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.