Nature Journaling and Field Sketching

A fun and challenging exercise! I really took my time with it, used the proportions tool throughout, looked at negative space, erased when needed, and focused constantly on the relationships of the shapes and forms. I am happy with how it came out, both upside down and right-side up!

The upside-down drawing was difficult, and fun.  It surprised me that it turned out so well.

April 19, 2023.  A backhanded compliment coming up: Dear Liz - that was painful - but I have to hand it to you - now I feel like I can do absolutely anything. That exercise perfectly combined everything you demonstrated in this lesson and the previous one as well. Although I know the song sparrow, I found that because it was upside down and looking over its shoulder, all familiar landmarks were gone and I had to follow negative shapes, proportions, relative positions, contours. Wow.

This was difficult exercise.  It was difficult to see the relationships between the shapes as well as proportion.  It seems that the brain really wants to fill in what the eyes see (or don't).  I had to do a lot of erasing.  I think this was an excellent exercise to really focus on shapes, negative spaces, etc.  Thank you.

This took a long time and was difficult, but really interesting. I'm left handed so I started from the right (the "bottom" of the branch). I did see the subject as a bird, but tried to stay focused on the individual shapes and draw them sequentially. Lots of erasing too...

An interesting exercise, but very difficult to bring in the proportion and scale in control. Need a lot of practice. Felt happy that I am able to draw the images even if they are not sharp, and accurate and need more refinement.  Yes, I was trying to view the sparrow as what it was and then slowly realized to concentrate on the shapes, lines, and scale.

Kaia's Drawing

Kaia's Mom's Drawing

It was fun and pushes you to look at the lines not the whole drawing.  But I think it was harder to get proportions correct and I did more erasing than if I sketched looking at a complete picture.

I found no how hard I tried, I could not draw the seed pod first.  I had to draw the sparrow and then the seed pod.  I needed an anchor so I could get the direction placement of shapes.  I found this very challenging.

Not too bad (though the belly is a bit fluffy!). I noticed as I got into drawing that I stopped worrying about drawing a sparrow, but the forms of a sparrow. I started to recognize how negative space influences the relationship of shapes and how the "landmarks" in perception allowed me to recognize when a shape was too high, too small, too big, etc. Fun exercise!

  This was very challenging and very engaging--not so much fun as absorbing!

Wow, that was really hard and I didn’t quite get it right but it was a lot of fun. I did it in pencil then inked the lines and erased the pencil—no I didn’t draw it in ink :)    

Lol!  That was sooo tempting.

It was interesting drawing the sparrow upside down. I knew it was a sparrow, but I really tried to focus on the shapes and the negative and positive spaces.

I was surprised by how much easier it was to focus on shapes when drawing upside down & how well the final drawing turned out. 

This was difficult. I will need to repeat both proportions and upside-down drawing. I fell that even trying to concentrate n just shapes, I could not keep the proportions right.

In my opinion, upside-down drawing was both fun and difficult. I viewed as a collection of shapes, lines, and proportions… as best as I could. The erratic lines were a challenge (perhaps this would have been better as an earlier in the day exercise- I did this one fairly close to bedtime!)

Upside down drawing was fun because it is challenging. I guess as I was drawing, I was aware that it was a bird but also was looking at how the shapes related to each other. For some reason, I had difficulty sizing this drawing down to fit my smaller nature journal. I had to erase what I started and then kind of put some marks at the edges so I'd know how much space I could take up. Even so, I know the bird's leg is shorter than it should be because I was out of space! So lots of erasures on this one!

Drawing upside down was difficult. It took a while to remember to keep the proportions while drawing

Upside-down drawing was pretty easy. It took me a little while at the beginning to stop thinking about it as a bird and just as a shape with lines in the middle, but once I got over that yes, it was lots of fun. It's easier, I find, to get things in accurate proportions when you're focusing on it as a mere shape rather than as a bird. 

The upside-down drawing was easy and a lot of fun. I was pleasantly surprised at how thinking about the individual shapes and not the big picture made the drawing process more relaxing.

Fun exercise. Keeping track of each shape was tricky, especially in the breast feathers. I was viewing as a collection of shapes and lines, it was too awkward to view as a whole bird. I was surprised by the accuracy when I turned it upright after I was finished.

Upside down drawing was difficult. I was able to view the sections as shapes, but there were definitely times where I viewed things as part of a bird rather than  a shape. The patterns on the breast and belly were particularly difficult, but when I flipped it over I felt better about it. The only parts that really bother me are that the head feels a bit too small, and the left leg is too long.

It was fun but more difficult than I thought at first. Usually I start drawing or I take as a guide from top (head) to bottom (rest of the body), until the drawing is complete, and curious but for the exercise, I needed to do in the same way so I started draw in the opposite direction, bottom (h.) to top (r.o.b) / In combination I could see what bird is, and then, looking for different shapes, lines, etc (and getting to fly my imagination of course) I found yes, something else, but it´s easy to find it if you roll your eyes (it's a little trick) that I shade to emphasise.

I also surprised myself! It was more difficult than I expected it to be, really required me to slow down, and challenged my concentration and perception. There were times I got lost and had to regroup. That being said, I think the accuracy is well worth the effort!

It was fun and I was surprised by the final outcome.

This lesson was fun.  Especially when it was time to turn the bird right side up and see how the drawing turned out.  The body of the bird was the most challenging.  I was pretty absorbed in this lesson.  

I definitely had to slow down and concentrate.  This was one of the best drawing exercises I've ever down.

For whatever reason I lost my patience with the slow methodical method less than a minute in so just did a quick copy and really enjoyed it. He probably wouldn't have hawk talons if I'd gone a bit slower...!

The activity drawing upside down was both difficult and fun. It most definitely required slow short strokes and frequent looking at the picture as I attempted the assignment. It was a lot to incorporate proportion and negative space while drawing some of the more complicated and intricate parts of the bird and stock.It did take some time and erasing as I went along.

I was really surprised how well mine turned out. I have to admit, I got a little frustrated with the fiddly chest markings and kind of winged it (no pun intended), but everything else I strove to do by observing the shapes, negative space, relationship of the shapes, etc. and it worked! I also used the proportion tricks taught in a previous lesson.

I enjoyed this assignment as it felt counter intuitive to draw upside down, in fact it caused me to draw slower. I for a lot of it drew without looking at my drawing to help my self see more details and I was pleased with the outcome! When I started drawing it started as a collective of shapes that became more and once it did it was very rewarding.

I had a heck of a time with the negative space drawing - gave up.   However, I did use the proportion info when doing this one upside down.   It didn't look great upside down but right side up = OK.   Maybe I'll try the negative drawing using the proportion idea.   The feet really surprised me.

My sparrow.

I was amazed at how accurate my drawing turned out.  It was fun, but several times I felt like I was getting lost.  I tried to keep myself from viewing it as a bird and kept going back to just drawing the shapes.

It was both fun, with some difficult parts, especially when lots of lines and shapes came together.  The upside-down drawing definitely helped with abstracting the relationships between the shapes, rather than drawing from preconceived ideas of what the subject should look like.

Upside down drawing was fun. This was my first time drawing with a mechanical pencil. 

This was a fun exercise.  When I look at all the Song Sparrows we all drew, I enjoyed the fact that each has its own character and personality.

Like Dorothy below, the chest markings confused me, but they ended up giving the bird some depth. I also didn't trust the length of the tail or the shape of the eye, but those turned out about right too. I used negative space often to help place the line. This exercise enlightened me!

I found the chest pattern markings the hardest to focus on as without the dark and light contrast,I kept getting lost in the pattern. I do think this is a good exercise for proportion help.

Challenging but excellent exercise.  Not because of the upside down image, but most difficult part was inserting the shapes inside bird while considering size, shapes and area allowed.  Also had some issues with pencil following shapes over paper in journal.

challenging.  head and body proportions were of.  Body to fat.

This took awhile, and I really felt like I had blown the proportions out incorrectly for awhile,  but I thought it looked pretty good in the end.

I did it - yeah!!! it is amazing - I remember my grandson drawing upside down when he was really little, he turned out to be a cartoonist. This is the first time I have tried something like this. I thought it was fun.

It took me a long time to draw but it was a great exercise.  The most difficult part for me was the body with all the different small shapes and trying to fit them into a larger space.  I tried to cram all the tiny shapes in.

Trying again.great challenge!

As I have done more and more art and taken a few lessons I am finding I think I have a serious visual perceptual issue. I have that same facial recognition disability Brad Pitt has, I sometimes do not recognize even familiar people until I hear their voices. So I really struggle with this negative space, upside down drawing exercise as I have a huge issue with spacial relationships and proportion just looking at things the way they are, I think I have really poor visual memory. So this just does not work for me.

I was surprised at how good the bird really looked when I turned it right side up. However, all that looking from one thing to another made me kind of dizzy.

I found this exercise to be more difficult. My brain wanted to go back and draw the whole outline of the sparrow. I stuck with the process. I really focused on the negative space and it made a huge difference as far as proportion and the relationship of the wing, head and tail to the body.  I am pleasantly surprised with the results.

This was challenging but an interesting exercise.   I still saw the image as a bird, rather than being able to focus just on the shapes.  Keeping track of where I was with the lines on the branch and the breast plumage was hard, but focusing on the negative space and where the lines linked up on the body was helpful.  I was pleased with how the drawing turned out.

I found the markings on the belly and feet to be the hardest. I think it turned out better upside down than it would have right side up. 

This was much easier than I thought it would be initially.  The picture looked complicated at first but when I just concentrated on the shapes and their relation to each other, it was really manageable.  I think this turned out a lot better than if I had just tried to draw the bird.

Drawing upside-down was interesting. I looked at shapes and negative spaces. Arcs were challenging to draw. I learned so much about the subject. When I turned it to look at the final drawing, I was amazed.  

Almost like paint-by-numbers... I tried drawing each shape, making sure that their sizes, proportions, and locations accurately represented how they were shown in the illustration. Very happy with the results of this exercise.

Wow - that worked out way better than I expected! Starting to put together ideas of negative space, propertions, and really seeing. It's nice to see a little progress :O)

This was fun and a challenge! For me, the hardest part was probably being patient and not trying to cut corners and start drawing random shapes, especially on the body. It was hard not to rush! So this was a good exercise for seeing shapes and for just focusing and being patient.

I'm resubmitting this, because I don't think this registered the first time. This is a great exercise to shift to the right side of the brain and think less literally! I'm sure I also trained my eye to see proportions better, as I worked very slowly and thought as much as possible about shapes and relationships. I did find it a bit tedious, though. At one point, I even thought to myself, 'Wow, one of the stripes on the chest looks like a two headed prehistoric antelope!' (LOL)  I was pleased when I finished it and turned it right-side up and it did look a lot like a sparrow! Great brainteaser and probably a really good anti-aging exercise for those of us over 65:)

This was the toughest task so far! It is well timed to bring us back to truly seeing. I feel proud that I took my time with it.

I think I saw both what it was and the shapes and lines depending on what part I was drawing. It didn't seem any more difficult than drawing right-side up but that is still difficult for me.

I really enjoyed this! It was almost meditative just drawing shapes, and I found I concentrated more on the negative space between shapes that when I am trying to draw the 'whole' subject all at once. It was also exciting towards the end when I could see it coming together. He ended up being a little bit chubby - but overall happy with it!

drawing something upside down helps me to 'not conceptualize' the image.

Was challenging.  I did focus on the individuals shapes but still am not sure of the concept of negative space

A great exercise to try again. Lots of erasing but helpful for me to draw what I see not what I think it should look like.

this exercise is strangely calming. its hard to disassociate it from what you categorize it is, but it gets better as you go along. i enjoyed it!

Fun drawing upside down.  Took forever!

Upside-down drawing was fun, difficult, challenging and surprising. At first, I thought I would not be able to make it, as it looked kind of confusing to the eyes. But I wanted to try it, so I started in the foot area, down to the head. It took me some time to get the angles and lines right. When I was happy about it, I moved to the belly area - and those shapes were difficult! I draw them once, and they didn't look nice; I erased them, took another try and... I was able to do it!! Overall, I think that I forgot that I was drawing a bird, and focused on the lines, shapes and proportions.

Fun exercise. I tried to keep my lines loose. The contour and gesture drawing exercises helped in focusing on the subject. Wondering though about drawing accurate images or something that approximates to the subject.

I became lost in the shapes andlsot the perspective of the object.  It was a challenging task not to think of  the subject.   By trying to do that, I lost the whole! I am going to show you my less than finer drawing.

I’m including the upside down and right side up of the required bird.   That’s was an experience.  As are all the drawings in this class.  Unfortunately I’m not able to get out much to “draw in the field” because it’s winter and weather not conducive for that .  I should have taken this class in the summer.  But my drawing didn’t turn out too bad considering.  Lol..I didn’t include all the squiggly lines in the body. 

I was fine with it but I knew it was a bird image which I was trying not "to see" as I wanted to be more observant. I do this with my middle school students so I was surprised I was that this was not easy as I thought it would be. (This is good for me to review from time to time!) The line markings on the bird took awhile and I do not feel I was as accurate as I could have been. Still, a good review.

I enjoyed this very much. Great way to disconnect the brain from the symbolic drawing trap.

I didn't mind drawing upside down and I didn't view the subject as a bird, more a collection of shapes and lines . Also, I liked finding out how negative space helped me draw the proportions better. I found the exercise hard in that my focus kept shifting and I'd lose where I was going especially in the breast. I didn't get it right and ended with lines with no place to go. My eyes got quite tired trying to focus on the details. That is frustrating and I erased and tried again then gave up.

Pretty cool exercise. I focused on lines and shapes.

This exercise requires patience and focus.  I had the most difficulty with the splotchy belly shapes because they are more irregular and "floating" vs connected by other lines.

At first I really found this lesson enjoyable. But then about halfway through I realized that some of my proportions were really off. I got rather frustrated and and wanted to erase half of what I had done. Then my husband reminded me that this is a learning process and I should just finish it. I can always go back and try it again later, continuing to improve with each try. I stepped away from it for a couple months, then came back and finished it. Overall once I was done I am really happy with the results.

I had fun with this exercise - it forced me to take my time and look at the shapes in relation/proportion to each other - rather than thinking about the whole subject.  It came out better than I thought it would!

This was challenging and fun! I started out seeing the sparrow but after I will I got so focussed on the drawing I started to see only lines relating to other shapes  or lines. A really helpful exercise.

It was difficult, and I had to keep focused!  I was surprised that when I flipped it around it actually looked much like the bird I was drawing.  The details were hard to do (markings on chest).  I guess that tells me that if you really draw exactly what you see and don't be limited by the overall appearance, you can be accurate :)

Fun and hard. Had to really concentrate on the shapes, not an upside down bird : )

Pat M., October 27, 2020 It was difficult, but a good workout. Bird proportions dicey.

I have done this before and it really is amazing.  I did have difficulty keeping my place on the subject.  Good exercise.

This was so hard for me!! I ended up with a headache. No joke. I had a really hard time with proportion and negative space - it was like my mind could not adjust to the image being upside down. While the exercise made me slow down, I found that I started to give up at the end and hurry........this was the hardest so far.

I haven't tried upside down drawing in a very long time, and again, it forced me to slow down, and use all those skills we've learned.  After awhile it just became like doing a puzzle - here's a squiggle, it points at that line, it's halfway down, under the bulby thing, same length as this line.  But wow those islands were tricky.

This was quite challenging and I had to work very slowly.  The sparrow turned out better than I anticipated.  The marks on the stomach got a little confusing.

Needed more patience and quiet to do it right. Did try to work as shapes but believe I need to draw it larger to see the smaller details

Let death be the moment when I turn the picture of my life over and marvel at the results. This exercise was a real gift to me...trusting, enjoying, and "mov(ing) through" without mental baggage/memory. Thank you.

I found this exercise challenging.  It took awhile. I tried to concentrate on the relationships between shapes, but I never quite disconnected from seeing a bird.  I'm pleased with the results and could keep tweaking it.  

Drawing the branch felt easy to start but the closer I got to the head the more challenging it became. I ended up putting my finger on the computer screen to remember where I was. But the more time I spent looking at the lines while drawing, the more accurate the drawing became. I have to say I am super happy with the result. 

What a great exercise! Very quickly I found that I had to concentrate on the subject, to the point of seeming to do blind contouring drawing. Super fun.

This exercise took quite awhile for me. After three tries starting with the branch end, I found it worked to start with the negative space between the bird and the branch. I am not sure I ever totally disengaged from the fact it was a bird, but as I moved from shape to shape it became easier to concentrate on just the shapes and their placement. I think my result is pretty good, but some of the proportions aren't right. Enjoyed this once I got past the start.

This was challenging for me and when I first started drawing I wasn't sure I would be able to do it. I'm pleased with the results in that I did focus on the negative spaces while drawing and got all of my lines and shapes. This exercise made me slow down and really look at shapes and negative spaces. I found I had to print the picture because it was too hard to look back and forth at the computer screen.

Difficult. I saw the sparrow as it was, in the photograph. The form of my bird was way off, and I’m not sure what went wrong.

It took a long time for me to sketch the Song Sparrow and it was challenging.  I tried to look at the subject as it was. It eventually all came together and I was surprised it turned out as well as it did. It was definitely a fun exercise. 

This was difficult !  The longer I drew the more I focused on shapes, lines and portions.

I'm having a hard time figuring out how to get the foto and words in the same submission.... I found drawing the bird upside down excruciatingly slow, and I think I am going to learn patience.  It turned out very good in my opinion, so I'm happy.  I am enjoying this course.

  The upside down drawing was not too hard until I got to the belly, then I did not have a way to make associations and relationships, to label and fit in what I was drawing. I will try understanding the belly feathers again later.

This was kind of fun, although it took me quite a while to complete.  In the beginning, I saw shapes and lines.  I began with a quick very rough outline of the branch and the bird shape so I would have a proportion that approximated the space on my paper.  Then I started with the same part of the branch you did in the video and it was line to the break, then the shape began to have a relationship piece by piece, then it was all about shapes and trying to see beyond the line break how they came together or disappeared in to a new shape.  Next I did the outline of the bird’s body to the beak, I got lost in the cap and the beak.  Had to go down to the right leg up and it was it was shapes, lines and relationships from there to the end. Pat

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.

Ironically it was both difficult, challenging, and fun. I had trouble at first deciding where on the subject to begin. Then I really had trouble with seeing the subject as shapes because when I first saw it I recognized it as a Sparrow. My brain wouldn’t let me see it broken up into shapes until I decided to start using the measuring tool technique to keep me focused on perspective, proportions, & accuracy. Once I started doing that then the exercise began getting fun. I’m definitely going to have to add some of this kind of drawing practice in my daily routine more. Thanks Liz for this lesson!

At first it was difficult, but very enjoyable. I saw all kinds of shapes and it really forced me to slow down and concentrate in order to be able to connect the various lines- I was afraid that proportion would be bad, but was surprised to find the opposite! Thanks Liz, this was a great exercise and I loved your upside down drawing!

All those lines seems very difficult to draw when I looked at. But not so bad when I breaking down each parts. I enjoyed doing it.

It is interesting how seeing things differently really help. The negative concept I understood but found it hard to apply as I wanted to focus on the main subject - so I took a break and starting drawing landscapes for a bit - Bingo, I began to see the negative space in a different way. The upside bird was fun and was easy to follow proportion and placement.

This as a difficult but fun exercise. I was surprised by the process and liked that it required paying attention and slowing down when sketching.  I viewed the subject as a collection of shapes and lines which was new for me.  

This is my favorite exercise so far. It got me out of my judgmental, comparing place and just draw. I'm progressing through this course very slowly since I have zero drawing experience, but even crude drawings help me remember things.

This was somewhat fun - I felt like I was drawing little islands rather than the markings on the sparrow's breast. I had trouble with proportion, starting with the branch first and ending with the head at the edge of the page. A good exercise though!

Intense and satisfying, but not fun... it was a collection of complex lines and spaces that became shapes. It was easy to become confused. The desire to flip the picture was mostly part of the need for rest. When done, a strong desire to colour in the spaces. Those bold lines on the breast and the intricate lines about the head make you appreciate the song sparrow patterns that vary from bird to bird.

This was tough and took patience and a good eye. I didn’t scale it right for the paper, so I cut off the bird’s head. But it was really fun when I turned it over, and , surprise, it was a pretty good little bird! It helped me see the value in concentrating on shares, negative space, and proportions. On what I am really observing, and not what I think I should be seeing. 

This was more fun than I thought it would be.  I really took my time and tackled it over a few different days and was very free with my eraser.  It was a great exercise to work on seeing shapes and using negative space.

Once or twice I almost flipped the page and had to catch myself. It took me more than an hour but once I was done I flipped and got so satisfied with the result! It also taught me the value of patience (the tail, the last bit, was definitively a little bit raggedy since I was getting tired at that point), and the benefits of negative space and proportions to keep the bird in the right size. A great exercise!

This was a fun exercise!

I was a little intimated at first. Then I zoomed in and decided to take it as chunks. That helped me forget it was a full bird. I was really happy with my end result! I took my time and used the skills from the proportion measuring and negative space lessons.

  It was not difficult at all, but it did take quite a bit of patience.  I was really amazed at how much it resembled the cartoon sample of the song sparrow; it really did seem like a collection of shapes - a song sparrow "deconstructed" and upside down.  

I found this challenging with proportions (Again!) That is my biggest struggle in drawing and always has been. I had to take a break after several tries then got back to it. Now it looks better, but not quite right. Using negative space really helps me adjust my drawings and shift things to the right spot or shape or position. Overall, I was pleased with how it turned out!

WOW that was one of my better ones...go figure!

An excellent exercise.  An old trick in human portraiture, too.

I, too, am happier with the outcome than I thought I would be! It was a challenge to keep thinking "this shape" rather than "this feather" or "this piece of the plant." I haven't had time to work on this class since December, but I had a lull today and was glad to get my drawing materials back out! And I can't find where to upload my image although I've done it before...sorry about that!

It definitely turned out better than I expected, although it was not perfect -- for example, the twig was not as angled as it was "supposed" to be so the leg on the right didn't turn out as long as in the sample provided. But on the whole I am pretty pleased. It was a good exercise, but I do wonder about the usefulness of trying to replicate exactly the lines/squiggles on the breast of the bird.  It was also definitely easier to draw this bird from the black-and-white sketch provided than if we had been asked to draw it from a photo!!

I tried three times before getting to this one. That was a challenging assignment, but worth the time. I really had to study the image carefully and used lots of measurements to even get this one. I will use this to capture one of our white-throated sparrows; they are all over our yard now. I love how they scratch  for seeds like a chicken.

I am WAY behind in this course, so this comes much later than the rest. I found this exercise STINKING HARD but I'm glad I did it. Had to fudge and add a couple middle sections to my poor chubby sparrow but I'm glad I finished it. The feet and the branch were the most difficult for me. Yikes.

This was a very good exercise for observation and concentration. To keep motivated , I amigined the Song sparrow singing  Diana Ross’ hit: ‘Upside Down, you’re turning me’ ;)  The most tricky part for me was  keeping  the mutual  angles  of the branch, the legs  and bird’s posture  right.  But ,once again,  concentrating on negative spaces helped me to move on.  I also ‘discovered’ a technique to draw the complex irregular stripe patterns. I first jot many tiny dots outlining  the negative space with the adjacent stripe till and then I strenghten the contour with a more solid line.

Upside-down drawing was really fun. At first it was difficult getting the right proportions, until my mom came and told me to sketch the outline first 😅, which I forgot to do. That really helped me get the right proportions, and I'm really proud of myself for doing a pretty good job! I hope to improve on drawing upside-down subjects!

Y’all, I promise I measured proportions when I drew this poor sparrow. There’s a reason I’m taking this class, and I’m so thankful that my livelihood does not depend on my artistic abilities. All-in-all, it’s not too bad, but I have to laugh at his truncated head. 😂

Another great drawing exercise to hone the skills.   Fun to do.  Will do this exercise again.

That was HARD, but worth it! Learned alot.

This took a long time and I really spent the time trying to see the different shapes.  I did not get the proportions exactly right - but that will come with practice.  

I've done this exercise before, and it's usually successful.  I don't always generalize that skill to drawing live objects.  It was fun, but doesn't really help me much when it comes to the real thing.  Here's my attempt.  I saw it as a collection of shapes and lines.

Drawing from as a colection of shapes made me real look for the shapes without being concerned to proportions, or how it looks like. Because of that, to my view, getting shapes correct made me focus really hard. Such a level of brain focus made me draw a quite more accurate picture then I'm used to do. The exercise is really good. Probably I will do it more and more, as the ones of gesture drawing.

I did not really think I could do a good job of this exercise, but slowing down and focusing on the details and proportions yielded a solid effort! Perhaps a little fat, but so are the birds at my birdfeeder :)

I've tried this technique before and found that I was more successful if I only revealed one piece of the picture at a time so that I didn't get ahead of myself .  It is a wonderful trick that builds up my confidence and is easy to practice using photos .  I know a wonderful artist who likes to look at things upside down before she starts painting and it sure works for her!

A very interesting exercise.  Great way to train my brain to stop just "drawing a bird" and focus on looking.

It was harder than I thought it would be.  I kept wanting to turn the image and i got a bit confused with the shapes, but it turned out better than I thought.  Interesting exercise.  I'll try it again to teach my brain some new tricks.  

My bird looks OK but it's nothing like the example at all.  I started and erased the entire thing several times.  I started at different parts, the top of the stem of the grass like Liz did, then from the other side.  My bifocal glasses made it hard to do, so I printed a copy of the example to a sheet of paper and laid it flat so I could see it better.  That didn't help much, I must have started and erased numerous times.  Still all in all the picture I ended up with looks pretty good but it's not like the example in many areas.  It was fun but I got pretty frustrated during the process.  I think I'll do it again a few times just to see how different each one turns out.

I found it difficult, at some points a bit tedious but very good practice.

It was so difficult because I always draw like it is in reality. Yeah I always draw as it was. As a collection of shapes.

Upside down is interesting!  It was easier to just deal with shapes and proportion.  This is going to take some (a lot of) practice to sort areas into just shapes while in the field!

This was fun. I think the bird turned out really good and I promise I didn't turn it till the end.

This was a difficult drawing exercise for me.  I focused only on creating shapes and negative spacing between them.  However, I tried to scale up the drawing to use up all of my paper and that caused problems with connecting the wings and other body parts.  Actual size vs illustration is challenging and makes me realize that I am more interested in capturing the form and features and not have to make them to actual size.  

I focused on the shapes and also used the negative spaces and measuring techniques. This was fun!

I viewed the bird as what it was, but I made some lines to  have the proportions as correct as  possible. A good training.

I drew an upside-down parakeet, from a model. next page......with cardinal. getting better at being more time efficient.bk

This was very difficult for me, not because the image was upside down. Getting angles and proportions right is still a bit of s struggle, yet I am grateful for this exercise. This photo is my second attempt. I still learned something even up to the very end where the stomach patterns weren't quite fitting and I had to adjust. I think it had to do with me jumping around on the picture rather than focusing on a section and following it.

Upside-down drawing was fun. I did better than I expected I would, except I misjudged my spacing and ended up running my image into the margin of the book. I viewed a collection of shapes, but it was difficult to not think about the anatomy I was drawing when it was clearly, for example, a toe.

The first image is the upside drawing which I did totally using the method you suggested. It is really hard not to check, but I didn't until I had finished it. After I had finished I did add the color, but should probably have waited until you give us the instruction for that. Sorry. I was so motivated by the color in the entries of other students, that I got carried away. I was surprised at how much more accurate my drawing was than other drawings I have done.

This drawing was difficult but enjoyable.

I found this activity to be very satisfying.  It seems to be a great way to really focus on the skills we've been working on up to now. 

Easier than I would have thought the designs within the body were more difficult

I found the upside down drawing to be effective and not too difficult. I use the measurement technique a couple of times, but mostly I just concentrated on getting each little shape in the right position and proportion. The abstract shapes on the underside where tough,though.

It was difficult. And fun. So hard not to cheat but worth it in the end. Turned out just OK but better than I thought! The head an feet looked pretty good. The wing was not so great but I rushed that part. When I took it slower and gave up on the form it turned out better. Why? My brain is not quite thinking like an artist yet. It was pretty cool to not have to concentrate on creating depth in my drawing. I was drawing flat and it turned out to have depth. Neat.

Completing this exercise was really rewarding.  I see now the value of negative space much more clearly.  Concentrating on the shapes and their relationships to each other made it so much easier to draw. Really fun to turn it right side up and find a Song Sparrow!  Great lesson!

                                                                Drawing the upside down bird required more focus than I thought, but I ended  relatively happy with the finished drawing. Wouldn't say it was the most fun drawing I have done, but looking at it as discrete shapes rather than a whole subject, certainly helped the process. But it was a worthwhile exercise and showed how observation and focus can help to produce a workable piece.

Nice having images to work from since it is a bit cold to sketch outside.  I have moved my birdfeeders so I hope to get a few subjects I can sketch.

  I like this exercise.  Did this when I was in art school - years ago.  This course is wonderful, making all these gests come back.

This was a wonderful exercise. As a self described person with drawing-deficit disorder, I was surprised that a technique like this could produce a pretty decent image! It took quite a while to complete but I was happy with the results. It required a bit of mental yoga to keep redirecting my brain to think of shapes rather than feet or feathers. It was fun and I’ll use this technique in the field.

This was easier  than I thought.  It actually turned out  well.

Such a great exercise! it helps to look more at the details

I found that I was checking the negative space more often. All the lines in the breast were difficult. You are correct my brain just wanted to squiggle.

I enjoyed this more than I had anticipated.  I had to keep forcing myself to only look at what was there and not go freelancing.  I'm happy with the result.

I didn’t even realize that one of the he claws was behind a plant thing!

This was difficult AND fun. I tried to draw the subject as a collection of shapes, and it worked out pretty well! I don't know how I judged the tail to be too short. I really tried to work with negative space and proportions. I'm pretty pleased with the results, as I am a beginning sketcher.

This was a great exercise for me.  It really forced me to forget about what I was trying to draw and focus instead on the process of drawing.  It worked!

My right-side-up (drawn up-side-down) song sparrow. No doubt about it--this exercise forces us to really look at what's right in front of us, not necessarily what we think we're meant to draw. Very helpful.

Fascinating exercise. It was fun; I did notice my attention flagging over time and the drawing shows that. From the example, I enjoyed using the shapes and one-to-another approach. This was the only way to make progress, even though my brain kept (unhelpfully) trying to process the whole.   I then tried again using a photo.   On all sketches, I start with pencil but I am terrible about eventually rubbing the lines. Because of that, I eventually go over the sketch with a pen, trying to make small adjustments as I go.  For now, the repetition feels like a good way to try to gain reps.

The opposite of gesture drawing! This took me three sittings, a bit at a time, and really broke in my eraser. Eventually I was able to surrender to the process, and I’m happy with how it came out. I remember the upside-down drawing exercise from Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain—that’s what took me from stick figures to thinking, Oh, that’s how you draw! This was a lot more exacting, much more of an exercise in patience. Worth it, too.

I really liked this exercise. As I often do I start the video and then stop right away and try to draw what Liz is drawing before watching the video. then after watching the video I apply her suggestions and techniques, and then compare the two drawings. I was liberal with my eraser because I wanted to get the shapes that she used to render the coloration in the body. When I did my first drawing I had no idea how to suggest that colorization on the bird. My post drawing analysis is that I am much happier with the proportions and especially the tail and beak. I hope to have the confidence or fearlessness to render colors on a bird as shapes as I really like the results.

This was a good exercise.  I found that I was looking more at the shapes than the subject.

This was fun to do although challenging when it involves patience and self control. I found it difficult to adjust proportions. Everyone has such beautiful post. 

• Not sure how to get vertical, but a really useful exercise and one I will repeat

This was very difficult. I tried to use proportion tricks from the last lesson but really struggled. The chest markings werevery complicated to include

This was fun to do, but I did find it to be a little difficult.  I ended up not getting the wings so well, but I think I started to hurry as it was taking a good deal of time.  The part I didn't rush I was quite impressed with.  This is such a great technique to learn to look beyond what the mind sees!  Love this course!

This was fun, but difficult.  The feet were really hard. I was able to view the subject as a collection of shapes and lines.  I have never drawn anything but stick figures - I hope I can get better with practice. I love this course.

This exercise was a good test in patience. I found myself drawing a lot slower and using my eraser more than usual. It was hard not to sketch an overall shape of the bird to get proportion right, so mine came out a bit more slender than it should've been.

i found this pretty difficult, because i couldn't concentrate enough. It's probably because i'm less excited about contour line drawing, and i'm more interested in gesture drawing, or shading.  i definitely will need to practice more.

I found that my drawing was more accurate  drawing it upside down. That was amazing!!

This was a bit of challenge, my main issue was finding the proper proportion and negative space since I started by the feet and then worked my way up.The patterns on the body was hard to measure since I should have added more space between the legs, but overall I think it helped me understand size and shapes.

The shape breakdown was definitely helpful and insightful. Some of the angles of my lines turned out really wonky though! At some points I felt like I was really concentrating well on what was there, and then I would catch myself thinking of the feathers or the talons as themselves. I need to practice more to see my subjects in many different ways.

A very challenging exercise for me. My brain wanted to see this as an upside down bird. I had moments when I could focus on the shapes and relationships and other times when my mind would freeze up! This made me understand that I need to relax and refrain from drawing something that isn't really in front of me. That was cool!

Very cool exercise! with surprising outcome :-)

I really enjoyed doing this. It kept me out of my head in trying to get the relationships of the background and bird proportional. I tend to overthink it. Used the negative space lesson on this one too, so seeing the other shapes around the bird gave me good information. Your finished drawing would be a good coloring book page.

My body is a little thick but I got the head direction right.  This was hard but a good way of learning how to focus on shapes.  

I did this while chatting with a fam member. It made it actually easier to have my brain uninvolved in the ‘knowing’ of what type of bird...I focused on observing where the feet crossed the branch, where the tail feathers emerged, how many feathers, stripes, etc. I did get overwhelmed in the middle with the unpatterned shapes of the belly. That’ll take some practice! Overall not bad!

This exercise was difficult for me, the shapes in the middle made me a little dizzy. Overall I like how it came out but I am still having some difficulty with negative space, and keeping my focus on the shapes instead of trying to get good talons🙃

I was very surprised by the results when I turned the page upright! It was a lesson in patience as well.

Proof! I really did draw the song sparrow, upside down! This was a challenge, since I like to rough out my subject using basic shapes, and then add detail and proportions as I go. Not this time! I started at the tail feathers and worked my way around... Thanks goodness for erasers... I'll have to go back to this one to finish the markings on the breast and underparts of the bird, but I cheated and turned my page around... am pleased that the little guy isn't wonky-looking! I really wanted to look at the subject as an overall shape, but I forced myself to see it as a bunch of smaller shapes connected to each other... this has been the most challenging exercise yet!

When I draw I always like to look at the subject as individual pieces of a total puzzle.  How does one piece connect to another.  This is also what I tell kids who say they can't draw.  This makes the process more fun and enjoyable.  I had a lot of fun doing this and when I was through I thought the body was to chubby but when I flip the image right side up, it looked really good.  I am happy with how it turned out.