I spent about 15 minutes doing this sketch, I have spent most of my time in nature taking photos, this course on my first day, is already quite an eye opener. Spending some time drawing this bird allowed me to notice more identifying details and I like making notes. I can identify with Elois, drawing from photos is good in some ways, but it is hard to breath life into the sketch.

I was ok about trying to draw from the photo and to prevent it from being too challenging I did not try to make it look like a photo but to make it simple and recognizable as a bird on a limb. i am happy that in my mind when I see my drawing I remember what was in the photo that I did not include in my drawing.

Drawing from a photo is good, but my photo drawings always look stiff to me - sort of like drawing from a stuffed bird. I like to do several “gesture” drawing from a living thing even though it always looks messy and sketchy. I haven’t been drawing much recently and I’m looking forward to the discipline of a regular effort. I also enjoyed looking at other participants drawings. This is a lot of fun!

 drawings allow us to pay closer attention to details. When I'm photographing birds, I'm more worried about exposure, lighting, and composition. With drawing, I'm looking at the details on my subject.

Sitting in the VW dealership as they update my bug's software.  I kept seeing more greens and browns as I looked at the photo.  I also noticed how the bird's toes curl around the branch.  It also looks like it's smiling a bit when you look at its beak.  I may go back and spend more time with it when I don't feel like there's an audience watching me here in the waiting room.

A quick, rough, warm-up sketch on scrap paper. Now I must be brave and crack open the sketchbook!

I finally sat myself down and drew the yellow warbler.  I only spent about 40 minutes and thought about going back and working on it.  Definite room for improvement.  I like the process of looking at the detail as I draw.  And the feeling of immersion is meditative.  I like macro photography for the same reasons.  I’m anxious to move on and so will not return to the warbler now!I

• I drew a bird standing on a limb. It definitely looks like a bird but not as nice as a rogervtory Peterson It was not challenging cause I drew like I always bit I’m hoping to do a whole lot better after this class.
• i think I noticed every

I am not brand new to drawing, but have much to learn. Drawing from a photo made it easy to focus on detail. I imagine drawing birds out in the field would be challenging with all their twitchy movements. Much harder to capture their shapes and details. I think I'll need to learn to make more general shapes to start and then fill in detail later. I have a tendency to make some shapes and do detail as I go, but I am guessing that is not the best way to do it.

This was more difficult than I expected. I think I should have done better! The general shapes were easy enough but I don't think I got the colouring very well, and trying to fix it would only make it worse. I might not have noticed the extent of the lichen if I hadn't drawn  it. It took longer than expected so I can't imagine being able to do it outside with a live bird!

The photo makes it easier to draw more details of the Yellow Warbler then being in the field getting a quick look at the bird.  That is why it is good to get a photo of the bird or object when you are outside and then complete the drawing afterwards.  I found it challenging to draw the details of the wings-primaries, secondaries and tertials.  The body proportions-head, bill, and back and belly were challenging too.  It was easier to revise and adjust the sizing and fan-like shape of the wings with a photo. I also noticed how the wings are aligned and the tarsus and toes grasping onto the branch was much more apparent.  If I was doing a nature journal and saw the Yellow Warbler, I would miss these details.

Drawing from a photo gives you the luxury of taking your time. i really want to use the water colors and I find getting detail a challenge. Using micron pen is helpful and I like this combination. I really noticed the textures in the photo, soft feathers, glossy leaves , rough bark...I'd like to be able to capture that feeling.

I prefer drawing from life so I was resistant at first to work from a photo, but birds don't sit still for long, so photos are often the only option.   It was challenging to get the proportions/anatomy to look right, but once I had the pencil drawing done, (the hard part) inking and coloring the sketch was very enjoyable.

Drawing can bring back memories of that specific time, weather, song of the bird, etc. Photos can quickly capture a fast moving critter or insect

Much easier to capture angles and details from a still photo. The brown lines on chest might have gone unnoticed or seen as black/grey like rest of markings. I also might not have noticed placement of pin dot in eye  that may hint at direction of the light source. Also, the wrap of the claw around the branch might not have come off so well if not in photo, maybe with more practice and understanding leg and claw/talon, grasp angles.

It’s a bit different than critiquing a photo.  Instead of paying attention to exposure, focus, overall composition and potential edits, you’re looking at anatomy, form, proportion, eye, bill, leg color or shade relative to body, You’re spending real time studying  the image, not seconds or minutes.  I’m NOT dissing the artistry of photography, or —for that matter — the difficulty and patience and time required to get a good shot of a small, moving target in a tree or a tangle of brush.  Drawing forces you to notice anatomical details that the photographer might not think about, at least when he or she is pressing the shutter.  In my view, drawing requires a deeper look and would probably lead the committed journalist to learn more about the subject than the photographer.  Although not necessarily.

There are a lot of details ina bird that are really easy to gloss over or miss. Unless you take the time to proportion and draw every feather, it won’t be true. Photos are quick and easy, but you don’t study the photos you’ve taken unless you are a real photo hound. A drawing forces you to study every aspect of the subject.

Photos preserve a moment and all of its details for in-depth study. Drawing focuses attention on things that are of particular interest, and drawing lets you explore those while removing distractions.  In this way, drawing sharpens attention to things that might get lost in a photo. It was easy to draw from the photo because the bird stood still! Details were easy to note and the source remained to compare and correct. It was still challenging to get proportions right. For instance, the legs are too long. I would probably not have noticed the subtle shades of gray and orange if the bird had been moving around. I think the movement and changes will make nature journaling more challenging, but will also make it interesting.