The Cornell Lab Bird Academy › Discussion Groups › Nature Journaling and Field Sketching › Style Your Journal Your Way
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1 I discovered nature journaling just recently, having taken an interest in birds during pandemic lockdown (bird watching from my balcony and getting familiar with garden birds). 2 I’m impressed with the beauty if the journals and i really like it when the journal shows landscapes and plant as well as animals. It’s a good idea to show the whole scene and also small details (like a flower bud or bird’s beak) i.e. show things at different scales. I’ve only just started journaling with plants and birds, but I want to try to include landscapes and rocks (geology). So far I’ve been using ink pen and watercolor pencils, and I look forward to gaining confidence through this course.
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I have always been fascinated with nature journals. I didn't know where to begin as it all seemed time consuming, sitting and drawing, noticing the fine details of nature. I'm a teacher and would like to have my students keep a nature journal. I enjoyed looking and hearing about all the journals in the video especially Shayne's and Holly's. Shayne's is organized just the way I like to keep things organized on paper. I thought the zoom was a great idea. Holly's journal looks like a book, very artistic.
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1. I'm a birder, a long-time gardener, a hiker and back-packer (back in the day) and have drawn all my life. I've taken a number of courses at the local art museum, and have kept a "regular" (not a "nature") journal for years. The idea of combining all these loves made perfect sense. Also I've just turned 80, and as my eyesight fades, alas, I want to do as much as I can to see and record the precious details of the world around me. 2. I appreciated ALL the journals, for each represented a deep personal encounter.
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I was inspired to begin nature journaling because I wanted to try it. I like Liz´s journal and Faulkner´s . I also would like a idea of kind of Mcmullan´s field guide.
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I am inspired to begin nature journaling because the act of describing and drawing something homes my observation skills. I have been amazed at how much I don’t see! I need words to go with my drawing because my artistic skills are underdeveloped. Due to this and how long it takes me to sketch I have considered taking photos then drawing from the photos. Or printing and pasting the photos in my journal. The next step would be to emphasize the small details through a sketch. The only negative about this is that the actual process of drawing facilitates observing the small details and creates an intimacy with the subject that ‘taking’ a photo does not do in the same way. I have recently learned about “receiving” a photo. I think this attitude of receiving could help create more intimacy. And I could use photography as a bridge while I am working on drawing skills.
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1. The thing that inspired me to begin nature journaling was my love of both nature and art. 2. I think the nature journaling approach of a drawing a day was neat. 3. I had an idea one day to put a comment beside each bird I recorded in my nature journal, instead of just pictures. This is one of my journaling ideas.
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I am a photographer that also likes to sketch and color. I made the sketches below while on a camping trip to the Pilbara area of Western Australia. Since I was traveling with others, there were times that were not available for photos, so I sketched while in the moving Toyota off the road vehicle. I love sketching as much as I love photography and in recent years, the drawing has prevailed with advent of digital photography. I am landscape artist that loves the detail of the surrounding area complete with the local flora and fauna. I am now learning digital photography, so my sketching needs to go along because I am not content with photography alone, as it may not catch the whole experience. I will incorporate a combination of photos, sketchwork, and internet research. The internet research was not available during the times I spent in Australia in the 1980's.
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I'm combining two amateur interests: birdwatching and watercolors. I'm not aiming for perfection, just enjoyment, and a more interesting way to document travels.
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1. Ive always wanted to draw but not had the confidence to try nor the patience tp persevere. Im hoping that I might learn from others to encourage me to have a go and continue with the initial process. Also I think as i move towards retirement this could take me into an area of interest or a hobby to pursue. 2. I would like to try and be confident and accepting of sketches, completed or not and also to try a range of different topics both flora and fauna and also to use watercolour paint. 3. Not at this time but as I am in the southern hemisphere my material will be different.
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I want to learn to observe more closely and keep a visual record of at least some of the things I see, including in my own gardens. I was encouraged to hear the naturalists talk about how their style evolved and to see varying degrees of "artistic skill." It made me feel less timid about jumping in.
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I have always been fascinated by the idea of keeping nature journals and by those who have done so. So, I wanted to try it for myself. I think what draws me to it is the idea of having to slow down and observe everything around you.
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I work in wildlife research and conservation and have always been interested in art. I'd love to combine these two passions and use this course as a way to start to stick to sketching/painting.
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In January of 2020 I took up watercolor painting. After over a year of learning this art I have discovered a need a purpose to paint. Coupled with the long time practice of scribbling notes while on vacation that ultimately get lost, the notion of nature journaling seemed like the ideal solution. While we are a bit past most spring activities, I want to start my journal from the point of view of looking out the windows to our gardens to a walk about these gardens as the growing season progresses.
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I simply wanted to learn how to start a nature journal.
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I have wanted to try this course out for a long time. I felt intimidated about my skills when I look at others work. The classes i have been taking and the work i have done in an open studio setting have given me the confidence to give it a try. I know that my style will be something that will develop over time and I will be able to depict the things that I observe in my own way.
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The desire to document the nature in my own backyard, as well as what I observe on nature walks, has inspired me to begin nature journaling. I've documented through photography, mainly using the iNaturalist app, but want to practice more of a mindfulness approach to my observations. Nature journaling requires attention to detail and "being in the moment," and those are some of the characteristics of mindfulness. Another inspiration is related to my profession as a teacher. Next year I will be teaching science to 5th and 6th graders, and I plan to have them keep science notebooks to document their work. I want to sharpen my own skills this summer to be more prepared to guide my students in a careful and focused approach to notebook/journal entries.
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1. I am a naturalist by vocation and avocation--I have spent the past 18 years teaching very young children, and their teachers, to love nature and to know about much of the nature around them. I am retired now, and would like to use journaling as another way to keep getting me outdoors and keep me learning new things about nature. I enjoy nature photography, but as several have noted, it is easy to be drawn into looking only through the lens, and also easy to forget about the photos when the day is over. I am very slow at drawing because I am detail oriented and a perfectionist. My goals for this course are: a. To form a journaling habit, b. To learn to draw more quickly and expressively, c. To learn to use color. 2. I enjoyed all of the journals in the video. I particularly liked Shayna's, with its blend of art and observation, especially the zooming. I think I would do better emulate DJ's less detailed sketches. I loved the flow of the daily journal in water color. I think it would be good to try a sketch a day or at least weekly to push me out there. I think I would like to do more with images and less with writing if that is possible, though the notes are valuable learning tools. 3. I do not yet have a different journaling idea, though I do want to consider a dedicated journal to use to document the plants and animals we see on our family's mountain forest property.
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1. Being out in nature and observing plants, landscape and birds has been my grounding place during this pandemic. I participate in a couple of citizen science projects, which I love doing and have also been restorative, especially during this time. I think the nature journaling would enhance this experience and develop my observational skills. Plus, I have wanted to learn to draw and paint birds since starting birding a few years ago when I retired, but thought, I'm not an artist. It resonates more with me than photographing what I see. And Liz says we all can be artists! 2. I liked the balance of observations and visuals in Shayna, Liz and D.J.'s journals. I will use the boxes, at least at first, the way Shayna evolved them. I also really like her "zoom lens" to show detail. I want to pay attention and record my impressions of the visual beauty, even if I don't have time to draw and paint it all - as Liz said, these triggered memories for her. I especially appreciated D.J.'s attention and focus on behavior of birds and other animals. Several of the journalers referred to questions and curiosity arising, and going away to research and learn, then returning to the journal to record what they discovered. I very much would like to do that - to become absorbed in something triggered by my observations, and enhance my knowledge as a naturalist. This also brings up another thing that appeals to me about nature journaling - and the reason I was captivated by birds on retiring. I slow down, lose track of time, and feel connected to something larger than myself of my human world. It is very relaxing and peaceful. It is meditation. 3. Being in nature is my cathedral. I think the journal will help to evoke that for me, even when I am indoors. I took a class on writing haiku last winter. I think I will sometimes be evoked to do that by something I observe, or write about a memory that has been recalled, or a prayer that has been inspired. I may also sometimes include an inspirational quote, such as Liz as done in the text for this course. So while it will mostly be more science oriented, I think adding the art points out the beauty of nature, which does bring up a spiritual component for me.
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Now that I'm retired from teaching math/science in Alaska, I have time to really explore the interconnections between the things I love....spending time with family, being outside in the wilderness, learning, birding and writing. This is the perfect intersection of all these. I really liked the journal that was mostly watercolors organized by month. I would definitely add more text- thinking about details, what I discover and what questions I still have.
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1. I guide canoe trips and was looking for a different way to capture our connections with the environment around us. In the last 24 months or so I've seen so many nature-journal-watercolorists show up in my social media feeds. It finally feels like the right time to develop the habit and learn some art skills. 2. I loved how many trial and errors there were across many of the journalers' pages - a good reminder to shoot for progress not perfection. While the first journaler opted not to continue with boxes, I think I might start there to help myself get over the fear of how to fill the page. I like structure until I learn enough that I can break out of it. 3. Not yet! I might as we go along.
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I want to improve my art and think that drawing birds will aid in doing this.
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Since I was little I have loved to doodle and sketch. Over the last few years I have also started birding. This class seems like the perfect was to add the two together and to better my technique and learn water colour. But the biggest reason of all is I want to be able to take the time to slow down and appreciate and feel the beauty that nature has to offer.
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I have been drawing and painting every day since October 2018. I participate in daily art prompt challenges and using different media in my art. My husband and I recently have started birding. I have been wanting to try nature journaling for a while now, but did not know where or how to start. I came across this course while searching for ways to learn how to begin a nature journal. I would like to try Shayna Muller's way of nature journaling because her style seems to match what I would like to capture in my journal. I like the boxes and having the art work peek out from the boxes while having journal writing surrounding my art.
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First day for me. The beauty of it all is overwhelming. The colors and patterns of birds mesmerizing. But all of this calls forth my detailing brain. What I want to be able to do first is to capture the feelings as unadulterated as possible. Not sure how this is going to go, but that is what I will work toward first. Will report back omg how the journaling progresses.
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