Obviously I need to work on my photography skills again - took me longer to get the picture, research to remember how to adjust the lighting, and download it than it did to do the drawing. I am a good drawer, but my biggest problem is getting bogged down in details, and taking waaaaay too long to produce a picture. I am hoping this course helps me to 'loosen up' and create something in the same year I started it. I took a course through the Robert Bateman Foundation in Victoria and one thing that always resonated with me was the instructor talking about 'giving the illusion' of feathers, or fur, or whatever versus drawing every single excruciating detail. I try to keep that in mind. Also, my animal/bird feet are normally appalling but I am quite happy with this guy's feet. Another thing I do is when I want a loose, uneven line such as on a branch, I switch to my left hand and draw. Drawing with my right hand tends to produce smooth, unrealistic looking branches.

Getting the general shape of the bird was a challenge - as was making the feathers look like individual feathers.

1. I think it turned out well, but could be improved. The branches were fairly easy to draw, but the bird itself was more difficult. 2. A small twig of some sort was sticking out of a larger one that took a few seconds to notice.

I have to say, I would have liked some instruction here. I opted not to mess up my drawing with watercolour at this stage, as I can't remember what colours to lay on or how to lay them on (i.e, what brushes to use). As a companion to this course, I am reading a book I purchased that was recommended in another Cornell course I took - The Sierra Club Guide to Sketching in Nature. The section on brushes was particularly interesting. I tend to draw very slowly, plus as ranchers the day is continually interrupted so I'm moving ahead on the course while I complete this drawing.

I just began a class through Cornell Labs on drawing birds.  I am learning about the various feather groups in that course and found it interesting to note those in drawing the Yellow Warbler.  I did try to use watercolors on this picture but feel instead of enhancing the bird, the colors, especially in the flank of the bird, did not show the accurate coloring of the bird.

Drawing the yellow warbler from the photo was a challenge for me.  I wasn’t sure where to begin.   I thought with the bird, but found myself focusing on the branch and foliage.  Had difficulty with sizing spacing on my page. Tried painting, but think layering colors is needed and figuring out what colors to mix to get desired hues.  Drawing from photo was easy as the subject stayed in one place. The colors of the stems leading to the leaves would not have been notice without drawing it. Details are key to drawing I think.

I think drawing from the photo is easier than being out of nature. You are able to see all the details. I think using the watercolors made it easier to get finish the picture in a fair amount of time. The details of the branch was challenging for me and also those details I would have missed if I just looked at the image rather drawing/painting it. I think that's the point of nature journaling is to see the details. Notice the moss growing, the leave being green, the bird rather plump compared to the ones I see on their migration that are thin from the journey, the background swathed in green. Someone mentioned below that they had a hard time with the beak. I did too. I think the head loos more like a yellow platypus rather than a yellow warbler. I also left no room for words, but I suppose I can write over the paint.

1.  I enjoyed drawing the Warbler! I like focusing on the details of the bird while doing this process. The broader outlines weren't too difficult for me, but proportion of parts and placement were harder. 2.  I noticed more of the bird's shading while drawing it, and placement of the feathers, as well as the setting details. For journaling, I'd note the additional colors/shading for better identification. Also, the location of the bird is helpful for identification (tree, water, ground)

I have a long way to go.

I tried to remember the advice from the video about finding shapes in the bird's body. It took time, and there are still parts that I don't think I captured well (the breast region and the legs in particular), but I ended up being pretty happy with it. The tail was really challenging as was capturing the details of the feathers and markings. I found that the longer I spent on looking and revisiting, the more realistic my sketch got. I also found myself wondering how much time I should spend on the branch and leaves. I did notice some details about the leaves (serrated edges, alternating pattern) that I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't have been looking so closely.

• Drawing in general is challenging for me.  It took a few hours to sketch the warbler and then try watercolor pencils. I can’t say anything came easily, but I enjoyed the process.  Having time to observe a photo is a plus.  Drawing offered me a better understanding of the bird’s coloring, the shape of it’s beak, and legs.  Certainly appreciate the opportunity to be more observant through nature journaling.

This was hard for me. At least in the photo the bird is standing still. I can't imagine trying to get all the details from looking at a moving creature. I tried using water color pencils, but the colors still need work.

I mostly enjoyed taking my time and doing the watercolors in layers, but sometimes it was hard to be patient. Ultimately it was quite satisfying to see the realism of the bird appear towards the end. I definitely noticed the subtle differences between colors.

1. It was a little intimidating to just do it without any instruction, but I got more confident as I went. It was good to start with something that doesn't move because it took a long time! 2. There we lots of details like leg position, beak shape, locations of colors, etc... that I would not have really processed if I didn't have to draw it. This will make a big difference when trying to ID an animal. Lots of times I read a description of a species when trying to ID a bird and realize that I have no idea if there was a ring around the eye, what shape the tail was, where the banding was located. I'm hoping to learn to notice these details better!

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!