Drawing from a photo was low-key and no pressure.  Everything was challenging for me! but especially proportions.  Drawing forces me to slow down and look.  What are the angles of the legs to the body? The colours of the chest markings?  Where were the shadows and how do I depict them?  I think nature journalling is all about seeing and caring about the details .

1. I felt comfortable drawing from a photo, using the idea of shapes as a guide to get me started.  It helped me to see where & how correct or off my idea of the bird's size was. It is also far easier to draw something that isn't moving or changing.  The light doesn't change either. 2. The warbler's legs, their slant, the claw curls, would be very hard to distinguish in nature drawing, also the detail of the beak.  Particularly with warblers, movement is always such an issue with observation; they're always flitting, rarely indulging us with log-term poses. The movement would also be an issue as far as shadows hiding bird shape, wing shape & length. I haven't tried yet, but I think trying to draw birds in my nature journal will be a huge challenge.  Another aspect is whether it's a clear or cloudy day.  Overcast skies change observation of any bird's coloring. I'm hoping this class will teach me how work with all of the above mentioned!

Drawing from the photo gave me time to work on the details of flight feathers, branch, twigs and leaves. The challenge was drawing what I see rather than what I expected. For instance the light and dark of the leaves, twigs and feathers. The bird in the photo has the head turned slightly toward the viewer. I drew it more one dimensionally.

Drawing brings you way deep into the detail. I noticed things like the detail of the lichen around the branch, the unexpected angles of the bird's legs and talons, and the lines and shading of the feathers. Drawing what you actually see (vs. what you think should be there) is a real challenge - it's tough to get the lines and proportions right!

I started with the branch - that felt easy! Then I worked my way from the bird's tiny toes and legs to its body. Getting the shape of the body was difficult. The legs look funny even though I thought I had drawn them easily! Size and proportions of the bird to the twig are off! I was intent on the patterns and color of the feathers while coloring the bird. This seemed to be something I noticed more carefully since I was drawing/coloring it.

It felt pretty good.  The beak and the position of the bird's head was especially challenging.  I may not have noticed the light brown on the bird's chest, or the blackness of the eye.  It looked better when I erased the pencil sketch marks around the bird.

How do I feel about drawing from a photo?  Not rushed.  Liked how details started to appear. Was there anything in the photo that you might not have noticed if you weren’t asked to draw it? The contours of the bird's body, the different types of feathers, the ring around the eye, and the nostril opening on the top of the beak.  And, those claws! Would this make a difference when nature journaling? Yes - for sure!  

The feeling of drawing was really thrilling. Was initially reluctant about the finish of the bird image. It was my first attempt at bird drawing without using an eraser. That itself was very satisfying. Branches and the leaves were easy to draw. The challenging part was the finer details of the branches and the colour composition observed in the photo. Yes, maybe the white fungus part of the branches, the stubs, and dried leaves, and also the finer details of babbler feathers.

the longer you look at something the more you see...the warbler's chest feathers are brownish red! I never would have noticed that without looking at the picture for a long time.

I really liked this exercise.  I just started and learned as I went. And I was surprised how well it turned out.  I am a long time birder, so I have a pretty good 'feel' for the shape of particular bird species. That really helped. The hardest part was the wings:  getting the flow of the feathers right and getting the shading right to show contrasting patterns. The head was easiest because of the consistent colouring. Drawing this bird helped me see the different textures and colours of the bird's body. I will look more carefully at a real bird now!  

I'm waiting for instruction on use of colors. I have little talent in drawing, painting, etc., but have taught video production. I stayed with pencil and noted details. My focus is in field marks and interesting details like the lack of a clench on the left foot. This will help in journaling. 

I didn't use watercolor because I had color pencils right in front of me and I'd procrastinated getting started. I think the drawing came out okay,  although it looks a little stiff and flat. Couldn't get the feeling of roundness of the bird or the fluff of chest and upper back feathers. It was a bit of a challenge to draw the bird from a photo. I wonder how I would get moving objects to be recognizable if sketching from real life?  

• I thought it was fun to dive in. I liked working on the proportions. It was a little hard to get the detail and to have a crisp image. For instance, the highlight in the pupil for was difficult because I’d mark over it. I like how the bird claws cling to the branch by wrapping around it similar to how a person grasps. I didn’t notice that before I started trying to draw.  It was a little difficult to figure out the feather structure and how to depict it and also how to show the softness of the feather fluff obscuring the leg but to still show how straight the leg was.I used color pencils because I don’t yet know how to use the water brush and pocket field sketch box.

This was difficult for the first time drawing My bird looks lopsided, I cannot get the scale right, or an accurate representation of the feathers. By drawing it I did notice more detail both in the bird and the habitat -- how the bird's feathers have different layers, the interesting patterns and colors of the lichen on the branch for example.

I like detail but have a terrible memory so love photos.  I can also reflect on what I did see and not just try to remember it.  I was drawn to the colors more due to the greyish background and was interested in everything my eye could take in.  The Lichen and type of holly tree all made me curious.  I worry I may not do well in nature with just my eye and memory to catch the true subjects.  I tend to question what plants are around me, tree, flowers or weeds so I think I can see those as well as the bird or creature and learn about them too.

I don’t have my watercolors yet, so I used pencils.  Drawing from the photo really allowed me to see all of the details in how each feather was arranged and how the sum of the parts made up the complete bird.  It seems almost impossible to capture!

I haven't used water colors before.  I just received my supplies for this class and this is my first attempt to use water colors and a water brush.  I found it difficult to control the paint.  The colors turned muddy.  I have used acrylics before, just whimsical paintings.  I found getting the proportions correct was difficult.  The tail is too long and I couldn't figure out how to get the head cocked to the side.  I am looking forward on learning how to draw from life and expanding my skills.

May thought that it was scary to draw a new thing with no instructions but then realized she did it all the time and got the hang of it. I also thought it was a little scary but when I got started I realized it wasn't so bad. For May everything accept the toes and legs. I thought that most of it was challenging but when I got to the wing it got easy. When May looked at the picture after she had drawn it she hadn't seen the mushrooms at the edge of the picture but she had drawn it. I didn't notice the little patch of  yellow vines at the edge of the branch the bird was standing on. But I did draw it on my pad. But we think that it matters because we would want to catch every little detail. And I think it's fun just jumping into the drawing without thinking about it. Thank you, May & Margot

I enjoyed drawing the little warbler.  I found the beak really hard to draw.  Struggled getting the proportions right. The item I may not have noticed in the photo, that I noticed when I drew the warbler was the black on the feathers in the wings.  The red streaks on the breast of the bird have always jumped out at me when I've seen them in pictures and in the wild but I never really noticed the black on the wing feathers.  I used colored pencils and next time I may try water color.  I've never used them before but just picked up some watercolor pens.  Wish me luck! :)  

Felt pretty okay getting shapes sketched out, but trying out the watercolors really threw me. Tough to get the right colors mixed!

Very quick sketch with pencil and colored pencils, in keeping the spirit of the course!  I usually put more time and effort and pull out the watercolors but really doesn't come out that much better.   I wish I could draw/paint thin fine lines which are needed for the feathers.  Overall happy with my little yellow warbler!

1.  It’s been quite a while since I drew anything, and I have never been any good.  It was better than I expected, but still pretty kindergarten like. 2.  The way the Yellow Warbler’s feet appear on the branch.  Yes.