The Cornell Lab Bird Academy › Discussion Groups › Nature Journaling and Field Sketching › Jump Right in!
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Okay, well. I think my bird is a little to fluffy. I'm not sure he could get off the ground. I chose to leave him as a pencil drawing for the time being. I am freaked out about watercolors. My previous attempts at it have been less than inspiring. Bird legs are hard. I too feel that the best part of my drawing is the branch and leaves.
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This was hard for me. I had a hard time getting the shape and the aerodynamic look of the bird. The legs were really hard too. I think the leaves were the easiest, but they still need some work. Any details from the photo on the stick were difficult and not captured. I used colored pencils. I enjoyed drawing but I think it looks like something my kids would draw. My 8 and 5 year old kids just came out and told me how great it looks.
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It was hard, especially the red on the chest, but fun. Drawing this made me notice the lichens on the branch.
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Good Morning! I loved drawing from the photo as the bird didn't move! I could take my time and really study the shape, shading, and colors. Finding a quiet, uninterrupted time to explore proved to be the most challenging aspect although the drawing itself was challenging. Getting the lines and proportions "correct" was a task. I didn't let myself get frustrated but just worked quietly and intently. (Listening to Costa Rica soundscapes on Calm was helpful here!) Working from the photo allowed me to see nuances of the bird... the angle of the head, the placement of the talons on the branch, the subtle shades of the head and shoulders. I might not have noticed these otherwise as I wouldn't have spent (or had) the time to really observe carefully. I think the struggle with journaling moving animals, plants, living objects is just that, they move. I imagine practice with stationary objects and photos would make me quicker with the basics so that I would have time to get to the subtleties.
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I felt very confident doing this drawing , the head and breast became easier for me rather than the wings and bottom . I noticed the varios tipes of moss and lichen on the branch , that would be important if you wanted to determin what species the tree is that the bird is standing on or how old that tree is.
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1. It was fun! I'm excited to hone this skill more and more, and to keep continuing with this course. Getting the shape of the bird was harder than I anticipated; drawing and continuing with the sketch despite imperfections came more easily than I thought (as a perfectionist, I often get caught in the particulars which hinders progress and/or completion). 2. I wouldn't have noticed the geometric shape of the bird: how it's head is flatter than I would've assumed if asked to draw this from memory. The position of the tail feather and its structure was surprising as well! Very sturdy looking, and not as long as I would have anticipated. I am very excited to progress and learn more.
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1. I felt like everything I needed was in the photo but that the challenge would be in my translation into the drawing. I felt like my drawing did not capture the proper scale. I made my branch too big so some of the leaves did not make it on the paper. I also had a really hard time drawing the leaves. When it came to the bird, I didn't get the eye correct. My bird was also not fat enough. Overall, I struggled with what I should start drawing first. I thought I should have started drawing the bird first because that is the focal point of the exercise, but I started with the branch first (working left to right). 2. There were a lot of things I would not have noticed had I not been asked to draw it. Perhaps the biggest thing is that I wouldn't have noticed the impact of the focus of the picture. Clearly, the bird is the focal point, but that also manifests itself in the rest of the picture. Some of the leaves are in focus and some are not, etc. I think this does make a difference when journaling. I think this exercise taught me that I should be focusing on the subject first and the background second. When I drew my picture, I started methodically - left to right drawing the picture - because I was trying to make sure I drew the entire picture and not just the bird.
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Fun! I prefer using colors. Keeping it simple worked for me!
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I feel more confident drawing from a photo because the subject doesn't move. I also felt less pressure because I know this is a pre-test of sorts. I wouldn't have noticed all the cool lichens growing on the branch, the small bill of the bird, the way the foot grasps the branch. Differences in nature journaling would be noticing not just a single subject, but all around that subject too
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I think I noticed a lot more detail by drawing it. I also realized that I couldn't quite capture the way the bird was standing on the branch. The yellow warble that I drew looked awkward. The color of the lichen was also challenging for me. I feel it would be easier to draw something that was standing still, though, than if it had been moving. So the photo exercise worked for me!
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Drawing from the photo I could take my time. Easy for me were the legs and feet on the branch. Having the negative space between the legs was very helpful.Challenging was getting the shape of the bird, particularly the head and the breast. Noticing the streaks on the breast I might not have noticed if I wasn't drawing. Yes, I think you see much more detail when nature journaling.
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1. Overall, I enjoyed drawing from a photo. However, sometimes I noticed tensing up trying to capture details. The detail of primary and secondary feathers was particularly challenging. I also struggled with the position of the warbler; as it turned out, I drew it more upright than it was in photo. 2. I think I would not have noticed shadows; the more I looked, the more I noticed shadows and they were fun and easy to draw and they make a big difference in making the bird look more alive.
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It felt a little sterile drawing from a photo that I did not take or experience first hand. The photo was a size that I could draw to size in my sketch book, so it was easy to take measurements. I didn't like the pencil I was working with and all the smudging I created, but I decided to not worry about it. If I weren't asked to draw it, I may not have noticed the different lichens and the texture of the leaves. It's those kinds of details I like to notice when in the field.
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It felt easier after watching the evolution of other people's journals in the video. I put up such a high bar for myself that I don't even want to start drawing but this made it more approachable. I was surprised the bird I drew actually looked like a bird! I wouldn't have noticed how black the eye was along with the wing bars and even the branch his foot was on. Black seems blacker. In a photo I don't see the contrast.
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I notice many more details when drawing compared to simply taking a photo. The difficulty lies in controlling my pencil. The good thing is this bird will not move and I can take my time.
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I felt self conscious working, a little too aware of myself trying to draw! The whole effort was pretty challenging, the self critic hanging around most of the time. All pretty challenging; maybe it was easy to "stay with it, the project." I was drawn to the texture of the tree limbs. The invitation of nature journalling: look at the details.
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1. I like drawing from a photo because I have time to pay attention to the details. I can redo something if I feel it doesn't quite lol like the photo I have plenty of time to make mistakes and to try to improve the picture. It was easy but I don't give much detail not adding colors. 2. When I drew the bird i did notice the different kind of textures of the feathers that i might not have noticed, I also noticed the lichens on the branch and the ring around the bird's eye. I think when nature journaling I will be able to pay attention to details that otherwise I would overlook. Just looking at a picture of a bird I get the general idea but don't pay attention to those details as much.
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I love how you captured the feathers on its back- I struggled with those!
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The first drawing I have attempted since school (and I am now retired). I chose not to do the surrounding branches which I now think would have framed the picture better. I liked drawing from the picture as I could zoom in a bit. The claws were fascinating and I wouldn’t have noticed them without studying the photo. I struggled to replicate the beak and to show the tilt of the head.
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I had some trouble with proportions and with soft, fluffy areas
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I liked drawing from the photo because I had all the time in the world. I could focus in and out. My first attempt was with pencil. I did another with watercolor. I like painting better. It is easier to deal with the textures - I think. It also forces journaling because you are waiting for the paint to dry. I liked having to really think about the shape and perspective. It was challenging to capture the fine detail - black edges of feathers, the twig. There was so much in this simple picture so I can imagine focus on just one thing instead of trying to detail everything - or an impression of everything with focus on one. There was so much I noticed because I was trying to draw. The shape of the breast and belly. The color variation around the eye. The lichen and spots on the leaves.
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I enjoyed this exercise because I would love to see my progress by the end of this class. Drawing from a photo is easier than drawing from life, because there is no movement, and you can copy exactly without worrying about any changes during the drawing process. If I had not been asked to draw this, I wouldn't have noticed how the bird's claws wrapped around the branch. This would definitely make a difference in nature journaling because observation is extremely important.
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It was a good first exercise, drawing from a photograph was much simpler than a live study, since no creature would give me that much time. The detail I wouldn't have noticed was how the feet clutched the branch, an it was until the end that I realized that there was a bit of a tilt in the warbler's head that I tried to add after drawing the head and really struggling with the beak!
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