Mary

As I began drawing from the photo, I greatly appreciated that this wonderful little bird was not moving.  It gave me a chance to look carefully at the detail (the varied colors – usually I would just note “a yellow bird” –but now I noted the brown streaks on its breast.  Also the different kinds of feathers overlapping. And the details of the twig and the moss/lichen).  The actual drawing was a challenge….it has been a while since I have done any drawing – figuring out proportions and angles, but the more I sketched, the more I enjoyed it!  In fact it was a very relaxing exercise.  As I progress, I hope to experiment more with color. The advantage of drawing over photographing is that you spend more time actually looking at the detail of the subject.  Having just completed a digital photography course I understand the detail of getting the correct light, aperture speed, focus, etc.  Although you focus on the subject in terms of composition, you do not zero in on the detail.   I think in nature journaling I may find it difficult to draw the detail since the subject may be moving, but instead I may spend more time observing the behavior of the bird, or the environment – in fact a combination of photos and drawing on the spot may be a nice compromise.  The advantage of journaling is observing the interactions of the animals and the plants in their environment and then recording those observations.   Jan 12 2021