Tried some new pencils while studying reptiles then went off imagination for the little claw guy

I really like the way tapered lines look and can see them making my pictures looking better already, although finding it difficult to do them consistently!

Almost gave up on this project, I struggled a lot 😭

Been looking through everyone’s work and all looking great :) here’s my attempt, any feedback/criticism welcome, thank you!

Not the easiest animal to simplify.

Oh my god these boots are destroying me. Getting the proportions right is really difficult for me and you can see it in the laces. Although those shroom warmups really made it easier for me to draw confident and fluid lines compared to before. I'm actually having trouble figuring out how to separate shapes when there are a lot of details on the reference. For example, how would I simplify all those laces? This project was an overall fun experience and the snail will be next thing I draw!

1st attempt. Help appreciated.

Actually your drawing looks really nice, you even managed to get a good likeness. The issue you are having is "seeing" the values correctly. For example: you rendered the hair dark- that's good- but if you look at the reference, the shadow on the side of his face is as dark as the hair. You rendered it too light. The left eye is almost completely lost in the shadow, but you rendered it much lighter. This is very common with beginners so don't feel bad about it, just make sure you compare the values you are rendering with other values in the image. Hope that helps :)

What a lot of people have done, like you, is forget to put in the background value. This is important because it helps you judge all the other values, especially those in the light. Notice the highlights don't pop because they are the same value as the background. If you had included the value for the background, the highlights would be more visible. Having said that, you did a nice job on the pear :)