I posted a drawing a couple days ago. I do see it in my file but not on the group discussion board. I am going to try again and see what happens. Kousa dogwood. View
Theresa, this is looking good. I recommend a couple things: 1. Give the entire form a more 3d shape by adding more darks on the shadow side and giving us a highlight in the top left quadrant, just to round out this whole form. 2. Try experimenting (in the margins or on another piece of paper) with the pattern that is created by the seeds. Study them under magnification and draw them larger if that helps you understand their form. There is a delicate balance between light and dark in those seeds–there are lots of bumps and shiny spots, and they contrast with darker recesses to create that surface texture. Our eyes tend to focus on places where very dark and very light tones interact with each other, and I recommend taking advantage of that here. Practice the surface pattern and add in more darks and more lights in places to create texture and visual interest–those seeds on the outside are a major characteristic of strawberries, so it is in our interest to show them the best we can! 🙂 3. The overall shape of this berry is unusual. I see that it has that split at the bottom in real life, and you are wanting to show what you see. In the future, I recommend using your artistic license to diminish oddities like that in your subject. The reason being, similar to what I said above about contrast, my eye immediately focuses in on that white stripe that appears to cut through the bottom of the berry, and I’m not sure that’s what you intended to be your focal point. Check out Lesson 10:Creating a Composition. There’s a good section in there about choosing whether or not to draw abnormalities on forms. Sorry for the long comment. 🙂 I can’t wait to see more strawberries here!
Theresa, this is looking good. I recommend a couple things: 1. Give the entire form a more 3d shape by adding more darks on the shadow side and giving us a highlight in the top left quadrant, just to round out this whole form. 2. Try experimenting (in the margins or on another piece of paper) with the pattern that is created by the seeds. Study them under magnification and draw them larger if that helps you understand their form. There is a delicate balance between light and dark in those seeds–there are lots of bumps and shiny spots, and they contrast with darker recesses to create that surface texture. Our eyes tend to focus on places where very dark and very light tones interact with each other, and I recommend taking advantage of that here. Practice the surface pattern and add in more darks and more lights in places to create texture and visual interest–those seeds on the outside are a major characteristic of strawberries, so it is in our interest to show them the best we can! 🙂 3. The overall shape of this berry is unusual. I see that it has that split at the bottom in real life, and you are wanting to show what you see. In the future, I recommend using your artistic license to diminish oddities like that in your subject. The reason being, similar to what I said above about contrast, my eye immediately focuses in on that white stripe that appears to cut through the bottom of the berry, and I’m not sure that’s what you intended to be your focal point. Check out Lesson 10:Creating a Composition. There’s a good section in there about choosing whether or not to draw abnormalities on forms. Sorry for the long comment. 🙂 I can’t wait to see more strawberries here!