I forgot to add my sketch. My pencil wanted to be everywhere. Trying to figure our proportions and, well, moving from blob to bird…really a challenge for me.

I notice so many more details now when I am sketching. Many details I can translate onto my page, or even suggest them. That is a little frustrating. Using the sketchy-sketchy technique has really help. I’m learning what to leave and what to erase. Drawing from a photo feel like a great way to start. My subject doesn’t move, the light remains consistent. Doing it on the fly outside feels like a pipe-dream at this time, but I’m ready and willing to improve and try!

So this is my attempt at the Yellow Warbler, which was interesting experience that I really enjoyed! My experience in drawing is very limited but I had the luxury of a still image. I found the easiest and (I say easiest not lightly) part for me was the slow sketch of the bird and then more difficult as I tried to add the extra details of the bird. then came the watercolours, with no experience and the recommended course material I began to slop the colours on. It became a exercise in colour management and water control fairly quickly. Saying that some of the shading and lighter browns I wouldn’t have noticed at first if I didn’t take my time so that was incredibly rewarding. Personally I had a excellent time and I’m fairly proud of what I produced. Next time I would incorporate a journal style and some notes. The yellow warbler

I usually get very nervous when drawing. I'd like to know how to be more relaxed and draw more comfortably.

I liked how I had to really spend time tuning in and focusing intently to see all the details.  

It was a fun task.  Getting the different layers of feathers is a challenge.  And proportion  along with details offer their own difficulty for me.  With the picture to refer to is absolutely a help and I can imagine trying to draw this bird as it is moving, standing still only a short time will need some good advice.

Drawing from the photo was easy because the bird didn't move and I had plenty of time to draw everything I saw.  The challenging part was figuring out what to draw first and making sure of placement and that everything was the correct size.  If I wasn't asked to draw the picture I might not have noticed the position of the Warbler's legs, one seems to be straight and the other is bent.  I think that might make a difference when nature journaling  because  it shows how the bird balances  on a branch.

I realized when doing this sketch that it required time, which is good for me to experience as I often guide youth in nature journaling, and this is the first time I have taken time to sketch myself.  And for me, this is pretty good.  I look forward to getting better!  The advantages of sketching over photos is that one becomes intimately connected to the organism observing.  The internal and eternal connection is a strong bond.  Another advantage is that the details are noticed.  The advantages of photos is that they show precisely what the organism looks like.  Photos can be revisited for a specific point in time with out change, such as a quick visit by a bird or an organism that will change over time, such as a flower.  I enjoyed this exercise and look forward to the next. 

The outline was challenging as were the small details and the shading. I noticed a lot about the birds feathers and how they fall together on its back and a lot about the body shape and the coloring and the head shape.

Im not yet at all confident with the media (used pencil, ink pen, watercolor pencils), but I enjoyed the exercise. I used it to learn about the parts if a bird (mainly the feathers). It was challenging to convey exact feathers as well as feeling of feathers ( some look fluffy and I was not able to convey that). It was good to have the photo so able to take time to do the drawing. I spotted many things I probably would not have seen in field, unless the bird is very cooperative and close by!

Thank you, Liz, for creating this course.

This was an enjoyable exercise.  Watercolors are new to me, so they were the most challenging part of the exercise.  Things I would not have noticed without drawing this photo are 1) the shape of the wings laying on the warbler's back, 2) the way the rusty red streaks grew softer further down on the breast, and 3) the loose grip of the warbler's feet on the branch below it.  I look forward to seeing improvement in my art as I continue this course.

Getting the stance seemed really important. Loved the contrast between the dark eye and bill and the yellow of the feathers.  What a yellow! Very different from a goldfinch. It made me think of whether colored pencils can even approximate nature's hues.  What color would I choose to color this bird? And the rusty streaks on the breast! Swoon!

I am looking forward to improving my drawing skills by the end of this course! I did the sketch quickly as if I was watching a real bird who would move any second. I think that helped me get a gestalt that has some energy . Would like to get a few more well crafted details. I might not have noticed the shape of the bill if I had not drawn the picture. Since the bill is an id marker I think it would make a difference in a nature journal.

I really enjoyed this. The warbler is very cute in the picture.

Not much art experience here: I am relieved that my pencil sketch is at least identifiable as a bird.

Drawing from the photo doesn't seem as daunting as drawing moving nature.  I did notice more of the dark markings from the photo while painting it.

I was happy to be drawing from an image that wasn't moving about, changing positions.  I sketched with a #2 pencil and did not add color.  Might not have noticed leg color and toes without sketching.  Had trouble with the slight tilt of the head.  Definitely flatter than it should be.  Transition from wing to back was challenging.

I liked the fact that the bird didn’t move so I could really study it in one position and with constant light. I also could zoom in when I was unsure of the details of what I was seeing. Ironically, that also made it harder in some respects because it played to my tendency to be overly detail-oriented which took my attention away from the general proportions. I wouldn’t have notice the shape of the bill and the surprisingly rounded, low hanging belly if I hadn’t drawn it.

I think drawing from a photo seems easy at first, but in regards to depth perception, my bird turned out much flatter. Still, the photo does show colors that might not have been noticed in nature, particularly if one is not familiar with the bird.

It felt nice, although strange. The legs came easily but the shape of the head and details in the wing not so much. Drawing makes me focus on shape but I definitely simplified it and made it flatter than it should be.

I loved the activity

In the very short class I took with you earlier this year, you really liberated me from feeling like I need to draw perfectly.  I started by looking at bits and pieces of shapes and shadows and not thinking so much about a bird.  It was super relaxing because I wasn't constantly criticizing every pencil stroke, more just having fun and wondering if my drawing would fit on the page. :) Making it look three dimensional is hard for me. Really seeing the lines, the fluff, the feather contours came easily.  I would not have noticed how much dark smudgy coloring is on this little Warbler if I hadn't been drawing it.

It was a bit challenging, but not overwhelming. I drew some ovals and circles, like D.J. had done. that helped. And then kept making a lot of adjustments, erasing, redrawing. Trying to get proportions and  angles of the bill, tail, legs, wings, with respect to each other. I just did pencil for now, but if I had painted in color, I think I'd recognize it. It was fun to try this. And just that one tip from D.J. helped me get started. As I drew, I kept noticing more about the bird, that I did not pick up on first glance, such as all the detail in the wings. With photos, I have mainly looked at those reddish streaks on the yellow breast. Also, shape of the bill, angle to the head, size of the eye. Doing this drawing, I realize that by doing the nature journaling, I will cultivate my observation skills and attention to detail. Even the stance of the bird, its posture, and I wonder, what is the habitat, what kind of tree is it sitting on? These are things I would try to draw and take notes on, to investigate later.