I tried out the different kinds of hatching and blending marks on two sea shells and a dried oak leaf with an immature acorn attached. With the shells, it was easier to see the lightest lights and darkest darks. The oak leaf was harder, as the muted green and ochre colors of the leaf were similar in value, so I looked for the shadows and darkest parts of the leaf to try to bring out value contrasts. That was a challenge, but after several tries, I’m fairly satisfied with the result. I used hatching, cross hatching, stippling, and blending on different parts of the leaf. The journal I’m using is made of heavy, textured watercolor paper, so my pencil marks for different kinds of hatching and shading tend to blend together. I will try some other pencil drawings with a smoother paper, like the one recommended in the course materials list, to see if the different kinds of hatching show up better.

This is a start, but it is going to take a lot more practice to use these techniques more intuitively.  I spent a lot of energy trying to get my drawing to look like the object--I need to go back and actually pay attention to light and shadow.   The squint is a great piece of advice.  One challenge I encountered was rendering marks and textures on the surface of the objects and also trying to render depth and shadow.  I love seeing how other people approached this assignment below.  The ones I prefer  are more free and whimsical.  I would like to agonize less.

I thought it was easy to find certain points (highlights and core shadows), however I am having a hard time with my casting shadow. I'm not sure if it's due to the lighting since I couldn't find the reflected light. Doing the squint test was helpful to see the value scale, but I definitely need to practice more. 

I sketched blocks from photo, I feel like the shadows are not quite right.  Carry on. Indoor lighting

Wow, I need a lot of practice. It's really helpful to see everyone's sketches here and compare different approaches. I'm not yet patient enough to try stippling, but scribbling is definitely right up my alley. I'll need to grab some veggies from our CSA share and get to work drawing them. Thanks to everyone who posted -- I aspire to get my produce to look as lovely as yours!

I am starting to feel more comfortable with just  starting to draw something, knowing that there are techniques that I can use. It's not easy for me to see yet which type of marks are best to use in different situations. I need to practice more on simply sketching outlines and trying different ways of shading. Now, with adding light and dark to the sketch, I have trouble showing the difference between what is an actual feature of the object versus a shadow on the object.

I enjoyed this, but some things worked better for me than others. I am not very good with dots. I love the hatching and cross-hatching. However seeing the shadows and tones can be tricky, especially if the light changes as you are doing it. My drawing is still a bit stiff, but hopefully it will become freer with use. Can one mix different forms of shading in the same image? My guess is to a small extent and with a lot of care.

My hatching needs a lot more practice, but I feel like I got better as I went—although it helps that more complex objects are sometimes easier to add value to than simple ones. Round things are challenging!

This was very helpful lesson. Working on 3-dimension and light and dark qualities.

I'm finding this very challenging, but what I draw is better than I thought it would be.    I need to work on changing value from light to dark to that it is gradual, rather than abrupt.

I am still struggling for the reflective light and shadows but I am improving.  Like others, it did help to watch some videos to gain further understanding.   Sketching is quicker when filling in values of light and dark.  I am definitely getting more comfortable with the process and enjoy looking back on the sketches I've done so far.

I tried!  I think this will be easier to accomplish with the paints and color.  I noticed some of you are venturing into the watercolors or colored pencils and it helps to bring out the actual lights and darks apart from color and texture. The cast shadow was the most difficult part for me.  

Requires a lot of practice, but lots of fun.

Interesting to see other's drawings so will try uploading one - I am enjoying the challenges and coaching.  This carving also has a lovely rough style of etchings that were fun to try to represent.

Getting the chiaroscuro along with the lights and darks of the skin tone of my pear was a challenge.  The skin in the brightest part was a darker green than the yellowish skin in the shadow area where the pear gets narrow, and I wasn't sure how to represent that.  I'd include a picture of the pear but I ate it!  (Destroying evidence)

I've enjoyed practicing these drawing skills. It seems to take me forever to draw a simple object. I expect my confidence will improve with practice. I can't imagine taking this much time while drawing in the forest. The days are shorter here in British Columbia I'd be drawing in the dark lol! Haven't tried fruit yet. Great to see everyone's art!

This is fun  I need to try some hash marks and convince myself they belong.  I always feel like they are inappropriate for my subjects but then I see others use them for nature subjects and they look great .

It might be easier if I drew an apple and then went to the store to find one that looks like my drawing! This is a great course, I'm learning and having fun.

This will take some practice, but the clear instructions provided give me a starting point for adding dimension to my drawings.

That shell was more difficult than I had expected. But I don't have any fruit to practice on. This is so much fun!

My first attempt. 

This course is great!  I needed something to get me back at it again and I need to do much more!  Preparing for a trip next year that I hope to illustrate during the journey.