Breakfast, lunch, dinner, or something in between!

There’s always something interesting happening on a table. A slice of cake, a plate of crumbs, a half-burned candle, scattered silverware, or a tablecloth folded over the edge. Before or after a meal, these everyday objects create unexpected arrangements of shapes and colors.

Find a table where you eat and take a look. Try looking down from above. What shapes do the plates, cups, and utensils make against the tabletop? Now lower yourself to eye level. Suddenly, the table becomes a long horizontal shape, with objects rising above it.

Start with the largest shapes. Maybe it’s the tabletop itself, or a table runner stretching across it. Lay down those larger areas of color first, then begin building your arrangement with medium and smaller shapes.

Notice how things overlap. How does a plate interrupt the edge of a table runner? What happens where a fork crosses a napkin? Look for the shapes between objects, too.

Let your palette lead. The colors you’ve been given may have nothing to do with the colors on your table. Use them anyway! You’re not reproducing a meal. You’re finding a new composition in something familiar.

A few tips

• Cover the white paper completely to create a world of color and shape.

• Begin with the largest shapes before adding details.

• Move your pieces around before gluing them down.

• Remember, your colors don't have to match the original.