I was inspired by Ken Kaufman's Field Guide to Advanced Birding. There, Kaufman argues that sketching is a way to expand birding skills. I've been birding for about five years. I've racked up two state records and well-regarded within the community, but I nevertheless feel like I'm lacking some very basic identification skills.

 

I was inspired by every journal shown in the above videos. I like the simpler ones because they feel more achievable for my current skill level, but I hope to get to a point where I can sketch larger habitats and ecological relations. I felt like the Galapagos journals were inspiring.

 

So far, my journal notes the weather and usually fixates on a single bird. I feel like this is pretty similar to some of the stuff I saw above!

I'm excited to begin something new and challenging. I've dabbled just a bit in nature journaling when I was homeschooling my kids, and encouraging them to give it a try. One thing that appeals to me is the meditative nature of this practice: to completely focus on what is before you and then to transfer that image through your hands onto the paper.  It seems like a beautiful way to connect with nature all around us; to focus on what is real and true and timeless, rather than the current state of politics, or tragically, the path of global warming that we are on. I have never considered myself as an artist, so I hope not to get hung up on my lack of artistic skill, and to focus instead on the spirit of this endeavor.

I was inspired to begin this by my retirement.  I spent many many years as a lawyer and then as a judge using analytical skills related to reading and writing.  I have never done anything related to visual arts, in part because of an art teacher in third grade who told me I was too messy.  I want to begin using another part of my brain and nature journaling seems like a gentle way to begin.

I'd like to try an approach that shows the progression of my observational skills and my sketching skills. I also like data so I plan to include written commentary along with my sketches.  I recently moved to a different part of the country (from the desert to the west coast near the beach) and journaling will help me become more familiar with birds and shorebirds of the area, making me feel more at home, I hope.  I grew up in a bird watching family and really enjoy being able to name the birds that I see.

I have wanted to capture and sketch things I observe for a long time. A photo captures part of the picture, but I think adding comments and notes will enhance the experience.  And now is the time to start. I love spending time in nature and feel this will just be a new way to appreciate and remember what I experience.  I am lucky to have a yard that wild turkeys, deer, wood chuck and all sorts of insects visit on a regular basis and am inspired to endeavor to capture some of the fascinating things I observe just looking out the window.

1. I want to become more aware of my natural surroundings by being able to recognize, at least to start, birds, trees, and flowers. I think nature journaling will help me notice and remember the details as I learn to ID what I'm surrounded by.

While I was watching these videos, I also sketched the tree branch I can see from my window, switching my focus back and forth between the computer and the window behind it and the notebook in my lap. I only read and sometimes write; sketching or painting is completely new to me and very exciting - although intimidating.

I like the idea of starting with the drawing and letting it dictate the shape of the text on the page. But when it comes to colour I feel like I have to draw the structure first and corral the paint into shape. Maybe this is something I can loosen up about over time.

As a writer, for me the emotion of the moment is what I want to capture. I love the idea of the magnification zooms, because sometimes that's how it feels to excavate a particular moment internally. And visually, details and patterns always catch my eye.

I’m a songwriter and my inspiration and lyrics often come from my observations of nature. The journaller who makes space to capture the what of all she sees and also how she feels about it all really resonates with me. Very unfamiliar with drawing/painting but open and excited!

I went to an art exhibition and was really moved by the journals on display there. I have always written journals but I am excited - and scared - about starting to draw and paint. It's not something I feel good at. My eyesight is deteriorating and I want to treasure everything I see. I have just moved to a very beautiful part of Wales and  I want to learn more about the birds, animals and plants and observe them in more detail.

Hi fellow students,

I just ordered all my materials for the course. I am looking forward to doing something that is creative, beautiful, and relaxing. I have been reading a lot of nature books. When I saw this course as an option, I thought it would be neat to try and create my own book. Birds and nature inspire me. I want to connect more with the outdoors and learn as much as I can.

My approach will likely start out as being very guided. I will want to use some drawing steps. I like the idea of putting the date and time, but I think I would put it at the bottom, where it is out of the way. I want to use a lot of colour and incorporate both birds and flowers onto my pages.

I might add a new fact somewhere on my page instead of the location. I don't have a lot of different places where I live, so it might be a bit repetitive, and take away from the drawings themselves.

Good luck!

LK

I have always been a nature enthusiast and have been doing bird photography for the last few years. However I've always felt that I lacked a certain appreciation for my subjects, something that photography couldn't fully capture. I want to begin nature journaling to appreciate my surroundings at a deeper level. I want to try focusing more on all of my surroundings, especially plants and I really like the idea of using colors and boxes, and keeping the journal somewhat 'messy' and authentic to the moment of capture.

As an artist I’ve been working on being more present in nature and to practice my skills so this seemed like a logical first step. Shayna’s style really grabbed my eye because I tend to also push towards boxes for structure but I really love how the broken boxes give it air to breathe. My approach will be slightly different because I want to not only capture nature as it is but also my imagination as is it so I’ll be combining reality with creative exploration.

1. My husband bought me a John Muir nature journaling how-to book because he knows that I enjoy admiring other people's artwork and always want to try it myself... before I chicken out.

2. I want to both illustrate the organism I'm seeing *and* write down what it's doing or any related information. I want to learn about what I'm seeing.

3. I'd be interested in maybe drawing the sound wave image from bird calls as I draw the bird. Almost like a memory of what its song sounded like.

I'm a professional writer, but I write things mostly for others, not myself. I love being outside and taking photographs of things I see so that I can remember trips, etc. I think nature journaling will allow me to give myself permission to slow down, really look and savor things that I see. I like the idea of monthly journal pages; not sure yet how often I will work at this. I bought a small watercolor book with bird sketches to paint and I loved it. I would like to make my own pages because that opportunity gave me such great joy that I didn't realize. Haven't really tried painting or sketching on my own and it's nice to see the other journalers give themselves grace with how and when they draw.

For a few months now I've been trying to do a drawing a day in my regular journal and usually I draw the pictures based on still photographs.  My favorite subjects are animals and plants, so attempting a nature journal seems like a natural progression. I also thought doing a nature journal might inspire me to draw from moving subjects and in turn help me observe the natural world more closely. Additionally, I hope the journal can cement memories from my travels, even if they are just local travels. It's nice to think that even when a drawing isn't perfect, it can still preserve a memory.

I like having a combination of words and images on the page.  I've always used colored pencil and I'd really like to try watercolor. I was inspired by how some of the people were quite loose with their journals and not intent on making it perfect.  Also, I like the structure the first woman gave to her journal by drawing the boxes around her pictures after she drew them.

I walk a lot in local parks.  But when I do, I'm nearly always walking my dog and have a limited time.  So I wonder how that will work out.  Will I be able to slow down to take the time to draw/paint?  Like others, I also wonder about my ability to draw well enough.

I really like Shayne Muller's style.  I like the documentary nature of her journal.  The boxes - and open boxes - really helped to organize the pages.  And the magnification lenses also work well for me.  These days I'm forever using the magnifier on my iPhone.  When I was a student in silviculture, I learnt the use of a simple x10 magnifying glass in opening up the world.  Look at a moss's leaves through a x10 and it magically turns into this beautiful shape.  So I want to use that technique.

My mind also jumped to thinking about a stool I would want to carry to be comfortable sitting down.

I like the idea of nature journaling as a way to slow down, connect with, and build awareness of the natural world around me. I like that it can be done in capital-N Nature, or from your back yard or even through a window. I enjoy drawing and painting but do it very rarely, so by having it tied to my current interests in birding and other land-based activities I'm hoping to reconnect with those things a bit as well. In the video, I appreciated that the journalers allowed themselves to experiment and let their approaches evolve. I'm hoping to bring this vibe to my own journal and treat is as a practice rather than worrying about outcomes.

I take lots of photos and videos of animals, plants, insects and birds and I like learning about wildlife behaviour and identification. Nature journaling is hopefully a way for me to develop a more storytelling approach to remembering my encounters.  All of the journals had inspiring work, but it was reassuring to see that many journallers had taken a while to evolve their style as I am very much at the start of my journey. I liked all the works, the first example with zoomed-in details is something I would like to try.

I spend a lot of time observing nature (in my yard, on walks/hikes, etc) and find myself taking photos and videos if I see something I want to remember. Nature journaling could be a new way for me to engage and mix some creative skills and reflection into this practice.

I did notice that the journalists were pretty good artists hope I didn't bite off more than I can chew.

I was inspired by this because I like to journal anyway and bird watch. I have just also started a writing for wellness class in different gardens. I I would like to combine both of these. I liked the style of the first journal and as well as factual information I would also like to include some creative writing or a poem.

I would like to spend more time enjoying and learning about the natural world around me, a journal will help me take the time to observe and reflect, would also like to learn to sketch and watercolor.

In my professional work as a naturalist, I get to bear witness to remarkable nature stories that unfold in both real time and also over the course of the seasons as I take care of the trails and share them with visitors. My nature journal is a space where I can document those stories, ask questions and wonder about the details, and learn more about the lives of the living and nonliving in the natural world. Plus, sitting still with my journal and just watching a spider spin a web or a family of ants break down bits of an old cicada is so satisfying and PRESENT. I think its hard to be present in this fast moving world and nature is a place that offers that gift to me.

I'm a school teacher, so I want my students to experience science beyond a worksheet.  This is a great medium for them to be creative and slow down.   I enjoying doing this myself, as well!

I'm trying to incorporate data representations as well - a brief graph of total numbers of birds seen over time, a data table of temperature, and so on.  You can see how it makes my students reconsider how their lab reports look, and they can use many languages:

I want to try nature journaling as a way to remember and observe and track down the questions that my observations spawn. I like the pages that mix pictures with words. I hope to figure out what medium are best with different subjects and how the mood changes on a page with different mediums. Perhaps pencil will work best for hyper detail. Maybe watercolor wash over it I really do not know now but hope to through experimenting. Also not spending hours and hours on a painting is appealing.