Hi, @shvnk, Nice first attempt! You did a really great job at getting the proportions accurate and observing where the lights and shadows are. I love the contrast in values here. The image really pops! A few things I notice: First, I would recommend practicing laying in consistent, smooth values with the pencil. I think your shadow values are nice and smooth, but your lights are inconsistent and the gaps between the strokes are clearly visible. Try building up your values with layers by starting with light pressure and going back over areas as you need to darken them. Second, try not to push down too hard with your pencil as you lay in lines or shade. Using too much pressure can make it difficult to erase when you need to adjust things, and you'll end up damaging the paper. Lastly, I like that you defined the different planes of the pear, but try not to leave any edge that is darker than the value next to it unless it is a clear transition from light to dark. Hope this helps!