In early June, Venus is visible about 10 degrees above the Eastern horizon an hour before sunrise at the beginning of June, increasing to 20 degrees up by month's end like in the photos I shot early this morning a bit before 5am. By geometry it should now appear to be illuminated at roughly 50% but it is hard really make the difference without using a telescope. The naked eye will see a very distinct bright spot hanging over the horizon. It may not look like it is changing a lot even through a telescope until several dawns later. This effect was first noticed by the German amateur astronomer Johann Schröter.
That way, Venus slowly shrinks from a fat crescent on June 1st to an 8% smaller gibbous disk on June 30th.
Lastly, if you have at least binoculars and if you look less than 2 degrees to Venus' upper left from June 3rd, you should see a tiny 6th-magnitude 'star' with a greenish-blue hue. That's not a star, however, but the seventh planet out from the sun, Uranus ...
... or maybe it is just my uncle who passed away more than 1.000 miles away while I was shooting these pictures. Rest in peace, Daniel! You are just like the sky. I have been looking up to you since I was a kid and I will keep doing so.
Life is beautiful when you are looking up.