I used this pine cone and hatching, contour hatching, and blurring to practice finding appropriate value that provides a 3D illustration. I'm not sure that a pine cone was the best option (I've never drawn a pine cone) and I got a little lost (!) but I tried to refer to a scale of light and dark to consistently convey where the lightest/darkest parts of the cone were observed.

Very helpful techniques.  think I will wait awhile before sharing any of my attempts however really enjoying seeing others.  gives me hope mine will improve as my comfort level improves.

How challenging it has been to draw a pepper! The grain of the paper I use has been a factor as well. Will switch to a smoother grain. Color has been a challenge, too. shades of green, for example. Better luck with grey/black tones. But promising results with a touch of color on a peach. The pine cone was relatively easy, for some reason.

Here are some of my attempts at using the skills you have taught us. I can see how to apply the techniques but will definitely need more practice. I did enjoy trying them all out. It was fun learning ways to draw and how to use the different marks. Also I found I was more relaxed, not worrying too much about the finished product and just having fun. I like to write notes in the journal as it helps me remember what I did and what techniques I used as well as anything special about that particular sketch. I found the 3D shading difficult. I am looking forward to more lessons and practice

After trying some of these drawing skills, it was a little easier to see where and how each could be applied. I am definitely starting to feel more comfortable putting marks on the page compared to before. I want to work on my shading a little more though. I decided to do a robin, although there wasn't much contrast and the proportions were a little off, I'm happy with how it turned out.

This is my last drawing and painting and is the result of all of your advice and the techniques taught by you during this course. I am quite happy because it has given confidence to continue with this endeavor. Dear Liz your advices have been very helpful and I have really enjoyed your talks. I will continue doing the exercises to improve this hobby .Thanks

I am starting to find it easier to find details and textures, as well I am getting more comfortable with putting pencil to paper. I had some challenges with chiaroscuro but I’m thinking it’s because I was to tense with my apple drawing and need to take a step back, maybe get the techniques to work for me. It was fun regardless and I am finding my work is starting to get better slowly with practice.

I have some problem making shadows look real - they seem too harsh. Any suggestions? I also need work on the distinction between showing value and showing surface texture. 

It is getting a bit more obvious where light and shadow appear on an object.  Now, to work on the gradients of shading.  

I  found it very difficult! Need more practice... the hardest bit is how to show the difference between details of the object (coloured lines on the apple) and the hatching to show darker zones.

Nope. I think I'm kind of thick on where to use the shadowing. I'm fine on a bit of fruit, but say something with feathers? Gak!

Yes, it was fairly easy.  I am feeling comfortable.

I am a little more conscious of the six different techniques in sketching for added dimension. Practice will perfect the technique. I sketched the bufflehead, the crow and a small bunch of  red grapes on a dish. 

Yes, I’m feeling more comfortable. The course encourages me to draw more frequently and, as with anything, the more I practice the more comfortable it becomes. I like the way the course offers a step-by-step progression. I’m familiar with some of the topics & techniques, but the way each builds on those that came before provides fresh perspective. Also, by focusing on technique and tools the results become secondary. This frees me up to experiment and learn more.

I'm starting to feel more comfortable.  I've been noticing the lights and darks in nature more.  I'm still working on making marks to represent those lights and darks.

I am definitely feeling more comfortable putting marks on the page, and the squint test is VERY helpful. I tend to rely on hatching and scribbling, so I'd like to try expanding my experiments with cross-hatching, stippling, and blending. I have also been relying on photos rather than going out in the field, so now I want to try sketching in situ, perhaps in the early morning and evening when the light is from a striking angle to practice chiaroscuro as well. 

Acorn Squash with natural light from the window. Imperfections are hard to draw! 

  It was easy to see the reflected light and highlights on smooth surfaces like an apple or pepper, but the orange was more difficult even with the squint test.

The squinting technique definitely helped me to distinguish where the shadows fell on the artichokes and to not be as distracted by different colors. For example, the artichokes had purple, brown, and yellow on them in addition to shades of green, so squinting helped me ignore the colors and just look for light and dark. I used a couple of different shading techniques and that really seemed to help add texture as well as depth to my drawing. I want to keep practicing different shading techniques to create more variety of middle tones and also to get faster with shading overall.