I started drawing from some of my photos and then recently took a drawing class. I still have a long way to go, but am interested in trying to improve my skills in this area.

I recently took up Urban Sketching after not drawing or painting for several years. I have been drawing since I was a child.  I used to paint pet portraits for extra income and I've painted landscapes in soft pastel. I'm also an avid bird watcher and enjoy astronomy. I live close to a state park and have so many hiking trails available to me that it's only natural to want to draw what I see on my hikes.  I want to work on my drawing skills since I haven't been drawing regularly, especially birds and other animals that are in motion. I want to sharpen my observation skills and work on my eye/hand coordination when it comes to drawing. I would like to just focus on my drawing and let my style happen organically. I also want to learn how to write down what I see and communicate it visually. This journal will be filled with practice sketches as well completed drawings and hopefully my journal format preferences will form towards the end of the course.

1. I am a relatively new artist who focuses my work on animals and nature, and felt that this class could help give me some inspiration for my own art and how I approach each subject. I also have a journal where I record my animal sighting, so I thought that this class could also inspire me to do drawings along with my writing. 2. Seeing the other journals was interesting because it showed that many artists had similarities. One was that, like me, the journalers would start with a sketch and then fill it in from there based on what they could see or found interesting about their subject. With my art, I am slowly finding my style and the tools or methods that work for me. So, it was fun to see that the journalers were like me in that they went with the flow to let themselves play with different styles and tools to find what worked for themas well. I look forward to continuing with this concept and see if there is anything else I can learn. 3. Not at this time, I just look forward to the class!

I‘m a photographer but I want to slow down from time to time - aiming to take great pictures requires patience but the moment where you take the actual photograph is swift. I often find myself dissatisfies with the experience of it, even if the image turns out great. That‘s why I want to add another layer to these experiences - one for reflection, for improvisation, for imperfection - and this is where field sketching comes in. I have no drawing/painting skills whatsoever but cannot wait to get started and follow this spark of curiosity.

For some time (2-3 years) I have been wanting to learn to sketch. I am retired now but when I first started college, quite a long time ago, I was an art major. I later switched to psychology and took a Masters+ degree in School Psychology. After I stopped using my drawing skills they seemed to fade away. Now I am enjoying birding as well as doing almost anything outside - hiking, ambling, walking around old ruins here, in Europe and the UK, and doing almost anything  outside with my grandchildren. I would like to create memories in a tactile/kinesthetic way as I believe the process will improve my memory and cognition. And, well, it will just be a hell of a lot of fun!!

I like keeping a journal of my outdoor experiences.  I want to include more than just writing. I like the pictures that people create in their journals. Not too elaborate. I'm still exploring different ideas.

• Couldn’t get out so I found a bird to draw!

I had been seeing a fellow photographer posting her nature journal images in her insta stories and i was inspired by her drawings.  I really want to learn to draw and also to remember scenes on my trips.

It's time to add nice things to my life, something that can give me uplifting moments. As a child and teen, I used to draw and paint all the time. For years it was something I loved to do. Sadly, I abandoned this hobby about 40 years ago because I was told it was a waste of time. I've been thinking about this for a while, but after so many years it's not easy to start over. I found birding about 5 months ago. So far, I have observed 46 species in my yard alone, and many I had never heard of! I have to admit that I didn't know there were so many bird species in this region. I have had many joyful moments learning to identify birds and observing what they do. My heart bursts when the tiny wren recognizes me and joins me in the garden. I want to combine these two hobbies to capture memories of these moments. Combining images, colors and text captures the atmosphere better than text alone.

I'm volunteering at our local elementary school, where students are learning to use nature journals for observation and reflection. They inspired me to start a nature journal of my own.  The examples of journaling as a way to record travel experiences were inspiring, but for me, as i work to convert my yard to mostly native plants, I hope to have many interesting observations right here at home. Over time, I'd love for my journal to be a record showing an increase of caterpillars, butterflies, and birds inhabiting my yard. (Also, I'd really like to get better at sketching so that my sketches are recognizable!)

This is one of my first drawings on holiday in Mexico.  Even though I am an avid photographer, drawing this on a big wooden table the lovely courtyard was a most satisfying experience.    

I enjoyed looking at all the different styles and ways of illustrating what they were seeing.  I used to love drawing the pictures in my science books and find that when I am watching a webinar I sometimes end up drawing.  So, I want to see if I can capture what I am seeing along with writing about it.  I am a bit ADD and lose focus easily so it will be a challenge to concentrate enough to sketch.  The more basic sketching is probably what I will begin with, but hope to be able to add details as I get better at it.  I love the colors in the sketches, but realize that when you are sketching a live animal it may not be possible to add color at the time you are sketching it.  Hopefully, with plants I will be able to add colors and shading.

I have been photographing birds and nature for years, a very enjoyable hobby! After I take a photo, I share it, archive it, and more often than not, never view it again! I was recently inspired to start a sketch journal after reading an article about quick sketching: a good way to get to know nature. Sketching is very satisfying and reflective. I learn more about the subject vs photography such as observing the vein pattern on a leaf or the petal variation of a flower. Now I'm hooked on sketching detail and want to go beyond my mechanical pencil

The desire to capture seasonal changes is what has inspired me to begin nature journaling. I really like the idea of incorporating watercolor. I've taken a few watercolor classes in a botanical art certificate program, but would like to experiment more with my own choice of subjects and a looser style.

I love nature and I saw nature journaling being offered at the Bent of the River in Southbury, CT and decided to take the plunge.  I had wanted to start a journaling practice, what better way to do that than to combine it with nature.  I am still not sure what my journal will look like.  I am more of a writer than an artist.  I want to learn to add some drawings to my observations so that is something I plan on working on.  I am really looking forward to this course/

What inspired me to begin nature journaling is that I love being outside and observing nature and I want to learn how to sketch and draw. The various journals were an inspiration to me to let the creative juices flow!

I am excited to try nature journaling because it seems like a logical extension of my practice of taking pictures or collecting leaves, flowers, and rocks when on walks through nature. I like the approach of using a nature journal when on a trip or having a monthly log with sketches and descriptions.

I have always loved journaling about nature since I was a young child.  Some of my best memories were sitting on the banks of the brook that ran behind our home, and I would just watch the water rush over the rocks, or the ducks paddling along with babies in tow, or the occasional fish scurrying by.  Once I observed a pair of beavers build a small dam.  I didn't have a camera with me, but that vision is etched in my mind forever, just waiting to be put on paper. I love all of the different styles of journals presented in this video.  Each is unique and each offers a wonderful perspective of what was observed.  I like the idea of keeping a color pallet of the colors of the day, and recording the date, time, location, and weather conditions of the day that I journal. Textures are very important in nature.  I think that it would be fun to find a way to incorporate a small piece of what I am drawing, if possible, such as a leaf, flower petal, or feather.

The scissortail flycatcher was the main reason I wanted to write a journal. The pair nested in a tree in my yard, and their behavior was unique to the other birds I have watched. I wanted to document what I was seeing. It became a social activity with other birders coming by for coffee and scissor tail watching. A win-win for all.

I hope to be more mindful of the natural world around me. Journaling will help me stop and observe the natural world . I will begin with pencil and then move to color which seems daunting right now. Some of the journals look so professional!

1. I'm inspired by the beautiful natural journals I saw on social media. And Liz's Galapagos journal really touches me! 2. & 3. I like the collection of sightings for a month! I enjoy watching my feathered neighbors and visitors throughout the year, and had the impulse to draw illustrations of them in their habitats in each season. So this monthly journal really resonates. And the four-season drawings is what I'd like to share.

I guess I have been doing my own crude form of journaling. All of the journals appealed to me. I think the subject decides how I want the page to look. My handwriting is poor. I hope that when I finish the class, I will understand what works best for me.

My inspiration would be my fellow naturalists that do this journaling. I’ve always wanted to try but I am definitely intimidated as I don’t see myself as an artist but want to try.

1.  I started birding about a year ago, and this year have really taken off in trying to go out several times a day and improve my identification skills.  I took the intro courses here and have been trying to focus more on shapes and colours and paying close attention to fine details.  I have also always wanted to do art but get frustrated with myself and the process.  I love nature and animals and always wanted to get better at drawing these, and so nature journaling seems like a great combination of things I enjoy and want to improve on. 2.  I really like the journals that are bright and colourful, and the ones with quick sketches of shapes and details.  I would love to be able to go out and sketch what I see so that I can go back and think about it and be more observant.  I love the idea of being able to go back and remember specific moments.

There are 3 things that inspired me to start a nature journal.  First:  My wife.  She encouraged me to do more drawing/painting of birds and nature and take this course.  Second:  My sister who sent me a nature journal book for Xmas a couple of years ago. Third:  My love for nature and birds.  I have lived in the middle of no where my whole life and feel at one with nature. I liked all of the journals in the first lesson.  The date, time, place and weather is important to me.  I like the drawings and written thoughts in each journal and how different each one was.  The pride and excitement each person had for their journal was inspiring.  I liked the observations they made and how each recorded those observations.  It was interesting to see what each person learned from their experiences and the progress they made.  I also like the questions they had and how they came about the answer, then recording the answer in the journal. Each journal had different ideas and it will be a good start for me.