Project 3 Ex 3

This is an exercise in tone.  I was a little confused by my course notes that indicated I should use pencils but showed a coloured illustration.  My tutor advised me to go with my heart so that's what I'll do.

In truth I've struggled with this.  I find the cross hatching technique difficult; I prefer to draw more fluidly. My first attempts were awful.  I chose a dry leaf and with hindsight it was beyond my skill level.  Next I tried a conker and I had a practice drawing some small ones in my sketchbook.  I did this at my art group and it was drawn with electric lighting from above.

This boosted my confidence a bit so I tried again at home on larger paper.

The texture of the lower bit of the conker was rough and a bit hairy and this extended up the split as well. There were many marks on the green skin.  I readily accept that this looks squashed but you should have seen it before!

I wasn't entirely happy with my previous image so I resolved to draw one where I felt more free.  I think this works much better; it has more depth and somehow more life.