Unfortunately I lost my first drawing when I moved to a new house. I think I'm more confident in watercolor and managing the flow of color with my brush. Color mixture is really interesting and sometimes tough to control. Every time is a new try, and it will create something new that's really interesting. I'd love to explore it in the future.

I do think it looks more "realistic" now but I can see I missed some of the proportions. However, the lessons on negative space were really useful, so I'll keep practicing.

My goal was to practice as many techniques as I could apply - especially with the watercolor.  The drybrush one is one I still find challenging and was pleased to see I am making some progress.

It was very satisfying to see the side by side comparison of the sketches.  It is also very inspiring to see that with practice, my "artist eye" is developing.

I can't wait for spring to be able to go outside more consistently with my tools.  In the meantime, I'll sketch and paint from pictures and Explore.org streaming channels.

Thanks for a wonderfully fun and informative class.  I expect I will come back in the future to refresh my techniques.

Like others I am delighted to have learned that nature journaling is something I enjoy, something I am gaining an appreciation for,  and something I am gaining confidence in.

I am looking forward to learning more and having even more fun.

The biggest difference for me was my confidence. I now had actual tools - sketchy lines, negative space, pen-proportion method - letting me focus on the bird itself and truly observe its features. The more I looked, the more I discovered! Before this course, I'd just wing it with no idea where to start. Still not sure on how I'll manage a 'bird in the wild' unless it poses for 30 minutes but keen to keep practicing!

To be honest, before I compared them side-by-side, I have had no idea how much I actually improved my physical skills. I can see a huge difference in the proportions of the two; my sketching is now much more accurate, and I am able to place my subject in space better. Before, I was also much less confident with color mixing and watercolor in general, so I think I am very happy with the progress I have made!!

I had lots of fun both sketching and painting this bird, which I believe has also increased since my first sketch.
(I am still not the best at backgrounds, but any progress is good progress!)

One thing I noticed looking back at my first drawing was that I did not use short sketchy lines. I learned so much in this class. The exercises were very helpful. I enjoyed relearning some of the drawing techniques and also learning a new way to work with watercolors. I’m finally getting comfortable with the layering technique. I feel like I need a lot of practice, but i’m enjoying the learning process. I also enjoy the nature journaling process very much.

I had some challenges getting the body proportions quite right, specially the head, and the proper layering of colors takes time and patience to get right, but the whole course has been very rewarding and encouraging that I know I can continue to improve with practice. Thanks Liz, you are a wonderful teacher.

I am so pleased with the progress I've made in this course - especially in using watercolors, proportion and really looking at detail. The watercolors have been particularly exciting for me - in the past, they've felt intimidating, but now I feel so much more comfortable with this medium. Liz is an excellent teacher - clear and encouraging with great, actionable tips and assignments. Comparing my first and second yellow warbler, I can really see how much I've learned. Thank you, Liz and Cornell!

First warbler:



Second warbler:

I definitely improved in using negative space and proportion. I have also learned more about using watercolors. In my first drawing I didn't wait long enough and the colors bled together. When I painted the second drawing I was outside and the air temperature was 92 degrees with 38% humidity and I had a ceiling fan on overhead. My paint dried almost too quickly! I had to keep adding water. I really like the proportions of the second bird and the detail I was able to do with the watercolors. I also like that there is no pressure to be perfect and that I can make it my own. 

Watercolor is new for me. I think my bird looks more alive. I had taken a graphite plant course which makes the leaves and branches better in my first drawing. My second bird looks more like a yellow warbler. I did spend 4 times as much time compared to my initial drawing though. I felt more confident while drawing my second bird. I have registered with a beginner watercolor course starting next week.

I think I have improved a little bit, but I don’t see an exaggerating different result than what I first had.  I think I did a better job incorporating the shading of the bird and its different textures in its feathers. I didn’t have time to watercolor it, but I think it’s different features would stand out more if I did.

this is my first one



and this is my second one (most recent)

At the start of the course I drew the warbler and coloured it using colour pencils, the one technique I’d been using for my drawings till then. I had been drawing birds for a few months, and I was especially happy with the outcome, even more so because, being at the very beginning of the course, I had no pressure or expectations of myself. I thought, ‘It’s only the beginning, if it doesn’t look good I have the whole course ahead of me to improve!’

But the fact that I liked it a lot put a lot of pressure on me today :D so I had to redraw it multiple times, even in parts that normally don’t take me 4-5 attempts to get right, e.g. the legs and the bill. I think I redid the eye a dozen times. I worked with multiple layers of watercolours, trying to apply as many techniques as I could. I also decided to forget about the branch and only focus on the bird instead.

I’m quite happy with the outcome, as I think the overall shape and proportions of the warbler are quite accurate. I see that as a huge improvement if I compare this second drawing with the first one. Overall, I'm also happy with the colouring, especially because the bird pattern and striping was not too basic in my opinion, so that was great watercolour practice, but also the first time I’d used this technique to render this plumage pattern. I have to improve the way I combine two colours, both when it comes to keeping them apart and when they should blend. The breast is the part I’m least happy with, the head the part I’m most happy with.

This was a great exercise.

Photo #1: coloured pencils (at the start of the course)

Photo #2: watercolours (now, at the end of the course)

First Drawing:



Second Drawing:  Definitely an improvement.  I used the wash technique, and layering colors and enjoyed mixing colors.  I spent a fair amount of time on proportions.  This wears a lot of fun.

Showing definite improvement with proportion and shading. I will try another with paint. I didn’t want to mess up drawing with paint🙂.

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I have always been terribly self-critical and sensitive to criticism from others. That's why I stopped drawing and painting 30 years ago. Liz is such an encouraging teacher that I have found the courage and joy to draw and paint again. Of course there is room for improvement, but I find many details that I am very happy with. Practicing different techniques has been useful and I think it is quite easy to find the right ones for every situation. The Yellow Warbler turned out better than I expected!

I used mostly dry brush on the second yellow warbler.  I was happy with the drawing and just used watercolor on the warbler and pencil for the rest of the drawing.  I felt I handled the watercolor a little better, because I did not try to overwork and get it sloppy looking.  I need a lot more practice before I really feel comfortable with this medium.

I was SHOCKED at how much I have improved! This course has been so fun and informative! I still have much room for growth and I’m excited to continue on this path!

I feel good about the shape but wish I had removed more pencil so the watercolor isn't so muddy. I like the orange marks on the breast but could have benefited from more dry time with the black accents. The second drawing has more character and dimensionality that the first drawing which I suspect is from experimenting with tint and shadow. Work in progress.

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Just using watercolor is a new technique for me.  I think that I am getting better at using a wash for a background and therefore giving my painting more color. I also think that I made better use of highlights and shadows. I am starting to learn ways to get the details better.  It has been a true learning curve for me.