Make a Stage for Your Still Life Set Up

One of the problems when setting up a still life for painting is have a cluttered background. Artist Rene Ghirardi uses a box to create a stage for his still life set ups, and explains what to do:

"Find a large box that's intact. A perfect box was the one in which an old style computer monitor came in. With today's flat screen monitors and TVs, it's a little more difficult to find a box large enough with which to work. Leave the open flaps on or not as you choose. With the flaps on, you have a little more control of light although they can get in the way and sometimes need to be pinned or taped out of the way.

"Cut a window on one side of the box so that you can position light on the still life. The side will depend on whether you like light coming from the left or right. If you wish, you can cut a window in the back for back lighting. Of course, the opening in the front is a choice for lighting as well.

"Paint the complete inside of the box black. You can change the background, sides, or base simply by inserting color mat boards, paper, etc. You can also use push pins to pin up fabric."

"If you can't find a box, get three sheets of mat board of a workable size, say 24 by 24 inches, and build a 'stage'."

See an example of the still life set-up box in use...

• Make a Stage for Your Still Life Set Up
• Example of a Still Life Set-Up Box