The Cornell Lab Bird Academy › Discussion Groups › Nature Journaling and Field Sketching › Jump Right in!
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It has always amazed me how you immediately look with a lot more intensity and eye for details as soon as you set out to draw an image. For me that is one of the rewards of finding time to draw and watch.
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In some ways, it’s easier to draw from a photo - birds don’t sit still! It’s easier to get the details of coloring & such. But it’s harder to get the sense of a three dimensional living bird from a photo. I don’t think I would have noticed how many subtle shades of color there are in the Yellow Warbler if I hadn’t drawn it. It would have registered as mostly yellow, with black details.
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First I felt nervous, already thinking "What if it's not good enough?". Enough for what? I'm such a perfectionist! Then I just got to it. Liz had already said at one point that the eraser was my friend, whereas I had had an art teacher who always admonished "No erasers!" So I relaxed and used my eraser, which wasn't a lot. I compared eye to beak re: positioning the eye, paid lots of attention to proportion, and the different short and long wing feathers. I kind of enjoyed it!
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I loved this exercise. It was a challenge for me to allow the patience and time to draw. I found myself rushing. I used to draw when I was a kid and would spend hours at it. It came easily for me to recognize details, but I didn't notice the two layers of wings/feathers initially. A poor representation of the wing layers. Nature journaling will reteach me patient observation. I'm looking forward to that :)
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I really appreciated getting to see all the variations on the journal both in the first video and in these comments. Starting off felt a bit awkward, but I have already noticed elements (such as textural direction shifts in the wings) that I would not have noticed otherwise.
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Honestly I felt extremely ANXIOUS just jumping straight in to drawing this bird! I think I did OK with the proportions, but it was challenging to add some of the shading in just black and white. I did find it interesting that I noticed a lot more detail (such as the very faint stripey bits around the bird's head, and it's weirdly long right toes) due to drawing the picture. If I weren't drawing it, I just would have seen a pretty yellow bird and moved on.
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Did not use the watercolors. Not sure how, looking forward to learning how to use them. When drawing you notice all the details. Hope to learn how to better incorporate these details with much improved techniques.
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I can´t wait to see the evolution at the end of the course :D
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This is the first time I have tried to draw a bird. Well, beyond little black "V" marks. It took me an hour and lots of zooming in. The proportions are way off, this bird probably wouldn't fly! Aside from the difficulty of getting life into a drawing, which I hope to learn, I had NO IDEA how hard it is to represent leaves, branches, much less lichen! Wow. A big lesson! I'm very glad this was from a photo. As I took an hour, no way could it be done live. I'm going to shed tears but learn much from this course!
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Well. That wasn't as awful as I expected it to be :) There is so much to see in this photo. There are so many different textures and colors in the branch alone, I can imagine getting lost in the exploration.
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Drawing from a still subject is a bit easier, able to see more details and enjoy the process. I saw the fine details of the feathers, the feet and the beak. I don’t think I could have seen it all from a bird on a feeder or limb, but look forward to that challenge.
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Ines (7 years old): I felt great. I felt like a great artist.
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This exercise was a good pre-assessment. It wasn't easy for me. It doesn't feel authentic to draw from a 2-dimensional photo. But yes, I did notice details of the bird that I wouldn't have if I wasn't trying to draw it. What I noticed were all the little stripes in the bird's plumage. On the breast there were all these light brown streaks. On top there were black streaks, and one area looked a bit greenish. Before, all I noticed was bright yellow. It's still yellow, but not crayon-box pure yellow. I wouldn't see this detail in the field, so it was helpful to draw from the photo.
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1. How did you feel about drawing from the photo? What came easily and what was challenging? I felt great drawing from the photo. When I draw, I prefer photographs or still images to draw from because I can take my time and really study and take in detail. The head shape, beak placement and some detailing was a bit challenging, but I found the rest to be easier. The branches and leaves came the most easily. I also found that I was very nervous to add color! I'm not good with watercolors and was worried I'd ruin the sketch. 2. Was there anything in the photo that you might not have noticed if you weren’t asked to draw it? Would this make a difference when nature journaling? I don't think I would have noticed the 3 individual toes curled on one of the warblers feet. this would make a big difference when nature journaling because it gives you more data to take note of.
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I was really nervous to begin and once I started I became lost in it. I spend most of my free time photographing all nature and so drawing from a still picture was much easier than in the field.
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As I began drawing from the photo, I greatly appreciated that this wonderful little bird was not moving. It gave me a chance to look carefully at the detail (the varied colors – usually I would just note “a yellow bird” –but now I noted the brown streaks on its breast. Also the different kinds of feathers overlapping. And the details of the twig and the moss/lichen). The actual drawing was a challenge….it has been a while since I have done any drawing – figuring out proportions and angles, but the more I sketched, the more I enjoyed it! In fact it was a very relaxing exercise. As I progress, I hope to experiment more with color. The advantage of drawing over photographing is that you spend more time actually looking at the detail of the subject. Having just completed a digital photography course I understand the detail of getting the correct light, aperture speed, focus, etc. Although you focus on the subject in terms of composition, you do not zero in on the detail. I think in nature journaling I may find it difficult to draw the detail since the subject may be moving, but instead I may spend more time observing the behavior of the bird, or the environment – in fact a combination of photos and drawing on the spot may be a nice compromise. The advantage of journaling is observing the interactions of the animals and the plants in their environment and then recording those observations. Jan 12 2021
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Well, this was scary to dive right in! I really enjoyed spending time making this first drawing. Without drawing, I would not have found the weight of his little breast, the fullness of his upper wings/shoulders/neck area. Finding the angles was difficult. Studying his sweet eye was joyful. It was nice to have a still subject to study. I really enjoyed the peace that came when studying this little fellow.
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While I was initially intimidated, I enjoyed the process, I look forward to learning the skills I need to capture a subject with my hands. The drawing process made me more aware of what is around the bird, especially the lichen.
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I felt good about drawing from the photo, but I did struggle with the head shape, eye, and painting the back and wing feathers of the bird. I find painting feathers difficult. Also, if I wasn't asked to draw it, I wouldn't have noticed how box shaped the bird is. At first glance, it looks round and fluffy. It would make a difference journaling because if I didn’t have this photo to stare at, I probably would’ve drawn the bird more round than square.
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Hi Chloe I'm a fellow student. I think you captured the bird very nicely indeed. Your foliage is amazing!
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Really nice work. you really got the three dimensional feel. The painting is superb. Is that just water color work?
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The scraggly branches were more interesting once I started drawing them and noticed several kinds of moss & lichen and the little bud joints on the leaf stems. Birds need their little claw feet in order to look like real birds. There are many layers of feathers on the warbler. Looking forward to learning drawing techniques like shading.
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