Kayla
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Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)
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My favorite nature journaling experience was at a pond. I brought two ziploc bags of mixed birdseed (sunflower, millet, milo, etc.) my journal, pencil, and binoculars. There were so many ducks there, hungry and looking for food for the upcoming winter. I had a blast giving them all birdseed and taking pictures of them. I saw so many birds that day, Song Sparrows, Northern Flickers, Spotted Towhees, a Belted Kingfisher and more! That was one of the most fun birding experiences I've had and I highly recommend just getting out there and exploring because you never know what you're going to find. Journaling-wise, the technique I used was Gesture sketching because they (of course) were constantly moving, so I did quick and scribbly sketches that I later added detail to. I also recommend taking pictures, if you want to keep moving and bird/critter watching rather than sitting down and sketching you can just snap a photo and draw it later. I'm honestly a bit sad for this course to end, but I appreciated going on this nature sketching journey and enjoyed it profusely. -
I quite enjoyed Charles Darwin's passage about bioluminescence in the sea. His writing drew me in and I was able to imagine what he was describing with much enjoyment.
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New techniques I was able to apply were Gesture Sketching, and Proportions. I feel better about the proportions because I always feel like something is off, but something I would still like to improve would be drawing/painting bird feet and realism.
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I find a flat and comfortable spot to sit and either from my phone's photos or from all around me take a pencil and sketch. I always wait to watercolor until I get home because it causes less trouble. This is an older journal page, but more recently I have used gesture drawing a lot more.
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Wet on Dry: Northern Flicker
Wet on Wet: Cinnamon Teal
Dry Brush: American Robin
Out of the three techniques my favorite is Wet on Dry (the one I typically use) and my least favorite is Dry Brush. I will continue using wet on dry in future journaling projects, but might throw in wet on wet from time to time.
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My first experience with watercolors was in preschool (and of course that wasn't a memorable experience). The first time I truly started using watercolors was in elementary, and to this day it's my favorite medium. I have (like everyone) had good days and bad days with watercolor, and today wasn't my best, but it was a lot of fun. The subject I chose was a Common Kingfisher because they have such a unique color palette with the complementary colors of blue and orange. For the most part I achieved the colors I wanted, but there was a bright aqua tint which I couldn't achieve with the color range I had.
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The general shape of the bird has come more easily to me, but the difficulties have been making the bird look more realistic and feet have always been a struggle for me, but luckily this one's feet are more hidden. The most helpful technique I've learned so far is the gesture sketching itself, it gives the bird such a natural look.
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Upside down drawing was difficult. I was able to view the sections as shapes, but there were definitely times where I viewed things as part of a bird rather than a shape. The patterns on the breast and belly were particularly difficult, but when I flipped it over I felt better about it. The only parts that really bother me are that the head feels a bit too small, and the left leg is too long.
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The measuring of proportions helped me more accurately depict animals. If I were to use this in the field I feel that it would work perfectly for natural formations and plants, but for animals it has a downside. Unless the animal is very still or sleeping, it'd be a bit of a nuisance to try to use this on a moving animal. To answer the last question, yes it is easier to measure still objects more than moving ones.
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Gesture drawing has definitely helped me capture unique moments that don't feel so staged. It was hard at first to let go and be loose, you can see from my wren, but I feel that the more I did it, the looser it got. Something I noticed that I might not have had I not done gesture drawing is that the sketches become a lot more natural looking even if there are sketchy lines.
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I didn't do the Newt a favor, but I believe I did better on the Sunbird. I definitely think that this exercise helped me stay focused on the subject because it has you focus on details that you probably otherwise would've overlooked.
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Overall, I quite enjoyed the experience. It was first of all fun to find two things to compare. Both Woodhouse's Scrub Jays and Black-billed Magpies visit my yard daily, and I thought it would be fun to choose them! I would balance drawing, writing, and numerical data in my journal by doing organized columns and putting data where it best fit. For example writing the number of petals near the petals themselves.
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Observation: Starlings' murmuring is very much like sardine baitballs.
Possible Explanation: Both animals have adapted as prey to partake in safety in numbers.
Question: Why have two different animal classes adapted such similar behaviors?
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As you can tell from the date, this is from 2021, but I'm finally uploading it. One thing that was more outside of the box for me was looking at the ground. I typically only look out for birds, so it was definitely new to look to the ground for critters as well.
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After trying some of these drawing skills, it was a little easier to see where and how each could be applied. I am definitely starting to feel more comfortable putting marks on the page compared to before. I want to work on my shading a little more though. I decided to do a robin, although there wasn't much contrast and the proportions were a little off, I'm happy with how it turned out.
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1. I think drawings have a more personal advantage over photos. There's more effort and emotion put into them, and the artist can add their own personal touches and interpretation. The advantage photos have over drawings however is that they're more realistic, and they can capture the moment perfectly. 2. Drawing from the photo was a lot of fun. The most difficult part for me was getting the legs and feet right. I have always struggled with this when depicting birds. I hope that I can improve by the end of this course. 3. If I wasn't asked to draw this Warbler, I wouldn't have noticed the touches of yellow on its feet. It wouldn't make a huge difference in nature journaling, but if it was a more distinct characteristic on the bird ex.(the yellow feet of the Snowy Egret) than it would make a bigger difference.
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This is absolutely gorgeous!
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This is such a beautiful sketch!
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I started nature journaling because I really love to paint and see wildlife. I also really love the idea of being able to explore, document, and draw what I see each day. Nature and painting are both a big part of me, so I figured why not start a nature journal. The ideas and approaches I want to try are just leaving the imprint of the bird, and the very last journal in the video. It was so beautiful, clean, and organized. I really hope I can create something beautiful with my own spin on it. I really appreciate the creation of this course, and I can't wait to watch the other videos.
My favorite nature journaling experience was at a pond. I brought two ziploc bags of mixed birdseed (sunflower, millet, milo, etc.) my journal, pencil, and binoculars. There were so many ducks there, hungry and looking for food for the upcoming winter. I had a blast giving them all birdseed and taking pictures of them. I saw so many birds that day, Song Sparrows, Northern Flickers, Spotted Towhees, a Belted Kingfisher and more! That was one of the most fun birding experiences I've had and I highly recommend just getting out there and exploring because you never know what you're going to find. Journaling-wise, the technique I used was Gesture sketching because they (of course) were constantly moving, so I did quick and scribbly sketches that I later added detail to. I also recommend taking pictures, if you want to keep moving and bird/critter watching rather than sitting down and sketching you can just snap a photo and draw it later. I'm honestly a bit sad for this course to end, but I appreciated going on this nature sketching journey and enjoyed it profusely. 
New techniques I was able to apply were Gesture Sketching, and Proportions. I feel better about the proportions because I always feel like something is off, but something I would still like to improve would be drawing/painting bird feet and realism. 
I find a flat and comfortable spot to sit and either from my phone's photos or from all around me take a pencil and sketch. I always wait to watercolor until I get home because it causes less trouble. This is an older journal page, but more recently I have used gesture drawing a lot more. 
Wet on Dry: Northern Flicker
Wet on Wet: Cinnamon Teal
Dry Brush: American Robin
Out of the three techniques my favorite is Wet on Dry (the one I typically use) and my least favorite is Dry Brush. I will continue using wet on dry in future journaling projects, but might throw in wet on wet from time to time. 
My first experience with watercolors was in preschool (and of course that wasn't a memorable experience). The first time I truly started using watercolors was in elementary, and to this day it's my favorite medium. I have (like everyone) had good days and bad days with watercolor, and today wasn't my best, but it was a lot of fun. The subject I chose was a Common Kingfisher because they have such a unique color palette with the complementary colors of blue and orange. For the most part I achieved the colors I wanted, but there was a bright aqua tint which I couldn't achieve with the color range I had. 
The general shape of the bird has come more easily to me, but the difficulties have been making the bird look more realistic and feet have always been a struggle for me, but luckily this one's feet are more hidden. The most helpful technique I've learned so far is the gesture sketching itself, it gives the bird such a natural look.
Upside down drawing was difficult. I was able to view the sections as shapes, but there were definitely times where I viewed things as part of a bird rather than a shape. The patterns on the breast and belly were particularly difficult, but when I flipped it over I felt better about it. The only parts that really bother me are that the head feels a bit too small, and the left leg is too long. 
The measuring of proportions helped me more accurately depict animals. If I were to use this in the field I feel that it would work perfectly for natural formations and plants, but for animals it has a downside. Unless the animal is very still or sleeping, it'd be a bit of a nuisance to try to use this on a moving animal. To answer the last question, yes it is easier to measure still objects more than moving ones. 
Gesture drawing has definitely helped me capture unique moments that don't feel so staged. It was hard at first to let go and be loose, you can see from my wren, but I feel that the more I did it, the looser it got. Something I noticed that I might not have had I not done gesture drawing is that the sketches become a lot more natural looking even if there are sketchy lines. 
I didn't do the Newt a favor, but I believe I did better on the Sunbird. I definitely think that this exercise helped me stay focused on the subject because it has you focus on details that you probably otherwise would've overlooked. 
Overall, I quite enjoyed the experience. It was first of all fun to find two things to compare. Both Woodhouse's Scrub Jays and Black-billed Magpies visit my yard daily, and I thought it would be fun to choose them! I would balance drawing, writing, and numerical data in my journal by doing organized columns and putting data where it best fit. For example writing the number of petals near the petals themselves. 
Observation: Starlings' murmuring is very much like sardine baitballs.
Possible Explanation: Both animals have adapted as prey to partake in safety in numbers.
Question: Why have two different animal classes adapted such similar behaviors? 
As you can tell from the date, this is from 2021, but I'm finally uploading it. One thing that was more outside of the box for me was looking at the ground. I typically only look out for birds, so it was definitely new to look to the ground for critters as well. 
Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)