Not sure how to post drawing.  The bill proportion was most difficult for me.  And the smudging of the part pencil while drawing.  I usually use a very hard pencil. I used a #2 pencil and one can see the smudges.  

Hi everyone I’ve kept a travel and garden journal for several years but have never included sketches or watercolors in it. Nature journaling  sounded like a good way for me to slow down and take things in more as I go on hikes and visit gardens. I was inspired to take this course because I had recently dropped a course in woody plant identification because of my work schedule. I like having the structure of a course to get me started on a new topic. The online presentation if this course offered the opportunity to participate on my own schedule. And the preview videos helped seal the deal. I liked the overview of the various journaling styles. My main takeaways were to note the date, time and weather for each observation, and to ask questions about what I’m seeing to research later or maybe discover while I’m observing. I’m looking forward to working with water colors and learning to mix colors, since I have a reputation in my family for always ending up with brown when I try to mix colors on my own. Looking forward to the rest of the course!

Hello, my name is Cynthia Thomas from Evanston, Illinois. I am an amateur watercolorist & have been wanting to increase my motivation to paint & draw at home. I really enjoyed the examples of the journals, especially the ones done in the Galapagos, as I traveled there myself in 2014. In thinking about my journal, I will focus on autumn, which is just beginning to show color here in Illinois. Cynthia "Cindy" Thomas gracindaisy@comcast.net

I am semi-retired and teach art to PreK-8th gr students and have always embraced science and nature in my lessons as I prefer to spend my free time outdoors no matter what the weather. I have painted/sketched inconsistently over the years on walks,hiking, camping over the years. I just have never had the time in my 30+ yrs to be disciplined enough to do it on a regular basis although I have always kept written trip journals and logbooks with photographs. I want to take the course to finally do something for ME and try to be better at this discipline. 2. For me,I like all of what the different journalers are doing but I know I would never have the time to do it daily with my current 3 day part time art teaching job--so maybe the monthly approach would be better? The geometric approach for drawing birds is something I "preach" to my students and for myself as shapes help so much in breaking down the drawing techniques. So many beginning students always start drawing without regard for proportion in my experience. 3.It might be nice to try a handbound journal in the future which allows for pockets or attached glassine envelopes for souvenirs (feathers, pressed  plants & flowers-if allowed). I know it was mentioned in another post for keepsakes like this?It has been great reading through everyone's background reasons and ideas for this course!

Hey all, I'm so excited to start this course. I recently moved and am looking forward to getting to know my new garden and neighborhood through regular journaling and sketching. I was drawn the the 2nd and the last journals, I appreciate the mistakes and messiness, but also the layout and color in the last journal.

What inspired you to begin nature journaling? So I have a journal I use for my day-to-day diary I include a lot of stickers, washi tape, and photos around my written entries. I wanted to doodle in there but realized I often lacked the space or motivation. I came across this course and thought it might encourage me to focus on drawing itself and of course nature. As a programmer I spend most of my time inside and I am hoping this course encourages me to get some fresh air.   Now that you’ve heard from several other journalers about their processes, and had a peek at their journals, which ideas or approaches do you want to try? I really liked Shayna's idea of using boxes. I would agree that it makes the blank page seem less daunting. It was very encouraging to see how some of the journalers filled their journals with unfinished sketches because this is something I have trouble coming to terms with and why I'm more hesitant to draw (the pressure to have a "finished" product)  

Hello to all, I am a very old newborn to all of this but I want to improve my eyesight by really seeing things. I have never sketched before but DJ's geometric and behavioral observations makes it seem possible.  I am inspired by all those who have shared their journaling and am pleased to join this tribe. Carol Shahriary

I particularly liked the journal that was done in a diary style, with an entry every day. It made the journal a thoughtful reminder of the day's activity without looking like a travelogue. It was very pretty.

1. I have been nature journaling by fits and starts and want to become freer to experiment and become more fluid without self-judgment confining me. 2. The first natural journaler used open boxes that gave a more "finished" look. She also used what she defined as "zoom" to look at a detail on the specimen.  I liked that she started with the drawing, used both color and black and white images on the same page, and let the process evolve. Further, I liked using two facing pages as a way to compare different ferns. 3. This was alluded to, but I sometimes will leave a facing page blank for add in the research info I've found in answer to a question.

Oct. 13, 2019 1. What inspired you to begin nature journaling? I have done various types of "journaling" over the years, starting with the waterproof notebooks we used during my geology field camps in college. More recently I've kept a bird and herp journal/checklist on trips to SE Arizona, and I attempted to keep a travel journal on a two week trip to Tokyo and Kyoto (but we did so much and I got so tired that I eventually couldn't keep up!). I also do an above average amount of drawing for and with my students in high school biology and geology, most recently on river macroinvertebrates. We have a natural riparian zone about a half-mile from the school, so with our 90 minute block periods we spend many class periods in the fall observing, measuring, sampling, and data collecting. I think this course will help me expand my journaling skills so I could teach my students to do the same down at the river. 2. Now that you’ve heard from several other journalers about their processes, and had a peek at their journals, which ideas or approaches do you want to try? I recently did the training so I could teach Project Lead the Way engineering courses and the emphasis with engineers is to include drawings and narratives of all ideas, filling up the notebook with information. It's similar to many of the journals seen in the videos. So I'm going to try having a central illustration frame with narratives surrounding and perhaps drawings of details here and there. 3. Do you have a different journaling idea, not mentioned here, that you’d like to share? Engineers have a credo where nothing written ever gets erased. For mistakes in writing or irrelevant passages you put a line through the text so it's still readable. This comes from industry where any idea whatsoever could become important some day and be a million-dollar idea. Not sure if this applies in some way to nature journaling, but I'll be keeping this in mind along the way.

1. I was inspired to take this course for so many reasons. Simply, I love to get out, observe and appreciate nature. With that in mind, I sometimes take my camera to capture different observations. I love the idea of bridging journaling and art together too. I have an appreciation for writing and art, however, I don't embark upon either outlet as much as I should. Nor do I find myself gifted in art or writing. Thus, I  hoping to take all my loves - the outdoors, writing and art and blend them into something beautiful.

I want a journal to more properly remember the beautiful, odd things I see when I'm out and about, even if it's just on my small property. I don't always trust my mind to remember, but notations of any kind can help. A journal could be used as 'the spark' necessary to recreate and solidify that memory. I want to be able to return to it and ,with some assurance, subdue the hesitation and chaos I often feel. Ideas on paper might keep my mind sharper, share ideas I had with others. It might feel like pulling the curtains apart and aid me in seeing more clearly into my own memory. I believe Fuller's class will aid me in helping elementary things I learned years ago in the beginners drawing I accomplished. Learning from other students is something to look forward to here also. Muller's idea of zooming in and squaring details of drawing will be useful. Her interest in shadows and light is something all art students share. Nnuro jr's speed with pen and paint is something I wish I could gain. I'd remind everyone to 'DON'T FORGET to LOOK UP! The clouds are something I learned to watch carefully as a sailplane pilot. And I'd have missed a red-tailed hawk perched on a pole in my backyard if I'd not also been watching the clouds.

1.  I am inspired to nature journal because I noticed I was already keeping a journal with sketches and thoughts.  I bring it with me to work and bring it home every day.  And when I saw the email about this class, the ad image looked similar to my journal I was already keeping, and I was like...."oh!  this is a thing.  nature journaling. drawing and journaling".  It was quite a cool Ah-Ha moment. :) 2.  I am interested in going outside and journaling what I see, and then looking up and learning more about the subject later.   3. I would like to include the symbolism and meaning of the things I see.  So, like, if I see a blue jay, what symbolism does that have?  What inspiring thought can it bring to my day.  What does it mean to me? I'd also like to use any images that really captivate me, and bring them home and maybe paint them on a canvas or make something larger with them so I can display it.  I also like glitter and other materials, so maybe turn a small sketch into some sort of mixed media art.

I am happy to be here and excited to explore the course and sharpen my skills.  I did not have a favorite style of journaling and am grateful to all those who shared theirs.  My time is divided between Nashville, TN and Cape Cod, MA with side trips around the United States most often with the Sierra Club. I am retired, active in conservation education, citizen science and also a life long birder.  I often write poems about the birds and things I see.  I have signed up for this course so I will have a better chance of moving the pictures in my brain to illustrations on paper.

1. I am a beginner and would like to improve my drawing  skills by observing nature. 2. I like the organizing method of date, time, weather, and location. I like how they all observed carefully and  were able to transform these observations into beautiful drawings.  These all seem to take time and patience.

I enjoy drawing, and I love nature!  So I hope to put the two together to create, document and expand my knowledge of the natural world. Plus, this course was a birthday gift from my husband  Lucky me! I spend a lot of time outdoors, and I rarely miss the chance to take in all the beauty that Mother Nature has to offer.  I love to take the time to look, observe, and notice the subtle changes and happenings that occur around the lake, where I am so fortunate to live. I hope to keep a record of the flora and fauna on a regular basis. I plan to  draw first,  use watercolor and ink at times and add interesting information/facts about my subject matter. I also plan to record date, weather and location in my journal. I’m not sure of my format yet.  I’m just going to see how it evolves.

I've kept a nature journal off and on for ~ 20 years and have taught it for the last five, but I've gotten out of the habit of regular journaling, so I thought the course would be a great opportunity to get reinspired and give me ideas for my own teaching. It's so inspiring to look at others' journals, and I loved the variety in the video. I'm inspired to do something I've worked on over the years but have never really nailed—putting in place a consistent journaling style and composing my journal pages so images and words work together to make a harmonious whole.

Hi , I really enjoyed seeing the journals!  I have a question though, if I mark it Complete, will I be able to return to it?   Answering the above questions, I am beginning because I : 1. want to improve my drawing skills with regular practice  and observing nature will be fun for me - I love keeping track of the birds in my yard and at our feeder.  I'm really hoping that I will develop a daily habit  of 1-hour and an ability to draw and paint faster. 2. I will follow their practice of dating, with time, place, time of day and weather and 3. I loved the way they all explained how by the experience of looking at the subject carefully,  questioning a behavior,  and then staying with the subject for  an amount of time because they were drawing it , they saw the answer right in front of their eyes! And now when they look at their journal, the memory of the day comes right back!!! I learned so much from all the artists, they were all so good at describing their experience and practice, I am  so sincerrely  grateful to you all. Eileen McNally aka cherryred

Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac was an early inspiration for me to begin drawing and sketching the wildlife around me. Many classes throughout my education also required a journal to document and take notes in so combining the two has always been appealing. I liked the idea of dedicating pages to months and having little drawings you do fill those pages outside of other specific entries.

I love Liz's style and I'm trying to illustrate a book and need guidance and inspiration.

I have always liked to write and kept travel journals on family trips as a kid. As an adult I've kept an intermittent nature journal, spending my most focused time with it when I'm on vacations or in unusual areas for my work. I enjoy the time spent outside observing and trying to capture what's before me and also the details I'm able to observe through the focused attention drawing requires. The descriptions in my journals have always brought back memories I didn't know I had; my drawings, however crude, have taken me immediately to particular times and places, bringing back how I felt as I drew. I really want to get better at keeping my nature journal--better at capturing in art what's before me, better at using color, better at making time to observe and record. I thought that this class might help me learn and practice these skills in a way that merely reading a book about nature journaling cannot. There were things I liked about all the journals, especially the various ways people used color. Shayna (the first journal) is probably closest to my current style. I'm especially excited to learn about incorporating watercolor into my nature journal!

I'm excited about this course because it will help me be more intentional about spending time in nature and recording my observations and adding reference information. I would love to take a dedicated trip to fill my journal but most likely it will be a collage of many different things including familiar back yard birds  (I would love to capture those Blue Jay flashes!) and new tree identifications such as the willow oak in my neighbors' yard. I'm not very accomplished but shall consider this a "before" image and try hard not to self-edit.

1) The works of Beatrix Potter, John James Audubon, Roger Tory Peterson, Rachel Carson, James Prosek, Clare Walker Leslie and so many others I have encountered over the course of my lifetime are my inspiration for beginning to sketch and journal from nature. I hope through this course to begin to put my own ideas and very limited skills to paper for the first time and I’m very excited and grateful for this opportunity to begin. I previously have not had a clue as to how to begin, especially since I have very limited drawing skills. 2) I really love the artistry in the monthly journal technique, and incorporation of some field notes and details to the subjects in journal entries. All of the journalists’ techniques are unique and inspiring! 3) I don’t have a different idea for journaling yet, but perhaps one will evolve as the course unfolds?    

I love nature art and have always been impressed with people who could do a beautiful sketch in the field. Last year I saw an exhibit of work from a botanical illustration class at the Denver Botanic Garden, and it only increased my desire to learn how to draw and paint from nature. I hope to document the birds at my feeders and the various plants in my yard year round. I'd also like to record things I see on hikes. I also hope this will increase my skill at observing details in nature. I think it will be a relaxing and meditative practice. I like a lot of the ideas from the various journals in the video. I think I'll want to try out different techniques and see what works best for me.

1. I'm inspired to begin nature journaling because I want to make time to slow down and savor nature. I want to use it to express and illustrate my gratitude for the extraordinary and exquisite beauty of life and Earth. I hope journaling will help me deal with my hyper-awareness of, and grief over, global biodiversity loss by revealing opportunities for me to appreciate what is here on earth, for whatever period of time that may be. 2. I think all the journalers have a lot of great ideas. I want to record the location, time, and weather as some of the journalers have done. I also want to include my written observations, and I want to use the approach of taking this opportunity to learn who/what it is that I'm observing and drawing, as some of the journalers have suggested. I like the idea of following up with identifications by scientific and common names, and learning appropriate scientific terminology to provide context for details of my observations. I like the ideas of zooming in to look at close details, and zooming out to look at the bigger picture. The ideas of scheduling regular journaling times are also good--I know that instilling of habits and improving are only likely to come with consistency. 3. I appreciate all the journalers sharing their work--I think you are all very brave to share you work with us. My journaling idea is only that I think that those of us who tend to harbour judgments about ourselves and our budding artistic talent should be kind and compassionate to ourselves, and give ourselves a chance to learn to express ourselves through our art.