Having the photo allowed me to break the bird into its constituent shapes (ovals, rounds etc.) so it is a wonderful aid. The big shapes are relatively easy but the bill and feet are a struggle! I have begun to notice bird postures more in drawing birds from photos. How they sit, tilt their heads (and change the angles and shadows), how their looser belly feathers can hide the tops of their ankles etc. I hope this will all help me be a better observer when they are moving about!

1. How did you feel about drawing from the photo? What came easily and what was challenging? I really enjoyed drawing from the photo. It's low pressure and I can really take my time to get the details down. It was easy to get an idea of details and copy and it was a little challenging to capture proportion. 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 would not have noticed the little curve to the birds head  near the back nor would I have noticed the coloration in such detail. This would make a difference depending on how much detail  and how important identification was in my journal.

1. Having the photo gave me time to look at what I was doing and then look at the photo. I am not sure what this would have looked like had I only had a couple of seconds to see the bird and then had to draw purely from memory. I am surprised at how much it actually looks like a bird! 2. I saw others' drawings - those who added labels saying what the colors are.  I will start doing that as I think it will help me in the field to develop a habit of looking for more details in the overall appearance of the birds.

1. I find it so much easier to draw from a photo than while in the field. I think this is because the photo already helps me gain the knowledge of what the 2D perspective will look like. In the field, we kind of have to translate that on a feel as best we can. I found creating the overall outlines and shapes easy enough but adding the depth of the wings and denoting textures and small markings was new to / difficult for me in pencil as well as with water color. 2. I noticed So much by sketching that I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. One such thing I noticed was the presence of the small brown lined markings on the underside of the yellow warbler! I also loved and noticed the characteristic shape of the beak.

1.Easier to draw from photo because you can check shape, proportions, colour and note details. Challenging because it is flat, how to incorporate 3-D aspect, keep small enough(tended to enlarge while drawing) and wanted to keep making corrections. 2. In drawing you are focusing on the shapes and proportions, with photos the colours. When journaling I would have to write notes of the details: colours, shades, types of plants, location and activities. It would be harder in the field.

1. How did you feel about drawing from the photo? What came easily and what was challenging? I at first was nervous as I've never drawn a bird. I began with the tail then worked my way toward the head and belly. I found the bird challenging, bust mostly as a new skill. I enjoyed the twig, leaves, moss and lichen, those were more easy for me, but still somewhat more abstract rather than realistic. I feel that the drawing is decent, especially for a first. But the deciding whether to try to shade and show more of the color of the feathers was difficult to decide. 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'm not sure I would have noticed the spots on the leaves if I hadn't drawn the image, I'm also not sure I would have noticed the three layers of feathers on the top part of the back of the bird. When nature journaling I'm curious about the use of photographs to draw from, vs in the moment. Especially when thinking of drawing animals, I'm not sure I'd be able to gather as much detail of the warbler in the photo, the same as if I'd seen the warbler outside. This was fun!

My son and I are doing this course together. Neither of us has very much experience drawing!   1) My son found it frustrating, but he liked his result. He was glad that he was only doing a pencil drawing and didn't have to do all the colors. He thought it was hard to get the detail on the leaves and shape of the bird. The most challenging part for him were the feet. I enjoyed it, but I realize how many details I have to leave out. Everything was challenging for me! 2) He wouldn't have noticed how many leaves there were.  I wouldn't have noticed the brown coloration on the bird's belly or the shape/pattern of the leaves. This definitely would make a difference because I probably couldn't identify either the warbler or the tree without those details.

1. Drawing form a photo to me is a mechanical activity the challenging was illustrating areas that aperard flat and trying to find the view point  of the photo. 2.Yes the way the bird holds on to the branch wow! it sure would make a difference.

This is my first attempt to sketch anything e.v.e.r.  I'm am really challenged at all aspects, but the proportion threw me off and had to erase several times.  As a beginner, I like sketching from a picture.  The bird stays still, haha.  Can't imagine going out and attempting to draw something on the move right now.  I'm going to bring in color and see if this looks any better.

1. How did you feel about drawing from the photo? What came easily and what was challenging? I often draw from photos because the subject is static and I can change my sketch based on how closely I believe the image has been replicated. I am enrolled in this course with the specific goal of developing impromptu sketching/drawing skills so that I am not bound to replicating static images, I want to capture the escence of what I am observing. 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 feel like that with a photo to draw from I often loose the "life" in the subject because I am trying so hard to duplicate the image instead of capturing the feeling of the moment in nature.

Sketching has an advantage over photography as I can emphasize whatever aspect I want.  The colour or the texture I can focus on one area as I wish.  Photography has the advantage of being instantaneous.  I am not fast at drawing!!!  Will be interesting to try and sketch a live specimen! I would not have noticed the lichen on the branch if I wasn't taking the time to draw!

This will be very good for me and you just have to start somewhere! I know I need to work on proportion, more details and probably lot more. It is nice having the photograph to keep looking at but it'll be interesting when I have to draw a live subject that moves!

I enjoyed drawing from the photo.  It seemed easier since the bird stood still! It was challenging to see the details of the birds plumage. I'm not sure if there was anything I didn't notice. I would think that when you are nature journaling that you have to be fairly quick and might have to leave some things out.

I felt really comfortable drawing from the photo, but texture of different feathers challenge me a lot. Deep looking to the photo gave me a richer insight to the characteristics of the bird. Although I wonder how different will be when nature journaling. A continuous moving bird will make drawing very difficult so, I imagine that sketching is a totally different task.

I enjoy drawing from photos as it gives me a chance to really look at the subtle color changes, shadows, bright yellow to olive and black wing edges. When I drew this picture I noticed almost immediately that I was focusing on the details way too soon and not paying enough Attention to the scale and the shape of the bird.  It needs to be. Bit plumper and the detail of the wing could actually be a little less messy. I think drawing from life in the field is going to be a challenge for me. I have never drawn from life, not even a building. Something that moves around a lot will force me to start focusing on shapes and basic colors before I can work on more details in the sketch.

I like drawing from photos as it gives me time to work on getting it as correct as I can. It also allows me to go back and redo characteristics. Finally it allows me to focus on the details of a particular species to get better at I.D.s. A photo lets me notice poses and even personalities in birds...or any living thing. Drawing straight from nature means working fast so I might not get to see that.

The proportion is challenging and feathers are difficult to capture

Drawing from a photo, I felt I had to be exactly like the photo.  Ugh!  Feathers are a challenge as well getting the size and shape correct.