Drawing makes me notice details on the bird and background I would not necessarily pay attention to when birding or taking a photograph of the bird. This is what makes nature journaling fun. You begin to ask what insects the bird may be eating in the tree or bush with insect damaged leaves. You want to know more about the kind of bush and what kind of lichen is growing on it. Getting the correct proportions is always a challenge to me. A birds complex wing feather arrangements are another challenge. Also the angle of the photograph foreshortens some aspects of a bird which can also present problems. T

Drawing makes you look at the details.  You can't draw each detail, but you are picking out the exact form, the shades of color that identify the bird.  Drawing made me not only look at the bird, but at the twig it was sitting on, that the twig had growths on it, that some of the leaves were damaged and eaten.    Drawing makes you look at all the details, instead of just writing that the bird is a yellow warbler.

Capturing the essence of the feathers was a challenge. I saw distinct sections of different feather types in the photo but had trouble making those areas distinct in the drawing. I might not have noticed the brown stripey bits in the chest. The yellow/black combinations of the wing feathers are more striking but the caramel colors in the stripes are lovely. Making those tones distinct from the black was a challenge. When nature journaling, looking for those secondary areas would be important.

1. Drawing from the photo felt alright, however, it made me really fussy about the accuracy of what I was drawing. Am I drawing what is there, or what I think is there. I was curious about whether or not I was paying enough attention to detail. 2. The overall drawing experience was fair, I found the shape of the bird a bit challenging. I didn't't make very much notes either. 3. The lichen. I would have noticed this perhaps, but if I was out in the field I think I might have been captivated by the warbler.

Nice that the bird in the photo stayed still for the entire experience.  :)  My first attempt was too fat, and so I had to erase its belly/breast and skinny it up.  I like the detail in my eye, but it is too big and too far back.  Was going to try to fix it and then decided to embrace it as a first attempt and move on.   Struggled with the bits between the legs, and with balancing shading with wanting to make the black stand out.  Decided to just stick with pencil, which made it hard to distinguish the rusty streaks on the breast.   The details around the eye certainly would have escaped me had I not taken the time to draw it.  And the nostril as well, though I notice now that my attempt to capture that in my drawing was lost when I shaded the beak.  I definitely leaned on some of the skills I learned in your earlier short 1h live lessons earlier this spring!

I noticed so, so much more as I tried to draw—details of the bird itself and my inexperience with pastel pencils, first among those noticings. It was lovely to have the subject still, and I appreciated being able to zoom in for a closer look. I would never have noticed the toes had I not been asked to draw it. Such a surprise that they don’t actually grip the twig, at least not at the moment of the photograph. Such fun to get started!

I I I liked drawing from the photo. It has to be easier than trying to draw a bird in the wild. Is that even possible? They don't tend to stay in one place for very long. Even at our feeders they are constantly coming and going. I found the legs and feet challenging. Seems like  the legs are longer and the feet are bigger than I would have drawn from memory. Worked on the beak for a while and I still didn't get it right. I wouldn't have drawn all the toes. Enlarging the picture helped me to see all of the them. I can definitely see how you have to focus on details and small parts at a time when nature journaling. Otherwise a lot could be missed.

Using the photo, I was able to revise my drawing as many times as needed to correct discrepancies between my drawing and the photo.. I have a difficult time with proportion and tend to make my heads overlarge  I would not have noticed the coloration of the wings with as much precision if not asked to draw. This kind of careful observation is important in differentiating between species and genders. Although I consider myself to be a careful observer this exercise shows me how far from that I really am and how much I need to discipline myself. Drawing the photo of the bird forced me to repeatedly look at the image

I enjoyed drawing from the photo as it provided unlimited time to study the subject. Overall shape came relatively easy. Proportion and perspective were a greater challenge.   I definitely would not have noticed a lot of the more subtle identifying features had I not been asked to draw the warbler. This would make a big difference when nature journaling as I am s rank beginner at drawing and only a moderately experienced birder. I can see how nature journaling will give me a healthy boost up the learning curve.

Much easier to notice the details when working from a photo. If drawing in the field, would not have spent as much time noticing the lichens on the branches. Working with watercolors is a challenge for me, and I've never used this type of brush! Hoping to master it a bit better by the end!

., n I noticed how long the birds feet were, I feel okay about the drawing, I think my lead may have been a little soft. Just sitting down to draw was the hardest, getting going. Then I didn't want to stop. I wonder how to draw/sketch this bird in the wild as they don't sit still for very long, so this was nice, sketching from the photo.

Much easier to draw from a photo since the subject doesn’t move as others have said. Shading came easily with pencil but proportions challenging, I didn’t erase though. I’ve never understood wing patterns and lengths before so this drawing was very helpful in that regard. The cheek, shoulder, breast and short, medium, long and tail feathers were clear.

Loved sitting on the deck and sketching--I can relate to many others' thoughts and feelings. Someday I'll finish viewing everyone's posts. How wonderful that so many people are on this journey together!

Advantages of Drawings: Makes the viewer pay more attention to detail. Has more character than a photo. You can choose what details to include. Advantages of Photos: Captures all the details correctly. A drawing could be anatomically incorrect. Usually includes color which a simple sketch does not.

Drawing helps to focus the eye on fine details and to journal them for later memory.

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I'm excited to learn more about capturing color and shading with just pencil--that was the most challenging part for me with this exercise. This was a lot of fun!

A photograph keeps the subject still which is an advantage. The challenge was paying attention to proportions, what makes this bird look like this bird.