Drawing from the photo is easier than from the field, I suppose.  Still, challenging is drawing the feather details.  I might have missed the color of the feet, and the breast pattern as more streaked than stripes.  Certainly, drawing makes me more focused on the particular details and field marks. It helps me remember them better, but also it is sometimes easier to depict than describe.

We have lots of warblers where I live, but I have never drawn one before. Overall, kind of challenging because I don’t draw often. But I really loved getting to notice all the minor details.

I was challenging to get the size and proportions correct, even from a photo. Drawing it helped me notice the shape and feather patterns.

The practice sketch was fun! I enjoyed practicing the feet, something I wouldn’t have tried without the photo. I can see the benefit of using photos in the field if you want to capture details you can’t really see well in the field- like warbler’s feet. On the other hand, they may be a distraction from being in the moment with what’s in front of you. 

Starting with basic shapes and framing helped in the drawing. Interested to see how next attempt has improved.

I've never seen a Yellow Warbler in person (that I know of).  Now that I've drawn one, I'm much more likely to recognize one in the future.  Drawing from a photo can be great since you can hone in and focus on details (since the subject isn't moving)--and you can choose to highlight details that catch your eye and let others fade or draw them with less detail.

Drawing from a photo gave me time to look at details and have the proportions and shapes drawn as accurate as possible; however, the challenging part was trying to illustrate actions (e.g. the feet of the yellow warbler perching on the branch, what was the bird intended behavior, etc).  I did not apply water colors.  If I were capturing a yellow warbler when nature journaling, I would have probably failed to notice the contrast in the wing bars and how many bars they have.

Very hard to get the proportions right. Doesn't look anything like a warbler! But let's keep trying!

😂 I think I will look for a pencil eraser with a brush at one end. I've worn down the eraser on my Pentel a bit and see it will get more action as time goes on. Also, I will mark the time so I can see how much time is spent on sketches.

I didn´t quite know what part to start drawing first, the bird or the tree and if I would get the scale right. I was surprised how hard it was to concentrate on the little details on the tree. I may not have noticed exactly how the claws grasp onto the tree and the line of the tail and how many little details there are on the tree. I think this first exercise will make a difference for me because I think I should draw what I most want to draw first and then fill in the other details.

My colors look muddy, proportions off, I liked my drawing more, my watercolor skill disappointed me.

Well, it looks more like a yellow bird than I thought it would.  I noticed lots of people use the trick of re-doing several variations of a line, rather than get the perfect line the first try.  t looks fine like that, I am going to try to do that.

Some benefit(s)/easiest parts include not having your subject move and being allowed more time than if in nature. It is challenging to draw from a flat 2D photo b/c it is a representation of reality. I noticed all sorts of details about the position and shape of the bird and tree branch as I tried to accurately represent them in my drawing, rather than just glancing at a photo and moving on. This would certainly make a difference when journaling.

Kaia's mom Angela

Kaia age 11

I enjoyed drawing from the photo because the subject wasn't moving and it's easier to pick up details and shapes.  I thought seeing the shapes were easy, trying to figure out the light source direction and shading was a bit tricky for me.  I have never seen a yellow warbler, so drawing it will help me remember it if I ever see one.

Argh! Almost finished with my response then lost the page. Rather than repeat everything, I'll go right to what I noticed because this was a photo: The different shapes and textures of the feathers, and that one foot was not fully grasping the branch. Yes, this would be the questions I would be asking ... and perhaps with a bird in front of me, I'd get the answer through patient observation. And now that I found the edit button, I will add that I took your bird painting class a few months ago (waxwing) and learned about feather structures then!

Drawing the bird was easy from the photo.  It was not jumping around!  Capturing the background and environment is difficult.

Johana 6 years :-)

Considering that birds are almost always in motion I often reach for a camera before the binoculars so I can snap a pic then zoom in, look at specific markings, beak shape and color etc. otherwise it's just the flash of a yellow bird in the bush,  blink and it's gone.  The idea of drawing  from life is terrifying, unless maybe it's a heron!  Drawing it made me look closer at its grasp of the twig. the eye etc.  Feathers and markings are still really intimidating!

First bird  I've ever drawn like this!  I saw more colors than I expected to, and I noticed the shading of the wing, the shoulder and the back of hte head/neck.  The yellow also has different intensities, but I'm not sure how to show that.

For me drawing from the photo allowed me to take my time, I could breathe and try to relax as I drew the bird.  It was a nice challenge; I can only get better from here 😊.  Using a photo allowed me to come back and take a layered approach, first get the basic outline, and then start adding details.  If I didn’t have the photo, I wouldn’t have noticed the upside down ‘v’ over the beak, the yellow ring around the eye.  I think when drawing a live bird, I'll initially have to focus on the primary details quickly and not worry so much about the details, things like focus on the head to body ratio, what type of beak, beak-eye to head ratio (is it a downy or a hairy woodpecker?), how long is the tail.

I found this exercise so enjoyable. Drawing the photo helped me notice tiny details I would not have otherwise.  Who was munching on that leaf? Did the warbler find a tasty caterpillar on the tree? What kind of tree is this? Drawing also highlighted the incredible variation of yellows, browns and black.  It was quite a challenge to depict with a pencil! Photographs convey dimension so clearly. I am looking forward to improving drawing 3D objects and scenes as currently my drawings tend to appear quite flat.