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I'm in my late 60's and just beginning to learn to draw, so drawing this little bird was a fun challenge. If I hadn't had a photo to work from, I probably would just have a drawing of an empty branch and maybe a big oval for the bird. I don't think I could have captured much detail other than size and color on a live bird. I certainly would not have seen all the shading on the feathers or have been able to get any of the details correct. It was difficult to do even from a photograph.
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I really like the way you used short squiggly line to show texture on the branch. You did such a good drawing for someone just beginning to draw.
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@Deborah Thank you Deborah. It's been such a revelation to find that I could do something other than little stick figures. I am definitely still at the beginning of learning--just starting to study about shading and perspectives. It's so much fun. You did a great job with the watercolors on yours.
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@Penny Thanks it's a journey. Looking forward to and excited about seeing where we all go!
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1. I have no problem drawing from photos; I have done it before. My challenge was loosening up the hand muscles. They felt tight and not flexible. I couldn't get the eye-hand relationship to the drawing. I guess that comes with practice. 2. Later, I noticed the dried tree fungus on the branch. The fact that the fungus is dead might say something about the environment. It is important to notice details. Developing the skills of art is to help one to "see" rather than to "look."
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Drawing was challenging, particularly the sizing and spacing of the complete drawing, then the bird shape and beak I found difficult. Many details of the photo where more obvious when drawing the bird.
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It is much easier to draw from a picture, not rushed and subject is not moving! I can go back and redo, or add what i missed. The dark lines on the bird's breast would not have been evident had I not been trying to draw it, and may have been important if the drawing was going to be used to make a specific identification.
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It was difficult to get the proportions correct for all the features I thought, e.g., distance between the eye and the bill, etc. Details on the feet I hadn't noticed until I tried to draw them. It may not be necessary to capture every detail if you just want to create an overall impression of the bird as you saw it.
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Unable to download mine but I enjoyed seeing everyone's drawings . Drawing from a photo is a great way to start - a big plus the bird sitting still LOL - I can see I have lots of room for improvement with my sketch - I'm looking forward to continuing with this course
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I liked drawing from photo. Nice to see a warbler holding still! It seemed like I was paying too much attention to little details and not enough to the overall sense of the bird.
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1. I wanted to be happy with the contour and relative proportions of the bird before I started rendering the details, which is usually my favorite part of drawing. It was challenging to be patient and focus on the posture of the bird.
2. I became familiar with the anatomy of wing feather layers on the bird, which I otherwise would be unaware of. I also wouldn't have noticed the lichen on the branch until I had to decide whether to try drawing it or not! All components of ecosystems are important, and while journaling you have to decide what is relevant to the story they're trying to tell.
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Nice drawing. I like how you used the shadows and dark lines.
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Great sketch and observations. I really liked the values you added to create the form.
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Beautiful detail! Is this all done in pencil? And what sort of pencil if so?
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@Rose Hi, thanks, yes, all pencil! I think I mostly used an HB, 2B, and a 5B, and then I used a 0.5 mechanical pencil around the tiny feet to get finer lines and be more exact.
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@Amanda Thanks for the info! I just used a mechanical pencil but I need to go raid my art drawer and see what I have. And I foresee a trip to an art store in my future
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I have drawn from photos before so that wasn’t the challenging part. But I am usually just drawing a general outline to paint, so the challenging part was to know when to stop with the detail. My goal in this course was to be able to sketch quickly so I tried to do this relatively fast and just stick with pencil though I really wanted to add color. I am detail oriented so I would have noticed most things, but I would say the shape of the bill and the head in particular I paid more attention to in having to draw it.
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@Rose I put this in the wrong darn place and don’t know how to move it 🙁
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@Rose I like the way you managed to capture the light on the beak!
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@Coral Thanks, to be honest I want to do it all over again and go for more detail. I needed something to get me drawing/ painting again and I am loving this course so far, it is great to see what everyone is doing!
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That is such a great, great drawing!
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I am more comfortable drawing from a photo than real life. I felt pretty comfortable with my pencil sketch, but as I added watercolor I really felt like I didn't know how to do that.
In a photo you have all the time to go back and see what you might have missed. I finished, and then said, what's in the background, and then did the green wash. However, the photo shows a blurred background, and in nature you would have more detail to chose from.
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1. I feel I have more control drawing from a photo. The shape came more or less easy but I am not familiar with working with watercolors, I smudged the eye.. 2. I wouldn't have noticed how lively the feet are
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1 I'm wondering why it is much easier for me to accurately draw a birds head when the beak is pointed left than when it's pointed right. I'm curious if anyone else finds this challenging.
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Are you right-handed? I think it’s a bit easier to work left to right following the natural arc of my hand as it moves across the page, so maybe it’s also easier to get the angles and proportions right moving from the tip of a beak toward the tail? Somehow when the bird faces to the right it feels more awkward.
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I enjoyed just trying for my first time. It was an enjoyable experience for me. I am excited to do more.
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I was excited to begin, but my mental drawing and actual drawing had almost no relationship to each other.
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Don’t despair, this is just the beginning! I sure understand the sentiment though.
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1. Easier to get details when the bird is still. Made notes to indicate color. really struggled with the bill and feet. 2. light and shadows. missed the red on the breast.
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I love your comments...
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@Tania Me too!
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It never occurred to me to enlarge the screen for more details. My kids would only shake their heads. Love what you did.
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1. Bill and head shape are difficult to get correct. 2. The tree gave a hint to the time of year. Once again I would not have paid attention to head shape and bill as well as field marks. All these things are important for journaling and identification. Birds in photos are not moving as in field.
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i was able to reflect on last lesson, mosty on using geometric shapes in sketching. i can certainly use practice though.
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I didn’t mind drawing from a photo, but I tended to do a complete drawing vs a quick impression. I did like being able to enlarge an area of the photo and look at the details. I’d never be able to do that in the field. On the other hand I only had one point of view using the photo. In the field there would be more interplay with light, and field conditions versus a stagnant view. I agree with the poster that suggested putting a time limit on completing the sketch. This is going to be so much fun!!
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Didn't think of doing detail drawings of parts...will keep this in mind for my next page...thanks.
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@marie You’re welcome, Marie. I’m loving this course already. 😊
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I forgot to draw details separately, as you did with the toes and eye! Now that really makes it look like a naturalists' journal. Well done! ( I'm going back to my drawing and add that in.) . Thanks for reminding me!!
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I like drawing from photos to get details from the bird, butterfly or bug or whatever I'm drawing that you can't otherwise get from seeing it in the distance flitting across the sky. You can get general information from looking through binoculars or from a quick glance, such as distinguishing that this bird isn't a gold finch from seeing the absence of the black markings. With this photo I can see that the tree must be an old apple or fruit tree due to the shape of the leaves and the moss and lichen growing on the branch. Plus I can see that the leaves look to be well into the season because they are dark green and a couple leaves have pieces of leaf material missing as though a bug or something took a bite out of it. I have an old tree similar and I can get the information for a closer look at the actual branch to record a zoomed in section.
The zoomed in portion of the first part of the lesson is something new to me. I love that. I can get a really close look at my tree and make an enlarged drawing of it to add to the drawing.
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I like drawing from a photo because it gives me time to study perspective, posture & proportion. The 3 P's come hard for me. I have little serious drawing experience & almost no art education. I am learning, however, to use negative space. I doubt I'll ever have nature journals worthy of publication, but I hope to get to a point where while I'm reveling in nature, I can record what I see & not get totally frustrated in the process.
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It is easier to draw birds from a photo than in the field. the silhouette is ok, but the eye and legs are not quite right. One challenge is detemining the hierarchy of markings (feather patterns) and shading, especially with pencil sketching. look forward to learning to use watercolours in the field.
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- Set a time limit as I tend to spends hours on a single f]drawing need to ,earn to sketch and capture the essence . Perhaps create a new habit of using more gesture working from a photo is great for detail work but I can get lost in the detail,sometimes.
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I tried so to get the moss on the main branch where the other branch goes up for the bird to perch. I love the look of your drawing of that.
- Set a time limit as I tend to spends hours on a single f]drawing need to ,earn to sketch and capture the essence . Perhaps create a new habit of using more gesture working from a photo is great for detail work but I can get lost in the detail,sometimes.
It was difficult to get the proportions correct for all the features I thought, e.g., distance between the eye and the bill, etc. Details on the feet I hadn't noticed until I tried to draw them. It may not be necessary to capture every detail if you just want to create an overall impression of the bird as you saw it. 
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2. I became familiar with the anatomy of wing feather layers on the bird, which I otherwise would be unaware of. I also wouldn't have noticed the lichen on the branch until I had to decide whether to try drawing it or not! All components of ecosystems are important, and while journaling you have to decide what is relevant to the story they're trying to tell. 
I am more comfortable drawing from a photo than real life. I felt pretty comfortable with my pencil sketch, but as I added watercolor I really felt like I didn't know how to do that.
In a photo you have all the time to go back and see what you might have missed. I finished, and then said, what's in the background, and then did the green wash. However, the photo shows a blurred background, and in nature you would have more detail to chose from. 
I didn’t mind drawing from a photo, but I tended to do a complete drawing vs a quick impression. I did like being able to enlarge an area of the photo and look at the details. I’d never be able to do that in the field. On the other hand I only had one point of view using the photo. In the field there would be more interplay with light, and field conditions versus a stagnant view. I agree with the poster that suggested putting a time limit on completing the sketch. This is going to be so much fun!! 
I have an old tree similar and I can get the information for a closer look at the actual branch to record a zoomed in section.
The zoomed in portion of the first part of the lesson is something new to me. I love that. I can get a really close look at my tree and make an enlarged drawing of it to add to the drawing.
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