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Acrylic Painting Tutorials

Loose Acrylic Still Life Painting Tutorial

When I paint interiors, it could be seafood dinners, Twinkies, or a glass of milk. This step-by-step acrylic still life keeps it raw and loose—garage style.

Robert Joyner | Garage Studio Artist & Art Educator

Robert Joyner | Garage Studio Artist & Art Educator

— 3 min read
Interior still life painting tutorial - step by step guide with acrylics

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to paint a loose acrylic still life step by step. No polish, no three-camera setup—just the way I paint in the garage studio.

I’ve got plenty of excuses for why I don’t paint more interior-inspired artwork. It’s right in my wheelhouse, too. The possibilities are endless—anything from a seafood dinner setup to a patterned tablecloth with HoHo’s and Twinkies (oh, and let’s not forget the tall glass of cold milk).

👉 If you’re brand new, you can start at the Acrylic Hub — it’s got all the free courses and guides in one place.

Anyhow, enjoy the video, and scroll down to see the step-by-step breakdown, the finished image, and my go-to acrylic toolbox.

Video tutorial

Composition Setup

I keep it simple: a table with a couple of chairs, some dishes, a kettle, a teacup with saucer, and a vertical bottle with a few flowers. That’s all you need. A few bits of silverware finish the setup—knife, fork, spoon. Nothing fancy.

First Block-In

  • Start with cool tones: blues mixed with a touch of white for darker areas around the table.
  • Add off-whites for the saucers using orange, blue, and white.
  • For the table: bold yellows—Hansa yellow and Dairy light—dialed back with a touch of ochre or cobalt turquoise. Don’t aim for the final color yet; keep wiggle room for later passes.

I leave breaks of white paper showing through. Those gaps keep the painting lively and give me spots to suggest details later.

Building Color & Contrast

  • Bottle: green tones, echoed in the chair and a few other areas to tie the composition together.
  • Light source: from the left, so I add warmer yellows + white to surfaces facing the light.
  • Shadows: mix gray into yellows and blues, knock it back with green for intensity.

At this point, shapes are rough, but they start to read as cups, dishes, and bottles.

Background & Depth

For the background, I mix orange, green, and brown to suggest wood paneling. Then I push into darker ultramarine + red mixes for contrast against the yellow table.

If the background gets too loud, I gray it out so it doesn’t fight with the focal point. 

Details & Finishing Touches

  • Add designs on cups—small touches of red, blue, or burgundy.
  • Anchor the bottle with darker green at the base.
  • Bring in highlights with lighter yellows and whites.
  • Suggest cutlery with quick gray strokes.
  • Keep details minimal. This isn’t about perfection—it’s about keeping the painting loose and alive.

A final dryer pass locks everything in. A few extra dots of color, a rim on the cup, maybe even a quick signature—and it’s done.

Loose acrylic interior still lie painting
Finished Piece

Final Thoughts

Loose acrylic still life painting isn’t about chasing realism. It’s about building a simple composition, blocking in color, then using light, shadow, and a few details to let the subject emerge.

Keep it messy, keep it raw, and don’t be afraid to let the brush do the talking.

Learn & Improve Your Acrylic Skills

Affiliate Disclosure: Some links are affiliates, and I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend materials I use regularly, often from Blick Art Materials. Your support keeps my tutorials free and ad-free—thank you!

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