Using a photo is not too challenging as the subject does not move. That being said, I often use photo references in creating art but I also rely on my sketches and experience as well. Photos can help with details.

I'm a little behind but I enjoyed drawing the warbler, cant wait to add color

Drawing from a photo bird is easier than the real bird for obvious motion reasons.My own pet birds are suspicious of my movements and the art tools I am using if I try drawing them. I think the limits of trying to catch the bird in action and the environment, including weather/lighting might be frustrating but I also think the "catch the moment" approach my give the study more "life". I did not feel pressure to finish it as i knew I could come back to it according to my work schedule so that may also be an option if I photograph something that I want to continue on.Using the water color medium requires patience and moments of timing depending on technique/methods so I am wondering if maybe using watercolor pencils/crayons etc might be more forgiving in that sense? My mother was an art teacher/watercolorist and would frown on copying from photos as she said one would lose the joy of  life in the moment. I have felt similar but there are times one is limited with time and materials. I might have not noticed the lichen or the "eaten" leaves in the process which I did not spend much time on especially with the leaf position. Also maybe the rust streaks on the bird may not have been as apparent if  I had drawn from life. It was fun to do and I know I have to literally brush up on my watercolor skills.

1.  Wow, I was not sure about it but then I was like "I'm doing it!"  I would say it came easily because it was a still shot and I could zoom in if I wanted to see details.  I took my time and really enjoyed it.  It was therapeutic:) 2.  I think maybe the finer details, the positioning of the feet/talons, the moss, the beak and different colors on the Warbler ... I might not have noticed the leaves/surroundings, I probably would have noticed just the Warbler alone.  

Drawing from a photo has always been easier than drawing from my memory. Not to hard but a long way from great.

1.  It took a while to get my confidence up to draw again...especially after seeing the wonderful sketches already posted! I spent quite a bit of time on the head until I felt I got the angle correct. Heads have always been a challenge.  The angle, the eye, the position of the beak give the bird its personality and most of my bird drawings look flat. I went back to my John Muir Laws book to get some help. This is one of the better heads I’ve done. Eyes and legs/feet are relatively easy since I spent time in my last class on studies of them. I think the big challenge will be to quicken my sketching pace. This drawing took me a bit of time. 2.  It wasn’t so much the bird as the branches and leaves. I might not have paid attention to the lichens and moss or the roughness of the branches. I’d think that in nature journaling we want these kinds of details since they can lead to questions we might not have thought about or lead to identifications we might want. I’m pretty satisfied with the first drawing but expect I’m going to have to learn to speed up a bit since nature doesn’t sit still. 

I am a beginning drawer and so I found the outline shape and beak a little challenging, and had to erase several times to try to make it more accurately represent the photo. If I weren't trying to draw it I wouldn't have been as aware of how the striations on the breast and wing varied.  Becoming a better observer of the world around me is my primary reason for taking the course, so this first exercise has been affirming in that regard.

1. How did you feel about drawing from the photo? What came easily and what was challenging? It’s hard to get the key features out of a real photo as all the detail is present.  how is the feather laid out and where shall I draw shadow? How light/heavy is the shadow? Sometimes the shadow makes the drawing dirty. How to make the feather look fuzzy? 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? The way the feather arranged on the back, it has many layers of different textures. the bill which has two distinct colors on the top &bottom

I need to stop thinking of myself as a plagiarist when I copy a photo or a drawing.  It was fun to take the time to notice so much detail.  A Yellow Warbler is fairly obvious to identify, but I am now much more tuned in to coloring beyond his beautiful yellow.

1. Birds are really fast so that's way I love photos . I travel the world to see birds and photos let me really see the birds close up . There are many features I would never be able to see. I also can go back and review them. 2, However , trying to draw them is really wonderful also. it makes us slow up and enjoy the  environment. I remember their features better because I have to try and be exact on what I am sketching. I have not draw for at least 20yrs so this class is really fun for me. 

1.  The photo makes it easier to sketch as it doesn’t move so have time to study the bird in more detail.  The body shape came more easily than the feathers.  I didn’t capture the fluffiness of the feathers and the claws were difficult. 2.  I noticed little of the branch it was sitting on.  I think I noticed more detail in the wing than I might have and certainly about it’s general shape.  I may have been more apt to overlook the details.

1. I liked drawing from a photo as it gave me time to get my shapes close to accurate. The subject didn't move which is hard to say of those cute little birds! I don't think I could sketch as well with a moving object at this point. I still found it difficult to capture the angel and expression of the bird. I tweaked the beak a bit after seeing a few others drawings and that helped my bird have a little more expression. My oldest son enjoyed it and my youngest son refused to do the drawing...haha. 2.There was tons of details I wouldn't have paid as much attention to if it wasn't for drawing it. It is interesting how much my nature journal page has changed in design/layout in just this first entry! Here is mine and my oldest sons drawings.

1. I love the opportunity to sketch warblers; they seems like such rare glimpses when I spot one. I felt like I had the body proportions ok, but it was challenging for me to illustrate the fluffiness of some of the wings, and also present the bird as not from a full side angle (though I won't know that next time I look at my representation ;-) ).   2. I wouldn't have noticed the details of the beak, or the type of branch (which I didn't even draw clearly, as I focused more on the bird itself); or the variety and differences of feathers. It really helped me look for details and notice them.

1. The shape came easily, but the markings and feathering was difficult. Hard to capture enough detail. 2. I might not have noticed the difference between the clear yellow of the head and face and the greenish gray of the shoulder area. I might not have been able to fully appreciate the brown streaks on the lower body or the softness of the feathering around the legs.

I was not comfortable just jumping in but felt as if I was loosening up as I worked on the sketch. This has a lot of erasures and is overworked, but not unhappy with my first, rusty, attempt at getting back to drawing. Was trying to capture gesture of the bird and the negative space around it and the leaves and branches. In the field one would never have the time to go back and redo areas that aren't right. Would like to be able to capture the image more quickly with less "thought." I also noticed the feet and the way they wrap around the branch as I was observing closely to draw them. Might not have seen that in a photo.

Hi, my name is Astrid and I'm from Austria. I'm a nature photographer but never did any drawing before. When I took my journal and pencil I first thought: I can't do that - never! But then I just jumped in. In my photography I focus on "the small things" going for macros and patterns in nature so I'm pretty much use to paying attention to details but actually drawing something is a totally different thing again. You really need to pay attention and it forces you to look properly. So this is my first try on a bird and I must say - that's NOT easy! I really had problems with the beak. I'm looking forward to learning how to bring to paper what I see and find even more astonishing things in nature that are worthwhile observing, memorising and recording.

• It was hard for me to get the shape of the bird.  I was also challenged by using the watercolors although I enjoyed how quickly the colors were applied. I had to look more closely at the bird to see his markings which I didn’t really capture in this drawing. 

  I treated this as more of a "quick" sketch, rather than try to capture every detail while drawing.  I've been drawing from photos a lot lately, and it's coming easier for me.  Still hard to get the proportions right though!  I'm feeling pretty good about my results today, as usually my subjects are a little simpler. The things I noticed in the photo that I may not have if the bird was flitting around were it's tiny feet, and the fine details of the feathers.  I also looked closely at the branch the bird is sitting on. This was fun!

I found that I enjoyed the process, but I expect it to be quick, and it is not.  I also could not get the beak right.  I used a hard lead pencil, and some colored pencils.  I noticed the streaking a lot, and the way the cute little feet wrapped around the branch.

1.) Wings and beak are difficult. I appreciated having the photo instead of a moving bird!  It was difficult to get the proportions and shapes right and then to fit them together into a whole. 2.) I would not have noticed that the Yellow Warbler is actually dusky grey on the back or that the reddish marking extended up the throat.  I have not observed either of these marks in the wild; I am usually overwhelmed by their yellowness.

1. I was nervous about drawing from the photo, but I was surprisingly happy with the result. The outline of the bird’s shape was easier than I thought it would be, and I found the feet to be the most challenging to draw. 2. Drawing the yellow warbler helped me to focus on the delicate bill shape and the patterns of its wings. I think having photos to refer to would be helpful in capturing details for nature journaling since birds are most often moving quickly in nature and often, for me, disappear before I can see or capture most of the details.

Here is my first shot at the assigned drawing. I found working from a photo a relaxing way to start paying closer attention to detail and slowing down the whole process. I figured out how to do the transfer on my iPhone. This has been really enjoyable ! Love seeing everyone’s work on these posts.😊 mary ann