Exercise - still life

In this exercise I gathered some fruit (two apples, a large cooking apple and a pear), and put them on a decorative plate with a magnifying glass and a pair of scissors just to add interest. I then placed the plate on top of a wicker washing basket in order to "locate" it, rather than have it floating in space.

Although I have been experimenting recently with oil pastels, which I really like, I stuck to pencil here, using an HB to get the line, then a B and 4B to get different shading. Near the end I tried using a rubber to bring out some of the reflections and highlights (the magnifying glass and scissors picked up light along their edges making them stand out - I've tried to convey this with only partial success. I might try it again with charcoal).

Anyway, this is it.....