• Danelle
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      Drawing the Yellow Warbler from the photo gave me time to study all the intricacies.  I miss details when attempting to capture a bird in flight. The challenges for me then are C632FC5C-424D-41D6-A60B-5FFDCE88A395connecting by hand what my eye observes-shading, proportion, position, color variation and in the field not being intent on getting the drawing perfect. But I love the feel of moving pencil on paper to capture the essence of the Yellow Warbler.
    • Mariana
      Participant
      Chirps: 11
      IMG_8081Everything was challenging about drawing the bird. My proportions and composition were muddled, I had to change the eye placement and beak direction about four times each and in the end, the bird ended up elsewhere from the photo. But it was good to have given it a try. Drawing definitely turns you into a better observer. I would have never noticed the different types of feathers, the feather pattern in the back, the flatness of a bird´s head and skull, the length of a tail with respect to the body, how shading a background makes an object pop up - even for someone who doesn´t know what she´s doing.
      • Heather
        Participant
        Chirps: 11
        I think you did a great job. The bird looks alive!
    • Andrea
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      First I tried drawing with the mechanical pencil and then was excited to try the water-colour kit, and quickly got into trouble!  While my colours were drying (and the warbler's eye started weeping), I tried again with a draughting pencil.  It's really tricky to gather patience to draw the feathers properly, to follow them through all the way along the bird's body - I was wanting to rush things.  Drawing does encourage noticing the details, which I wouldn't do from a quick glance at a quick photo.  Drawing forced me to see how the feathers lap onto each other, how there are such thin long lines of feathers, and how the feathers are crisper toward the tail and softer and fluffier at the shoulder, and not even noticeable at the head.  The angle of the legs is interesting too - we can't see how the legs connect to the bird's body but we wonder, because the angles look so awkward.  Makes me appreciate the yellow warbler! When I went back to my watercolour, the colours had all smeared and were way too thick and dark for highlights, poor bird.  Then I thought, I wonder if these sponges are here in my kit for a reason?  Could I take colour away with them?  Yes!  I took away thick black and sierra highlights and streaming mascara; it smeared the outline of the warbler a bit but I think he looks happier. Looking forward to getting better! Andrea (this class is my birthday present to myself - happy birthday to all the other birthday giftees!)   Lesson 1 - Yellow Warbler colourLesson 1 - Yellow Warbler drafting pencil
    • warbler 3 1) Drawing from a photo perhaps made me hyper focus or overfocus on details. I think that might have taken away from some of the enjoyment as I was worried about getting the details perfect/accurate. 2)However the fact that it was a photo and thus not going anywhere I was able to see details on the Yellow Warbler and the tree that I normally wouldn't have noticed such as the number of primary feathers and how they were graduated. It also helped me notice the partially eaten leaves. This made me think about how Yellow Warblers eat worms, probably the very worms that have been eating the tree leaves perhaps. It made me realize how important this bird is for the trees survival.  I also probably wouldn't have notices the different kinds of moss and fungus on the branches. I liked noticing the lines on the leaves too. I will say I was getting impatient worrying about the details and thinking normally I would be quicker and take more artistic license.  I think I may try some journaling for science and details and another journal with more abstract or surreal drawings for fun.
    • sherry
      Participant
      Chirps: 10
      image
    • Judith
      Participant
      Chirps: 7
      Yellow Warbler
      • Judith
        Participant
        Chirps: 7
        I wasn't able to type my comments in with my drawing above (not sure what I did wrong)- but I enjoyed doing this drawing.  One of the things I enjoyed was that I did not think about work or other daily cares; sometimes I thought about nothing and sometimes I thought about Yellow Warblers- how they have that very plain yellow face, their song, and remembered from another Cornell course that they are one of the only warblers that can recognize Cowbird eggs in their nests and sometimes push them out to protect their young. Interesting birds. I guess that is one of the things that is so different than taking a photograph- it is a slower more meandering experience of the bird.
      • Judith
        Participant
        Chirps: 7

        @Judith A comment on my comment: I looked up Yellow Warblers and Cowbirds, and the ones that recognize a Cowbird egg do not actually push the egg out, but cover it with plant material and may lay they own eggs on top.  As I remember from the course, a theory as to why Yellow Warblers do this and other warblers don't, is that they have shared a range with the Cowbird for longer than many other warblers and so have evolved this ability.

    • Stephanie
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      Yellow Warbler 10 Oct 2019 I enjoyed trying this first assignment, but I definitely am unaccustomed to working with watercolours! I had too much moisture on the paper and couldn't get the finer marking details properly. I didn't find it too difficult to get the basic shape of the bird, but I didn't capture the energy and character of it to my satisfaction. I know what I would try differently if I did it again, though. I definitely would not have noticed the details of the markings if I had not been asked to draw the bird. This would make a difference if I was trying to identify it and learn more about it.
    • Amy
      Participant
      Chirps: 22
      I haven’t used watercolors since I was a kid, so I was pretty intimidated at first. But I had more fun than I expected. I thought mixing colors would be hard, and I definitely have a lot to learn, but it was magical how I could get to a first approximation fairly quickly. I was using a set of cheap brushes and decent ones are on my shopping list. Brush control was a bear and my tools weren’t helping me out. I wouldn’t have noticed color variation nearly as much if I’d just been looking at a photo, nor the way the ends of the primaries pile up toward the tail. The black and yellow striped effect makes me wonder what the wings look like in flight.63ADA7B8-505B-41CA-B060-F80AB86D7896
    • Karen O
      Participant
      Chirps: 14
      By drawing and really looking I noticed the way the warbler’s feet wrapped around the twig, and the lovely pale blue green of the lake and on the branch. Lots of detail that I couldn’t figure out how to capture. 28FF1E72-297A-4EC9-AC08-706847AB1A94
      • Chris
        Participant
        Chirps: 2
        That’s a really nice picture - kind of looks like a field sketch rather than from a photo.  I hope I end up being able to capture that kind of feeling.  Nice one!
      • Karen O
        Participant
        Chirps: 14

        @Chris Thanks Chris, trying to transition from colored pencils to watercolor. But loving this class already it’s so great reading everybody’s comments, And seeing so many different styles each with their own personality

    • martha
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      I actually thought it was easier to draw from the photo since the bird wasn't moving.  I do use my iPhone camera a lot and have relied on that for documenting things. I might not have noticed the subtle coloration on the shoulder area if I had seen this bird in the field.  It does make you look a bit more closely at details.
    • Heather
      Participant
      Chirps: 11
      CA5A9C75-2CC7-4003-9863-14324145E164 Drawing from the photo was nice - no stress worrying about it flying away. While nothing about this was “easy”, I think that capturing the texture was much harder for me than the overall shape. I don’t think I would have noticed the different types of lichen, or the faint brown on the bird’s head if I wasn’t drawing.
    • Maura
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      1st Drawing First drawing!
    • Susan
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
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    • Mary
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
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    • Pam
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      1. Drawing from a photo stopped action of the bird and allowed me to see the detail. I used a round and oval shape to form the bird from one of the journal examples, which helped with the bird shape. Then I revised it.  After seeing some of people’s work I tried using watercolor over top of the drawing but I needed to use a finer brush - so lesson learned there. 2. Probably the detail of the branches - lichen and the leaves which were somewhat obscured, changing their shape. For nature journaling it would be important to capture these details - showing the type of tree the bird was perched on.
    • Student Birder
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      • I liked doing the drawing and was impressed with the unique talents that shone through each of my colleagues drawing. I already learned something from each one. Everything was challenging since this is new for me, but putting down that first line was the biggest challenge, and the second biggest was knowing when to stop.
      Yes, being asked to draw it made many things easier to notice and I think this is one of the strengths off sketching. IMG_20191010_200435
    • Dylan
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      I had a hard time getting the proportions right and got frustrated at one point, but since I was drawing from a photo, I took my time and got it to a point that I was ok with. Drawing it, I picked up on some details like the kind of sunflower seed shape of their beak and all the little color variations.  I can definitely see why drawing is important for good observations. I'm excited to keep practicing, and I'm enjoying looking at everyone else's drawings too. 72280796_704117050087616_4772058688510754816_n
      • Christine
        Participant
        Chirps: 8
        Lovely! I think you really captured the warbler’s personality and gesture
    • Student Birder
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      IMG_20191010_200435
    • Jean
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      I enjoyed drawing this bird. I love yellow warblers!  I struggle with head shapes and eyes of birds. I would not have noticed the ring of yellow feathers around the eye, it is exquisite!  (Although I did not capture it).  I could have gotten better detail with colored pencil but I want to learn watercolor.   Using binoculars and magnifying glasses are important to seeing detail, such as the eye ring in the field. drawing yellow warbler
    • Lisa
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
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    • Cecilia
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      Yellow Warbler It was challenging to get the proportions correct and I struggled with drawing the feet on the branch and getting the beak right. Looking at a photo allowed me to concentrate on details that might have passed me by if this were a live subject.
    • Scott
      Participant
      Chirps: 22
      DSCF1608
    • Cleo
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      Yellow Warbler Oct 10 2019 - 3-49 PM-2
      • Cleo
        Participant
        Chirps: 3
        Drawing a bird from a photo is hard because there he is, in all his birdness, and you have to represent him authentically.  Very hard for me-- and I tend to abstract things. For me it was hard to get the silhouette right; hard to get the beak at the correct angle; hard to get the legs and feet at the right angle and hard to get the body proportions right.  Still, I love the process and intend to keep on trying. I love reading others comments and sharing our drawings.
    • Kim
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      Drawing a still image is easier  than from life,  but you learn more about the subject by seeing how it characteristically moves. Getting proportions accurately is easier when there is more time. You also can observe details instead of "making up" what you think you see.IMG_20191010_142132
    • Janice
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      At least a photo stays still.  I certainly couldn't identify this bird or the leaves of the branch from my drawing.  The feet weren't too bad for a first stab, maybe that was because they were mostly behind the branch!  Seeing a limited view makes it easier to get the portions.  And having everything in close up makes it easier to do perspective.