Colleen
Forum Replies Created
-
I decided to use my gesture drawing of the pouncing fox. I have lots of practice still to make the fur look accurate. I need to work on the Chiaroscuro in my drawing, which has yet to come naturally. I definitely love the measuring tool technique which is beginning to come back naturally. I am seeing more of the areas in my drawings that I need to continue practicing on & still learning to be gentle with my results. Drawing is becoming very enjoyable and fun. Thank you Liz! -
@Leonora Thanks Leonora. I’m pretty pleased with that wren too. Not sure 🤔 how ready I will be to get some colors on it though. That’s where it really gets muddy. Looking forward to seeing how to add some colors to it. By the way you lizard 🦎 looks really sharp and I am blown away by the drawings that you do.
-
Hello Kirsten. Wow that’s a great drawing.! Very detailed, and realistic, like it could leap into flight at any second. Photographic too.
-
Ironically it was both difficult, challenging, and fun. I had trouble at first deciding where on the subject to begin. Then I really had trouble with seeing the subject as shapes because when I first saw it I recognized it as a Sparrow. My brain wouldn’t let me see it broken up into shapes until I decided to start using the measuring tool technique to keep me focused on perspective, proportions, & accuracy. Once I started doing that then the exercise began getting fun. I’m definitely going to have to add some of this kind of drawing practice in my daily routine more. Thanks Liz for this lesson!
-
I definitely like using my writing utensil as a measuring tool while drawing to help with proportion & accuracy. I had forgotten about using that & negative space in finding the correct proportion & accuracy in my drawings. Also I have a 6 inch ruler too. Yes, I have found that proportion is easier on landscapes, animals that aren’t moving quickly, and a single animal (than a group of animals), & some simple plants. I have noticed that my proportion was badly off which was leading to not be accurate with my drawings. Big improvement.
-
@Cynthia Thanks Cynthia for your comment. I feel much more comfortable with using chiaroscuro in my drawings, but sometimes I feel that I am pressing too hard (almost imprinting) or should add color, which is not something that I am currently confident about. I was pleasantly surprised with this one when I did it.
-
Hi Karen. Yes, like Cynthia said, please do not get discouraged or defeated. Know when to stop is hard, but I am pleased with the results of your drawing and how your use, especially the shading and blending, of the watercolors was done. They give depth and contrast to the bird’s features.
-
This was definitely a hard exercise/lesson to do for me. I was very stressed with the one minute & 30 second time limits that I just had to step away from drawing for a couple of days. I am not comfortable with the being messy/loose technique. The two minutes limit & just sitting & doing the gesture drawings at the feeders were more comfortable and relaxed for me. I do feel & think that gesture/behavior drawing has helped me focus on more specific things during my observations. I have noticed specific movements & patterns/rhythms the animals do. While this wasn’t my most comfortable task, learning to be gentle with the results & learning how to master this skill is definitely important. I will be incorporating a daily gesture drawing in my journaling observations & experiences. Like all skills to master, it takes practice, practice, practice.
-
Hi Anne. Your blueberries are gorgeous and the use of chiaroscuro in it makes them leap off the page. It took me a long time to practice as well with the darker lines to get comfortable. You’re right about it being tricky.
-
Thanks for sharing your Comparison study. I am having the same issue with the rain and the growth of both these weeds that I have just learned the name of. Love the details of your drawings.
-
Your drawings & writing information continues to just leap off the page and grab my attention. Thanks for sharing.
-
@Leonora Thanks so much for the comment. I am still working on adding more information to my journal pages like you have done so beautifully on yours during this course.
-
Hi Jane. I was thinking about that same thing afterwards, of doing this exercise with the grandkids too.
-
Wow! I felt a bit intimidated by doing this exercise but I definitely see the need to focus on the subject & have the eye & hand connection/coordination. After doing the first one, I felt a bit more at ease, but by the time I got to the third one, it was a bit more complicated because I got distracted with the background. The fourth one was hard too, especially with the legs because I was thinking that I needed them fairly close on the page as I was trying to focus where my eye was on the subject. I will be doing this exercise a bit more during my journaling practice. It was kind of fun after seeing my results. Thanks Liz for sharing this exercise.
-
1: Yes, I tried a comparison study & learned that I really need to do more of them. It brings out the child-like wonder, awe, & curiosity of learning & exploration that I miss. I did my study on 3 different types of Irises in my front yard & gardens. I noticed that Irises have lots of differences in color, shape, size, quantity, function, & systems. They also share similarities. The “why” questions of color, shape, size, quantity, function & systems all expanded into further study ideas & more questions to ask.
2: To balance my journal pages, I need to add more writing details & get use to adding numerical data to the drawings. I have been focused on the drawings & making them detailed & life-like, and by leaving off the information of who, what, where, when, why, & how that tells the whole story, was the important missing pieces to complete the pages. Everything is equally important.
-
@Marjolaine Thanks. I am noticing that the chiaroscuro is making a huge difference in my drawings.
-
Wow 😯! I love all the details, writing ✍️, & drawing that you have put into your journal 📔 pages. Very interesting, informative and colorful. I hope to eventually get mine like that.
-
- Yes I noticed the scale, quantity, and patterns of the cherry blossoms 🌸 on the branch my husband brought in this past March.
-
This is the view of my sit spot, which is from the front porch facing East. I started my first observation today (Mother’s Day 2020). I get the morning sun followed by the shade of the huge saw-toothed oak, a pink crape myrtle, a willow tree, and another unknown hardwood tree. This is also one of two of my bird count spots where I have many different feeders and suet feeders filled with brush dog fur for nesting in the spring.
Lots of things come easy to me on observations. I am usually sitting here daily enjoying the nature around me. The things that are more “outside of the box” for me, are adding drawings to my journals. Usually I am putting actual leaves 🍁, flowers 🌸, & twigs in my journals or a display case instead of drawing because I don’t think I can draw what I see well. I’m definitely seeing some improvement.
-
Hi Marjolaine. That’s awesome. I can see how the stokes make the detailed feathers in your drawing. That’s something that I just have not seemed to figure out yet. Thanks for sharing this.
I decided to use my gesture drawing of the pouncing fox. I have lots of practice still to make the fur look accurate. I need to work on the Chiaroscuro in my drawing, which has yet to come naturally. I definitely love the measuring tool technique which is beginning to come back naturally. I am seeing more of the areas in my drawings that I need to continue practicing on & still learning to be gentle with my results. Drawing is becoming very enjoyable and fun. Thank you Liz! 
Ironically it was both difficult, challenging, and fun. I had trouble at first deciding where on the subject to begin. Then I really had trouble with seeing the subject as shapes because when I first saw it I recognized it as a Sparrow. My brain wouldn’t let me see it broken up into shapes until I decided to start using the measuring tool technique to keep me focused on perspective, proportions, & accuracy. Once I started doing that then the exercise began getting fun. I’m definitely going to have to add some of this kind of drawing practice in my daily routine more. Thanks Liz for this lesson! 
I definitely like using my writing utensil as a measuring tool while drawing to help with proportion & accuracy. I had forgotten about using that & negative space in finding the correct proportion & accuracy in my drawings. Also I have a 6 inch ruler too. Yes, I have found that proportion is easier on landscapes, animals that aren’t moving quickly, and a single animal (than a group of animals), & some simple plants. I have noticed that my proportion was badly off which was leading to not be accurate with my drawings. Big improvement.
This was definitely a hard exercise/lesson to do for me. I was very stressed with the one minute & 30 second time limits that I just had to step away from drawing for a couple of days. I am not comfortable with the being messy/loose technique. The two minutes limit & just sitting & doing the gesture drawings at the feeders were more comfortable and relaxed for me. I do feel & think that gesture/behavior drawing has helped me focus on more specific things during my observations. I have noticed specific movements & patterns/rhythms the animals do. While this wasn’t my most comfortable task, learning to be gentle with the results & learning how to master this skill is definitely important. I will be incorporating a daily gesture drawing in my journaling observations & experiences. Like all skills to master, it takes practice, practice, practice. 
Wow! I felt a bit intimidated by doing this exercise but I definitely see the need to focus on the subject & have the eye & hand connection/coordination. After doing the first one, I felt a bit more at ease, but by the time I got to the third one, it was a bit more complicated because I got distracted with the background. The fourth one was hard too, especially with the legs because I was thinking that I needed them fairly close on the page as I was trying to focus where my eye was on the subject. I will be doing this exercise a bit more during my journaling practice. It was kind of fun after seeing my results. Thanks Liz for sharing this exercise. 
1: Yes, I tried a comparison study & learned that I really need to do more of them. It brings out the child-like wonder, awe, & curiosity of learning & exploration that I miss. I did my study on 3 different types of Irises in my front yard & gardens. I noticed that Irises have lots of differences in color, shape, size, quantity, function, & systems. They also share similarities. The “why” questions of color, shape, size, quantity, function & systems all expanded into further study ideas & more questions to ask.
2: To balance my journal pages, I need to add more writing details & get use to adding numerical data to the drawings. I have been focused on the drawings & making them detailed & life-like, and by leaving off the information of who, what, where, when, why, & how that tells the whole story, was the important missing pieces to complete the pages. Everything is equally important. 
Yes I noticed the scale, quantity, and patterns of the cherry blossoms 🌸 on the branch my husband brought in this past March.
This is the view of my sit spot, which is from the front porch facing East. I started my first observation today (Mother’s Day 2020). I get the morning sun followed by the shade of the huge saw-toothed oak, a pink crape myrtle, a willow tree, and another unknown hardwood tree. This is also one of two of my bird count spots where I have many different feeders and suet feeders filled with brush dog fur for nesting in the spring.
Lots of things come easy to me on observations. I am usually sitting here daily enjoying the nature around me. The things that are more “outside of the box” for me, are adding drawings to my journals. Usually I am putting actual leaves 🍁, flowers 🌸, & twigs in my journals or a display case instead of drawing because I don’t think I can draw what I see well. I’m definitely seeing some improvement.