I'm finding sketching plants very calming during the pandemic, taking my mind off everything that's going on in the world. I started with indoor plants then as the weather warmed and plants starting sprouting outside, I moved outdoors. I haven't been doing much writing, other than identifying the subject and date the sketch was done. No color either yet, so I'm looking forward to making them a part of my nature journal. I have never done any formal art lessons so I'm excited about this journey!

About 6 years ago, I started birding.  I retired 3 years ago and took some courses on colored pencil drawing.  All of my art work is based on photographs I have taken.  I have discovered I am very detail oriented and a perfectionist, so have not done nature journaling as the art is done in the field.  I want to learn to be more free flowing in my art and not such a perfectionist.  Of the samples I looked at the one I like the best was the picture on one page and the writing on adjacent page.  I also noticed that the art and pictures were not "perfect" but allowed the person to remember events and recall places and feelings.  Sounds like a good goal for me!

I love artistic stuff and nature journaling is a way for me to practice drawing from the source instead of using reference images. I love nature but I hardly ever get out to enjoy it, hopefully with this new venture I will get out more. I think I'll try a combination of the various different journaling approaches. I definitely like Shayna's process of starting with the drawing first. I think I'll make my drawing larger though, cover more of the page with less written stuff. I'm not sure what I want to do with the written portion. I like the idea of including descriptive and informative details for close ups and journals focused on animals and a more poetic approach for landscapes.

1.  I often see birds visiting in my yard and always take many photos in an effort to ID who is visiting.  After having taken the Drawn to Birds in the fall of 2020 an interest was sparked in me to learn to draw some of the birds that I observe.  I also like to observe insects and perennial plants in my small city yard.  I thought that attempting to record in a nature journal would be a very interesting project to capture memories of nature encounters in my own yard. 2. I definitely want to record the date, time, and weather as I believe this will help bring back the memory of when a sketch was made when I decide to go back to revisit my journal days, weeks, months or years later.  I loved Shayna Muller's "zoom" technique to show a close-up of an area.  I'll keep this in mind.

1)  As I noticed birds in my backyard, a new Zoom friend could explain and identify it for me, the sounds, colors, habitat, and where she sees the bird on her walks, right nearby where I live.  I have had questions before, but now I knew someone who could describe lots of details to peak my interest.  My mom had the 'birding' interest, I remember her small handbook with tabs she made for easy reference, and the book described the phonetic sound.  Now that I'm retired, I'm way too busy, but I have found I can sit still with this hobby, and relax, enjoy, contemplate, and  after taking a couple drawing classes, I have widened my interest and expanded my creative juices.  New to drawing at age 73, and loving it!! 2)  I like Liz's format, a complete scene, small, with text.  A large scene but with details.  A lot on one page. 3)  I am blown away by the types of journaling expressed.  The journalers and artists have such an enriched mental style, to allow their thoughts to flow, and write about them, keeping that moment alive, by journaling.    

I have always been interested in the natural world.  For years I have kept a written journal about what I have seen on walks and trips.  Due to work and family responsibilities, the input was very limited.  Now that I am retired I would like to expand that input and include drawings and hopefully eventually water colors.  I hope this will improve my observational skills. I was impressed by all the journals presented.    I especially liked the drawings of the spider consuming the bee and all that the drawer learned from observing it.  I also liked the hummingbird drawings and how the presenter was trying to show all the different body movements in her drawings.   I was impressed by how much talent all the presenters had.

I have an interest in birds and in art. This seems to be a great way to combine the two and get me back in the habit of drawing and painting--and observing. I like the idea of making this a regular practice without being a mandatory chore. Make it fun. I will probably experiment with various mediums. try to do quick sketches and some more detailed renderings.

I really like Shayne's box style and her developing the break-out of the box design; small drawings, lots of notes, magnifications.  Margaret's was admirable in her ability to improve her pencil drawings as she observed the hummingbird behavior over time.  And DJ's focus on form was intriguing.  I hope to incorporate these facets into my journal ... and eventually some color.   My aim is to add depth to my joy of observing nature every day in my own neighborhood and later, when able, in my travels.  Here we go.....!

1. I'm not sure when or where I first came across John Muir Laws book, I believe I was doing some research on the Arts + Sciences and I sort of got stuck on it. But never really dived in until much recently, when I changed jobs and had more time to spend in nature. I was learning about all sorts of flora and fauna and wanted to learn more about the practice.     2. I really loved all the journals, I'm most drawn to the flexibility in how to set up your journal and how folks made it work for them instead of giving up the practice altogether. I sort of haphazardly draw things, and so I'm hoping to put some planning and routine observations into practice.

I really wanted to develop my field journal to include drawings and more visual aspects to my descriptions of plants and wildlife.  I would like to be specific in my drawings, journaling specific behaviors, postures and the seasonal changes in plants as well as document the environmental and climate changes in my region.  I particularly like the first journal that had the images pop out into the descriptions and sometimes adding a zoomed in feature to the drawing for more intricate details.  I like the idea of a rough pencil sketch but love the finished quality and detail of watercolor.  Also, I would like to use my journal as more of a project based documentation, ie. the study of Monarch butterflies or the Spring arrival of certain native plants in my region, especially to document the changes occurring in our environment, habitats and diversity due to climate change and loss of habitat.

I've been dabbling for a couple of years...just with pencil and then colored pencils. I think doing a monthly page or 2 is where I will start. Last spring, during the pandemic, I hiked every morning before heading back to my "desk at home" and found I saw so much! I wanted to get it down on paper, both in words and images.

1.  A nature journal will help improve both my observation and drawing skills by incorporating my love for nature in a physical recording.  I look forward to learning the techniques as I go through this course.

1 - I started watching the birds in my backyard and have moved on to taking field trips to watch birds.  2 - I'm intimidated by the idea of putting my ideas on paper, but want try.

I enjoyed seeing the various styles, I feel my journal will progress to reveal my own style in time.

I am a near complete neophyte when it comes to field sketching and maintaining a journal. My initial reaction is to feel a bit intimidated by the whole process. Given that tendency, I believe that delineating space for the drawing and utilizing bullet points for written observations, will most likely help me overcome my discomfort.

I enjoyed seeing the different interpretations of each person's journal. Seems like each of us will have to experiment a bit to learn what works best– it's nice to get affirmation that there is no one "right" way to approach it.

I completed the Florida Master Naturalist Classes, and though I enjoyed them tremendously, I remember so little of the vast information we covered. Documenting  with illustrations and facts will help me to remember not only new moments/experiences but the details of the marvelous creatures and plants I've seen. I've used online watercolor tutorials this past year, and hope to build skills in this class. I'm thrilled to marry my love for creation and painting.

I have started a job position where I have very little contact with nature, very long hours inside, even though I live and work surrounded by world class nature and wilderness.  So am eager to learn to draw, paint and follow through maintaining a journal to savor the moments of nature I do have.

My summers in Maine fill me with so much joy and love for the plants and animals around me, and last summer I tried to paint and draw what I saw, but didn’t quite know how to capture the feeling of a particular spot or a particular species. I was drawn to this course because I want to be able to observe my surroundings more closely and appreciate the natural beauty to the fullest. The final journal was so beautiful to me, and I resonated with the artist’s initial ambition to paint/draw EVERY day — and think that a page a month is probably more realistic. :)

Many years ago, I enjoyed taking some drawing and watercolor classes.  I’ve wanted to take another art class, had been considering a botanical drawing class.  The pandemic restrictions of the past year have allowed me to notice and enjoy the natural world around me more, including keeping a rudimentary journal of new discoveries in my backyard and walks around my neighborhood and nearby park.  For the first time, I noticed migratory birds, seeing several species I had never noticed before.  I hope that I can continue to enjoy more discoveries, and love the idea of keeping a more beautiful journal, incorporating drawings, watercolor, and reflections.

In my retirement I have become a potter, and I also enjoy felting.  I would like to become better at drawing and painting so that I can use my artwork on my pottery pieces and on 2-d felting pieces.  I have long enjoyed studying nature; it inspires my work.  I have gotten journals in the past, started them, then set them aside.  Also got watercolors several years back, but succumbed to the fear of the blank page.  I am looking forward to this new-to-me way of exploring the natural world, and to actually using some of the supplies that have accumulated in my home.

I have wanted to keep a nature journal for some time because I derive great satisfaction from my natural surroundings; I’m a born chronicler and I love how sketching allows me to really experience a bird, a plant, an animal, etc. Yet, I’ve been intimidated by the empty page or a new journal. I don’t want to “ruin” them, as Cindy said, and my desire for perfection has kept me from jumping in. What I so appreciated about seeing the shared nature journals was realizing that it’s personal. It’s what the journal means to the one who keeps it, not what it means to anyone else. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Each journaler spoke of how their sketching captured the day, the observation, the experience for them in a rich way that a photo never could. It was so heartfelt.

1) On a visit to Indiana Dunes National Park, we took a ranger led boat tour on Lake Michigan. The ranger asked us to sketch the shoreline and dunes. I felt very uncomfortable with the request that I draw, but found it to be a satisfying experience as I recorded my observations in a way that was more meaningful than taking a picture on my phone which would have lacked detail and personal interaction. 2) I’d love to by able to create a beautiful, water color journal, but since I have no experience with water color, I think more simple pencil sketches would be a better way to start. 3) I keep a brief, daily diary in a planner and would like to add art to some of the entries.

1. This course came up as an ad. I have always loved to draw and paint, but never could put anything in any kind of order.  I just liked to hoard sketch books and was afraid to "ruin them". Now that I am retired I will get the chance to slow down and try going out into nature to sit and observe and use a journal to record what I have seen and enjoyed. 2. Anything that will help to keep things in some kind of order instead of my usual "all over the place" approach to everything.  I like the look of the incomplete boxes around drawings and separating information with boxes. I definitely will want to look information up about each animal/plant that I explore.