I enjoyed taking note of the details, something I wouldn't usually be doing outside! Had difficulty with judging the distance, the proportion. Wouldn't have noticed the shape, the slope, the feathers of the bird, the patterns of the twig if I hadn't had to draw this! Would definitely train me to be a more detail-oriented person!

Drawing from photo was fun as it is easier to pay attention to details.  Still I need lots more practice with watercolors, which was part of the point of this course for me!  But also, just to actually concentrate on details as I tend to sketch hastily.  I need the discipline and practice!

I think will find this easier the more that I practice.  I am working on quickly sketching the shapes of different birds. details with just pencil are tricky for me.    The photo is helpful, as it doesn't fly away:).  I think the script that you add to the journal ( rust on breast, black on wings etc. ) combined with the sketches make a more complete picture.

1. I'm glad I had the photo as a reference - this bird would've been difficult to capture in nature. Figuring out the blending came somewhat easily, though in one section I noticed became too saturated with water and would not hold color as well. I finished this months apart as I've been busy - I'm actually glad for that as I came back to the watercolor with a fresh perspective. The beak was more totally black the first rendition, but I just lifted color with a water-laden brush to define the beak better. 2. I wouldn't have noticed the feet structure with just a photo. I'm used to my parrot and forget passerines have 3 toes in front and 1 in the back. I also had more appreciation for the subtle olive back of the yellow warbler in painting it. In painting the bird, I feel as if I gained a better understanding of its behavior and coloration. A quick painting is also less distracting than a photo as there's less information coming from the environment around it. I would endeavor to include any plants that an animal seems to prefer and what it is doing on it during my observation.

Drawing went well but hard to paint using just 6 colors. I need to learn how to mix them. I notice the structure of the bird's feathers and it's feet.

It would seem that drawing from a photo would be easier.  This was pretty discouraging!   Perhaps using colored pencils or pastels might have been better for me. Using water colors is a new experience, so I definitely need that training.   I can usually draw reasonably well, but the watercolor technique is not yet something I understand... yet.    Would add more detail, but since I'm just messing it up more I will quit now :-) .  (For fun I also tried this image on my iPad using "Sketchbook"... with only a very slightly better result.) Certainly drawing, compared to photography, forces one to see detail (not shown in my image) such as texture of feathers and the branch, leaves etc.  Colors are (usually) automatic in photos, but with painting the colors need to be matched... not that easy for me.  Also, drawings can emphasize, more easily, details that the artist would like to highlight. Seeing details helps understand the overall image, and may reveal new information about the subject.  Sometimes, with photography, details are only noticed sometime later... often much later (even years later!) -RGD

I am very excited about this course :-). First I drew the bird in pencil and then coloured it in afterwards, but only with coloured pencil because I can't paint in watercolour (yet). I have a pencil and sketchbook, as recommended in the course. However, I find that the lines on the paper are too grainy. That's why I haven't bothered to draw the feathers in more detail because the lines are blurred into each other. The bird is very pretty, but it doesn't exist here in Switzerland.

Fun to start drawing! Drawings make you pay more attention to details, but photos have far more detail and are more accurate. Drawing in the correct proportions and getting the tilt of the head were challenging. Drawing the image almost makes it come alive.

First and second attempts. Yes, notice way more detail than if I took a photo, but also a drawing makes me part of the image in a way; I'm less of a passive observer. I'm looking forward to seeing improvement!

was tough to draw, didn't come out like I was hoping it would, details like the legs and feet would have been easily overlooked if just looking at phot as opposed to drawing

This was a fun exercise to do with my 10 year old son.  He got quite frustrated, but persevered.  Progress over perfection :)

It was fun, but I was to critical and erased a lot! the leafs and branches were fairly easy.  The bird was not too hard, but I couldn't get the head and beak right.   I noticed the moss and lichen on the branches, little hard to draw too.

I actually did better than I thought I would!  I can at least tell what bird it is and it doesn't look like a cartoon! The lichens on the branch and the little brown spots on the leaves I would have likely missed if I were not so focused.  I am glad I had an eraser!

I enjoyed it to a point but found it hard work. I realised that my pencils were too soft and the paper too granular for sketching detail. I was happy with my shapes but not the shading. I improved my shading by zooming into the wing and paying more attention to the detail. I would have no idea how to mix colors and pencil to get the detail on this bird. I wouldn’t have noticed much of the detail on the bird if I hadn’t been asked to draw it. Nature journaling has to be more impressionistic, I realise!

I was afraid to start because I “knew” it wouldn’t be “good.”  I really enjoyed myself. If I hadn’t been asked to draw the bird, I wouldn’t have noticed the geometry of the branch or the fact that something munched on one of the leaves.  I wouldn’t have noticed the variety of colors in the bird or how it’s feet wrap around the branch.

easier to draw from a photo because you can look at it for a long time.  make corrections. i m looking forward tolearning hoe to draw something that is moving

[1st Course - Drawing Exercise]  I was excited to jump right into this exercise. I'm used to drawing from still shots, so I can zoom in and view details. The challenging part was the birds' physical form and wing placement. Nevertheless, I'm overall pleased with the outcome. I typically start all my drawings using a blue pencil - quickly sketch out the basic shapes I see... Then, apply the colors in watercolor. I go back in and tighten the sketch with a mechanical pencil. I refined and blended the color with a watercolor pencil, and finally cleaned up the drawing in pen and ink.

There was tons in the photo I would not have noticed. I liked slowing down to really look. And that's the point of nature journaling, no?

Fun first try.  Drawing had me looking for more detail, shapes within, and trying to get depth.  The claws helped me work on depth, but I noticed after the drawing, that the bird's head looks to be angled toward the camera a bit - not sure how to bring that across in the drawing.  Very excited to move forward with old lost drawing skills, and spend more time as we go :)

It’s challenging to draw exactly but the representation is a bird with quick sketch.  Fill in colour and markings afterwards.  When sketching one is studying the subject closely, plumpness of the bird as an example.   Details might be more easily remembered with drawings?

I am somewhat comfortable drawing from a photo (with ongoing practice).  I find it challenging to sketch (in graphite) and capture the brightness and/or shading that colors allow in a photo.  One thing I noticed in the photo was how long the toes/claws were as well as the unexpected rust-colored streaks on the belly.  Learning about bird wing structures will also help when trying to capture complex coloring/feather patterns

Drawing from a photo is less intimidating than drawing from a live creature that moves around! My bird is a bit out of proportion - eye and beak too big. I guess one pays more attention to proportions when drawing, rather than just glancing at the photo. This was a good exercise for me in making a drawing and not agonizing over its lack of perfection.