Botanical Drawing I - materials and methods - First class

The first class was all about getting to know the pencils and the lines they draw.  We are working only with HB, 2B and 2H.  We practiced drawing straight lines.  Lines that start with pressure and ease up and lines that start light and end up with pressure.  

And then we drew an onion to practice contour lines.  Onions naturally have contour lines so they were a good choice.  

We have homework:  draw an object that has contour lines, like a beach ball, an onion, a melon, and then draw a spherical object that does not have contour lines, like an egg or unmarked ball.  We are to draw the longitudinal and latitudinal lines.  I drew a squash, an egg, a lime and a lemon.   While I still draw too fast, I like this exercise and will keep practicing (on cheaper paper, not the $1 a sheet stuff that they assigned for class.)