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.

1.  To gain a deeper appreciation of the natural world both in my own backyard and in the wider world.  I've always admired John Audubon's work, but felt intimated to try sketching and journaling.  I'm glad to have found this course! 2. I would like to try to incorporate more scientific information about the plant / animal I am sketching, while still focusing on the art of making the journal. 3. Possibly including personal experiences about what you felt as you were sketching?

1- I like to draw and nature journaling is a good way to make time and get out in nature as well as draw. I think this class will introduce me to new things (I have never done nature journaling before), and I hope it will help me improve my drawing and watercolor skills. 2- I like the journals that have more pictures than words. I liked the ones with lots of different angles of the same subject, and I liked the spider one where it was drawing out a process and the different steps.

Since I am so new to this whole process, I would like to experiment and try different methods.  I'd like to try sketch and watercolor but also colored pencils, and pens.  I believe I might start off with the boxes around an object just to get and idea of how much space I can use on the page for journalling and drawing.  I like the idea of zooming in on an object for details and also the use of ovals or circles  for drawing birds. I think it will take some time to develop my own kind of style.  The fun is in trying though.  Terry.

I've been a writer, photographer, and artist since my early retirement 7 years ago. I shifted towards nature writing during the pandemic to tie in with my photography. I now want to try nature journaling to sketch and water color on my walks.

1. I was trained by a fabulous zoologist who was a colleague and friend in the Grinnell style of notebook keeping. Very formal. Very data driven. It was a method that worked great for a vertebrate museum collection. Not so much for what I wanted to do with my field notes. I was often 'too far afield' in my note taking style. What it took me many years as a field biologist to realize was that I was a nature journaler and not a museum collector. While I absolutely understand the value of those formal field notes for academic research the artist/biologist in my needed to fly a different path. 2. I loved the use of boxes with the drawings and also the approach of a drawing a day or a month spoke to me. I might like to try a combination of those styles.  

The pandemic lead me to walk in different areas around my home, as where I usually walked became a lot more traveled by more people. So, I went to an area near a quarry close to my house.  There were many animals there, and birds, and I kept a written journal for the past year of what I saw and when, and some other observations.  It has been quite a year of loss, but I am drawn to document this year as a nature journal.  Those daily walks and observations kept me anchored in a good place, for at least part of every day through a difficult year. I do not think I have quite the skills for the task, but I think I will learn a lot by creating this journal.

I journaled on the sides of my bird lists for years and it grew to flowers, landscapes and notes. I like the idea of boxes to relieve the clutter. I think I saw a white tailed kite on a trip years ago and since I recently found one near my home I want to find that journal and see.  I would like to know about giving some depth/detail to my sketches. And I have NO idea what to do with water color. Looking forward to finding out. Hurray, that things don't have to be finished, and it's fine to not get it perfect, and it's ok to try try try. This will bring more delight to my expressions.

Whether I'm in my own garden or on vacation in a National Park, I spend more time than I should probably admit just watching and listening to what's going on around me. Like one of the nature journalists in the video, I find myself falling in love with certain plants, animals, fungi or lichens. Taking time to capture more -- in writing or in a sketch -- about the qualities of a particular barnacle, blossom or preening songbird that I've fallen in love with will help solidify that memory. Nature journaling will help me be more disciplined in recording what I see, when I see it and note what else is going on at that time. Though I love going through photos my husband and I have taken, it's not the same. I am inspired by all the nature journalists who shared their journaling methods in the video, and I'm eager to learn more and get started.

I decided to take up nature journaling as a tool to improve my observation skills and develop a form of visual note-taking, to improve my memory of what I observed. I'm a birdwatcher and birding has become my gateway drug to a broader interest in and observation of nature. I haven't had an art class since kindergarten, so I appreciated the very modest sketches some of the nature journalists shared and what can be learned from them. And I was awed by the great artistic skills of others. Nature has always been my solace, so I expect that there may be emotional responses or thoughts that arise while observing and sketching and I will record those too in my journal.

I enjoy being outside in nature (especially bird watching) and dabble with painting, but came to a greater appreciation of both throughout COVID. I am a teacher and  it has been such a stressful few months. Sitting in my backyard watching birds has literally been a sanctuary experience for me. I even began to turn my backyard into more of a habitat for birds and other critters. I love noticing the light at different times of the day and being aware of the cycle of things. It is truly calming. I feel like I sync with myself when I can notice other creatures going about their native and instinctual ways. Nature journaling feels like a natural way to extend my experience and look forward to working my way through this class.  The picture below is of a newly fledged eastern bluebird. We watched as all 4 fledged from the birdbox from a distance in our backyard last May.

We are turning our Irish farm into a private nature reserve. I want to be able to document the changes we’ve made through drawings and personal observations which I hope will complement the scientific studies we are doing. I already paint landscapes but so far I’m rather rubbish as drawing animals and doing detailed work that looks realistic. This course looks perfect for helping me develop new skills.

1. I recently moved to Alaska and.. the landscape is so beautiful and changes its impression with the weather. Also, lots of birds! 2. Framing the picture and having bullet points of details observed is an attractive approach

1. I enjoy journaling daily, sketching and being outdoors. This will refine my observations and experience in all areas. I am taking this course to better connect with nature and to look closer at the world around me. I hope to gain knowledge and improve my sketching skills in order to use my garden this summer as subject matter and canvas. 2. Like Shayna, I will use boxes to frame and highlight my drawings and detailed notes. 3. I like texture. Adding bits of actual samples to touch would be fun, although it would make the journal rather bulky. I may or may not do this.

As an artist, I have journaled on and off in the past.  As time went on I have stopped doing it and want to get back to doing it because I know it is a good habit to practice drawing and painting.   I love birds and have carved a few, and also have carved and painted their feathers.  For me it is important to get the colors right so that I can assimilate them on my carvings.  I love to create, and have fun doing it.

I hope to improve my drawing skills and enjoy all that Nature has to offer around me. I enjoy using pencil, pen and watercolor together and think this will be a wonderful experience.

I like the idea of starting with writing the date , time  and place where I am located for the journal experience. I feel a little conscious about my drawing ability but know that it is my journal and i do not have to share it unless I want to. I also realize that i can only improve my drawing by doing just that .....drawing. I am a true lover of Nature and an avid birder so I am looking forward to getting started with this project.

1. I love birds & I'm also an ecology and environmental science teacher. I want to teach my kiddos about phenology and I thought nature journaling would be a wonderful way to include inquiry and creativity to discussions on seasonal shifts. 2. I want to get better at gesture sketches to quickly capture what I'm seeing for animal behavior. I tend to spend lots of time working from photo references for the bird art I do now so this will be a skill to build on.

I am looking forward to this course to combine my two main interests of nature and art.   I want to improve my drawing skills and develop watercolour, which I have never had much success with!   Learning to sketch from life should help my observation practice as you see much more when taking time drawing and really paying attention than if you just take a quick photo.  I think I will learn to appreciate the beauty of  nature much more as I progress.   I would also like to use the journal for identification instead of relying on photos

We're a homeschool family. I'm doing nature journaling with two of my boys. I hope for my artist son to get more comfortable drawing/painting outside and for my bird-loving son to enrich his study of birds. As for myself, I have worked mostly in oils. I am looking forward to developing my skills in watercolors. They will be so much less complicated and more portable for painting in nature.

I want to build a daily drawing practice to improve my drawing skills and I love birds and spend a lot of time outside, so nature journaling seems like a good way to combine these. Since I'm fascinated with bird behavior, I find the narrative aspect of writing about what I observe compelling and it seems like a good way to go beyond just focusing on the thing I'm drawing to include aspects of the whole experience of what I'm observing.

I live on a lake and have recently started birding. What better way to learn birds than to sketch them.

I retired a few years ago and set a goal for myself to learn how to sketch and paint. Before I could get "started" Covid-19 hit! We live in a condo community, and I love to be "with nature," so within our 20 ft X 30 ft patio, I have five feeders offering various goodies for the birds we have in the area.  I wanted to take my communing with nature a step beyond just watching to sketching and painting the variety of wildlife we see in our neighborhood.  I can't wait to go traveling within our city to see other species at other parks in the area when Covid-19 is more under control. I am a novice to sketching/drawing and painting and I want to learn as much as I can and practice as much as I can to improve my skills. I loved the unique nature of each of the journals...  I aspire to be more creative and free with my journal, but will include the stats to help me keep my work organized and make it easier to remember when I look back and think about a particular day.  I don't know if I can sketch every day, but that's how I want to start out! Sharon