Exercise: Still life group using line

I chose all root vegetables for this drawing, so in setting it up I decided to focus on separating the vegetables by using different line patterns to achieve different textures. Sometimes a thicker line was needed to separate them completely, however. 

Composition
Overall, I am pleased with the composition, as no tangents were made in overlapping the vegetables to make a more interesting composition. The composition of the vegetables themselves could have been better maybe by spacing them out more, but I think I managed to separate them from each other quite well using different lines and also by separating similar looking vegetables. For example, I kept the carrots at the back and the parsnips at the front and not touching - as well as facing opposite directions for balance in the composition. It is also quite clear as to what each vegetable each one is, not only from the different textures, but because I've tried to leave enough shape visible when overlapping them. I placed a few onions off the side below the carrot tops over hanging for some negative space. I could have angled the parsnips a bit better so that they're not as parallel to the leeks, though. 

Form
For the form, I used directional lines on the textures of each vegetable. On the onion, the lines get closer towards the top and bottom, giving the spherical shape.

Lines/Texture
Wispy lines against heavier lines worked well; as did white space against detail and hatching. I tried to keep things quite simple in terms of leaving more white space and repetition/pattern in the lines. The white space on the leeks, carrots, parsnips, and onions worked well against the detail of the vegetables tops and dirty potatoes, so as to not look too cluttered. Giving the odd grooves and markings on the carrots and parsnips gave enough impression of their texture without overdoing it. The onions have achieved a shiny look with the simple curved lines and white space. The potatoes look grubby with more lines added, but this has made it more difficult to see its form, though I did try to leave some space around the middle band. 

I like the scattered and wild looking carrot tops conflicting against the neater lines of the vegetables. They also add more interesting negative space below and above the vegetables. 

One problem with the drawing is that I was too dependent on the thicker outside lines of the vegetables to separate them. I should have had more confidence in varying the textures. It's also hard to distinguish between the foreground and the background with no fading light/tone or toned down detail. Again, maybe less outlines towards the back would have worked. But overall, I am quite pleased with the lines I have achieved in this to create textures.

Root vegetables using a fine-tip black pen