I enjoyed drawing this Yellow Warbler. It’s a fairly simple shaped bird.  The two things that I find challenging when drawing birds are the feet and the layers of feathers of the wing and tail. I noticed that this warbler and others I’ve seen in the field often look like they are leaning forward.

Too much attention to details, less spontaneity but noticed the leaves eaten away. 

Much easier to draw from a bird that's not moving. Warblers don't sit still long. Used mechanical pencil and harder to get shading correct and doesn't scan details well. Probably would not have noticed the shoulder mantle as distinct from wings or the coloring of it. Since there are so many warbler species and juveniles, male and female might have very subtle differences I would want to note all areas of the bird for later identification if in doubt.

I liked the process of drawing, which pulled me to really look at the details of the bird, particularly the feather patterns. I definitely want to hone my skills so that I can better capture the attitude and overall impression of the bird.  I am overall more familiar with examining plants, and found myself distracted (in a good way) by the lichen-patched branch.

Wow, you guys are doing a great job. I'm so jealous I can't start yet, but enjoy watching the class progress. Nice.

I liked this first challenge as I definitely need to practice my drawing. I like the detail in the feathers, the striations of color and the varying colors.

I enjoyed this very much.  Painting again feels lovely.  I tried to just go with it and not stress too much... It's a before pic... I am challenged to be faster Get details exactly as they are not as my brain interprets Looking forward to more painting  

1. Wow, came easier than I thought, things like proportion seemed good enough, surprised myself. Could see how might be way more difficult away from desk and adding color 2. Most definitely: the brown stripes on chest, the black across back, the greenish within beak, the strength of the claws, the notion of relative sizing of subject to environment (leafs, branch), the documentation of an observation. Posting to get over being embarrassed by art ability and sending to engineer and art student who've inspired me to take course.

I enjoyed the process but was challenged to be able to represent the bird's backward looking posture.   I had much more of a challenge to get the head shape right.   The straight, close lines required for the wings are difficult for me.  The lines always turn out a bit shaky.   If I spent a couple more hours erasing and revising the drawing, I'm sure I could have ended up with something more satisfying, but I'm choosing not to do that as my goal here is to get satisfactory results from quick field sketches. 2  Definitely - the details of wing shape  and the dark color on back and nape

1. I have drawn birds before but it was still daunting to draw without direction. I realise I judge myself a lot while drawing. It was fun once I relaxed into it and I ended up jotting down things I want to improve, such as my domain of proportions and colour,and finding a balance between putting in details and keeping the sketch light and "sketchy". I enjoyed focusing on the details such as the different colour washes and tones, the texture of the feathers and stripes, and lichen growing on the tree. It was a good exercise to ascertain my strenghts and weaknesses and take note of them for the following lessons. 2. I noticed the texture of the wood which I could not recreate. Also the different textures and tones of the bird, such as the slight darker ring around the eye, the greenish tinge on the head and back and the ochre stripes on the chest. It makes a different to highlight the distinguishing features such as this when nature journaling, in my opinion.

I had the most trouble with the beak: I could see the shape but not draw it and as you can see, erased several times. I hope the sketching gets easier as we go through the course. The photo is a captured moment, and it was a luxury to draw from a still image like this. Yellow warblers in the field do not sit still! I did not focus on the tree branch at all although in the field that in itself would be something to note. I found it interesting the way the bird's toes curled around the branch. The rear-facing toe gripped the branch while the front-facing toes almost seemed loose with the nails not touching the branch. Again, one would never notice this in the field but a photo gives some time to study the image and note feather textures and the like.

Drawing from the image forces you to pay attention to a lot of small details, such as the mantle at the top of the wing, the beautiful yellow and striped black of the wing, and even the moss and mold(?) on the branch. I think I need to capture detail and learn to look quicker if I were to attempt this in nature. I also think that seeing the bird move would give you a better three dimensional understanding of the bird.

I certainly thought I "saw" the details of the warbler when I looked at the photo but I can say for certain, I did not really see it until I sketched it.  In particular the subtle feather shading on the breast.  I literally did not notice this until I was almost finished the sketch.  I imagine a bird in the wild, that does not sit still is extremely hard to capture so interested in trying this.  

1. In order to work quicker and looser I gave myself 5 minutes to sketch the bird then went in with color without looking at the picture. Though a yellow warbler would not sit still that long! I wanted to challenge myself to not focus on detail but rather get the bigger picture. 2. I noticed the 5+ species of lichen that I would not have generally thought to draw prior to this exercise. I'd like to use this in the field, by getting the subject in quickly (since I won't have much time with a moving subject), then going in after and focus on inventorying other aspects from the habitat.

Drawing from a photo allows you more time to see and render what you might have missed in a quicker sketch or gesture drawing; however, it can also slow down the drawing process causing one to get hung up on little details or how to represent those details more (photo)realistically, if that makes sense.  It provides one with a static image that you can continuously refer back to.  Drawing from life forces you to move quickly and keep going with the process...of observing and creating what you see in front of you, at that moment, instead of what you think something should look like. Studying the photo gave me the opportunity to look more closely at the shapes, sizes and colors of lichens and mosses pictured on the branch.  But it also afforded me more time to see how the bird was framed by the leaves on both sides of the shot and how the color of the warbler is also picked up in the mosses.  Although I didn't capture those details in this drawing, I could go back and add them at a later date, which makes it very convenient.  One doesn't really have that opportunity in nature.  But with practice, these key details could be included or "suggested" through skillful use of line and color.  Now, I can see how using watecolor allows you to capture the "essence" of nature or a scene without stressing about absolute precision.

At first I tried to draw the small bird on the picture, but after enlarging it I could draw a more satisfying bird.  By drawing I noticed the variations in color, the shape of the bird's head, feet, tail length, bill, etc. I got a feeling for what the bird looks like. A photo is more accurate and I feel less personally involved with the bird.

1) Drawing from the photo felt less “panicky” than trying to get details from a living, ‘could leave any moment’ subject. The leaves were easier than the shape of the bird. I did those first and erased many times sketching the bird. 2) The discoloration and rips in the leaves I would not have noticed. The rust colored lines on the breast would have only been black to me if sketching more quickly. The gentle slope of the head was done repeatedly. 3) I think I would miss a lot of details when nature journaling.

It felt a bit daunting because I have no drawing experience.  The warbler's feet and feathers were the most challenging.  If I had not been asked to draw the photo I would not have noticed as much detail.  I would not have noticed the angles of the lines or the position of the warbler.

1.  I haven't done much drawing from photos, and it felt a little strange. It is very nice having a model that isn't constantly moving, though! Drawing from the photo made it easier to get overall proportions and the angles of the beak and feet correct--although I definitely didn't get things quite right. It is always a challenge for me to not try to get things exactly right, and to be okay when they aren't (and they usually aren't). I have to keep reminding myself that nature journaling isn't about creating art. It's about recording observations, which I already know how to do, in a format I'm not familiar with and using skills I don't yet have. 2.  Drawing always makes me notice things I wouldn't otherwise see. That's why I have all of my students do some drawing. In this example I paid close attention to the angles of the wing feathers. Not that you can tell from my drawing!