Betsy

1.   From Betsy:  While drawing from the photo, I liked first setting the boundary/border for the drawing & then studying the relationships between the bird, the twigs, leaves, etc.  I loved how the bird's legs formed an unexpected angle & how the eye looked so bright, with that one little sparkle.   It felt really great again to put a plain #2 Ticonderoga in my hand & sketch away.  Just getting started came really easily, as did the desire to sketch quickly.  What was difficult was realizing that I'm a lot like this bird, always on the move, always looking for the next thing...not for survival's sake, like the warbler, but as my pattern of thinking & responding, my impatience.  It was good to focus on the graceful bird, somewhat at rest, but...always on the move, always looking out, and always beautiful.  Thank you! Because I can feel my brain operating differently when I draw, and that is so nice to notice, I was able to figure out how to "insert the image" into this e-mail & then to respond in this way.  This is no small feat for me, so thank you for your deference, as I am sure this technology is easy stuff for many of you.  It's not for me!  I would imagine for many of us, though of course I don't really know, maybe especially for the artist who enrolled in this course as a birthday present, we have a chance to think about how we "see;" we have a chance to focus on ourselves as we focus on what we have always loved to do -- to draw.  Ah, self-knowledge.  Thank you! 2.  I really noticed the shading & "implied" feathering & how the beak "sat." The veining on the leaves & the twists & textures in the twigs added to the action.   The warbler's perch, his strong sure grip, though it lasts mere split seconds, ensures the bird's survival, as does, conversely, the letting go of the grip.  This bird has a rounder head than I would have imagined.  And what a sunny color.  Look at how streamlined & aerodynamic  he is.  Like a sunbolt.  Amazing!