So, a couple of weeks ago I found this great book, How to Keep a Naturalist's Notebook. In it, the author actually recommends drawing from photos to get a feel for the shapes of the critters you're observing in the wild.
One of the exercises she recommends is finding several photos and sketching them quickly for shape, posture, shadow forms, etc. I love it.
Goldfinches are frequent visitors to our yard, so this was an exercise in doodling old friends. My favorite doodle of this group is the seed-bearing goldfinch:
