Heather
Forum Replies Created
Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
-
This was such a lovely activity. I sat in my backyard and ended up noticing more than I expected I would. For example the bark of one of my maple trees is actually far lighter in color (and contains some pink!) then I ever realized. Almost on cue, bird, squirrels, and insects were far more noticeable right around 15 minutes in. A small fly landed on my finger and I attempted to draw it, but I'm kind of wishing I had taken a photo to try identifying with iNaturalist since I can't figure out what it is now that I'm back inside - there are benefits and drawbacks to both photographic and drawn observations. I'm hoping I get more comfortable drawing. I wanted to capture the texture of tree bark and didn't really know where to start.
-
I think you did a great job. The bird looks alive!
-
Another app/website suggestion is iNaturalist - its ability to ID from photos is amazing!
-
Drawing from the photo was nice - no stress worrying about it flying away. While nothing about this was “easy”, I think that capturing the texture was much harder for me than the overall shape. I don’t think I would have noticed the different types of lichen, or the faint brown on the bird’s head if I wasn’t drawing.
-
Not gonna lie, when I first looked at that I thought it was a photo of a tomato sitting on your page. Beautiful work!
-
I took a drawing class in college a million years ago. I remember we had to draw 5 white eggs on a white background without leaving any blank space on the page. It was so hard!
-
Beautiful! I love how real those berries look.
-
Also, my 4 year old has a “nature shelf” that she fills with “treasures” from our explorations outside. I had no idea when I set that up for her (mostly because I was tired if finding leaves and rocks all over the house) that it I would be making use of it for evening sketching when its too dark to go outside!
-
I’ve clearly got a lot more practicing to do! I wish I had waited on the water color because the 3rd version of this apple was the best, but I wanted to try out the color. I think I’ll stick to pencil for a while though. Anyhow I suppose I should focus on the fact that each attempt at sketching the apple felt a bit better, and I enjoined looking at it from different angles, and seeing how the highlights and shadows shifted.
-
1. The basic shape/outline was ok, but I didn't even bother trying color. The details of the feather texture and the lichen were definitely beyond me. 2. I don't think I would have noticed all the different types of lichen - I would have just noticed the bird, mostly its color. I probably wouldn't have notices the different textures on the bird.
-
I teach Ecology and Evolution, and feel like I always stress the importance of observation, but don't always "walk the walk". I think that connecting with nature is important for all people, and my students especially, and I'm hoping this course will help me deepen my own connections with nature, which I can then model for my students. Similar to what others have mentioned, I've done a lot of nature photography, but I often don't take the time to process my photos and reflect on them. I'm hoping that becoming more confident with drawing will help me make nature journaling and observing a regular part of my life as opposed to something I attempt a couple of times a year and then give up when I don't like my first drawing.
Drawing from the photo was nice - no stress worrying about it flying away. While nothing about this was “easy”, I think that capturing the texture was much harder for me than the overall shape. I don’t think I would have noticed the different types of lichen, or the faint brown on the bird’s head if I wasn’t drawing. 
Also, my 4 year old has a “nature shelf” that she fills with “treasures” from our explorations outside. I had no idea when I set that up for her (mostly because I was tired if finding leaves and rocks all over the house) that it I would be making use of it for evening sketching when its too dark to go outside! 
I’ve clearly got a lot more practicing to do! I wish I had waited on the water color because the 3rd version of this apple was the best, but I wanted to try out the color. I think I’ll stick to pencil for a while though. Anyhow I suppose I should focus on the fact that each attempt at sketching the apple felt a bit better, and I enjoined looking at it from different angles, and seeing how the highlights and shadows shifted. Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)