I I have really enjoyed this course.  I love seeing all of the other paintings from the group!  I admit  feeling a little timid about the watercolor process but it boils down to practice for sure!

I don't know if I have improved, but I have really enjoyed this class!

Day one at the top, today at the bottom, still working on getting the colors right, but more comfortable with composition and form.

Past on the left, current try on the right. Learning to look at negative shapes and how different parts relate to each other was very helpful in laying down the draft sketch. I've been avoiding watercolor for 20+ years, and finally through learning techniques taught by Liz I am really enjoying it. Waiting for the paint to dry between layering and faintly erasing pencil lines before coloring were two techniques that really helped me move forward. Still need practice on proportion & color mixing.

I’m pleased with my progress and bringing it all together. Still need to work on my watercolor technique! I can see the improvement in everyone’s work.

I like using wet-on-wet to give an effect. Watercolor has a "mind" of its own. At times, I use a wrong color that I intended to use and then will need to readjust my strategy. With more practice I will be able to determine how the color flows. I even have to compensate for color blindness, which can make interesting results. After doing the sketch, I attempted to create the 3-D effect with yellow by using the layering process.

using the skills we learned for measuring proportions and working with negative space definitely improved my work overall. i tried much harder to make sure i was seeing the shape, and not just the object. i'm very happy with the results!  

I have enjoyed this course very much. I definitely see improvement in my drawing. I need more patience with painting. Just let it dry! Thank you Liz. 

                                    I am very pleased with the improvement.  It has been years since I worked in watercolors and I love getting back to using watercolors.  I have really focused on enjoying the process and not so much the product.  I is a wonderful combination of my love fore nature and art.

The drawing on the left is a much truer representation of the yellow warbler. Instead of pencils I used water color. Though I am just learning about them, I find them exciting to use. Though I have a long way to go, I am very encouraged by what Liz has taught me. This class has been a joy and a revelation. Thank you, Liz, and Cornell.

Techniques learned in this course, and used in creating the Yellow Warbler painting: wet on dry, wet on wet, tinting with opposite color (i.e. to create shaded areas on the yellow a little bit of purple mixed in really worked!), proportions and recognizing the negative spaces, using hatch lines to create texture and dimension. I must be leaving something out... :)

The paint brush and I are becoming friends, thanks to the fun exercises in this course! There seems to be an early 'ugly duckling' phase (excuse the phrase), before each effort transitions into something satisfying. One challenge is knowing when to stop :)

I really enjoyed this class and learned so much! Negative space, gesture drawing, proportions, tone and shade - all make such a difference. Color mixing and seeing tone and shade are areas where I'll keep working. My little yellow warbler improved quite a bit! Thank you Liz!

I took art classes in both high school and college. However, I have learned so much more from this course.  Liz Clayton Fuller is an amazing teacher. She thoroughly gave us in-depth instructions for drawing and watercolor skills and techniques.  I especially benefited from from the lessons on adding color to my sketches. I think my biggest difficulty is being patient, and waiting for my watercolors to dry before moving to the next step.   I enjoyed all the lessons, and looked forward to working on the class assignments.  I hope to continue using all that I learned on future art projects.

I liked a lot this exercise because I could practice the techniques to add color. Wet on wet, wet on dry, dry brush, wash, I liked the proportion of the bird, and I think I need to practice more about value. Here is the before and after:

Here's a little Indian Palm squirrel I just painted from a photo... Going to practice daily!

This class made all the difference! Yellow Fellow looks dimensional. I got here by learning about the use of short, sketchy lines to rough out a shape, and using, in this example, the bird's head to estimate the size of the body. I learned to draw and paint what I see, and not what I know, or assume... The watercolor instruction has been particularly helpful. I always wanted to learn to use watercolors, and I finally understand the techniques I need: glazing, blending, dry bush, wet on dry... layering... and going over things with a wet brush to blend areas I've already painted. Still need to paint Yellow Fellow's branch and the leaves, am chickening out on the background, but did learn about applying a wash of color... Really happy with the results!

I used watercolor pencils to color the bird.  I would like to go over it lightly with water to blend the colors more but I am worried I will ruin what I have done so far.  I feel as though I have inproved on my sketching skills.  This has been so much fun!

I am new to birding and live very close to Point Peele, Ontario.  I have a wonderful opportunity to view nature and birds and now I am excited and really looking forward to this course.

I am really excited about this course and look forward to learning new skills. I always enjoy seeing what corners of the world other students come from and look forward to seeing what nature has to offer to people elsewhere. I live on Vancouver Island off the west coast of Canada.

can I get the art supplies from you(bird academy)?