1-I'll feel comfortable drawing from the photo, I used to do it. Body and head was easy, but the position of the legs to branch was difficult. 2-The exact position of the body  

1 As a complete beginner, I just had to jump in and hope that I would get the proportions and general shape right. This came a little more easily than I had anticipated and I felt happy with this first pass. The shading was a big challenge. I found I wasn't interested in the foliage so I focused only on the bird. I enjoyed researching the yellow warbler and writing about what I had found - especially discovering that it breeds in coastal southern California although I haven't seen any in our back yard. I'll hope to see one now! One challenge I had not expected was keeping the page clean from marks on my little finger. Need to get more dexterous about that. 2 I wouldn't have paid attention to the detail. Would just have taken in the colour and overall impression. I loved seeing how the bird's claws wrap around the branch. And I was fascinated by something in how it balances its plump body on those spindly legs.

First time really drawing in many, many years.  I have wanted to do nature journaling as an addition to my outdoor activities. Now that I have retired there is more time to do so :)

QUESTION: lots of people are using color on their drawings but I have never worked with watercolor before and I need some instruction on that. Are we supposed to be painting the warbler on our own, or are we supposed to wait until we learn about painting techniques?

It was very frustrating drawing. The plant and leaves came easily but the bird was extremely difficult for me. I couldn't get the proportions right and I had no idea how to suggest the bars of dark color along the wings. The heft of the beak was something I couldn't capture. But I noticed the wonderful subtle shading of lights and darks and the frailty of the legs and grip of the feet. If I were photographing I would have seen the warbler's body as one thing. I would have thought about the overall composition and not noticed so much about the many different color and design elements that comprise this bird. The speed of photography is such wonderful thing. I kept erasing and feeling that I wasn't getting the shape of the head or the placement the eye right. 

I have drawn birds from looking at a photo before, but it is always a different experience with a new species. The most challenging part for me is getting the environment right (i.e. leaves, branch, moss). The easier part for me is the shape of the bird, though not perfect! I also have a hard time with feet and eyes. I may not have noticed the placement and shape of the bird's feet without drawing them. I may be more aware of foot shape and placement when out in nature journaling. I can't wait to start adding color to my drawings! Right now, I am still intimidated...but that's one of the reasons I'm here!

(I'm proving to be the class delinquent here with two apologies: First, I was out of town most of October and got a late start, and then I had problems when trying to upload my drawing of the warbler. I still have not been successful. I first inserted a pdf of the image; later, after getting some Bird Academy feedback, I saved it as a jpg and inserted that. In both cases, the image would show but took up the whole screen so that I couldn't access the submit button. I experimented with hitting enter, escape, back arrow, and more to no avail. Each time I hit the back arrow, for example, I returned to this assignment page but with a blank reply box. So! Even though I have not yet submitted evidence, my journal is filling and I'm enjoying drawing. For me, drawing, like writing, is a way to zoom in and engage with a subject, almost to become one with it--to experience it, if not to know it. There is much that I would not have noticed--say about the feathers or the clutch of the feet or the veins on the leaves had I not been asked to draw or write about the warbler.)

  This is actually my first and only attempt at the yellow warbler.  I somehow overlooked this first lesson as I was having difficulty with my computer at home.  I am very pleased with my first attempt.  This is a work in progress.  I ordered the watercolor paints and the book and watercolor brushes as well.

Here's my first try at it! I was really intimidated to "jump right in".... didn't really know where to start. I began sketching the shape of the head and beak, and just went from there. I felt much more comfortable than I expected. Great first exercise, and excited to work with some colours in the future!

I didn't post my "Jump Right In" sketch originally. After Liz requested beginners submit their work, I got a bit of courage to post. I consider myself a real beginner. My last drawing was done about 50 years ago in my high school intro to art class!

Drawing from the photo allowed me to come back to it several times giving me a different perspective. Looking forward to seeing how my perspective and skills improve!

I liked drawing from the photo because I could keep referring back to the image. As a rank beginner it was intimidating to try to draw the bird’s body shape. I need to get some practice with ovals, etc. Plus I don’t know how to use water colors so I used pencils.

What fun to spend time with such a beautiful photograph.  I don't draw birds enough and always struggle with their shape, but was grateful that I had the time to look and look and look again (including too much erasing).  Photos are always an important resource but they are also seductive in the amount of detail they provide.  Details that I often miss while outside.  I think I need to practice making fast sketches with bird photos that I only see for 30 seconds or at most a minute.  Given my bias towards plant, I had lots of fun noticing the lichens on the branch.

Advantages to drawing from photos is that you can study the image as long as you need to. I think I made a decent start for a non-artist but found the overall form of the bird challenging to get on paper, while the detailing was a bit easier. I wouldn’t have noticed the brown striping in the bird’s belly unless I had an image to work with and I had been asked to draw it.

• 

I sat with my friend, CJ this morning to work side by side.  She enrolled at the same time I did so we will share this course experience together - inside or out. Hot coffee in a warm house on a rainy day with a bird that stays in one place (!) made this “Jump Right In” lesson comfortably delicious. And now for your close up shot!  Smile......