This is the apple exercise
You will need - Pencil, paper, and an apple. (possibly a sharpener and eraser)
Tips
1. Find a place where you can be comfortable and with good lighting. If your new to drawing, try find somewhere you on have one or two light sources, it will be easier to see where your shadows are. Set up your still life so you can see two sides of your object (in this case the top and one side)
2. To get warmed up try drawing your apple using the three methods shown above. -First (apple on the left) using only contour lines out line the shape of your apple, the flecks you see on your apple, significant shadows, and colour blotches.
-Second (apple on the right) without using any lines whatsoever try to draw your apple, this means you must shade in blocks of light and shadow using the side of your pencil lead. Find the darkest spots on your apple first, try to make them as dark as possible, then gently shade around your lightest spots keeping them white. If you do this first it gives you a much wider range of Mid tones in between to use.
- Third (apple in the middle) combine the two. Draw very very light contour lines to outline the shape of your apple, where your shadows go, and changes in colour, then keeping the same tone values in your shading exercises fill them in and blend.
So you already have these super cool looking apples from practice and now that you have the skills we can get to the fun part; which is getting to decide how you want your apples too look.
I like the look of the contour lines and slightly rougher shading so this is how my still life turned out. Now go and have fun my aspiring artists. - Frances
How bout them apples...