A successful morning working on my drawing homework

This morning has been a success.  I wanted to draw my hands around a mug of hot milk, to give the effect of softness, darkness, warm and sleepy.  I started with some charcoal sketches in my visual diary.  I discovered it is quite difficult to draw your own right hand, when you are right handed!  So initial sketches were all of the left hand.  I worked in charcoal and compressed charcoal.  Very messy.  I used lots of soap and water during the process to keep my hands reasonably clean.

This is a left handed  version of how I hold a mug, as a right handed person.

Quite pleased with left hand sketch

Starting to work up the image.  
I have worked the left hand side first, so I don't smudge the charcoal with my right hand

Finished version

I think there are a few perspective faults, but nothing I'm too bothered about.  It was quite challenging to draw my right hand.  I had to keep putting down the charcoal, picking up the mug with the right grip, getting the lighting right, looking really carefully, then drawing again.  The homework instructions say not to crop your work, so I will leave it like this, but I think it would be better with an inch or so cut off the bottom and top.  This is on a sheet of A2, with an extra strip of paper on the right hand side.  I hate the A paper size, so I am much happier with an extra bit of width to alter the proportions.  I'd be even happier if I could chop a bit off the top and bottom.  This took about 4 hours. Only 3 more images to go!

I might need to knock it back a bit more, to get it a bit more greyed out.  It's meant to look sleepy and soft focus.  I may still have too much highlight in it.