You want to make sure that you get your ideas down in a logical structure so that you cover all the important aspects of the subject and can substantiate (justify) what you say with examples and analysis.
The simplest structure to do this is the PEA structure which you might have come across in school. Sometimes this is extended to be PEAL where the ‘L’ stands for ‘link back’ to the subject or topic or original point of your essay.
Here, we will just consider it very simply as Point, Evidence and Analysis.
Point: this is where you make a statement about an artist or an artwork.
Evidence: this is where you justify or explain your point with a specific example to back up what you say.
Analysis: this is the most important part where you show your understanding by considering and statement that you have made and the evidence you have shown.
Statement: You make a statement about something - this is a declaration of what you think.
Explanation: You explain your statement - imagine you are telling someone the mechanics who knows nothing about the subject.
Example: Provide a specific example in the work of the artist/ your work.
Conclusion: What can you then say as the consequence of all this. What does all this show?
Examples of this structure referring to still life paintings
Techniques used in the artist’s work: What are the specific techniques and processes (wet on wet, scumbling, ripping, gluing layers, transparency etc)?
Effects made through the combined techniques: how do the techniques used to combine to create an effect?
Meanings generated in the minds of the audience: What do these effects combine to make the audience think or feel a certain way?
Adaptation of these techniques and effects to my work: What can you take and use and how can you twist it to suit your needs?