• Ilona
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      F508EC4E-9F76-44D2-8C42-D7363AEE6B46
    • Dorothy
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      The bird was not too difficult - the hard part for me was depicting the lichen, moss and texture on the branch.   I think drawing from a photo is easier as it can be enlarged to show detail.  But there is nothing quite like being outside in Nature with sketchbook in hand despite the challenges of weather and insects.  7538A829-B218-46D2-895A-63249A4C824A
    • Deborah
      Participant
      Chirps: 21
      IMG_3548IMG_3550I was very excited to try the new watercolors and watercolor brush suggested in this course. So first I did a color drawing then the pencil drawing. I overworked each drawing.I struggle to get the right angles and proportions. When drawing from a photo I have so much time to think and I don't concentrate on the essence and gesture in the moment but details. My drawing ability , lack of  knowledge of bird anatomy and desire to make a realistic drawing stop me from looking at the overall shape and angle of the bird. I'm like a kid in the candy shop caught by all the colored candy (details) not knowing which to choose. I still had fun trying!
    • Catherine
      Participant
      Chirps: 7
      assignment1 Drawing from a photo I found I could get bogged down in detail so I tried to sketch quickly and take notes of what I noticed. If I had not drawn the picture I may not have noticed the different textures of feathers, the bright yellow undersides of the feet, and the bug nibbled leaf.
    • Kevin
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      Yelloe Warbler Practice After years of doing technical drawings using a computer, it was nice to use a pencil and paper to draw. (Although I need practice) The longer I took the more details I seemed to have missed.
    • Jennifer
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      This was challenging for me.  I found it hard to get the scale and proportions correct.  And the feet. Bird feet are hard for me.  Drawing from a picture is easier in the sense that the subject holds still, though.  I think that one thing I really want to work on is capturing the essence - the important shapes, etc., quickly in the field. So often the subjects do not hold still, so quick sketching is a valuable tool. I think I would not have noticed the amount of black and gray streaking on the wings.  If I wasn't drawing it I would have just described it as yellow with a little reddish brown.  Nature journaling really makes you pay attention to the details. Warbler
    • Vanessa
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      The shape of the bird came easily; however the details were challenging - the angle of the head, the soft feathers, and the color variations.  I found the water colors challenging - to get the colors to come together to create the whole bird and capture the softness of the feathers and the gradations of the coloring. I noticed the softness of the feathers and the reddish brown on the chest that I may not have noticed without drawing the bird.  This would definitely make a difference in nature journaling if I can allow these details to come through in my drawing and paintings.
    • patricia
      Participant
      Chirps: 6
      I wish I knew how to draw feathers accurately.  Would like to see a close up of the anatomy of a feather. I noticed the many gradations of color from yellow to grey to black.  The drawing cries out for color. yellow  warbler
      • Hello Patricia and all you Nature Journalers: Bird Academy actually has a free web learning page called All About Feathers. All About Feathers Website Click on the above website if you want to learn and about and visualize feathers and their anatomy. Enjoy.
      • patricia
        Participant
        Chirps: 6

        @Lee Ann van Leer Thank you!

      • Dorothy
        Participant
        Chirps: 4

        @Lee Ann van Leer Thank you Lee Ann!!

      • sondra
        Participant
        Chirps: 21

        @Lee Ann van Leer Thank you! That’s helpful.

      • Janice
        Participant
        Chirps: 2

        @Lee Ann van Leer Fascinating study on feathers.  This was very informative.  Thank you for sharing this link.

    • Theresa
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      CornellNatureJournaling1
    • David
      Participant
      Chirps: 14
      Yellow WarblerFrom photo, I could see different textures of feathers, and also get general geometric shape of subject fairly quickly.  This is a technique issue, but it was hard to get fine details of shading rendered with watercolors.  I'd use colored pencils in the future.  Photo allowed me to get shape of eyes, legs, and beak fairly accurately, which might be difficult from live observation.
    • Susan
      Participant
      Chirps: 6
      Drawing from a photo made me feel a little more secure as the bird was not moving. I did not feel stressed for time. What I noticed by drawing from the photo were the black stripes on the wings and tail and the red striations on the front of the bird, also the talons on the branch.C3BD9E5E-8354-4F69-822C-0221F14AFF15
    • Mark
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      Yellow warbler1. The image was stationary in the photo and therefore I could take my time and observe the whole scene properly.  I could only describe the colour in the drawing which was captured realistically in the photo. 2. I would not have noticed the lichen and moss on the branches and the reddish/brown streaks on the bird's chest. The extra bird detail could help with the final identification.
    • Jenn
      Participant
      Chirps: 7
      Drawing from the photo made it easier to concentrate on the details  and colors.  As for a challenge, I think seeing the bird live would help with the way the light interacts with the feathers. The photo offered detail on the texture of the feathers that I might not have noticed.  The bird appeared "fluffier" than I might notice live.  Yes, this could have an impact on nature journaling especially on live animals that are being drawn.
    • Jenn
      Participant
      Chirps: 7
      Advantages to photos would be quickly capturing multiple movements and actions of an animal.  The advantages to drawing is the subtle movement and depth of those movements. IMG_2054
    • Christina
      Participant
      Chirps: 19
      IMG_6173 Drawing from the photo was easy-peasy - that little guy isn't going anywhere, so I can take my time! Challenging? How to know where to stop adding detail? I could sit all day and detail the primary and secondary wing feathers, the shading of his/her neck and delicate legs and nails...   Might not have noticed the shape of the warbler's beak, sort of an "underbite", where the lower part of the beak is larger than the upper part... wouldn't have noticed how the little claws worked as they clamped around the twig... and how the feathers are tight around the head and softer and "fluffier" near the back and vent.. There's drawing from seeing and drawing from "knowing", and the first is probably going to give me the lifelike, dynamic, captured-in-motion look that I'm after, even if I think I'm seeing it wrong... the restatements help make it look like stop-action photography...  
      • Victor
        Participant
        Chirps: 13
        That is such a good drawing - it is alive. It is so easy to draw something stiff from a photograph, maybe because of all the time one has to look and look again; stiff this is not.
    • Jennifer
      Participant
      Chirps: 5
      warbler
    • Jennifer
      Participant
      Chirps: 5
      Drawing from a photo, especially one in front of us felt awkward. Sure it gives you certain information that might be important for basic identification but it gives you one dimension. Drawing anything from nature is interactive. You can move around to adjust your viewpoint. I had a hard time understanding the bird's wing structure. It makes me want to study basic bird anatomy. In your sketchbook samples I loved the way the woman drawing the hummingbird looked at the bird many times and did a multitude of drawings to understand what was going on! I loved her inquisitive work. Its not "finished" per se but very self educating and personal.
    • Patricia
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      1. Drawing from the photo was fun.  The easy part was drawing the outline of the bird.  The challenging part was getting the legs and bill just right . 2.  I might not have noticed the black in the wings.  This would make a difference when nature journaling.  It would help me learn the field marks that separate a yellow warbler from all the other small yellow birds out there.48A0280B-440F-457F-8857-2FAF5C43526E
    • Kathy
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      Most challenging for me is being patient enough to take the time to see how proportions and designs relate to one another and relay them accurately. I didn’t quite capture the either the fullness of the bird or the angle of its head. I was struck by the strength and shape of its claws. I am always fascinated by how lightly yet how stable they are as they perch on a branch. AB3451DA-0443-46D8-93E7-ADC4FFDF7A5E
    • Jessica
      Participant
      Chirps: 10
      I thought the overall structure wasn't too challenging, however the more I drew the photo, I noticed minor things that I didn't see before. For example, I didn't see that the feathers on the breast were brown in the beginning, I thought they were black since the wings had black lines. I think when I go nature journaling, I need to be patient and try to notice the details so that I can try to tell the difference from other species. Yellow Warbler
    • daniel
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      1. What advantages do photos have over drawings? Observation. A photo is a snapshot, but a sketch requires looking at the subject, its surroundings, and then capturing the energy of the scene on paper. 2. How did you feel about drawing from the photo? What came easily and what was challenging? Honestly, it was hard as I do not have an art background and have only just started drawing in the last six months. This was literally the second bird that I've ever attempted to draw. The part that is becoming a bit easier is seeing value in the subjects that I sketch. 3. 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? Yes, the lighter values around the eyes, and various patches on the head and body. These variations in color patterns could be important to identification of the critter you are observing. 4. Why are you taking this course? What do you hope to get out of it? I am taking the course as I want to learn to see better. I love natural history and am an avid hiker / backpacker, my long term goal is to do outdoor travel writing and help people better understand the role that humans have in nature and help them reconnect with it. I am also taking this class to overcome my fear of drawing in public and letting others see my work. In truth, I wasn't going to do this post, but my goal is to get over my fear no matter what one step at a time. IMG_2194
    • Valerie P Stevens
      Participant
      Chirps: 13
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    • Sue
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      20191008_Bird This was fun.  I did the sketch quickly.  The most difficult part to me were the lichens.  I didn't get the look I wanted for them.  It will be interesting to see what this looks like at the end of the course.  Drawing did cause me to look at the details more closely.  I think the advantage of a photograph is that you can catch your subject before it moves or flies away.  The advantage of drawing is that you notice the fine details.
    • Wunpenn
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      15705886955331850700601782676345
    • Anne
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      IMG_1372 1. Drawing from a photo has the advantage of being able to look back at it over and over again, while a live subject won't be still for that long. Most of my best bird sightings are fleeting at best, from a distance, and sometimes back lit. It is challenging to place the first lines from a photo that is a complete image, while a drawing is only just begun.I also really wanted it to be in color, but a pencil was all I had at hand. I'll likely go back and add color later. 2. I noticed the lichen and moss (?) on the twigs, and the insect damage on some of the leaves. I also noticed the different parts of the wing once I started to add shading and lines to the overall shape. This would be a great advantage in nature journaling to pick up on otherwise overlooked details.