Assignment One - First drawing - Natural objects

First idea

So this is what I've been working up to the last couple of months, assignment one.

This drawing I will call my first idea, although technically it could be about my fourth idea.

I had trouble finding a composition I liked with my first chosen objects which were a branch of a tree, a piece of bark, ivy, holly and some red berries. After numerous sketches of various selections of the above I was very happy with my first sketch of my fruit selection.

Different media

The vibrant colours of the fruit I believed warranted being draw in colour.

I used coloured pencil and pastels. 

The apple in pencil top left was not as bright as the pastel version, bottom right. The banana on the left was lost on the background of the light coloured page, with the pastel version on the right standing out a little better. So far the pastels were favorite until the grapes. Although I was extremely happy with the shading on the pencil grapes on the left having used a variety of pencils from lilac to blue and black, this exercise swung my decision to use coloured pastels for my final piece.

Final selection

For my final selection I used pastels on a green A3 piece of pastel paper. I liked the composition of the apple slightly off the edge in previous sketches but now looking at the outcome, it appears to me that the picture looks as though I ran out of room and drew the apple off the edge accidentally. 

Attempt with a black background

As an experiment I wanted to see what this composition could look like if drawn on a black background. I had some black card which is not suitable for use with pastels I discovered due to having a very smooth surface which does not hold the medium. I did a very quick sketch just to see what the colour would show. The photograph is a bit bright and does not show how the grapes are lost to the back ground, so I discarded this idea but instead choose a fawn paper for my final piece.

Final piece for assignment one-Natural objects

My final piece which I am quite happy with. I had thought about drawing a background for the fruit but wanted this picture to be about the fruit alone without any distractions and concentrated on the objects and their shadows. I do hope that this does not affect any grades in any way but wanted what I feel my emerging style to show.