It has been awhile since I've worked with watercolor.  For this I used watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite pencil.  Getting those small details and determining the best tool to achieve what I want was the challenge for me.  I did notice small details of the way the wings and feathers overlap from the photo.  However, I'm not sure I caught as much of the "life" of the bird by using a photo.  However, photo was good to get an initial orientation to the bird (not moving).

Drawing from the photo allows me to look closer at the details I did not notice at first, and to better understand the proportions. I spent a lot of time erasing and "measuring" proportions with my pencil. The basic shape came relatively easy but I found it challenging to get the warbler in the right angle. I was frustrated by the beak, the feet, and especially the paints once I started the painting - especially when it comes to representing texture (of the branch, the feathers, the moss, etc).

I always struggle with proportions when it comes to drawing. I think the feet look a bit small on my drawing and the head is a bit elongated. I enjoyed drawing the feathers and getting some of the smaller details in, however. I might not have noticed the small patch of gray on the nape if I had not been asked to draw it, not the extensive black feathers of the wings.

I thought getting the smaller details, like the beak and the feet, was hard, but it was fun to watercolor. I liked being able to go back and erase and continually look at the picture.

II I appreciated that it was a photo and not a moving bird.  My drawing took a lot longer than that bird would have sat there.

Pas facile! La forme de l'oiseau a été dure à saisir et la texture des plumes me donne du fil à retordre.  Je n'aurais pas noté toute la richesse des couleurs du plumage, seulement le jaune et les rayures rouges. Peut-être que j'aurais dû faire une esquisse au plomb plutôt que d'y aller d'emblée avec les feutres de couleur.

I felt that i wanted to get the essence of the birds spirit. His / her eye appears to be looking at the viewer and the bird appears relaxed on the branch. It was pretty easy to outline the birds silhouette first and then fill in the details. I think what can be challenging is drawing the tiny details of the feathers, branches, etc.  I think I would have just noticed the bird, not the leaves and branches on the rear side of the bird.  This lesson has made me more aware of drawing and including the birds, animal environment so that I can get a better understanding of it's surrounding.

#2: The birds head is turned slightly toward the viewer, which I wouldn't have thought of while photographer, but had to  focus on this for drawing, and found it very difficult to achieve.

I felt challenged to capture the texture of the feathers and the branches. As I sketched I noticed more detail on the wings and feathers; much more so than just glancing at a photo. The concentration helped calm me down and provided a sense of peace.

By drawing from the photo I can capture details of the bird and the surrounding objects. I can take as much time as I want. Capturing the shape was easy, but difficult to express colours in black and white. I wasn’t focused much in the background when I was sketching but if you’re nature journaling you’ll see all kinds of other things around it, and I may be able to associate my journal with surrounding noises, smells and weather of the place.

Drawing from a photo allows me to more accurately draw what I'm seeing.  In nature, the subject is gone almost as soon as I have spotted it.  The photo made the drawing very relaxing.  I felt like I was seeing the bird and the branch she was resting on.  While a photograph always has the details, it is not nearly as personal. The drawing is my perception (and drawing skill) of what I am seeing and what is important in that moment.   I hope drawing in nature will improve my attention to the important details.

Drawing from the photo was easier than drawing from nature because you can have all the time you need, specially if you are drawing something that moves like a bird.    To draw the shapes was easy and difficult to make the shades and lights.   When you look at a photo first of all you get the central object like the bird, then when you start drawing there are details that show when you are looking for them, like the texture of the branches.  I think that when natural journaling you instinctively search for all of this textures, shades, colors and details.

it was easier drawing from the photo because I got to study the subject. depicting the feathers on the bird and depicting the details on the branches was difficult. there were lots of things I wouldn't have noticed if I didn't have to draw it - the shading aroud the bird's head, the dappling on the branches, the depth of field between the leaves on the right and the leaves on the left resulting in different sized leaves. Yes, this would make a difference  in nature journaling.

Drawing from the photo required 100% of my concentration! I might not have noticed the branch variations  -  the lichen and moss (?), if I did not do this assignment. What I am loving about this experience is that looking closely at nature creates an opportunity to learn, wonder and ask questions.

I felt pretty good, especially this bird was not moving! Most challenging was laying down the contour but with a light line (and using a light blue pencil) this gave assurance. I notice the legs (tibiotarsi) are actually tapered and not straight lines as I have often assumed. Yes, it makes a much more likely rendition.

The biggest challenge for me is the new medium, Water Color. I am a colored pencil artist by heart and I have complete control over every stroke, while water color seems to have a bit of a mind of its own. The graphite sketch looked accurate and to the point until I added water colors to the bird and boom, ruined. But that is exactly why I am taking this course. Sketching from a photograph is easy since you have all the time in the world to get every detail correct. Doing sketches from the living is a whole other story and I am hoping this course will help me with that. To me the biggest advantage painting/drawing over a photograph is I learn all the details. How the feathers are aligned and shaped for example. Trying to capture it on paper helps me also memorize the subject, in this case the Yellow Warbler, better. Seeing a photo of the bird is not the same as drawing the bird. Studying and copying helps me the most when it comes to remembering. It’s the same when trying to remember text. If I just read it and try to memorize it I have a harder time recalling the text versus when I write the text down. It helps me memorize better. It was easy to capture the pose and shape of the bird. The wing feathers were a challenge to capture. Also I noticed while drawing this bird, that the beak wasn’t just one dark color (aside from the light reflection I mean). I would have not noticed that would I have not tried to draw the bird.

Drawing from photos have always come easier to me than drawing from real life subjects. However, some of the more organic shapes like the lichen and leaves are often more difficult to draw. Adding color to my drawings is also often more stressful and makes me feel like I may ruin what I just created in pencil. However, some of the finer details like the different lichens and other details of the branches would not have come to my attention otherwise, as well as some details in the birds plumage like the extent of black coloration in the wings.

1. Observing and drawing animals was always easy enough. However, I always disliked drawing shapes first. My drawings usually work a good deal better if I start of drawing the shape of the bird or animal on the whole, rather then using geometric shapes. 2. I study things closely most of the time, but its easy for a little detail to skip someone's attention if it is obvious enough. This is because your trying to discover the tiniest details, instead of the most obvious ones.

I felt I was able to draw the bird better than I thought could. I have never drawn a bird before unless it was a stick drawing. So this was fun. It did take time though and I was tempted to add the water colors but I have no idea how to use the colors or the pens. I noticed several details on the warbler that I wouldn’t have and same goes for the twigs and branches and leaves. I also felt tremendous calm and peace as I sketched… I felt that I was in meditation mode, my thoughts quieted.. that was cool…

I think drawing in nature will be challenging because the subject will move. I could take time to  examine colors and proportions with a photo. I need to be more patient. I didn't draw the branch because I felt hurried with thinks I needed to do that day.