This exercise was hard but also really fun! I didn't realize how much my brain autopilot takes over when things are "the right way up". Looking for shapes and the distances between them helped a lot.

I found this to be very interesting and engaging! I found some parts much easier to see as shapes than others, such as the feet vs. the body. I found remembering to pay attention to negative space very helpful, though I actually started to get mixed up about which was negative and which was positive at times when working on the spots on the bird's chest. I found I ran out of space for all the spots on the chest and could see my negative space between the body and the foot disappearing! All in all, very engaging and a good experience to focus on some of the things we have been learning!

This was really difficult as it required super focus, to follow the lines and shapes. I tried not to see it as a sparrow. But I'm pleased with the outcome, although I think I used the eraser more than the pencil! I liked the freedom of focusing on the shapes instead of what it was.

Drawing upside-down was much easier for me than if I tried to draw it right side up.  It was very hard not to view the subject as it was but it was very helpful to draw it piece by piece and line by line.

Yes, it was difficult. Yes, it was fun. I stopped and started working on it because it required concentration. I didn’t view it as a bird, except maybe the eye. I thought a lot about negative space, proportion, and sketchy lines. I’m happy with how he turned out. So ultimately it was fun.

It was  actually a lot of fun.  I definitely viewed the project as a group of lines to follow, paying attention to the relationships and angles--a real mental getaway. I don't see anywhere else to ask a related question.  What are Chirps?  I see my drawing has one.  And why do each of the submissions have a different number of symbols ( I have 8) under the Chirps?  OH,  maybe we score a chirp each time we submit a drawing or a message.

I am accustomed to drawing maps so the exercise felt very familiar and gave me pleasure. The reduction to two-dimensional line image greatly simplified it and I am pleased with the accuracy of the shapes I achieved. This a very good way to detach the mind from the subject and circumvent the automatic filling in from stored images in the brain. I concentrated on reproducing the lines and tried to focus only on that. Yes, it was fun.

This was a bit easier than I thought it would be.

I It was challenging, but very interesting for me to detach from the idea of what I was drawing.

A very interesting approach I found that adding the color pattern helped with the shape. Upside down added concentration details to define shape.

That was fun...and tedious. :) I actually worked on this over couple of different weekends because I got distracted by the watercolors and experimenting with that. (More on that later!) For now, here's my upside-down sparrow. I think he turned out OK!

I was concentrating on the shapes but in sections which I find that I do when I am actually sketching. I found that I was also drifting and drawing what I wanted to draw in my mind and not the picture along with it being a fun learning experience.

I tried to focus on the shapes and lines. The image of the bird kept on drifting me away from the exercise. It was challenging from that perspective. Apart of that I have enjoyed it - in fact, I was smiling all the way and when I signed it and flipped the notebook I was surprised! Loved it!

This exercise was fun but still challenging. The breast of the bird took a long time to draw! Negative space was particularly helpful in positioning the feet and drawing the space between the beak and tail. It's a really great way to slow down and practice drawing what you're seeing accurately. I've done this type of exercise before, but not in a long time. It's good to revisit techniques like this no matter how long you've been drawing to sharpen your skills.

That was fun. I do think I’m getting more confident - now to get better.

This was a great exercise - it help my brain let got a bit and I'm pretty pleased with the result.

Amazing what disorientation will do for drawing ability.

The upside-down drawing was fun and a good exercise for concentration. I saw the shapes but I didnt get the proportions. Need more practice.

I found this difficult.  Now I feel that I want to get the whole shape and then add detail.  

I attempted this drawing two ways: in  the first I started with the feet and plant and in the second I started with the shape of the sparrow.  I was much more successful with using the sparrow's body as a reference point for all the rest of the detail.  It demonstrated to me how easy it is to get lost in the detail first which can end in disaster.  When I drew the major shape first I was able to add the detail more accurately.  Fun exercise that made me focus intently on what I was seeing in front of me.

When I have moved the drawing I have noticed that I have missed something. I wanted to finish earlier and I didn't see very well.