I had a lot of fun painting this lil bird! It’s always so much easier when ur model stays still lol. I did struggle at first with figuring out proportions, but that only made me pay more close attention to the warbler’s anatomy and color subtleties. I think that is very important to nature journaling because it adds a level of detail you might not notice in a photo.

I appreciated having a photo for a first attempt. The warbler held nice and still and let me draw it from the comfort of my living room. Even though the bird was the focus, I found myself most drawn to the branches and lichen. The shallow depth of field of the photo made it simple to focus on the objects in the foreground. The bird and its feathers were a challenge. I tried sketching with watercolor and didn't get the shape quite right. I haven't tried my hand at watercolor in ages, so I suppose this was a passable first attempt. Definitely a more challenging medium than pencil, but practice makes for improvement. I suspect that if I were in the field I might have skipped drawing the bird all together and spent my time drawing twigs.

I enjoyed this- the photo is still!...unlike a warbler. The overall shape of obvious features were easier, but the legs- getting the appearance of weight distribution right, and the feathers- all in proportion - very difficult for me and lots of work to do there. I obviously focused on the bird, instead of its surroundings- but I think that's because I'm still not super quick at sketching accurately as I'd like. The composition of the photo is excellent- I certainly noticed those elements. I noticed how much more grey or appearance of grey (black distributed in yellow?) in the plumage of this bright yellow bird than I would've ever noticed if taking or looking at a photo. The photo of my sketch distorts the sketch a bit- it's longer than this appears, but I still ended up drawing more the body of a sparrow than capturing the narrower, sleeker length of this bird in this position. All of this would make a big difference in journaling- it's the stuff of the comments. For example, warblers are so difficult for me to commit to memory- there are so many, seen so infrequently, etc.- going through the process of observing and 'transcribing' what you see has to have an influence on the memory- and those distinguishing details all the more so.

I love seeing all the different drawings after I did mine. It was nice having the photo to come back to. Drawing it really helped me see a lot of detail, particularly in the feathers and leaves, which was fun. I have to overcome a fear of "not being good", and I think this exercise helped since spent a good deal of time on it, it was fun, I think I managed to get some things the way I wanted.

Drawing allows to cacth many more details, even though drawing animals in open nature usually requires to jot down very fast the animal before it moves, missing likely some details. It is to be learnt how to jot down the most important information by drawing and taking notes when in open nature. When drawing in black and white it's important to take notes fast about colours - I usually carry a few pencils when stopping and observing nature is part of hiking. Whereas if you're observing, for example, birds at a feeder, it is easier to go back day after day on some details. Photos allow to appreciate the subject as a whole, let you appreciate the colours as a whole and catch fast the setting. And of course a photo allows to go back to it once at home and to draw it any time later.  

I felt relatively calm while drawing the Yellow Warbler, it took me a while to get the bird's shape right. That was a challenging part. What came easy to me was shading in parts of the bird. I don't think I would've noticed all of the things that were on that branch beside the bird, like the lichen and other little grey and orange things attached to the branch, if I hadn't taken the time to really look at it when trying to draw it. Noticing these things would make a difference in nature journaling, it helps make your experience with nature more in-depth.

I felt ok about drawing, though I think the proportions might be a bit off, as drawing the bird first, before any branches, threw me off.  Noticing the branches and leaves. There is a white area on the branch either a mold, or possibly an insect. It looks like mid to late summer, there is brown patches on the leaves, that is leaf rust.

I enjoyed taking note of the details, something I wouldn't usually be doing outside! Had difficulty with judging the distance, the proportion. Wouldn't have noticed the shape, the slope, the feathers of the bird, the patterns of the twig if I hadn't had to draw this! Would definitely train me to be a more detail-oriented person!

Drawing from photo was fun as it is easier to pay attention to details.  Still I need lots more practice with watercolors, which was part of the point of this course for me!  But also, just to actually concentrate on details as I tend to sketch hastily.  I need the discipline and practice!

I think will find this easier the more that I practice.  I am working on quickly sketching the shapes of different birds. details with just pencil are tricky for me.    The photo is helpful, as it doesn't fly away:).  I think the script that you add to the journal ( rust on breast, black on wings etc. ) combined with the sketches make a more complete picture.

1. I'm glad I had the photo as a reference - this bird would've been difficult to capture in nature. Figuring out the blending came somewhat easily, though in one section I noticed became too saturated with water and would not hold color as well. I finished this months apart as I've been busy - I'm actually glad for that as I came back to the watercolor with a fresh perspective. The beak was more totally black the first rendition, but I just lifted color with a water-laden brush to define the beak better. 2. I wouldn't have noticed the feet structure with just a photo. I'm used to my parrot and forget passerines have 3 toes in front and 1 in the back. I also had more appreciation for the subtle olive back of the yellow warbler in painting it. In painting the bird, I feel as if I gained a better understanding of its behavior and coloration. A quick painting is also less distracting than a photo as there's less information coming from the environment around it. I would endeavor to include any plants that an animal seems to prefer and what it is doing on it during my observation.

Drawing went well but hard to paint using just 6 colors. I need to learn how to mix them. I notice the structure of the bird's feathers and it's feet.

It would seem that drawing from a photo would be easier.  This was pretty discouraging!   Perhaps using colored pencils or pastels might have been better for me. Using water colors is a new experience, so I definitely need that training.   I can usually draw reasonably well, but the watercolor technique is not yet something I understand... yet.    Would add more detail, but since I'm just messing it up more I will quit now :-) .  (For fun I also tried this image on my iPad using "Sketchbook"... with only a very slightly better result.) Certainly drawing, compared to photography, forces one to see detail (not shown in my image) such as texture of feathers and the branch, leaves etc.  Colors are (usually) automatic in photos, but with painting the colors need to be matched... not that easy for me.  Also, drawings can emphasize, more easily, details that the artist would like to highlight. Seeing details helps understand the overall image, and may reveal new information about the subject.  Sometimes, with photography, details are only noticed sometime later... often much later (even years later!) -RGD

I am very excited about this course :-). First I drew the bird in pencil and then coloured it in afterwards, but only with coloured pencil because I can't paint in watercolour (yet). I have a pencil and sketchbook, as recommended in the course. However, I find that the lines on the paper are too grainy. That's why I haven't bothered to draw the feathers in more detail because the lines are blurred into each other. The bird is very pretty, but it doesn't exist here in Switzerland.

Fun to start drawing! Drawings make you pay more attention to details, but photos have far more detail and are more accurate. Drawing in the correct proportions and getting the tilt of the head were challenging. Drawing the image almost makes it come alive.

First and second attempts. Yes, notice way more detail than if I took a photo, but also a drawing makes me part of the image in a way; I'm less of a passive observer. I'm looking forward to seeing improvement!

was tough to draw, didn't come out like I was hoping it would, details like the legs and feet would have been easily overlooked if just looking at phot as opposed to drawing

This was a fun exercise to do with my 10 year old son.  He got quite frustrated, but persevered.  Progress over perfection :)

It was fun, but I was to critical and erased a lot! the leafs and branches were fairly easy.  The bird was not too hard, but I couldn't get the head and beak right.   I noticed the moss and lichen on the branches, little hard to draw too.

I actually did better than I thought I would!  I can at least tell what bird it is and it doesn't look like a cartoon! The lichens on the branch and the little brown spots on the leaves I would have likely missed if I were not so focused.  I am glad I had an eraser!

I enjoyed it to a point but found it hard work. I realised that my pencils were too soft and the paper too granular for sketching detail. I was happy with my shapes but not the shading. I improved my shading by zooming into the wing and paying more attention to the detail. I would have no idea how to mix colors and pencil to get the detail on this bird. I wouldn’t have noticed much of the detail on the bird if I hadn’t been asked to draw it. Nature journaling has to be more impressionistic, I realise!

I was afraid to start because I “knew” it wouldn’t be “good.”  I really enjoyed myself. If I hadn’t been asked to draw the bird, I wouldn’t have noticed the geometry of the branch or the fact that something munched on one of the leaves.  I wouldn’t have noticed the variety of colors in the bird or how it’s feet wrap around the branch.