Drawing My Own Picture

A piece of fruit is a perfect first subject - I've chosen a pear, as its shape is more interesting than an apple. The dotted lines show how cross-contours move around the pear (imagine slices throught the middle). Subtly indicating this in the shading will help give a 3-dimensional effect. Be sure to click the image to see the next steps
The Aim: Create a pencil drawing of a piece of fruit, with a combination of simple contour drawing and shading.
What You Need:An interesting piece of fruit, a sketchbook or drawing paper, an HB or B pencil, and a 2b or 4b pencil. Erasers optional!
What to Do:
Step 1 - Contour (Outline) Drawing If you aren't sure where begin, hold the pear against your page to see how it will fit. Place it on the table in front of you. Using your HB or B, start near the top of the fruit, and draw the outline, following with your eyes slowly along the outside of the shape. Don't worry about erasing mistakes at this stage - just redraw the line you want or keep going.
Step 2 - Shading
Now begin shading. Note where the light shines giving a highlight - avoid this area - and shade the mid tones and the darkest shadow areas. Gradually build up the tone with light, fast pencil movements. I might erase mistakes at this time.
Step 3 - Building the Form
Continue to build the tone up over the whole shape, lightly bringing the tone up to the lighter areas. I try to avoid erasing at this stage, as it tends to smudge.
Step 4 - Finishing the Drawing
When you see a dark area, don't be afraid to use a dark tone. Shadowed areas may be quite black. You will need the softer(2B and 4B) pencils for darker tones. Look over the whole drawing and compare it to your subject, Sometimes a little 'artists licence' might be used to emphasise shadows and improve the form. My example is much lighter than the photograph.
Tips:
- A strong light source gives a better range of tones.
- Some artists like to blend (smudge) tones, but while you are learning to control tone, it is better to leave pencil marks. With practice your shading will get more even.
- Don't worry too much about 'mistakes'. A few stray lines can add interest and life to a sketch.