Charcoal picture by xxStuart xxFairlamb

Hi Stuart. you have a very good drawing. may I make 2 points. I have a feeling that you did not really study the shades and shadows, by noticing the boundary between highlight and shadow you get the modelling of the figure. The other point is that you tried to fill all available space in charcoal. thereby creating a flattish image. Please take my comments as encouragement and keep going.

I agree with Antony's points, and in the same spirit - don't worry about the details, look to the big shapes and let the smaller ones take care of themselves (or just hint at them) - you can't do hands in 40 minutes? Well neither can anyone else. I thought the immediate problem area with this was the left leg and knee, but when I look at it more closely, the more I think you have just drawn it your way - and it's fine. All I think you need to do is get the importance of relative strengths - so emphasize the big, major shapes, hip, knee, turn of the breast and body, and just hint at the rest, just stroke them in: relax about them. Don't, as Anthony so perceptively says, feel you have to fill in all available spaces - it may just be the best advice you'll ever get! It's a good, strong drawing, though - make no mistake about that - just don't get too worried by individual features: let 'em go in the cause of the bigger picture.