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Desire to participate in what I’m observing with more patience for detail and form. A way to give observing greater time.
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Why did I want to begin nature journaling? Seeing the videos of others' journals gave me clarity. I love drawing and painting. Art wasn't my career. I've spent 4 decades teaching midwives, nurses and doctors. I wanted some activities that would take my brain away from health career and stretch my thinking. I've been bird watching with my daughters for several and doing the Audubon bird count. I did the bird sketching class and enjoyed Liz's work so much that I wanted to do more. My husband jokes that when he travels with me and my daughters that we can't walk more than 3 feet without stopping for a bug, a bird or a bud. Journaling will help me document the highlights of the experience without taking endless flat photos.
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REBOOT: I’m restarting through this program in the new year to refresh my skills.
- I was inspired to nature journal by migrating wild birds in Texas & other floral/fauna on Gulf Coast - by contrast I’m “rebooting” in the winter Midwest / Jan.Feb.
- I like how in video Shayna takes a STUDY approach & learns factually through journaling. This parallels my approach. I focus less on the art now and “pretty pages” and more on paths to learning.
- ALSO I like how she says her style continues to evolve and be less rigid over time, as that’s also true for me & so she’s validating.
- on my page in the photo (wind chill below zero), I wasn’t going outside, so I had to work harder to journal & from inside my window, studied skies and researched tips to help me briefly re-enter nature when it’s harsh
- ALL of the journal videos/styles & journalists are helpful for different reasons & especially helpful as I reboot during winter & continue to evolve as a nature journalist
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I've seen other people's nature journals, and they looked like something that would keep me focused, learning, and enjoying nature even more deeply than I already do. My husband is an amateur nature photographer. He sometimes takes a long time to get his images, so this will give me something to do while he is taking pictures and will give us another way to capture the experience. I like the journal that started with drawing and set things off with some boxes. My journal will probably be sporadic depending on when I get out, but I would at least like to enter some things each different season.
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Nature has always been a major part of my art journey, but for the most part I have only worked only from photos. Keeping a nature journal seemed like a good way to capture what might be misted or skewed photographs like an understanding of animal behavior, color, and the atmosphere of actually being there. This also seemed like a good course to take to see if I wanted to peruse science illustrations as a career or just something I would to keep for pleasure time.
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I am inspired to begin nature journaling to create a record of observations I make when I stroll through a natural habitat. I liked what one journalist said that drawing creates a record of what you see. You have to look closely to capture the details, much more closely than if you just take a picture. I like that I will have a lovely, permanent record of the things I see so that I can go to a field guide and more accurately identify birds and plants that I see.
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1. I have always loved seeing nature journals of all types, even back when I didn't realize that it was an activity that real people did and sometimes took on as a profession. I found a seashell guide book when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old, and I was obsessed with looking through them and admiring the art of different shells surrounded by facts and research notes. I would write extra notes in the margins for myself even though I had no idea what I was talking about. I truly miss that seashell book. 2. I really love the idea of marking the page with the date, time, location, and weather. But I also really loved the monthly journal. The idea of just filling up pages throughout the month and then grouping them all together is appealing to me. It's a lot less structured, which works well for stretches of time where I'm not at my best. I think I want to start with the more detailed method of marking my pages, but on other days I may just mark the date and time under the drawing so I still know when it was done.
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1. I cannot recall the exact spark, it may have been a few years ago in graduate school where colleagues shared A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, Darwin's journies were top of mind, and I wanted to be as provocative as Rachel Carson in defining and presenting how human activities are affecting the environment to insprie collective actions for change. I've been wanting to nature journal for years and finally have moved it up in priority. I want to improve my observation and drawing & painting skills. I like the idea of having a record of a day's memories or trip memories as well. I enjoy birding and think it'd be an added way to memorialize time spent in the field where many more questions on species id arise (insects, plants, fungi, reptiles, etc). 2. I want to try being able to record movement and behavior like the hummingbird journal and dove and spider entries but have them also be even more beatiful with all the watercolor applied.
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I am 12 years old and love sketching realistically so when my grandpa gave me the corse for my birthday I was exited to jump right in. I think that field sketching will be a great way to express my love fore nature through doing something I love. I liked the idea of drawing the different positions of things and to box my drawings I also like the idea to right down the experience behind the picture.
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I've written in a journal for years - mostly for clarity in what is going on in life. I always started with the date, weather, where I was and what I was doing. I love being outside and observing nature. Expanding my journalling to include sketches seems like a natural progression. I like the idea of spending time to observe rather than - for example - checking off a bird and then peeling off to get another one. Sometimes that's fun too - especially if one has consumed a lot of caffeine. I like that some of the journalers had a question that may or may not have been answered. I like the idea of using the calendar. I need a bit of a push. I think I'd find it too much to do an entry each day but maybe a weekly or monthly pages would be good. As I am not artistic, I appreciate how some of the journalers gave themselves time and space to observe, practise and write about what they didn't quite capture in a sketch. I am happy about the time of year that I am starting this course - January. Some of the days are so cold and dark but there is beauty in the subtle white, grey and blue tones and shapes of branches. If it's too cold to be outside, I can have a good look at my collection of fossils, rocks, bug bits and pieces, feathers, pine cones and leaves. Or, there's always the bird feeders to watch. Spring is around the corner.
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1) I live along a river with fields and woods. I’ve always loved birds and gardening. A guy in an international gardening/wildlife group got me interested in fungi and then mosses, lichens so I started noticing so much more on my own property. I thought about nature journaling after years of taking pictures that mostly live in the computer (I know, I know.) Having a journal of what I’ve seen and experienced to look through over the years is intriguing. I’m hoping I can learn to ignore the critic within and fully enjoy capturing nature in this way. 2) I like the idea of a monthly sum up of a variety of items. I want pictures and writing. Color is very important. More informal design.
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As a few others have mentioned here, I was looking for a way back to a regular drawing practice, something I haven't done much as an adult. I love to be outside, hiking and observing, and nature journaling seems like a good way to incorporate what I already do with what I would like to do more of. I appreciated all the perspectives of the journalers in the video, but I especially liked the way Shayna used boxes to structure her pages and "zoom" shapes to indicate detail drawings. I agree with Holly that a drawing each day may be a little intensive, but a weekly or monthly page or section is an attractive idea for keeping me in the consistent drawing mode. I want to make sure I feel free enough to just draw/journal without worrying about the finished look of it, especially for now.
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1. I was inspired to do nature journaling when I had gone through a winter tree ID training and also after I had taken a course in college that had us create our own field guides (although that was in PowerPoint). I thought that drawing tree buds would be more effective than taking a picture of them. Journaling allows me to take notes to help me understand what I'm seeing in the moment. 2. I like the idea of doing a sketch a day, like Holly Faulkner did with her journal. I thought that was beautiful how she set that up according to days/months. 3. I don't think I have any different journaling ideas, but I might have to do a couple of different journals - one with the sketch a day, and another for more in-depth studies.
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I like the idea of journaling but but not a lot of writing, but more drawing instead. I want learn to draw better simply from live things like bird, and sometimes foxes and deer and maybe some landscapes when possible. I usually use my camera to capture some of the birds,foxes and deer but when I thought about it some time later. I take a ton of pictures. Then thought I could stake some picture then sketch some might also help a me draw better living thing over time. So I am taking this course and reading another book for tips. I realize my sketching will be most likely yucky for a bit but love the idea of draw animal from life and adding some color from water color pencils or just enjoying sketching for fun and enjoyment. Joan
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I am inspired by a group of talented artists and gardeners who volunteer together at the Mountaintop Arboretum in Tannersville, NY. We are learning about native trees, and the birds that nest in them. I am a rank beginner, with very poor eyesight, but I believe that starting a nature journal will help me to identify and observe the trees, plants and birds more readily. I don't have to be an ace at drawing, but I'd like to learn about the nature around us. Ultimately, I'd like to be able to draw more accurate landscape and garden designs.
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Nature journaling seemed like an ideal way to combine a few intentions of mine: to give a kind of structure and inspiration for any art I want to do, and to give me another means for practicing mindfulness and observational skills. I hope it becomes a means for me to focus on my intentions, both with art and with my thoughts and actions in the world. I particularly enjoy the journal styles that blend drawing and notes on the same page, and I like the idea of picking individual subjects, rather than whole scenes, to focus on details, or one particular aspect (e.g. shape, colour, composition, patterns, behaviours). I'm curious to try out different techniques and layout and see which works best for me over time.
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Although I am passionate about outdoors, gardening, etc., I have a very tiny suburban, almost urban backyard to work with. Still there are very many critters that call my backyard home, or at least a place to eat and hide daily. I wanted to learn about nature journaling because I like to jot down notes about the garden for future reference, sort of my own personal backyard almanac. Every yard is it's own sort of micro-climate and the timeline for what I'm growing and the things that happen in my garden differ from others in my same area. Anyway, I thought nature journaling would be a nice and useful way to document the life of my little garden. Of course anytime I am able to get out into the outdoors I will be able to add to my journal that way as well.
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I started falling in love with birds and wanting to know them better at the beginning of the pandemic when I moved to teaching remotely. Seeing birds more and more, I sometimes try to take pictures, but I would like to have something more personal to focus where I want and write about what I see. I've always written poetry, but I've never drawn much. That's where this course comes in for me. My mother-in-law bought it for me as a Christmas gift, and I'm excited (though a bit nervous) to learn more about drawing and to incorporate this into my journal.
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I started bird watching in earnest as a pandemic activity to get outside and spend time finding birds. I journaled but without drawing. I would draw birds separate from journaling. My son bought this course for me as a Christmas gift and I am excited to combine observation with drawing! I think the first journal example best fits me. I only just started to experiment with views of birds from angles (instead of just side views). I am not ready for the creative flourishes in the other journals.
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I like the simple, graphite journals, focusing in on one topic.
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I had a class where we were assigned to different topics, there were reading a book then writing about it, bird watching, and nature journaling. I got bird watching and I was unhappy at first but I dealt with it. I told my mom about my unhappiness and she got me this course! I forgot to tell her it only lasted for a week, but I hope this class improves my drawing skill of real animals.
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Journalling was a daily part of my ESL teaching, freewriting while my students wrote. The freedom from worrying about mistakes & simply 'thinking on paper' has so much to offer - for language fluency in L2 learners & teachers alike. I can see from these nature journal clips that it's much the same here &, still a beginner in drawing & painting, look forward to getting into the habit of letting go of my tendency to perfectionism in my first nature journal. All of these journals offer inspiration & i think i'll just wait & see which of their strategies pop up as i begin mine for this course. It will be a great boon to be able to pursue it together with my dear friend & walking buddy Susie.
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I've always been interested in drawing and painting, and art in general, but I've never taken the opportunity to delve into as I would have liked. I though that nature journaling could allow me to step into that realm. I've been trying my hand at nature journaling for several years, although not consistently, but I'm making an effort to make it a habit. I want to capture those fleeting images that I see in the out-of-doors, things that a camera doesn't do justice for. I wanted to capture the details and to note what I saw, as well as improve my technical skills of drawing and painting. I like the idea that Holly Faulkner had, of having a page per month, and entering a variety of sketches of things she observes, and not being "locked in" to having to make a sketch per day. I also like how Shayna shared her progression of moving from placing everything in boxes to allowing a more free-form style of capturing her observations. I'm including one of my first nature journal entries, looking at the bird feeder outside my kitchen window. I took a photo, and then worked off of that, since the birds were flying so quickly.
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Ive drawn and painted in spurts over my lifetime during each of which I have been fully immersed - daily activities set aside as I lose track of time, drawn ever deeper into the process - with long dry spells between I am now in my late seventies - and am no longer have the physical strength or stamina for many of the cottage and gardening season activities that I loved. I was attracted to this course as a 'right sized' endeavour - which would rekindle my love of drawing and painting and writing and through this activity extend/expand my enjoyment of the cottage and gardening and the old train bed walks I take with an artist friend . She also has been looking for ways to re-start her drawing and painting - and so the two fo us have signed up - and will share our experience with each other - and it is our hope that this will sustain our engagement long enough to establish a pattern/a habit of daily/weekly observation and representation of the natural world.
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Your entry resonated with me, Susie. I have also enjoyed many aspects of nature for a long time and am now in my mid-70's and finding gardening and weeding and long treks in the woods to be sometimes problematic. How nice that you have company that you can support and be supported by. My wife also is a nature lover and birder, so it does help a lot to join in thee activities together. I, too have dabbled in drawing for many years and the idea of drawing things in nature always sounded exciting but beyond my reach. I have done a few birds from photos I have taken and that has been fun. But the idea of sitting in a spot for some time to observe and notice and write and draw or paint sounds very inviting. The journals presented all had components that I would include in my nature journalling journey. I like the structure of always having date, location, weather and time on the page. I like playing with box or no box. In the past, I draw shapes like boxes to provide structure and find myself excited to draw in and out of them! Drawing outside the box resonates for me! I also liked the monthly page idea that was shared towards the end of the video and want to try that out. I take many photos of nature and birds so I should have enough material to compose a page once I am ready. I like the idea of coming back to a page several times in a month to capture all that the month has offered! Here's an attempt at a towhee~
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I’m an avid journalist and nature lover, but aside from taping or tracing leaves into my journal, I’ve not really sketched or painted nature. Probably because I’ve never considered myself much of a visual artist. I love the idea of observing more carefully and making deeper connections between my outside and inside worlds—and trying to do this more visually. There were many techniques I appreciated in the sample journals that I’ll likely incorporate: drawing boxes with specimens that escape them; little color palettes; finding geometric shapes. I’m eager to learn more drawing/painting skills and have enjoyed reading others’ comments here too.
REBOOT: I’m restarting through this program in the new year to refresh my skills.
- I was inspired to nature journal by migrating wild birds in Texas & other floral/fauna on Gulf Coast - by contrast I’m “rebooting” in the winter Midwest / Jan.Feb.
- I like how in video Shayna takes a STUDY approach & learns factually through journaling. This parallels my approach. I focus less on the art now and “pretty pages” and more on paths to learning.
- ALSO I like how she says her style continues to evolve and be less rigid over time, as that’s also true for me & so she’s validating.
- on my page in the photo (wind chill below zero), I wasn’t going outside, so I had to work harder to journal & from inside my window, studied skies and researched tips to help me briefly re-enter nature when it’s harsh
- ALL of the journal videos/styles & journalists are helpful for different reasons & especially helpful as I reboot during winter & continue to evolve as a nature journalist
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