Digital painting 101 - Tonal Study I - Apple

So I've begun learning digital painting properly, as I've sort of flown by the seat of my pants up until now. I've also started trying to get a handle on lighting and colour in theory, as those subjects, I know very little about. It's certainly a challenge. There's a lot to learn, but it's actually quite an interesting subject.

So to that end, I decided I'd try doing a regular series of studies to try and lift my game. The first one I tackled was a pretty simple black and white photo of an apple. Simple subject. Quite difficult execution. But hey, for my first attempt, I'm actually pleased with how it turned out. Vast room for improvement though. Still, every race starts with a first step.