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🙂.

! 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.

0

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.    

The top is the final yellow warbler drawing. I reversed the image because I'm left-handed. I thought the head looked more accurate. Adding color and getting the fine lines was not easy. I couldn't get the deep brilliant yellow mixed the way I wanted. I tend to use too much water; thus, the black feathers ran into the yellow. Deep greens were also a problem—next time, on to more practice.

I'm really happy with how far I've come. I appreciated being able to learn how to deal with scale and proportions, and made sure to implement those techniques in the new drawing. I also was able to improve my shading, as well as the fine details of my painting. Learning how to properly use watercolors was also valuable, and really helped my drawing reach that next level. I still want to work on some of the fine detail techniques with watercolor, and figure out how to make the shading and colors more accurate, but otherwise I'm happy with how far I've come

The first time, back in April(left),I was very apprehensive as it was my first time doing any drawing or painting since 2004. My second time around done today was done by a waaaaay more confident me. I have found my style that works for my nature journal and one that I can do quickly as I am outdoors. Adding dimension is something I use now and just the reassuring way the facilitator taught empowered me to be boldly develop a style that suits me.  Thanks much!

The first one was the very first sketch of a yellow warbler, and the second was the one where we reflected on what we learned. 

It took me a while to finish my after drawing, and I know I have a long way to go. However, I do see improvement. I need to work on holding a brush and getting finer lines. My hand shakes, so it is tricky.  I also need to work on color blending and learning how to create more 3-d shapes. Even though I worked on being patient, I need to work on that more. The first photo is my very first drawing before I got my materials, and it is my final drawing. The second one I posted was right after I got my materials and watched the first drawing video.

I learned quickly that I was trying to capture too much detail in my initials sketches. Spending more time on a focus object and building the detail in the image is something I am focusing on now— additional details can always be added as bullet points or written notes next to the image.   Color blocking and layering is also very helpful in order to understand how to make the image appear more realistic and I’m still learning how to see all the different nuances of color and shade in nature!

  I like both of my sketches, but like the attention to values on my second one especially, as well as the detail on the wings. I spent more time on the second. Love this cute little yellow friend.