Complementary Apples

Just sharing results of a recent class assignment.

Assignment:  Pick 2 complementary colors.  Pick a single fruit or vegetable.  Arrange a still life with the piece of fruit/veg.  Slice if desired, but use no more than 2 slices.  Using white, chromatic black (made from ultramarine blue and burnt umber) and one of the complementary colors, create and paint a value scale at the top on half of the canvas, then from observation of the still life paint  it using the values created.  When finished, using white, chromatic black and a complement of the first color used, create and paint a value scale on top of the other half of the canvas and then paint the still life from the first painting not from observation of the actual still life.

Below are my paintings of a red apple.  I found it to be difficult focusing on the values (highlights, midtones and shadows) and not the color of the apple.  I also did not do a good job of matching the values from one color to the other, i.e., the inside of the green apple is darker than the red apple.  If I wanted to spend more time on this assignment, I could do more to make them look more alike, but I don't want to : ) I'm moving on to the next assignment which is due in a day and a half and I've got a ways to go...