I have always taken photographs of nature that have interested me. I thought this would be a different way to observe and record those things that have attracted my attention. I like the concept of drawing an item, bird, flower or landscape and then incorporating a written description along with it. Also including the date, time location, weather conditions and maybe questions about the subject.

My friend, Lisa, told me about the course - she's my drawing and painting buddy - so I signed up. The idea of nature journaling appeals to me because if I want to draw or describe an aspect of nature, I need to slow down and really take time to notice all the details. Noticing the details of a bird, leaf, etc., will make the interaction experience more memorable. I want to be looking closely and appreciating nature. I feel like journaling will help me along this path. After looking at the various journals, I definitely will include the date, time of day, weather, and location for each drawing or notation.  I'd like to include color, using the portable watercolor set - watercolors are challenging, so nature journaling will allow me to improve my skills in this area. I liked the "zoom" technique one of the journalers used - to show greater detail of a larger sketch.  I realize even if I can't fully capture all the details, the sketches and notes will be a reminder of what I saw. I like the idea of what one journaler did with the boxes - kind of a way to make the space of the page less daunting. I may use that techique.

I can’t even imagine being able to do a nature journal but I LOVE birds and recently took another of Liz’s classes and she actually has me convinced that I can draw!!!  It was enormously helpful to see the different journaling styles as well as the approaches to capturing impressions.  I’m looking forward to learning how to SEE!

1. What inspired you to begin nature journaling? Curiosity is my primary inspiration to begin nature journaling.  Whether I'm hiking in the mountains, birding in the woods, or just staring out my kitchen window, I find myself wondering about the things I see and hear.  Sometimes I know what I'm observing, but most of the time I have to look it up.  I like that nature journaling will provide a way to not only record my thoughts, questions, ideas, but also act as a visual aid to what I am experiencing.  I find myself bird watching and become so enamored by the colors of their plumage or the light reflecting off the pond.  Nature journaling seems like a great way to capture these moments, much more deeper than if I took a photograph on my phone.  I've always wanted to take drawing and painting courses, so this will be a great way to explore a new skill.  I've been keeping journals since I was a kid, and as I grew up I drew less and wrote more.  I'd like to return back to drawing! 2. ...which ideas or approaches do you want to try? In Shayna's journal, I loved her use of boxes after she finished her drawing--I loved the look of the plants popping out of her boxes!  Utilizing a close-up in a separate box/circle is another thing I liked about Shayna's journal.  What a great way to capture detail.  I liked how William used one page for his illustration and the opposite page with his notes.  Having the spaces separated this way is neat.  I'll probably dabble in both having notes next to my sketches and on separate pages to see what I like best.  Lastly, I loved the look of Holly's journal. I don't think a drawing a day is feasible for me at this time, but I do like the look of having the floating date next to the drawing.  I will definitely be incorporating date/time/weather/location into my journal entries, and I may try to add them in artfully as Holly has done with her dates.

I would love to learn to sketch wildlife as well as the flowers and plants I encounter in my everyday life.  I am anticipating having to practice a lot before I get the hang of it.  (I'm one of those who is not certain about my ability to draw.)  I'm going to give it a go, and like the idea of a nature journal.  Thanks!

I love looking at the details that abound in nature, especially when I am able to focus in and see particular patterns that are present.  I often try to capture these via a digital photo however I find the inability to make a notation of what or why I was drawn to take the photo (not to mention the quality) leaves a gap in the significance of that moment.  I have a hobby of making and painting on pottery and would love to learn how to translate images in nature onto my pottery. I plan to experiment with a variety of ideas and techniques for nature journaling shared by other journalers.

What appeals to me about journaling is the recording of something I see in nature. Capturing the image in a sketch. Maybe enhancing the story with text. I am hoping to learn how to add watercolor to my sketches. To be able to capture birds that are in motion would be a great accomplishment for me. A sketch a day appeals to me although I know I probably cannot realistically fit sketching in my schedule 7 days a week, but most days. Marjolein Bastin is the person that has been an inspiration for me since I was young. I am excited to start this course and begin my journey.

My inspiration for journaling I think began as a child - my Father painted and I have always adored the idea of painting but have not actually really explored it on my own.  Combine that interest with birding and the love of nature - journaling just pulls together something that I cherish and really want to explore and participate in.

1. What inspired me was the act of recording my observations because, otherwise, I forget so much of what I see. I love closely observing anything in nature and then trying to draw or paint it. Just the act itself makes me look so much closer and notice what I would never otherwise see. 2. I loved seeing how the others used their journals. I think the first one was close to what I wish to create....although the last woman's journal was so lovely. Maybe someday I will be able to do what she does. I also liked how the first woman's journal (and a couple others) evolved as she moved forward. She started out putting everything in boxes, and then she had the drawings burst out of the boxes. I think I will probably be too uptight and perfectionistic in the beginning, but I hope I can quickly get beyond that and see the journal as a tool to ask questions and look for answers in growing my understanding of the natural world. I've always had a goal of understanding my little corner of the world with depth and detail, and I see this journal as a tool in moving toward that goal.

I took the Drawn to Birds Course last week and it inspired me to take up drawing and especially painting birds and making a journal.

I took the Drawn to Birds workshop last weekend. I like the lady who had the daily drawing at first, not because I feel like I want to or could draw every day, but I liked her realistic depictions of birds, and that's what I aspire to do. I live on the Rhode Island shoreline, so we have a large variety of shorebirds and some migratory birds that pass through. I've always been good at sketching, but mostly because I'm an engineer. I sketch inanimate objects well. Now that I'm semi-retired, I'd like to expand to birds as well, and the Drawn to Birds workshop really helped with that. This looks like a good next step to depict some of our local birds, with some information and background scenery. Experimenting with watercolors will be completely new to me.

Hello from rainy Belize. I took "Drawn to Birds: A Sketching Workshop with Liz Clayton Fuller" last week and really enjoyed it. I want to learn more about sketching and drawing. I have a pretty cool backyard - howlers, birds, Mayan temples of Lamanai, jungle, insects, etc - and I do write sightings in my daily journal, but I want to do a better job. I like Holly Faulkner's idea to start with. Nov 19 - Oropendolas calling from Cohune tree during a break in the rain! Thank you!

I love to travel, camp and hike and would like to record my observations and practice my sketching on a more regular basis.  As a retired Librarian, Master Gardener, past Girl Scout and Boy Scout Leader,  I love to research about the animals and plants in the places I visit.  Journaling will offer me the opportunity to explore, draw, paint and research a variety of topics.  I will be 70 next month and I hope to never stop being curious about the world around me. I hope to use the boxes to guide my drawings, paintings and observations.  I am ready to get started!

1. I like the idea of having my own field guide - to look back on experiences and help recall details of the day that might of otherwise been forgotten.  It will also make it easier to share with others & deepen my own learning and understanding of my surroundings. 2. I like the idea of using "boxes" to help me get started in organizing my thoughts & observations.  To get my art on the page first, and include details around it.  I like the idea also of trying daily/weekly/monthly.  Lastly, I like the idea as well that not every page has to  be "perfect" - that even an incomplete sketch can still evoke memories.

I've often thought of including sketches in my travel journals over the years but rarely did it.  I saw this course and thought I might get some tips to motivate me.  Of course, I'm not travelling now and it's almost winter.  On top of that, I am at home recovering from surgery.  However , on the positive side, I have lots of time on my hands to try something new.  I'm hoping I can find things outside the window or in my backyard to get started.

1.  Inspired to begin nature journal by a deep desire to give it a try it.  I often stand and stare intently at natural objects or living critters in an effort to really "see" and connect with what I'm looking at.  I am 77 years old and have always felt inhibited when it comes to any type of art expression.  Probably some long ago criticism shut me down.  It's time for me to "get over it." 2.  Margaret's very free pencil sketches of the humming birds was inspiring.  Quick sketch, quick sketch, observe, and SEE!  Jewel's sharing of her struggle to "find her style" is encouraging.  Shayna's open boxes for her drawings appeals to me.  Various journals have incomplete drawings, DJ said, "You don't have to catch all the features."  I've dabbled in watercolor and would like to incorporate that into my journal. 3.  All of the the featured journalist drawings were wonderful!  I admire the freedom to simply do it.  This is what I wish for myself and anyone else diving into Nature Journaling.

I love nature and when I walk or hike I often find something that I love and wish to remember....such as droplets of rain on a fallen leaf, or my backyard birdfeeder filled with birds waiting their turn or squabbling over available space. This course seems perfect for me.  I also enjoy drawing and painting although watercolor will be a new experience. What fun this will be?

1. What inspired you to begin nature journaling? My background is in biology. In my free time I have always been happiest outside in nature and have always had the casual hobby of sketching, mostly influenced by nature, particularly birds. I consider myself a birder and I've been taking several of the bird courses offered through Bird Academy and have really enjoyed fine tuning my knowledge of birds and bird identification skills. I came across this course on Nature Journaling and was immediately excited about leaning new ways to use my sketch book, particularly in documenting birds I see out in nature. I like the idea of capturing more detailed observations about the birds I see and trying to record drawings of their behaviors in real-time. I would like to improve my bird drawing skills and incorporating this with writing more notes about what I am observing seems like a great combination. 2. Which ideas or approaches do you want to try? I'm excited and scared to try adding water color to my drawings. It has been many years since I dabbled in water color and I think it will be a fun challenge to incorporate this technique into capture more details about the birds I see.

I am writing from California, I was inspired to take this class to motivate me and my family to get outside (now that the smoke from wildfires have cleared).  I have always felt being in nature is like therapy for me and I need it more than ever.  I have always been on/off art projects nothing formal.  Nature journaling and sketching seems like a perfect blend of combining art with nature observation.  My 11 year old son is an amazing birder and takes great photos.  I plan to get us out birding weekly and use that time to journal.  I really like the journal that had a daily goal and a monthly goal for adding to the sketch book.  I plan to incorporate that into my sketching goals.

I took a course 6 years ago (I didn't realize so much time had passed until I pulled that notebook out to use for this course) that was an intensive field study along with learning the basics of using watercolor . I don't consider myself to be a skilled artist, I look for ways to be supported in my pursuit in a low stakes manner. I love being outside and often marvel at shapes and color, this course seemed like a welcome opportunity to commit time to improving skills with color and basic drawing skills. In this time of social distancing, I hope to see others progress and inspirations. I like the combined words and sketches, some with completed color, some not. Like others have mentioned, nature journaling is a welcomed counterpoint to my left brained career in medicine.

1.  I have always loved nature and being outside.  I grew up in the woods and on a bay, and as an only child there weren’t many kids to play with, so I spent a lot of time exploring by myself.  I kept track of what I saw here and there but nothing serious.  As an adult, I enjoy hiking and camping and I have tried to start a journal but have never kept it up.  Due to Covid, I have been reevaluating how I want to spend my time at home that is both creative and fulfilling and I have rediscovered nature journaling. 2.  I like the approaches that are about the learning first and the drawing second.  I think for me this will translate into the observations, questions, and connections as the majority of the page and the illustrations will support it.  I do like the use of watercolors as the medium, but that is intimidating for me at this moment so I am going to start with pencils/colored pencils.  I do look forward to learning watercolors in this series. 3.  For practice, I want to incorporate sketches from my most memorable photos from previous experiences in nature.  I have a few that have really strong memories associated with the photos, and I want to get the memories down on paper-and practice drawing the subject of the photo too.

1. I have loved nature ever since I was a little boy. My parents have always encouraged me to explore our natural world. We would go on hikes, climb mountains, go skiing, traveling, and I was lucky enough to have a grandmother that had a beach house in Stone Harbor, NJ. Exploring the beach, catching sand crabs, going fishing with my dad, and just being in the salt air every summer inspired me to go to college for Marine Biology. I currently have my bachelor’s degree in marine biology from Stockton University and work as a naturalist/marine biologist and first mate on a whale and dolphin watching boat. Both of my grandmothers have also enjoyed feeding the wild birds in their backyards and they passed this love of birdwatching on to me. My grandmother on my mom’s side of the family is currently 97 years old and continues to amaze me every day! She loves to paint, do crafts, play with our dog and still keeps feeding the birds. Her father was an artist and my great great uncle, Prosper Louis Senat was a famous French Painter with some of his artwork currently in a few museums. I feel like I have to have some type of artistic skills if it’s in the family right? Nature journaling to me, will be a way of connecting myself not only to nature but also to my ancestors in the same way that they expressed themselves through art ☺️ 2. I really liked the watercolor journaling. I definitely want to incorporate watercolors over top of pencil sketches like the girl in the final part of the video. I just really like the bold colors that pop out using watercolors. I would also like to try out some colored pencil sketches too as a personal challenge, since i’ve never done detailed sketching with colored pencils. 3. I’m also really into photography and my father has been a professional photographer for the last 35 years. I would like to maybe include a few pages in my journal that include some of my nature photography taken with my Canon 40d DSLR camera. I think it would be a neat way of learning how to sketch/paint using a still photograph, and then work my way up to sketching wild birds, whales, dolphins, sharks etc. that are moving ☺️🐧🦅🐋🦈🐳

Hi Everybody, my name is Leslie. I live in Texas.  I have been on again/off again nature journaling for the past five years, but mostly off! When I revisit a page, I think, why don't I do this more?  It is amazing how the nature journal can take you right back to that moment.  As I read other people's stories, I'm struck by the retirees' comments about living busy lives and not having time to create.  I am impressed by their new commitments to journal and also moved to make time to create at all stages of my life. I'm taking this class for three reasons:  1) get back on the horse 2) improve my watercolor skills and use watercolor in journaling which I have never done and 3) journal the everyday, but also record my hikes and travels (when this whole pandemic is over...)

Hello there!  I was inspired to begin nature journaling about four years ago.  Having just moved from Toronto, to Ottawa Ontario, I was exploring some new hobbies including photography, cross country skiing, and nature journalling!  I took an EdEx course called Illustrating Natural History, which was wonderful, however I'm even more excited about this course as it will include birds!  Like many of my fellow students here online, I've had a lifelong passion for birds, learning about them, watching them, and enjoy bird painting/arts in my spare time.  What excites me most about the journalling is that it really helps one develop an eye for details, and appreciate the natural world so much more deeply!  I also look forward to this process helping me document, and identify plants and birds on my nature walks. I want to ensure my journal has a real blend of science and art.  I want to include lots of descriptive writings, and I also want to have sketches that I can reflect on later that are accurate, and aesthetically pleasing.  I'd like to observe and record any behaviours, patterns, things I notice.  I was really impressed with the journal of the spider/bee and the memory the writer had of that moment in time. I started a new mixed journal at the beginning of the Pandemic, and in it I included some backyard birds.  I would sketch, and fill with colour pencil or watercolour, and then add some descriptions that I'd learned through some simple web searches.  It helped me learn basics of each bird.  I kept 1 bird per page, and my goal had been to draw all birds I saw.  Sadly, my journal was not meant for watercolour and so the pages wrinkled :(.   Happy journalling! Alisha

I’ve always admired other people’s journaling with drawing and watercolor but thought it was completely out of my reach. We’ll see. I see so many beautiful things outside around my house, at camp, at outdoor events, on walks...At the same time I feel more and more like a consumer in the age of “scanning”...walking with headphones on, scrolling through online media while sitting outside.  I want to become more focused again. I’m hesitant to pick a journaling style because I feel like I will be copying someone else a la Pinterest, so I will sees as I work along.