Pencil Shading Exercise - Shading an Egg

By Helen South, About.com Guide

Observing the subject carefully is an important part of drawing. Take a few moments to observe and think about composition, form, light and shade before you start drawing, even with a simple subject. This will save you from having to make major changes to your drawing later.

Here's a photo of the egg in this exercise. Note the core shadow, highlight and reflected light. There are more places where there are shadows and small highlights or reflected lights, and observing the fine detail will make your drawing more realistic. It seems like a very simple subject, but take your time and observe the subtle changes across its surface.In many ways, a simple surface like this is more challenging than a complex one, because there is no detail to 'hide' variations or errors in value and shading.

Previous

• Pencil Shading Exercise - What You'll Need
• Shade an Egg - Observing the Light and Shade
• Getting Started Shading an Egg
• Start Pencil Shading
• The Finished Exercise - A Shaded Egg

Next