Andrea

First I tried drawing with the mechanical pencil and then was excited to try the water-colour kit, and quickly got into trouble!  While my colours were drying (and the warbler's eye started weeping), I tried again with a draughting pencil.  It's really tricky to gather patience to draw the feathers properly, to follow them through all the way along the bird's body - I was wanting to rush things.  Drawing does encourage noticing the details, which I wouldn't do from a quick glance at a quick photo.  Drawing forced me to see how the feathers lap onto each other, how there are such thin long lines of feathers, and how the feathers are crisper toward the tail and softer and fluffier at the shoulder, and not even noticeable at the head.  The angle of the legs is interesting too - we can't see how the legs connect to the bird's body but we wonder, because the angles look so awkward.  Makes me appreciate the yellow warbler! When I went back to my watercolour, the colours had all smeared and were way too thick and dark for highlights, poor bird.  Then I thought, I wonder if these sponges are here in my kit for a reason?  Could I take colour away with them?  Yes!  I took away thick black and sierra highlights and streaming mascara; it smeared the outline of the warbler a bit but I think he looks happier. Looking forward to getting better! Andrea (this class is my birthday present to myself - happy birthday to all the other birthday giftees!)