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I am looking forward to starting this process and it will be a process for me. I have never journaled before and certainly never drawn animals before. But my scout leader was a wonderful artist as a young person and I far as I could tell never continued to draw and paint after she married. But she did teach me to love to the natural world around me. I spent most of my time outside when I was growing up and loved observing birds, bugs, animals, plants and trees. I never thought to create a written journal of what I saw and wouldn't have thought I had the talent to illustrate. But at 68, it's time I tried both. I want to take this course to improve my drawing and to learn to use watercolors. By learning to see and interpret more realistically, I hope to connect more with nature. I want to be able to leave a very special gift for my grandchildren to cherish. I need to feel the beauty of nature slip through my fingers onto paper for others to enjoy as I have enjoyed creating it. It's time.
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I really like the idea of sitting down and observing nature for as much time as I want. There is so much flora and fauna that can be appreciated more when you really look at whatever it is. I also like to have a "scrapbook" of impressions from where I've been. The idea of using watercolor in a nature journal sounds like alot of fun. I am taking this class while we are all off on coronavirus watch and really need a focus. My art classes have been cancelled or ended and I need to be productive while I am off. Art is one of the things I would really like to enjoy in my retirement (which I am in now). I will have to be patient with myself, since I like to be good at the things I do but don't have a natural artistic talent. I find that I need to draw/paint regularly in order to progress so the consistency of this class will help me do that. Deb F.
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This class was a Christmas present to myself, along with 2 courses for my husband (a lifelong birder). I started jounaling in Feb. while we were visiting children and grandchildren in southern California. It was good to get back to drawing, which leads to seeing and feeling nature differently and more memorably. In the Coachella Valley I had trouble finding native plants to draw in our residential area. Desert plants are amazing and I wanted to learn more about them. Now we are home in Iowa, we have only had about one sunny day a week, but the plants are bursting forth and birds are very active. The cedar waxwing flocks are beautiful and entertaining - -my drawings of them I hope to improve. I am feeling more at home with the journaling concept and feeling better about using the page more freely. This is fun, and provides a lift to my spirits in these uncertain times. Thanks to all for sharing your thoughts. On to the next lesson. Ginny
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1. I was given a nature journal by my daughters for Christmas in 2010 and really enjoyed keeping the log of my outdoor adventures. I had no real guidance other than my own ideas so I am really looking forward to more specific directions in this course. I have also worked with a couple of land trusts conserving private land and have always enjoyed being out in nature. Those projects required an attention to detail similar to what I anticipate in my nature journal. 2. I like the idea of keeping track of not only date and time, but also weather and any other factors which may be affecting the natural setting. I also like the idea of drawing a magnified part of the subject. 3. In the past I have supplemented my drawings with some photos I took at the time, especially if my time was limited. I tried to observe as much as possible in the time given. I would then use the photo and my recollection of the encounter to create the journal entry. This allowed me to record the encounter and preserve the memory.
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I like that you showed a variety of approaches and skill levels. I am a bit intimidated because I have no training in art. But, I hope that this will become a nice way to track my improvement. Another reason I want to start a nature journal is to create motivation for more stillness in my life.
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My interest in journaling has always existed, being home, not working during COVID 19 has given me time to be outside, walking, spending time in my yard and surrounding neighborhood - I thought it would be a good time to get into the habit of sketching and drawing nature and maybe later incorporate it with my special ed teaching.
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This is the first image of the yellow warbler that I drew. As you can see from the date it was a while ago.
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1. I spend a lot of time outdoors on hiking trails and I think nature journaling will grant a new way to see and appreciate the beauty around me. 2. I enjoyed hearing from and seeing all the different styles of journaling! Shayna’s approach appeals to me most because I like the structure of the info box, the drawings and annotations. Great idea also to “zoom” in to record small details that otherwise may be lost/ forgotten. 3. No, not yet. I will be learning as I go : )
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1. I have always attempted to journal in nature, but found myself limited by my skills. 2. I liked the idea of setting a frequency goal. Once a week, or once a month. Once a day is more than I would be able to sustain. I also liked the idea of boxing up certain components of your nature sketch, but being willing to let your work escape out of your boxes when necessary. This gives me enough guideline to remember to include drawings, observations, close-up details, and the basic where, when, what information.
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I have taken a PD course at the NY Botanical Gardens that featured a lot of nature journaling, and I loved it. I haven't done it in years and not with animals so I want to re-visit and re-learn these techniques and bring it to my students and to my own family. I spend a lot of time in the woods, hiking with my own children and want to work on their observation skills in the field. I love the drawing and writing with boxes. It makes some clear separation while also giving space to write and draw. I love working with pencil so I may do more pencil/shading rather than a lot of water color or perhaps sketching in pencil, copying it, and then coloring it later just to have the comparison.
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Listening to the various people describe their journals I am reminded of just yesterday when I was younger. A friend gifted this course to me and so I begin. Now on this day where the world has shifted and fear is everywhere, I am sitting in my backyard, watching the wind move through the silvery grasses and thinking about using this journal to create a refuge. Along with drawing, mostly done in my backyard, I will include feelings and poems.
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"Using this journal to create a refuge." Thank you for that image.
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1. I have been photography nature for some time now. I have always liked it as a creative outlet and to challenge myself to show the details of nature that people may miss if they are just walking by. I have wanted to get better at sketching and watercolors so this seemed to be the perfect outlet that can still play on what I love about photography. 2. I love the zoomed in views in the journals. It is interesting to record different behaviors but also try to capture one specific detail in a subject. 3. Not sure if I have a journaling voice yet, but I am excited to find it!
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My interest in nature journaling comes from my past experiences working in field biology and taking notes in the field. I was always BAD at my sketches and relied on my notes around them to know what I was trying to convey. So, lessons in how to journal and some motivation to practice sounded like a really fun idea. Seeing others' journals, I'm inspired to get out in nature to observe. I'm sure it will force me to look at everything differently and I'd like to capture a record of different places as some shared as well as maybe record a place through the seasons. I may even go back in time to some of the places I've been through my photos and journal some sketches and memories of those places I've had the fortune to visit.
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Without knowing it specifically and with this name I realice Nature Journals since childhood. Next to the house parents in rural area next to the city of Buenos Aires we had a field with fruit trees, grasses, herbs, all very neglected, the one are visited for a lot of insects and birds. Used to run away after lunch with my notebook and pencils to draw and take notes of the trees, fungi, wild herbs, bones, snails. With interruptions more or less prolonged throughout my life I always kept this activity, since I am very curious, enthusiastic and almost everything interests me. A few days ago I discovered this Workshop at the Birds Academy at Cornell University and I decided for the first time in my life to do something formal about it. With this world situation due to the covid-19 I find myself confined in my house and it is the great opportunity to attend this course. I also have many incomplete pages of my diary and many other photos to catch up on drawing and writing. A big hug to everyone from Argentina
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I have no image to insert at this time, but I am inspired by every one of the artists profiled in the video. The seven points that struck me were to make a goal to draw regularly (actually our teacher's idea), but not make too ambitious a routine; to record not only the date but the place/setting, weather, and time of day; to use a box so that the figure "pops" from the drawing page; to indicate a "magnification" of an area within the drawing; to consider geometric shapes to get the drawing down quickly; to make a palate of colors on the page to return to if the bird or other object disappears or you must go away from it; and to identify and study the bird at another time. I also saw the idea of adding a map that one of the responders on this set of notes, Kirstie, offered. Thank you, Kirstie! I too am quarantined, in a section of Philadelphia, PA by the Covid-19 virus, but right now have the good fortune to live where I can find times of day when there are few enough people to walk on trails at a nearby nature center. So far the birds have eluded me, but at my home there are some regulars at my bird feeders right now. While camping in the wilderness with my husband, I have always loved drawing little figures of the plants or animals we came upon. My journal of trip notes was very small due to backpack considerations. I have always been fascinated by botanical and zoological artists' work too. I believe this class is just what I need to make some progress in my goal to become a more skilled artist, though I am definitely a beginner. I am grateful to have this space to share our experiences.
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I looked at the course last week, before the coronavirus pandemic changed life as we know it. As I reflected upon how much we take for granted, and how much we rely on technologies - that we have lost a connection to the natural world. Of course, this is a wide spectrum of dependencies - but, I felt fortunate in that upon my retirement in 2015, I fell in love with birding, which got me out first thing in the morning with some purpose - out into nature and the beauty of the day. I have photographed over 50 percent of the birds I observed and have that documentation and I ebird almost daily -wherever I was (Hawaii, Texas, Costa Rica and my personal favorite - my backyard.) But in an effort to slow things down, this course has a definite appeal in just watching my subject, for as long as the bird will let me! So, after watching the video on the different styles of journal-ing, I think I'd like to go back to the beginning of 2020, with a study of my own photographic journey of birds in Costa Rica in January, Texas in February and Western NY in March (though Western NY is pretty much all the time.) I will sketch and color my photos as a primer before I start to go out into the field once the weather gets a bit nicer. Included with the sketches will be what memory serves as the place and time I saw "life" birds. I think that creating a journal to recreate these memories will be rich and wonderful, then I will build them more spontaneously when I go out in the field. I can't wait to draw a skunk cabbage! This is an ornate hawk-eagle seen in Costa Rica.
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Hi Terry! how beautiful your story! I get around a lot. Like much of the world I am also in quarantine inside my house taking this workshop. I am very sensitive to your story. I wish you the best of luck, a big hug from Argentina and take good care of yourself. I would like to keep in touch with you, excuse me my bad English. I leave you my instagram in case you are interested in sharing our drawings @juan_de_souza_natura. I loved the photo of the crested eagle! It is an incredible bird and you are a very good photographer.
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I have always been an avid birder, birds have been a part of my life since I was about three years old. I love drawing our feathered friends, and want to get better at it, but I would also like to keep track, which is how I found nature journaling. I want to try to go out in nature, sketch birds and take note. And I do not really have any journaling ideas, would like to learn techniques to help get better.
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We are inspired by other people (Thanks for the video with journaling examples- very inspirational) and love being outdoors and art, so this is a great combination. ..... looking forward to the beach this summer when we can practice outside. It's still wet and cold here in New England, but we are drawing all sorts of "nature" that we can find!
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1. I love hiking, backpacking, bird watching, and just going for really long walks. I've never journaled in any form but I want to try something that could be fun while writing/drawing it and also fun to come back to. 2. I think I'll have to let my drawings go wherever they want to because I'm not an artist and would like to allow myself the ability to restart over and over. I like the idea of coming back afterwards and penciling in some bounding boxes to make it appear a bit more organized/intentional. I may utilize the zoom idea and I definitely want to capture a few salient thoughts about what the day was like so that I can transport myself back to that moment when I'm looking at the journal at a later date. 3. I might incorporate who I'm with or who I was just with or will be with that day - sharing nature experiences with people is very important to me and I'd love to have this journal as a way to remember all of the nice times I had enjoying nature with my loved ones.
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I am inspired to begin nature journaling because I want to be more mindful. I notice things and want a way to record it other than with a camera. I really do not go back through my camera rolls very much. I think a journal will allow me to connect and reflect on what is around me in a different way. I am also a elementary science teacher and I hope to bring some of the techniques I learn back to my students. I need to give myself permission to enjoy the process and and not focus on making the end product "perfect". I need to remind myself that it takes time and practice and patience to learn a new skill. I also am inspired by naturalists and scientists (past and present). Journaling is the way to document what you see and really take a closer look. Connecting the hands to the mind by drawing.... The process makes memories and makes connections with a place or thing.
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1. While driving between family visits and listening to a public radio interview with Obi Kaufmann a few years ago I was completely captivated by Obi's story of his connection to nature through his art, and I was feeling incredibly reconnected to the Bay Area I had grown-up in and so deeply explored and loved in my youth. I stopped at a nearby bookseller and purchased, Obi's The California Field Atlas and later I went down the proverbial internet "rabbit hole" which lead me to John Muir Laws website. I was hooked and began studying Jack's techniques and experimenting with my own nature journaling. Jack's website and the Nature Journaling Conference in Asilomar has continued me on this path of learning from other nature journalers... which lead me to this course. 2. In the examples of nature journals from this first lesson I found several approaches to illustrating birds, recording dates and details, and zooming-in for a closer look of what I am observing... wonderful examples, thank you! 3. One journaling idea I've picked-up is to include a map with some of my observation records.
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1. I enjoyed seeing the variety of journals and approaches. I've always enjoyed sketching in my travel diaries. They are my son's favorite parts of the books. After teaching high school science for 32 years, I am now teaching K-6 science and outdoor education. I want to incorporate more nature journaling into my work with children, modeling for them and sharing the joy and knowledge that can come from observing nature closely. 2. Although Shayna's technique is what I am most likely to use, I think DJ's advice and technique may work best with younger students. Doing shape observations and outlines noting key positions and features with short notes will appeal to them and not overwhelm them.
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The idea of nature journaling is not new. I used to have some descriptive field notes but I lost track where I store them. I keep trying to discipline myself in give another go, so another type of approach to field notes is a fresh start and probably will keep me motivated to do it more often. Looking at the journals style, the I identify better is the first one (Shayna’s journaling style). Even if I don’t like too much about the boxes to write. To my view the journal has a lot of text, as a flow of mental notes put on paper, that helps to not lose information of a journey outside. The zoom of the draws is a pretty good idea I’ll probably take for my journaling style.
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1. I love going bird watching or walking thru the vaious nature trails around me. I live in the piedmont of NC and back to Duke Forest. I've always wanted to start drawing again. When I saw this course came up I thought it looked like it could be lots of fun. 2. I like the approach of telling a bit of a story that I might have seen. For instance, the 1 journal had noticed a hurt moth and found that she described it and drew an image. I enjoy photography but like the idea of staring at a tree and noticing all the different colors in the bark or leaves. 3. I see a lot of different kinds of butterflies and moths that I could journal and keep my own little field guide with me. I think I'm going to try to use the water color approach.
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Hi Marla, I spent a lot of time in Duke Forest as a forestry student years ago and just had a chance to hike there again a couple of weeks ago. Enjoy your time out there and natural journaling. Beth
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I have always liked reading and viewing others journals and being outdoors. I have been learning how to watercolor and now I want to combine the two to improve my skills and focus my energy on nature. I like the journals that have the larger painting and drawings with sparse tetxt that flows around the objects.
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What inspired you to begin nature journaling? I worked in natural resources for almost 35 yrs and I am drawn to natural settings. When I retired I took a drawing class with the thought of eventually learning to paint, which I have always had an interest in, but never really done. I now have taken a watercolor class and most recently did a class on "30 portraits in 30 days" to get over some of the "fear" of drawing people. Then this class popped up and seemed like a good next step. I love the mix of art and thoughts / observations and how each can stimulate the other and this seemed like a good way to explore that. I have yet to develop a daily habit of art, and classes seem to be a good way to encourage me to work on art. Most of my work is from photographs - usually what I have taken, so some work in "plain aire" mode would be good. Writing notes has always been a good practice for me to better remember things, and I am intrigued by the role that art might also play in that process.
This is an ornate hawk-eagle seen in Costa Rica. 
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