• April
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      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. IMG_20210402_163155
    • Martha
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      imageI was more focused on the bird in the beginning and less on the foliage at first.  I later realized that habitat is important too.
    • Michael
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
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    • VYVYAN
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      Yellow Warbler 2021-03-30-0001
      • VYVYAN
        Participant
        Chirps: 3
        Drawing from a photo has definite advantages over drawing in the field -- you have more time to look closely, but perhaps you're also more inclined to get caught up in extraneous detail and not develop the skill of registering key features quickly. Even with the photo, though, I made the beak too heavy and Corvid-like, and had to set the sketch aside a while to see where I went wrong. Improved a little after posting.
    • Judi
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      IMG_2134 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.
    • Priscilla
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      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.
    • Diane
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
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      • Diane
        Participant
        Chirps: 2
        Didn’t get the text in first, so replying to myself. Been working on birds for a while. Thinking this class offers nice direction and solid experience. The photos are helpful because the bird sits still. I get lots of bird detail, but it can also pull me into too much detail. I can get a little lost in it. When you first glance at the photo, you think yellow bird. But you get a chance to study it and see so many colors and light. The photo has everything in it, but I know I don’t want to include everything. I’m trying to capture some of its energy with less of what’s in the photo.
    • Lindi
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      IMG_5238 It's a bit difficult drawing from a photo because there's just so much detail to take in..  proportions, light aspects, scenery... and it's all right there in front of you to compare your drawing against. I don't think I've ever drawn a bird before so that was a challenge in and of itself. I loved figuring out how each feather was folded together and the patterns they form. The careful attention to detail that's required for sketching will definitely impact my ability to take in the small details of a scene/subject. Even with this bird, I was immediately drawn to the dark eye and bright yellow color and would probably have noticed this in nature, but it's doubtful that I would have picked up on the muscles in the bird's talons or the breathing hole and the bluish tints in it's beak. I've learned so much about bird anatomy just from this simple exercise.
    • Teresa
      Participant
      Chirps: 5
      I started a bit stressed out because I do not draw very well. After a few starts I decided to approach the drawing a more relaxed way and to really observe the photo and let the focus take me away. That was much better -I stayed present and just observed, drew and wrote notes. I am looking forward to doing more!
    • Leelee
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      Day 1 Exercise I feel like my drawing didn't capture the spirit of the bird as much as eye wanted. It looks like a mischievous look in the eye I didn't capture. The beak was very challenging and I erased it three times before sticking with this one. The feet also were difficult. If I hadn't been drawing I wouldn't have noticed the soft brown lines coming from the eye of the bird or the little rippled edges of the leaves and the way the light hit them. It was very relaxing. Seeing extra details would add more vividness to the pictures, giving them more life when nature journaling.
    • Frances
      Participant
      Chirps: 12
      I found this very intimidating as I can't draw at all. Most of the journal example videos looked very professional and I thought - oh boy this class is too hard for me. Anyway, I went ahead and drew the bird. I felt nervous and unsure. Nothing came easily. I used the "circle" type method to try and get the body and head right but it didn't help. I persevered and ended up with a recognizable bird so that is a good start. I did not even try the feathers much. I just wanted to get a drawing that at least resembled the photo in general terms. It was great that the photo "didn't move"! I wouldn't have noticed the lovely way the feet curl around the tree branch if I had just taken a photo. Nature journaling encourages , actually demands, observing details. That is more fun than taking a photograph I think. I need to overcome my frustration that my drawings are not only not perfect, but are the opposite. And accept where I am now and that what I do now is the best I can for where I am right now. Easier said than done but a good goal.
    • Amanda
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      I definitely felt a bit nervous, trying to get everything perfect, but then I remembered no one is looking at the picture except for me. Drawing the bird shape was a bit easier than filling it in. I had a hard time trying to get the patterns of the feathers into the sketch but that's definitely something I noticed more than if I were taking a picture.
    • Melinda
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
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    • Christine
      Participant
      Chirps: 10
      Once I realized that there is not time limit, I took my time and tried to get as much detail as I could.  Doing the contour of the warbler was easiest for me but when it came to the eye and beak this was another story.  I erased my eye and beak 4 times before I was happy with it.  My distances and proportion of the eye never added up.  Yellow Warbler March 27, 2021
    • David
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      Here's my Yellow Warbler. It was much easier to draw from a photo than from live observation. Yellow Warbler
    • Katie
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      I felt intimidated at first because I'm not artistic. But I'm taking this class to enjoy nature as I see it, and I feel my bird turned out o.k.; just a little longer and chubbier.:) Getting the bird's body dimensions and details was difficult for me.  I found I enjoyed drawing the leaves. Although I used no color in my drawing, I think I would not have noticed all the beautiful colors and details of the branches had I not drawn this.
    • Kathryn
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      I felt at ease while drawing from the picture because I knew that all the details were already captured and always there for reference. I'm not sure that any of it came easily; I had to think about every part. The part that was especially challenging was creating the varied texture on the branch. Oh, and capturing the bird's expression was tough. Had I not drawn it, I wouldn't have noticed the extra detail around the bird's eye or its nostril. Not having those details would not have a dramatic difference while journaling but having them makes it more special. 20210325_163310
    • Judyann
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      DSCN8309 Is this primitive? Yes! Was it a challenge? Yes! Was this a fun exercise? Yes! Do I have room for improvement? Oh double yes! :)
      • David
        Participant
        Chirps: 2
        Love your attitude!
      • VYVYAN
        Participant
        Chirps: 3
        Perhaps because of the simplicity you've managed to capture the relationship of the eye to the beak very effectively. Love this.
    • carrie
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      Once I got over the fact that my drawing wasn't going to look like a photo, I was able to relax and really take notice of the details. Finding the starting point took me a few minutes. I decided to give a faint impression of the tree so the little warbler had something to land on. The feathers were the biggest challenge. There are so many textures and patterns! I wouldn't have noticed the little smile on the bird's face if I was just looking at the photo. It was a pleasant surprise. I was also intrigued by his little feet and wanted to get them just right. It's something about how he's holding on to the branch that captivated me. This would make a big difference when journaling because I have a deeper connection to this little fella. I also want to learn more about the different feathers and their functions. fullsizeoutput_10f3
    • Dee
      Participant
      Chirps: 40
      When you have a photo you have more time to draw and you can go back and look at the subject any time. There could be many details that you might have missed in the field if you aren’t trained to pay attention to certain important details right in the beginning.  When drawing you can see more color, shape and dimension .  There can also be a sense of wonder and awe along the way. 8D83B31E-2600-4FA6-8584-1D407DBF5F7E
    • Robin
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      What fun!  I just grabbed my granddaughter's sketch pad, a pencil and two colored pencils... and forgot about making dinner. I loved examining the relationship of the wing to the body with the different textures and colors as I tried to draw the little bird.  I would not have noticed these components if I had just a photograph to study.  0D4EB80B-8CDC-4F5C-A142-ECDF7355459E_1_105_c
    • Fernando
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
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    • Karen
      Participant
      Chirps: 19
      1. I prefer drawing from photos over real life events.  It gives me the opportunity to notice so many little details I would have overlooked. 2. There are so many things I would not have noticed if I wasn't drawing it; the different types of moss/lichen on the branch, the reddish/brown feathers underneath, the perfectly circular eye, the chewed on leaf... I think nature journaling forces you to slow and pay attention to the little things. Yellow Warbler
    • Gudrun
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      99CF2327-F2E2-403F-8623-03D4B9AFFDCBIt is fun to draw from a photo as I can zoom in for detail and the bird doesn’t move.
    • Mary
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      I was surprised that I could draw anything remotely ressembling a bird!  Drawing has always intimidated me! Photography is my hobby, but my usual focus (!) is on composing the image, etc., and many of the fine details the bird identification are lost.  I like trying to place the eye in relation to the bill, placement of feet, shape of head, etc.  It was fun!Initial;Drawing