I really enjoyed seeing all the different approaches taken in the Nature Journals video and I would like to incorporate elements from each style.   I feel most at peace when sat in nature with the sound of birds around me and hope to use this practice to be even more mindful everyday.  It will be quite a challenge for me though as I am not used to drawing nature, I am more used to photographing it.  I hope to maybe mix the pages up at some point with snippets of drawn, written and photographed subjects.

I practiced nature journaling with my children as a homeschooling activity.  I enjoy using watercolor and looking up tutorials on how to draw my own observations.  We also used the Seek app to help us identify flora and fauna.  My favorite thing to do is to keep a phenology wheel and track the moon phases as the focal piece of my nature journal spread for the month.  Then, I journal around it with sketches as I'm able through the month.

Nature journaling is a complete learning process. Each day we will learn something new from nature journaling as we observe and learn from the nature.

I want to have a try on journaling the place I'm visiting with all the information I can gather about the ecosystem like weather conditions , species I observed etc...Im doing nature journaling of about a particular species everytime instead of full details I observed, so I want to have a try on what all things I can observe and journal it with full details.

Here I am attaching a copy of my nature journaling I did a year back. It's about Blue Tailed Green Bee Eater, a migrant visitor to Kerala.

I love the ideas you provide for nature journaling, but I would also love to record and interpret the landscapes with watercolors. I am very excited to have signed up for this course. Although, I am just learning to paint with watercolors on my own, I would like to learn to paint animals, plants and landscapes. Here is my first attempt at a landscape with watercolors, although it is not a good one because the transparencies are not visible, I believe that practice makes perfect.

I am a field scientist in Panama and honestly ... There are a lot of LONG-BORING days sometimes on research plots. I started drawing and sketching stuff form fun to pass time at Basecamp. I want to get better in technical skills.

I chose this course to work on practice in many things:   to practice the discipline of keeping a journal;  to practice setting aside time for drawing and painting;  to practice making intentional time away from the distractions of "civilized" life, screens, and even my camera; and especially to deepen the practice of noticing, in hopes of following Mary Oliver's "Instructions for Living a Life":
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”

I loved seeing the variety of styles in each nature journal, the differing technicques, and the evolution of the journals--including Holly's sharing that keeping up with a daily entry was a bit intense, and that working on a monthly journal was a more reasonable approach.  Thank you all for sharing your entries so we could learn from your work.

1.  I wanted to develop my skills at drawing and apply them to wildlife and nature.  I also assume that this will force me to look at nature more quietly and carefully, in more detail.

2.  I liked seeing the different approaches and for me, I want less "volume" and more selective focus on a few special landscapes, natural features or wildlife.  For me, it will not be so much a journal as a "highlight reel".

3. I have a general question- does anyone use a camera to photograph what they wish to enter, and then at their leisure draw and/or describe them in their journals?  I want to do that, at least part of the time.

1. I've got lists everywhere: flowers in bloom on a hike, spring bird arrival dates during migration, native plants observed on a walk with little notes in brackets about colours or locations. Then I've got a pile of random photos on my phone: plants, mushrooms, birds, insects with no way of making notes. I've got observations in eBird and iNaturalist and in my phone notes and in paper notebooks. I've been trying to figure out for years how to put all my observations together to capture the information and details that I want to remember. I've considered scrapbooking, printing photos and putting them in an album so I could make notes, drawing charts with colours to capture what plants are in bloom and when but nothing really seemed to make sense. I feel like nature journaling could be the answer and I'm going to find out. I've never considered myself much of an artist or really thought that I'd have the ability to actually capture what I see through sketches (hence all the photos) but I'm excited to begin and see where this takes me and to see if it gives me a sense of completion and satisfaction that I've finally captured the wonders that I see when I'm out in nature.

1.  and 4. Thank you to everyone for graciously sharing your nature journals! I took notes while watching, and got several ideas. Shayna's way of zooming into a detail of a subject (the maple leaf), and the way she painted only part of a moth, not feeling the need to paint it in its entirety. Jewel's page with swatches of color, and saying "It's enough to know all of these colors were present that day," letting me know it's OK not to feel compelled to create a complete sketch with the colors I've recorded. D.J.'s 3 action sketches of the spider he was observing helped him create an interesting narrative about the spider's behavior. Everyone mentioning that they spent a lot of time just looking, and a lot of time on a single sketch -- demonstrates patience!

I live in New York City. At first I thought "Nature? Here?" Then I reflected on what's here and became very optimistic: 30,000 acres of parkland, a coastline, forests, marshes, a Wildlife Refuge (more than one, actually). 400 species of birds. I reflected on wildlife I've seen over time, including the red-tailed hawk that inhabits my college campus and who mates every year. The opossum who showed up in a trap my neighbors and I set to catch feral cats so we could take them to a shelter. One day last winter, I even came across an American Woodcock in my neighborhood in Queens. Habitat: moist woods, brushy swamps -- ahh, the Jamaica Wildlife Refuge is nearby!

Thank you again for inviting me into your journals. I look forward more than ever to following your endeavors, and to creating my nature journey, knowing that my urban habitat has so much to offer me.

Lorraine

Watching the introductory video for this class on nature journaling gave me a deep sense of peace and a desire to do this more often. My mom was an artist, and she used to encourage me to make sketches of places that I traveled to. My grandmother made a series of nature journals (mostly Northern California wildflowers) that she completed from the 1980s until around 2017, when she passed away. They are beautiful and I think about them often. I also have my own nature journal from an online class I took several years ago on spiders. My journal contains sketches and information about spiders that I found in my backyard. I would like to commit to using a nature journal on any future trips I might take, as well as using it in my own backyard and neighborhood when I have the time and need to feel connected to nature. I love the watercolors, and I would like to try to use that more often. Adding in a short description about whatever I am sketching also appeals to me.

feeling a little awkward at this point... but ready to give this a go. winter weather keeps me inside but I have a lot of windows! still plenty to observe!

1. I am trying to learn how to draw birds and I love to watercolor so I thought this was perfect

 

2. I also have lots of practice pages loose in boxes so I thought themed journals may be nice to try

1. The decision to start a nature journal wasn't quite a 'decision' in that I can't consider it a deliberate action. It kind of just happened. I'm passionate about nature, writing, birding and bird/nature photography. A few months ago I rediscovered drawing, which I'd never practised on a regular basis, but was suddenly intrigued by more and more. I managed to incorporate it in my creative tasks and work, and now there's no going back. I've done a bit of experimenting with pencil and coloured pencils so far, with very little watercolours. I wanted to try a more structured approach, but one that wouldn't force me into too strict a routine, and before I knew it, I was starting this course.

2. My idea is to combine visual work with writing and journal regularly. I've never had a nature journal, so I haven't given myself too many guidelines to begin with: this visual-written approach is my starting point. The other ground rule is to not make this a 'task to perform' and not be too strict on the frequency of the exercise. I'm always very strict with myself with things I have to do, and I don't want this to be something I 'have to do', I want it to be a free space where I experiment as much as I can and remind myself to keep doing it regularly compatibly with all other things and activities on my agenda.

PS. I appreciated a lot all contributors' insights, it's very enriching and inspiring to read through them. Cheers!

1. I spend a lot of time in nature already and I've started doing watercolors--seemed like a good time to combine the two. 2. I love the note-taking to prompt more research; I love the idea of documenting questions and curiosities that arise. One person had their color palette on each page, and that's a beautiful touch. I am a big fan of color study. 3. I also like to add physical pieces to my journals -- dried flower/grass, leaf, feather, etc.

1. There are a few things that inspired me. One of those is feeling disconnected from nature and wanting to focus more on the green and less screen this year (and forever). The other was that I am in a place where i want to transition careers which has led me to feel lost, and hoping I can gain something positive out of this that I could bring to a nature-centered job.

2. I want to try setting a goal of journaling intently and purposefully every week or so. This could serve as a way to make sure I get out as well as keep the creativity flowing.

One of the primary reasons I want to start a Nature Journal is to remember and learn about the natural things around me. By documenting my observations in a journal, I can capture the intricate details of plants, insects, birds, trees, and more. This practice will not only enhance my knowledge but also create a lasting record that I can revisit and reflect upon.

Another reason for starting a Nature Journal is to improve my sketching and painting skills. I can hone my artistic skills while deepening my connection to nature.

Finally, I gathered numerous ideas while looking at the other journals that I would like to use in my journal. An example of some of the ideas: Quick sketches of birds, identifying insects or plants and including the source, add color samples and enlargements, and draw various characteristics of a species (i.e. the ferns) for future reference.

1. I've often been traveling with my husband and wished I had brought my sketchbook with me! So much of our time is filled with doing things, but not much time just observing. I have time in the future and grand plans to document travel, sights, memories...and nature journaling gives me an easy, practical way to accomplish this without taking time away from the doing, but adding to the experience by creating a memory with a simple sketch!

2. I'm inspired by these different techniques, but the two that stand out to me, which I hope to adopt, are journaling as I am hiking, traveling or experiencing an event, as well as the daily, monthly style. Drawing with boxes and leaving room to journal is so valuable to me. The illustrations themselves spark memories and add to the re-living of that experience far more than a photo.

3. I love maps, postcards and stickers for my travel journal.  I use maps for book covers and postcards for when  I can't sketch or take a (decent) photo. I can document where/when we visited somewhere and the postcards can tuck right into my journal.

1. I was in search of a way to bring myself more into the present moment when I am out observing birds and nature. And I see it as a tool to train and hone my ability to observe and retain details.

 

2. I like the idea of documenting the day, time, impressions, in the hopes that one day should my children wonder about their father, they may have a tangible way to peak back in time at get a glimpse of of what he was and how he saw the world.

 

3. No, but I am actively searching for more and different ways ;)

I was inspired to nature journal as a way to expand my understanding of nature and challenge myself. I am creative, but have never considered myself to have artistic talent, so am curious to see how this goes. The idea of making boundaries, like Shayna Muller, appeals to me. I also liked the way D.J. McNeil had multiple drawings of a particular subject as it changed positions. These examples were very helpful. Holly Faulkner's daily and then monthly sketches seemed like a great way to develop the habit. Daily would be overwhelming for me as I start out. But, monthly is definitely doable.

I really like the outdoors and love going bird watching and hiking.  I usually take photos but I would like to do some journaling.   I particularly like Shayna and Holly's way of journaling.  I would like to do watercolours of what I see every week or two weeks.  My journal is a watercolour pad with rings and it's fairly small so I will have room for only one or two weeks.

 

I take a lot of pictures while traveling But I started to notice that I wanted to develop a bit more of a connection with my surroundings in my experiences, especially with how easily accessible taking photos is now with my phone. So I’m hoping with this course I can develop my artistic skills in a new way—to better capture my surroundings and enjoy the spaces and creatures I see.

I have noticed over the past few years that I am less likely to remember things that I observe in passing than I did when I was younger. Nature journaling appeals to me as a way to preserve memories of moments in time. I spend a lot of time watching birds, especially in winter, and I want to hold on to the peace I experience in the process.  I like to hike and garden and for the same reason I am inspired to use my journal to capture time from hiking and gardening. When I am outside I am mostly engaged in "doing" - whether it is planting or weeding or hiking. I want to use this journal to be an active observer of these activities.

I have been taking pictures since I got a Brownie box camera in 1965. For the last ten years I have focused mainly on birds and love spending time with them and capturing what and who shows up. I want to deepen and broaden my relationship with birds and see journaling and sketching as a fun way to do that. I'm excited that I can add new layers to my bird experience without spending big bucks to get the next cool lens or camera!

I particularly resonate with Shayna's approach to journaling: sketch/draw/paint first, then text and boxes to finish off the page. I like her zooms, too, because the details of birds fascinate me. I love the many different shapes and textures in bird feathers, like this Eastern Phoebe, and can't wait to explore those with pencil, pen, and water color.

One different idea I want to incorporate into my journaling is to include small photos related to the birds I am drawing - perhaps a small photo of the environment pasted into the journal page on which I have drawn the bird. Not sure yet, but it would be cool to combine the two media.

Q1. I would like to learn more about what I'm studying by taking the time to study and draw it.  To help me remember, to explain or demonstrate questions or answers I may have found. And to be able to notice more detail about what it is I'm observing and to generate thoughts and questions.

Q2. I'm intrigued by the idea of drawing first and then adding comments or observations around the drawing.  I liked Shayna's idea of placing boxes around images after they were drawn to add an element of dimensionality.  I love how Liz took the vertebrae and held it in order to get the image. I also loved how she explained that despite not being able to finish each drawing, that they still were able to remind her of significant moments during her time in the Galapagos. I also loved Jewel's observation on how spending so much time with her tree that she was able to notice/appreciate colors that she wouldn't have been able to otherwise. I also loved that her putting down a color palate helped her remember that "those" colors were there on that specific day.

Q3. I have no new ideas yet, but I feel with time and experience that I'll begin to modify things in a way that suits my specific style.