i could live in it :-)

I am feeling the same so be encouraged to do your best and grow with the rest of us!

Please don't compare yourself to the other people posting their assignments! Many of the people posting here are way beyond beginners or even intermediate. I know from experience that these kinds of comparisons can feel really bad. I would still make sure you date and keep this one so you can compare it to your work in the future! For seeing shadows consider where your light source is. Since it is on the right (of the image) you know your darkest shadows will be on the opposite side of the pear, and will gradually get lighter as you get closer to the light source. You could almost divide this example in half to see where your shadows start. Also don't be distracted by the bruises and blemishes on the pear the added color can sometimes be confusing. Take your time, observe your subject, and correct often! You will be surprising yourself in no time!

Thank you for sharing even though you are not happy with the result! We are all here to learn! Don't give up! Draw a lot of pears for a couple of days!

Here’s a tip I learned in high school art class…when you squint, most items are reduced to their values, especially the major ones. So when I squint at the lamp on my table, I can see 4-5 values because my eyes are simplifying them. It makes it really helpful! The other thing I would recommend is comparing proportions, but I expect we’ll learn a little about that later in the course. But essentially, break the pear down visually into half’s or quarters, and draw from there. This would help you with the left side of the pear and being able to tell where your curves are sitting. Overall though, it’s not a bad first attempt! As somebody said below, you’re now drawing better than 90% of the population. And you’re trying! Trying is a huge step to succeeding.

So I would say you actually did a pretty decent job of simplifying the shapes you see. Better than I did (I will be posting my attempt this weekend). Where I think you ran into trouble is you didn't have the relationship of values correct on the pear. The lower left of the pear is the second darkest part, but you gave it a value of lighter than the lower right (which is towards the light source). This is part of what is causing your pear to look flat. You are right we all start somewhere. If this is your first attempt at something like this, I am sure you will improve very fast (with Proko's great instruction :) )

I struggle seeing the different shades of shadow as well. You are not along. I also think you have got the idea. Morelock has great suggestions I'm going to try. :)

Hey timc1981, we're all here to get better and have some fun, no need to be disheartened, it's a better pear than 99% of the population will ever draw! As for advice... first and easy thing, if you are struggling, always use the provided reference. The guys running the course picked them for a reason. I think making a small value chart so you can keep up with what you have to work with can also help keep things manageable and less overwhelming. Remember 1 of the 5 (in this lesson) is the highlight, and 1 is the darkest bit of the shadows. That leaves 3 to work with. 1 of the 3 is the shadows. Now you've got 2 midtones to use on the rest of the image. Easy :)