I wasn’t sure if this was suppose to be done with a lot of details. Since it was a photo and I could keep referring back to it, I could have taken a lot of time. I chose to do a quick sketch, not a lot of accuracy or detail. I find it easier to draw from a photo because my mind can focus on just that. 

For me this was the first time using watercolor for something this "complicated". After finishing the bird I got a little impatient and didn´t put that much effort into the branches. After a while I figured that the paper I was using wasn´t quite watercolor-friendly. My mom joined me in drawing the Yellow Warbler, you can see her result above as well. I´m very excited to draw this picture again at the end of the course.

I liked drawing from the photo because it gives you time draw and look again and make changes.  This warbler seems to be easier to draw than some other birds. It was challenging to draw the feathers.  I did not notice the darker streaks of feathers in the bird's chest.  This would be important because it would be a point of identity.

This was a lot of fun! Sketching out the image was much easier than using the watercolors (very new to water colors). Definitely paid more attention to trying to be ‘accurate’ than I may have otherwise been.

I noticed so much more about the yellow warbler as I drew it! I didn't know it that it had a kind of charcoal-smudged cape with distinctive feathered epaulets. I was also struck by the distinctive black edging on the wing. To draw it using pencil was challenging, as I tried to make the grey features different from the reddish-brown features. I also wanted to represent the fluffiness of some of the feathers vs. the sharpness of the wings.

1.  I did not mind drawing from a photo at all.  Especially a bird as they never sit still.   2.  The excitement of drawing a warbler was the easiest part.  I love warblers.  The wings were a challenge for me.  3.  Um, everything about the bird.  If it was moving I'd be lost.  4.  Probably.  It's hard enough ID'ing birds let alone trying to draw one on the spot.  Maybe once I start learning how to draw birds better it will come easy but right now a photo works for me.

The benefit of drawing the bird, is that you really remember the details which helps with identification. A photo is faster and more accurate. I really enjoyed drawing this. I am nervous about adding color, so I thought I should upload before I try...

i cannot ever get it to look 3 dimensional. It looks like a flat side view not like his head is angled toward the viewer. I supposed this is done by shading?

Felt oddly nervous about drawing from the photo without more specific instruction, as though I might screw something up. Still, getting the shape of the warbler was pretty easy and capturing the beak and eye. There are details I'd have missed if I hadn't been drawing the bird, like the bird's toes and the positioning of the legs. I was surprised how clearly I could see the delicate toes and toenails. I also wouldn't have noticed the wisp of feathers partially covering the leg on the left.

It is easier as the subject remains stationary. Feathers and shadings are a challenge with a pencil.  Closer look brings the tree branch details  - the lichen and moss.  The absolute black eye.  Leg angles - Nature journaling requires these details.

1.  It was fun.  I was able to capture more details than the live objects.  Getting the proportion and shapes right was challenging. 2.  Details in the leaves and the bird.  Shading in the feathers.  Overall shape of the birds.

My 6-year-old daughter decided to join me for the for the first exercise, and we had a blast! I felt comfortable drawing the sticks and leaves and then totally lost with the bird. I would not have noticed the moss if I hadn't drawn the image, and I can see how that would be a nice environmental detail for a nature journal. I like that when you draw, you really need to hone in on the details to capture them, and often with general photography you trust the image to do that for you.

I probably would not have noticed the feet as much.  It was a great exercise.

I’ve been trying this year to add a page to my journal every few days. I’ve also been doing some drawing and watercolour courses. I approached drawing this bird as just drawing it. I intended to draw quickly and tried to draw confidently. I’ve always been more of a photographer than a drawer but I love the focus that drawing gives me and my results are improving. I’m so impressed by everyone’s contributions to this discussion. Here’s mine (note that I am in Australia and we do dates differently. This is dated April 6.)

At first I didn't trust myself to get started, but then it just kind of flowed.  Having the time to draw from the photo really let me focus on the details.  When I'm just looking at a photograph, I don't really notice the finer details of color variations, patterns, and proportions.

I didn't think much, had no prior training or practice in drawing...just listened to Liz and drew what I saw. I liked what I did and look forward to learning more. Wow! SO many drawings look like professional work already!      

When drawing from a photo, you have so much more time. So I was trying to work quickly to capture key details and get to just a little more than a gestural drawing. I was also trying out a "field brush" where the water is in the handle of the brush. I discovered that severely limited my ability to control how wet the sketch got, and I couldn't get any detail on the wing until I switched to a normal brush.

I was more focused on the bird in the beginning and less on the foliage at first.  I later realized that habitat is important too.

I liked drawing from the photo because I could take my time and really look at the bird. I saw much more detail than looking at the bird in the wild. I did this pretty quickly and struggled with the feathers. That's something I need to learn. However, my biggest issue is sketching the legs and especially the feet. I find this very hard. Like others, I can lost in the detail and spend too much time on things that not that important.

I like drawing birds from photos because I get distracted easily outside and using a photo gives me the opportunity to look closely at what I'm drawing, particularly when it's a subject like a bird that would normally move out in the world. None of drawing birds comes easily, but figuring out angles and proportions comes more easily than knowing what to do with wings, feathers, and feet. I had to force myself to revisit the feet after sketching them in half-heartedly at the end. When drawing out in the field I'd most likely not be able to see the feet well enough to draw them accurately so a photo reference would be required if I wanted a complete drawing. Beaks and eyes are challenging but fun to work on and when you get them right it almost makes up for anything else in the drawing that's not quite right.