• Summer
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      20240617_183948
    • Peter
      Participant
      Chirps: 6
      IMG_4448 I'm not at all confident about my drawing and find it a real challenge. I undoubtably noticed far more about the detail of the Yellow Warbler than I did from just looking at the picture and I'm surprised by how quickly the time goes when I'm absorbed in the drawing.  Hopefully by the end of the course the next version will look very different.
    • Lora
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      20240606_133542 I was told when I was in my teens that  I couldn't draw and didn't attempt it until today. I'm looking forward to improving on this over the coming weeks. I dare not attempt watercolor yet!
    • Deirdre
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      I couldn't seem to reproduce it the way I wanted despite the fact that it was a photo. Blending the watercolors is difficult for me. I can't seem to get the right quantity of water and keep messing up and having to redo a section. I had a lot of trouble trying to capture the feet and I couldn't get the size or width of the legs right. The shape of the bird was easy for me. I like to draw unrealistic birds for myself all the time. The gradations of yellow in his feathers was fascinating for me. Drawing the bird helped me pay attention to the location and appearance of the darker feathers. I also paid more attention to the shape of his beak and to the variation in its color. If I was drawing it from sight, I would not capture all the details but I might capture its essence, how it behaves. warbler1624
    • John R
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      Drawing from the photo turned out to be a lot more challenging than I’d imagined! For one thing, I was using a basic set of color pencils, which limited my palette. And then choosing a starting-point: Where to begin? And with what? Ultimately I chose to begin by sketching the basic geometric shapes—ovals and triangles—I saw in the bird. But even then, the proportions seemed to elude me. And each time I’d stare at the photo for a few minutes, I’d look away, and then return my attention to it—but in doing so, I kept finding that each time I did this, I was noticing details and seeing fine points that I’d missed before. (It was also sobering and humbling to realize how much I would’ve missed seeing completely, had I been looking at this Yellow Warbler in real life!) To give just one example, far from being monochromatic, the branch on which the warbler is sitting turns out to have myriad shades of grays, browns, and whites, with patches of yellow (lichens) here and there. I also noted subtleties in the profile (shape and form), and in the coloration (hues and textures) of the warbler’s wing. Would any of this make a difference in nature journaling? If what I was most interested in studying was the warbler’s behavior, probably not—I’d be looking at details of, say, how it held its wing or moved its tail, and writing down notes about this (maybe with some quick movement sketches). But if my goal was to be faithful in showing how the bird appeared, I’d have to train myself to look much more carefully at all those details of its plumage and conformation. As I said, it’s humbling to acknowledge this—especially since I’ve been watching birds for many, many years!!IMG_5462
    • Lisa
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      20240523_212214 What was challenging was getting the proportion of the bird correct. I needed to erase and make it bigger. I wouldn't have noticed the lichens, the rusty streaks on the breast, the different shapes and shadows on the leaves and that would have made a great difference in journaling.
    • Nancy
      Participant
      Chirps: 10
      1. It's taken me a long time to get around to drawing this yellow bird. I've taken drawing classes before, but haven't developed a drawing practice. I like drawing from the photo! I'm a birder and beginning bird photographer, and look forward to drawing from my photos, like the Great Crested Flycatcher I bumped into the other day. I think I got the shape of the bird right, and the general position of things on the page. Getting the first leg at the correct angle was difficult, and all those tiny little black feathers. Color wasn't something I wanted to try today. 2. I've been seeing and hearing yellow warblers all week, but it's hard to notice small details when you are viewing through binocs or a camera lens. Too much to think about. Spending a half hour really looking at the photo was eye opening for me. So much black on this little yellow warbler. YellowWarblerNF  
    • Caroline
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      One nice thing about drawing from a photo is that the subject does not move.  I think I did okay on the basic shape and proportions.  I found the beak to be the most challenging for me.  I tried to draw quickly and not over-think the details. If I had not been asked to draw the bird, I might not have noticed how red the streaks on the breast are.  Also, at first glance, the legs appeared grey to me.  As I drew, I noticed lots of yellow in them.  The texture of the wing feathers change from the shoulder to the wingtips.  When nature journaling, I would want to note these characteristics and I hope with my pencil or brush strokes to draw or paint such a texture change.Nature Journaling L1
    • Pat
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      bird sketch I like drawing from photos.  I do not try for perfection, but to capture the essence of what I am sketching.  I see different details when using a photo, but miss actual colors and movements. Pat. May 1, 2024
    • Roxy
      Participant
      Chirps: 9
      It's 20 years since I did any artwork. This felt exhilarating. Of course now I see 45million things I could've done differently...20240415_110705
    • Tracey
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      IMG_0035 Drawing from the photo made it easier to see details I would otherwise miss. I could easily get the overall shape and could go back and make changes as I put in more detail. Although I know there are different types of feathers on a bird, I would probably miss the placement and textures because the bird would have flown away long before I got much recorded. Some details in particular I would have missed are the feather on the back that must lay down even in length look sort of like an arch over the back between the longer feathers of the wing. Also, the angle of the legs show the way the bird is peeking over its shoulder slightly. I also had time to make changes to some ares as I looked more closely and had time to figure out with I was seeing. I didn’t add color because that’s just a whole other challenge for me.
    • Kelly
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      I took a longer time to draw stuff out since my reference was a photo. But I really took the time to try and look at all the details. I didn't realize how many layers of feathers they had until having to try and draw all of them out. When drawing with a live bird I'd have to be quicker overall with my sketching and trying to observe more characteristics.
    • SHP
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      Well, I’m among some very talented people. I think I will not post my drawing this time, though I think I did all right for my beginning level. I liked this exercise.  It made me observe deeply.  If I had taken a photo, I would have seen the bird, but not closely observed it.  In drawing, we must observe.  Very important in nature journaling! My biggest challenge with this exercise was to get the positioning of the bird correct.  In the photo, the warbler looks as if he’s ready to launch.  I didn’t completely capture that. This is a great course, I can see that already.  I look forward to seeing the warbler I draw at the end of the course.
    • Janice
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      20240325_105648 Drawing birds has always felt intimidating to me so having a photo to reference was helpful. While I am happy with how this turned out as a first try, I didn't quite capture the posture of the warbler in the photo. The wings and tail were most difficult for me. I am looking forward to learning how to sketch "freely"!
    • Kathleen
      Participant
      Chirps: 14
      I was inspired by the drawing in my journal and decided to do a painting.Yellow Warbler Painting
    • Kathleen
      Participant
      Chirps: 14
      Yellow Wabler Drawing
    • Kathy
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      My bird is pretty basic (especially after seeing others' birds in these posts).  I used colored pencils. 1 - I liked drawing from a photo, because I can keep looking back at the photo to correct as I draw. It was easier than I thought to get the shape and general appearance of the bird.  The details in the feathers was a little challenging. 2 - The details of the color changes in the feathers, especially the orange/brown in the belly.
    • MF
      Participant
      Chirps: 11
      I enjoyed drawing the bird. Repeated the process the day after. Struggling to choose the proper  tools and steps for sketching, and then coloring. Happy to realize that my drawing of birds was easier and had improved, following the reading of John Muir Laws book, The Laws Guide of drawing birds. S till struggling to structure the different wing sections and looking forward to learning to sketch live and develop a freer approach with this course.image
    • Alexis
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      I took the time to sketch this first thing in the morning before starting my work day. I thought it might help prepare me to manage my stress for the day.  It has served me well.   The three circles at the bottom are reserved for adding in my 3 primary colors if I were to paint this. I will add a yellow, medium brown, and black.   I enjoyed drawing the bird.  The branches and related texture was a bit scary as I had no idea how to create texture. I am delighted with my first finished project. thumbnail_IMG_5791
    • Daniela
      Participant
      Chirps: 5
      WhatsApp Image 2024-03-13 at 8.59.23 AM
    • Jane
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      IMG_0031I thought it was challenging to really pay attention to the basic shapes of the bird, and to get the proportions properly put down on paper. I thought the feet were surprisingly positioned on this little bird, but I drew what I saw the size of the eye and the position of the beak, made me do a little erasing, but I was able to get the angle of the beak, sort of corrected. I only used a drawing pencil did not use color for this sketch but I’m very happy with what I got so far
    • Jane
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      I thought it was challenging to really pay attention to the basic shapes of the bird, and to get the proportions properly put down on paper. I thought the feet were surprisingly positioned on this little bird, but I drew what I saw the size of the eye and the position of the beak, made me do a little erasing, but I was able to get the angle of the beak, sort of corrected. I only used a drawing pencil did not use color for this sketch but I’m very happy with what I got so far
    • Patricia
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      PXL_20240311_221850356 It will be fun to see if I get any better at drawing by the end of the course :-) Very hard to get the fluffiness of the feathers.
    • Toni
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      IMG_8078IMG_8080
    • Elizabeth
      Participant
      Chirps: 12
      IMG_3563