Sarah

My biggest question is how do you keep the paper from 'buckling' using too wet of a brush? This is all new to me, and the control is going to take some time. The hint of having a test paper handy for both color matching and now this brush technique, esp dry on dry, is quite handy. I'll be using these in the field next time out. I took a pic of a stream going under a bridge because I was too frightened to try sketching it...I think I'm ready! I loved seeing how some leaves caught on the edges of the rocks while others kept floating downstream. The light playing off the stream as it came through the trees also caught my eye. I'm going to take all the time I need to sketch, then paint, this scene!

I did this while chatting with a fam member. It made it actually easier to have my brain uninvolved in the ‘knowing’ of what type of bird...I focused on observing where the feet crossed the branch, where the tail feathers emerged, how many feathers, stripes, etc. I did get overwhelmed in the middle with the unpatterned shapes of the belly. That’ll take some practice! Overall not bad!

I compared these 3 discovered feathers. I know the Blue Jay and Downy Woodpecker, and not the middle, which was a very uniform gray with a white edge. It was about the same size as the jay, but more slender. The uniformity of color has me confused, Mockingbirds and Mourning Doves have patterns. This comparison study helped me to focus on feather length and detail. Another few questions I have is why do some birds appear to have more ‘fluff’ at the attachment end than others. Is the fluff related to their ability to keep warm in winter, thus not having to migrate?

Okay...so I had to get brave enough to post that. I’m definitely in sketch phase, and I stopped on purpose. I drew the branch first so I could proportion the tail and bird in conjunction with the side branches and curve. I love reading the other responses as I -kinda- noticed lichens, but my full focus was on bird and proportioning. As noted, photos sit still, making it easy to notice the details. The advantage I noted to drawing is that I’m paying more attention to those same details, and out in the field, this will help in bird id, as I can easily gloss over tail length and primary projection and eye line beginning and endings, and with some species (*coughPhiladelphia Vireocough*), this is critical information. As an aside, it would be cool to know how many people are signed up taking the course. I’m very excited about it and am looking forward to sharing and improving!