadmium Red Deep and mix in a little Ultramarine for a more purple red or Cadmium Yellow for a more orange red and block in the strawberries and cherry on the Bakewell tart.

Paint in the lighter areas of the strawberry half using a finer detail brush. Mix Cadmium Yellow, a little Cadmium Red Deep and Titanium White to create the peach tone, adding more Titanium White for highlights.

Mix Yellow Ochre with some Burnt Umber and block out the pattern of the Bakewell crust. Then block in the lighter areas by adding a little Titanium White to the paint mix.

Use a bigger brush and paint in light pinks and purples for the icing, before adding Titanium White for lighter areas over the top. Blend this area well for a smooth effect.

Block in the background of the still life, adding in the darkest areas and shadows of the objects first using Ultramarine and Cadmium Red Deep and a little Burnt Umber.

Then create lighter colours, using more Titanium White to create pastel purple, pink and green and blending these well. Paint the brush strokes in the direction of the plate to ensure the still life is sitting on the plate.

Add more details to the doughnut by refining the icing using lighter shades of pink and adding more highlights using a flat brush.

Then, using a thin brush, paint in straight lines at different angles for the sprinkles on the doughnut. 

Create the seeds on the strawberries by mixing an olive-green colour and painting on the seeds using a thin brush.

Then, while the paint is still wet, layer the seeds with a golden colour made with Yellow Ochre, Titanium White and some Cadmium Yellow. 

Refine the strawberries more by adding in small shadows of the seeds using a darker red. Then paint a brighter red over the rest of the strawberries to layer the colour.

Add highlights by mixing in Titanium White to the red paint mix and use a small brush to paint these details. Observation is important to achieve the shiny appearance.

Repeat this to paint the cherry on the cherry bakewell. 

Layer the leaves and add more details, especially highlights. Mix Cadmium Yellow with a little Phthalo Blue and Titanium White for a bright light green.

Mix a dark and a light grey for the foil part of the bakewell and paint in the darker grey first, before using a smaller brush and painting the detailed creases of the foil case.

Lastly add in highlights to the icing and crust of the bakewell tart. 

Your still life painting is now complete.