You’ve done well so far! Good job :D I would recommend paying attention to the different aspects of light and shadow, as well as the graphic shapes created by light and shadow. By aspects, I mean: highlight, center light, halftone, core shadow, form shadow, ambient occlusion, reflected light, and cast shadow. These elements help us paint better volumes, especially in organic forms like this one. Because of that, I recommend carefully observing how these aspects appear in the original reference and, most importantly, learning each of them in detail. There are many YouTube videos and blog posts where you can study the characteristics of each of these elements more deeply. Once you understand them well, you’ll be able to invent light and shadow more effectively. Regarding the shape of the upper part: On one hand, the shape of the light hasn’t been fully captured, and on the other hand, there isn’t a clear transition between light and shadow. Because of this, instead of having a rounded appearance, the form ends up looking a bit pointed. Also, as I mentioned in the note in the sheet, these are actually two separate forms, not a single one, while in your painting, they’ve been treated as one shape. If you have the opportunity to print the reference or mark it digitally, I’d suggest identifying and labelling each aspect of light and shadow, where the core shadow, ambient occlusion, reflected light, etc., appear. This exercise can really help you develop a better understanding of how light behaves. Hope this helps!
