Im a complete beginner in sketching, painting etc. and .  The photo was was a challenge as there was this desire to capture all the detail. I would think I was done then would see something else that I missed. Hoping to learn alot.  I love nature and live in a setting close to Rocky Mountain National Park so will have lotsa of opportunities to capture what see.

Drawing from photo for me is the way I do most of my drawings of birds, so I'm familiar to this type of drawing. I usually start by the limit of the head and bill, for me this sets my proportions. I continued by setting the length of the wings, were I always struggle to get it right. I then set the limit for my alula feathers and the coverts on the wings, I did the rest of the body and tail in last. The golden hues on the head and gorge (throat) probably I would miss it. The black center of the secundaries and the black on primaries made me focus more there a bit. Doing the drawing I have two questions: Is there a black bar on the wings if the bird was in flight? What is the species of the tree where the bird seats, and is there a conection between the two?

Body was sort of not difficult. I struggle with proportions. It’s head looks big and heavy, though it’s a lithe looking bird. i wouldn’t have noticed how thin and stripped the wing feathers are as they lay against the body.

A photo is fast, and captures a moment. That makes them hard to imitate, though a lot easier than just drawing in the field. I have the hardest time with beaks. Mine never seem to be the right shape, angle, etc.   I never before realized how much black and grey are on a yellow warbler.

I did a reasonable if static drawing with pencil only.  It certainly makes one focus on the details that make the bird recognizable.  I have a terrible time seeing Warblers on birding walks.  They are so active and like the tree tops I think.  Haven’t mastered the process of including a photo. Time to call the grandkids. I also gave some thought to how I would structure my journal on the page.

It is easier to draw from the photo as I have time to notice the detail for the bird doesn't change position. Shading is difficult and the feet.  I noticed yellows and browns on the legs of the bird and that the bird was not all yellow.  Recognizing the differences brings a deeper aspect to the subject.  A more complex view of the creature.

1. Drawing from a photo, especially birds or other creatures who move frequently, is easier when we're learning but my painting felt stiff and lacked life. 2.  I had to look carefully when trying to draw the arrangement of feathers and it didn't turn out as well as I hoped, but I'm getting used to the paint brush and the pencil. I wouldn't have noticed the very particular feather positions if I wasn't struggling to get them right. I need an anatomy course on birds! 3. In nature journaling out in the field or observing and drawing birds at my feeder my marks would have been much freer and livelier. He liveliness is what I liked about D.J. McNeil's journal.  K. Belletire

The legs & claws were the most challenging but the ability to look at a fixed object as opposed to a moving one makes it easier to focus on detail. Out in the field, those details probably become more of a blur and thus the journalist can take more liberty in the drawing. Wish I had used color.

The yellow warbler is a favorite riparian bird along the Boise River (ID).  Feeling a bit anxious and impatient with my limited drawing practice, enjoying the noticing of the strong beak (tiny bird), beady black eye, the covert feathers over the main wing primaries, the delicate orange stripes on the belly.  How do I draw these accurately?  I have little pencil skill with creating texture - always a challenge.  My drawing was rapid and more gesture than detail, perhaps impatient to get on with your ideas and instruction.  I noticed the feet more than I might have, and found it interesting how the toes wrapped around the twig.  I might have spent more time with the leaves and twig, if I were spending more time on the habitat, but the bird was my focus.  I'm missing color of course and will add notes.  

Here is my first attempt..I am really enjoying this course!  I noticed tiny details, like the lichen on the branches, that I may have missed.  Drawing enhances seeing.

I have trouble with proportion. I didn’t even try color. I just sketched with a pencil. I’m not very precise. I wish I could sketch faster. Even with just using a pencil I was much more aware of intensity and variation in color — like with the brown streaks on his breast versus the black streaks on his wings. Having to draw it, I spent much more time looking at it than if I were just looking at the photo. I didn’t try to draw detail in the branches and leaves because I was too impatient.

The result of this first attempt after forty years was better than I hoped. Drawing is like swimming. The mind believes it has forgotten everything, but the body knows better 😉 . I only used a pencil because I am a complete newbie with water color. Drawing from a static photo gives me time to find out the right proportions. I discovered details I would not notice when taking picture, such as the structure of the plumage of a folded wing. This was also one of the most difficult parts to draw together with the talons. I don't have the proportions right yet: The head is too large compared to the body. The warbler on the photo is more relaxed than my warbler. It looks like it is about to fly away any moment. Drawing the twigs and the leaves was easier. I think it is because leaves allow more freedom in interpretation compared to a bird. Drawing life birds is definitely another challenge. You have in most cases only a few seconds to draw the main features and the rest has to be completed by my memory , my familiarity with the species and by previous exercises on drawing the same species in nature and from photo's ...In short I believe that drawing from photo's and from life birds in the field complement each other.

Agree with other's comments that taking the time to draw encourages focus on the details of the bird that might have been overlooked if I had just snapped a photo and filed that away. Still, I can't draw as well as I expect myself to be able to and it's hard to be satisfied with the end result so this is something that I will have to work on -- that is, I will both have to work on improving my drawing abilities as well as work on being satisfied with less than perfect results since I don't want to get discouraged and give up because my journal is not "picture perfect". I have watched a few videos about bird drawing techniques and my bird is still not satisfactory. Even though I do know what a Yellow Warbler looks like, I was surprised to notice the slightly darker shading around the back of the head and back, since I tend to think of them as "all yellow"....if I hadn't been drawing this one I probably wouldn't have seen that.

The claws and legs were the most challenging but from a fixed object, detail was easier to capture. Out in the field one might only capture a primitive rendering, thus missing minute details that distinguish one species from another. Wish I had used color.

I took a while to begin drawing.  I tend to neglect enjoyment of the process and worry about whether  my finished drawing will look like the picture provided.  I thought about one of the videos in the first lesson and looked for shapes in the parts of the bird.  I noticed the variations of the grays in a bird with such vibrant yellow feathers.

Drawing from a photo has the advantage of the subject not moving and with a digital photo the ability to zoom in is helpful. The down side is that a photo is very flat and it’s hard to get a feeling of volume. The ability to see feather and foot detail helps you learn the bird’s structure and that can always be applied when drawing in the field.

Drawing from photography allows me eternal observation time. I can really take my time looking at the coloring, feather patterns, beak style (grrr - my biggest challenge!) The fact that it was so close I could really see it. In nature journaling the subject won't be so close so I won't be able to get the small details

Doing a drawing caused me to look at the yellow warbler more closely than I normally would. I saw that there were black feathers on the wings and that the yellow was brightest on the head and neck.

This was a fun exercise. I used pencil, watercolor colored pencils, and some colored ink for outlining. Experimenting with the colored pencils and the washes to imitate the photograph was a huge challenge that did not succeed, but that's why I'm taking this class! I second other people's comments that drawing from real life is much harder for me than from a static photograph. I love seeing what others have done with this assignment. I also wish my photo better captured the colors I used.

I like the idea of keeping a blank page next to the image. I cannot draw but I hope to learn. I took a botanical art course which started me on the quest of nature journaling.  I am going to keep with it.