I enjoyed this exercise, as it challenged me to really look at both plants and see the similarities/differences. I wasn't used to paying such focused attention to details such as buds, petals, stems, leaves/veins, overall shape, etc. but as I did I noticed more than I would have just perusing them in my yard. I thought of questions such as: did the broad leaves of both plants catch more water/sunlight than smaller ones would have? Do bees ever come to flowers such as cyclamen and geraniums? What is the affect on propagation of a bulb v.s. a root plant? Do the shapes of these flowers enhance their survival, assuming a receptive environment? I hadn't been aware of these before.
January 18, 2024
Observation: Watching back yard through inside back room, with window open. Cloudy day after a rainy day previously, with some sun peeking through the clouds. Hearing "crackle" sounds through the open back window (persistent sound for 1/2 hour).
Possible explanation: Rain from the tree branches has collected in places, gradually falling like rain in "drips", but causing the branches to sound like "crackle"? Actually pieces from the trees are falling (small branches, leaves, etc.) after weight from the collected water causes them to fall? Weight of the water collected makes the tree bark expand and makes a sound?
Questions:
Do only certain trees respond this way after a rain? (we have many kinds of trees here in the yard)
Does it take an animal (like a squirrel, of which there are many, or birds) running through the trees or lighting on them to make the sounds happen?
Does the sun have any affect on this process to cause the water-soaked branches to expand or ??
I found this exercise somewhat difficult, but valuable. It was hard not to look down at the paper to try to get the subject captured more accurately! But it forces me to look more carefully at the subject and try to notice the nuances of changes in the contour. I used full pages for each drawing - not usual for me. But I liked having the freedom of the whole page to try this exercise, which was interesting. I didn't want to restrict myself. Thanks for the challenge!
1. I enjoyed drawing the Warbler! I like focusing on the details of the bird while doing this process.
The broader outlines weren't too difficult for me, but proportion of parts and placement were harder.
2. I noticed more of the bird's shading while drawing it, and placement of the feathers, as well as the setting details.
For journaling, I'd note the additional colors/shading for better identification. Also, the location of the bird is helpful for identification (tree, water, ground)
1. I've been journaling for travel for many years, and have incorporated sketches of nature into this practice. I love the impressionistic aspect of sketching to spark memory and feeling, which is different from photography. I have family who are birders/naturalists, and in the last 2 years introduced me to bird identification, helping me to be more attentive to nature everyday -- not just when I travel. I just retired, so saw this course and immediately felt the time spent on it would enhance my enjoyment and appreciation of nature and art. I've not yet used watercolor for the journal sketches, so this practice will help me enhance them. 2. I like Shayna Miller's style, which is akin to mine incorporating text and sketches. I also like the variety of subject matter. I'd also like to learn to use D.J. McNeill's use of geometric shapes for (especially) birds. 3. One of the discussion participants mentioned collecting samples to add to their journal. I've done some of this, and want to continue to add pressed flowers, leaves, bird feathers, etc. to the journal. It makes it more 3-D and tactile!