• Barbara
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      I live in the middle of the Ozarks and there is so much nature all around me. My initial goals are to be able to identify the birds, insects, trees and wonderful things just outside my door. i really like the idea of having the drawing lead the way. For example, the different poses that a bird makes while being watched. Observations lead to questions that lead to more knowledge. So I will start by finding a subject and then asking myself what i want to learn as well as noting what i am currently seeing. i can see that having a basic format to follow will be helpful. So at the top of the page i will write that date, time and weather as suggested. I only hope my artistic ability will be able to describe what i am seeing enough to convey hat information to myself at a later time.
    • Charlotte
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      I am excited about beginning nature journaling because it just makes me happy to go outside and see birds, flowers, and plants. I also like to learn about different birds or plants that I find, so sketching them will help me learn about them. I like to journal about trips I make and all the different sites I see and this course will help me to illustrate my trips and the interesting things I see. I am so happy that I found this course.
    • Scott
      Participant
      Chirps: 22
      for question one "what Inspired me to begin Nature Journaling" is that I do art as a hobby and want to try something new to motivate me more to do art work and open my mind to new experiences for question 2 I think I will find an approach when I get started; I also like the approach of doing a monthly journal more than a daily journal
      • Julia
        Participant
        Chirps: 8
        I also like the idea of a monthly journal.  I would probably add a little each week to that monthly page in my journal. If it overflows to another page then that’s fine too!
    • Dan
      Participant
      Chirps: 10
      Hello, I'm Dan.  I am going to briefly answer all three questions: 1. What inspired you to begin nature journaling? Not sure, I've been nature journaling for fifteen years. I really don't remember what inspired me to start. 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 want to use watercolor and text on each page.  I like the technique of having the drawings burst out of the frames that they are in, so I will probably use that.  Liz's comments about asking a question while she sketches and then having it answered is interesting.  I will try to ask questions while I sketch. 3. Do you have a different journaling idea, not mentioned here, that you’d like to share? No, not off the top of my head.   Happy fall to all!
    • Vonda
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      1. I spend a great deal of time in nature and have always wanted to journal and draw some of my observations. I never thought that I was an artist, but I  have tried watercolors and painting. I thought by taking this course, I could improve my observation skills and confidence in drawing and writing about my experiences.
    • Tu
      Participant
      Chirps: 5
      Nature journaling combines my predilection to keep journals at various times of my life with my growing appreciation of the natural world. During my teenage years I had enjoyed sketching trees in Central Park, so when this course appeared on my radar screen, so to speak, I thought it would be fun to revisit an old pastime while also improving my observation skills.  What prompted me to sign up for this course was spending a whole month this summer observing the constantly changing hues and textures of a small bay at the foot of Maine's Blue Hill peninsula. I took over a hundred photos of this bay -- all quite distinct from one another -- as high tide changed to low tide, allowing birds and humans to forage for bloodworms, and clear skies turned to fog (see photos below). I knew then that I wanted to do more than just take photographs. I wanted to learn to record through drawing and painting what I was seeing. I found Shayna's approach very appealing but the other journalers also had interesting nuggets to offer. I liked hearing them talk about what they observed and what they did to capture aspects that intrigued them. I think my own journaling ideas will emerge over time as I learn from this course and through doing actual nature journaling. fullsizeoutput_4005
      • Kathryn
        Participant
        Chirps: 5
        So beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
      • Pam
        Participant
        Chirps: 4
        I love your photographic study of the bay! Thanks!
    • Kenneth
      Participant
      Chirps: 4
      Not really sure what my inspiration was or even is, I have drawn off and on for many years, not always successfully as often to self-conscience especially when someone takes notice when doing so. But I have found that a sketch is far more fulfilling for me than a photo is. What I see in all the nature journalists and is fundamentally missing from my own previous attempts at recording what I have seen is the lack of a consistent format or way of creating the log of events. Even though I recognize the nature of evolving in their works. Now I have retired I have the time to combine my joy of walking in the countryside, woods and moors, and interest in the natural world and think that this course could enhance that experience. Certainly on first skim and really self evident that it appears that just adding time and place to the notes and sketches will enhance the looking back and the memories of when I entered then.
    • Jane
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      1) I've always kept written nature and gardening journals, and was really excited to see that this course was available.  The integration of writing with drawing seemed like the next step, one that really is not captured by photography.  I'm hoping that overcoming my hesitation to put pencil (and watercolor) to paper will help me gain a better understanding of how pieces of the natural landscape fit together. 2)  I was very inspired by the journalers who were featured in the video.  I'm interested in the level of attention and devotion to detail, as well as insight into the various processes they used.   I particularly liked the little micro insets that one journaler used to show detail.
      • Montecito
        Participant
        Chirps: 22
        Hi Jane, I agree with you that photography sometimes does not give you all the details that you observe in nature. It is always better to draw and colour so you can see details and understand how nature is formed. I loved also the zoom like detailed drawings.
    • Montecito
      Participant
      Chirps: 22
      1. I am a beginner birder, I became passionate about bird watching, I also live near a beautiful lake in Colombia and have been a nature lover ever, Two months ago I started drawing birds, and made a short course on nature illustration, I really want to keep learning and experiencing this new talent. 2. I would love to register the native forest I have seen on the lake Tota shore, the time of the year they bloom and produce seeds, and which birds visit them when they produce their fruit. I also would love to try drawing a full page each month. 3. I think I can start from one or two ideas of journal, once i have more practice, I can develop my own style. I too soon for me, I am a beginner.
      • Dan
        Participant
        Chirps: 10
        I'm looking forward to seeing your drawings from the forests of Colombia!  Glad you're doing the class.
      • Montecito
        Participant
        Chirps: 22

        @Dan Thanks Dan, but remember I am a beginner! I live on the Andes at 2.550 meters over the sea level, so not much of rain-forest vegetation. It is very pretty though. I would love to see yours too.

    • Barbara
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      I've always loved the outdoors and have taken to bird watching and bumble bee watching too. I've been keeping a computer journal with photos for the last number of months. Because I have a dog I walking sitting for awhile is generally out of the question, so I will likely be sketching from photos. My daughter has started sketching daily and I love what she does, so I decided to take this course to learn how to draw. And as I will retire at the end of the year I'm looking to learn new skills.
    • kathryn
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      This course was appealing to me because I having been flirting with sketching, drawing and painting for years but have not been consistent with  my practice. I'm now retired and slowed down enough to become better at sketching, and painting. Since one of my passions is being out in nature this is my first choice for subject matter. I want to be able to record the colors and patterns that fill me with awe. I want to learn from this course how to capture single flowers, plant, birds, animals that have stopped me in my tracks. I will use the journal to record my feelings about the time, to remember what questions came up and what I have learned by further research. And finally  I want to get familiar enough with the skills to do quick landscapes. I was interested in the people who made journal entries from their Galapagos trip. Having such a compact set of tools will mean I can sit on a beach or wherever for 20 minutes and work on a page that will bring back great memories.
    • ellen
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      I just took a look in my library and found 2 books that might be of interest: The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Elizabeth Holden ( a gem of an old nature journal, and a best seller when it was published in 1977); and A Practical Guide for the Amateur Naturalist by Gerald Durrell gives lots of interesting ideas about how, where, and when to find interesting things in our natural world.
      • Dan
        Participant
        Chirps: 10
        Thanks for these book suggestions Ellen. They sound great.  I'll have to check them out.   All the best, Dan
      • Nancy
        Participant
        Chirps: 23
        I am looking at the assignment, where Liz talks about hatching, cross hatching etc, and I see this  in one of my books Naturalists Notebook by Nathaniel Wheelwright and Bernd Heinrich. The tree truck appears to be in the scribbling technique, and the nest next to it looks like the stippling technique Liz talks about! Wow! This class just started and I feel I’m learning a lot already! It’s such a great investment.
      • ellen
        Participant
        Chirps: 3

        @Nancy Nancy---I was going through the comments tonight and just had to say how lovely it was to see Bern Heinrich's name! I love his writing, but have not seen the Naturalists Notebook that you mention. I will look it up! Thanks for sharing. Ellen

      • Nancy
        Participant
        Chirps: 23

        @ellen Here is the cover. I got it on Amazon. 😊image

      • Christine N.
        Participant
        Chirps: 38
        I have Durrell's book. I was told it was one of the best. Would like to obtain the other....
    • Susan
      Participant
      Chirps: 13
      1. Used to draw frequently and got away from it, but always did nature photos, birding and bird counts through Feederwatch, native plant gardening and fungi. 2. Really liked the monthly approach, since it would encompass changes of season and migrations. Will note info of time, date, weather and location, questions to research. 3. Started my first journal page and it was a deconstruction of a large blue Salvia that has been a magnet for five kinds of butterflies, four kinds of bees and Rubythroated  hummingbirds, before they migrated. There are so many ways to approach it I may do a number of trial pages and see what appeals to me for the future and before the snow flies. Could easily be overwhelmed if not focusing on individual aspects, so will start with flowers and leaves since I know what it is, and research the butterfly and bee types.
    • Sue
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      When I saw the course advertised, I was suddenly taken back to my childhood, way back in the 60's. Sitting at the kitchen table drawing, tracing, painting. I remembered how much I enjoyed it, and that often, my pictures were pretty decent. I thought to myself, could I actually become a fairly competent artist, if I received instruction? Money is tight in our household, but you can't put a price on learning, and so I took the plunge. Lesson one proved to be quite exciting. I was that little girl again, copying from a picture and doing a 'pretty decent' job. Once I saw the very last journalist in the video, I KNEW that was the one for me. I'm a little OCD, and this fits the bill perfectly.  I have set a goal to draw at least twice a week each month.
    • gretchen
      Participant
      Chirps: 5
      My 87year old mother in law has kept travel journals for years, now that she is unable to travel she loves looking at then and remembering her past. I wish to do he same, better late then never. I love the idea of using boxes to organize space, I think I might try that. Date ,time ,place and weather , oddly is not something I had thought of. Thanks great first lesson.
    • Tania
      Participant
      Chirps: 1
      1. I started taking nature photos about 20 years ago and my photos are all on my computer & I very rarely look at them because there are too many to sort through.  Nature journaling sounds like a great way to have a more present experience while creating something meaningful to look back on.  I've done some nature journaling here & there but haven't stuck to it on a regular basis. 2. I love the idea about drawing birds as shapes first.  That seems to make it less intimidating for me as I seem to want to draw all the details which is very challenging for me.  I also like the monthly nature journal.
    • Rachel
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      I am so excited to take this course! I’m really looking forward to learning more about water color techniques, enhancing my life drawing skills, and honing my observational skills. I’ve always thought that if I had (or have) it to do all over again, I’d be a field biologist. Counting some organism all day and making note of their behaviors and surrounding habitat... that sounds like so much fun to me... I’m also looking forward to making this a regular practice that I can do with my daughters; I can’t wait to go out with them with our sketchbooks and kits and sale what they observe in their world. I want them to have the skills and capacity to appreciate the natural world around them in a deep and purposeful way. They will inevitably think this is ridiculous and want to go build a fort and a zipline with their father, I’m sure. I really like the journals with written observations, date and location; the bio major in me totally geeks out on stuff like that, and I want my journaling process to be about learning about what’s around here in the Pacific Northwest, since it’s not where I grew up and there’s a lot here I’m only moderately familiar with! I also like the idea mentioned in someone’s post about taking a physical sample of the environment and inserting it into the sketchbook later; the only journal I’ve ever kept up with successfully has been a travel journal when I was in college and traveled around Tasmania, with random things glued in from the places I visited and quick sketches of something that might have caught my eye.
    • James
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      1. I kayak year round and walk the watershed for fitness and realized I am observing the changes in nature and felt drawn to document them for myself especially after observing and counting backyard birds for Cornell School of Ornithology a few years ago. An engineer I know and a fine arts student I know also inspired me with their amazing ability to draw, without any art experience in the case of the engineer and with an impressionistic style of natural things in the case of the fine art student. 2. Having been involved in publishing (not drawing) mechanical technical illustration and documentation awhile back, am drawn to the "callouts" and "exploded views", organization and free flow of a page in a journal but also  impressionistic takes on a subject given how motion and light change on a subject especially when viewed from the water. 3. Hmmm, perhaps to log with a drawing and detail in a journal a morning water close up photo of a very specific natural occurrence like a fallen leaf, the wings of a cow nose ray or a green heron? Framed
      • Dan
        Participant
        Chirps: 10
        I like that picture James.  Thanks for your comments and sketch suggestions.  I also like to kayak and be out on the water (I live in San Diego).  There's a great blue heron nest near my house so I will probably be doing some assignments for this class on the bay with the pine trees and the herons.  all the best, Dan
      • Holly
        Participant
        Chirps: 4

        @Dan Great idea. We live in the Ventura area and there is a great Heron nesting area that we like to go to. Perfect!

    • Susana
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      This course was offered to me by my girlfriend at a time where I hit a low point. I am a wildlife veterinarian and have always enjoyed and pursued biology and art,having dabbled in scientific nature illustration and journaling. With my workload becoming excessive and my personal life becoming heavier, I drifted from the things that brought me peace and fun, such as drawing and journaling. Beginning this course has given me something to look forward to and made me excited about drawing and going outside in nature again. I am hoping to build a healthy habit after this course is finished and that it will keep me grounded in myself instead of allowing myself to be lost in my work. Thank you!
      • Mary
        Participant
        Chirps: 2
        I love this entry.  You are articulate expressing your goal. Best wishes this is exciting!
      • Dan
        Participant
        Chirps: 10
        Great to hear that you are doing this course for peace and fun. That's excellent.  I hope the nature journaling in this course brings you moments of happiness and joy.  :)  Best wishes, Dan
    • Paige
      Participant
      Chirps: 11
      I wanted to start a nature journal when we bought property in the Sierra Nevada foothills in 2006. I bought a couple of books and some supplies, but never seemed to be able to make time. We since sold the property (didn't have time for all the work needed there either!). Now I am recently retired and have a new property, not far from the old one, and I live here full time. Part of my goal for the nature journal is to immerse myself in nature and learn more about the flora, fauna, and geography here. My idea is to have a two page spread for each week, and to spend some time documenting things that week. By next fall, I think it will be cool to have a visual and written record of how things changed throughout the seasons, and I hope to be a lot more familiar with our place in the world.
      • Dan
        Participant
        Chirps: 10
        I'm looking forward to seeing your sketches from the Sierra Foothills Paige.  I first got into nature journaling through a field drawing class I took near Downieville (up rt.49).  I live in San Diego now, but my heart is still in the forests of the Sierra.  Best of luck to you in documenting the fall season in your journal.  -Dan
      • Diane
        Participant
        Chirps: 3
        Hi Paige. I also live in the foothills near Placerville. Are you nearby?
      • Paige
        Participant
        Chirps: 11

        @Diane Hi Diane--I'm outside of Grass Valley at about 2500 feet. I get up to your area pretty regularly as I am a member of the Boeger Winery "Barberians." We've also been getting our Christmas tree every year in Pollock Pines (Incense Cedar), although we may have to come up with a new plan for that. Sorry for the late reply--I had company for a week and just got back to the class!

    • susan
      Participant
      Chirps: 2
      I've done nature journaling off and on for a long time, but not in an organized manner. We had a cabin in Virginia where I would take my watercolors and paint what I would see around the cabin sometimes writing in the margins comments about the color or questions about what I saw. These were buried among my paintings in my painting notebooks. I've always admired and enjoyed looking at a whole nature journal wished I could do one. This class is the best way for me to be consistent in nature journaling and just focus on this one area. Spending time outdoors is  important  and a delight for me.
    • LM
      Participant
      Chirps: 5
      I was inspired to take this course for many reasons.  I wanted to paint again.  I love nature.  I enjoy looking at paintings of nature and field guides and they are inspiring to say the very least.  I studied the sciences and we were taught to keep field journals.  After watching the videos, I love the idea of having a visual, personal account of visits to nature that can be looked at again and again by myself or others.  I like hearing how the artists built the relationships with the subjects and  how it stimulates the mind when one looks back. One take away I received rom "the journal style" was that it will evolve over time, so I will start with the time and date and go from there.  I liked the idea of a page/period of time ….to inspire one to keep journaling throughout the year whether or not on a trip or adventure.  I look forward to learning and keeping a nature journal.
    • Karen
      Participant
      Chirps: 5
      1. I have always been intimidated by art of any kind.   Last year I took a year long birding class where I was required to submit field sketches in my homework.   My initial sketches were poorly constructed stick figures that didn't resemble what I was seeing in any way.    With the threat of future humiliation looming, I went online to find how to draw bird videos and came across classes by John Muir Laws.    After working with a single video, my drawing improved enough that my results at least resembled a bird.  I played a bit with learning bird identification through drawing and have found myself actually enjoying the art.   Between the birding class and the art classes,  I learned that, despite loving learning, the outdoors, and nature, I have simply not been curious enough.    I'd like to expand my skills to landscapes, plants, and animals as a way to deepen my connection to and understanding of the natural world. 2.   I liked several of the journaling approaches.    Sketching the outlines of birds and bird postures would finally take me outside to expand on my limited skills in a way that wouldn't be so intimidating.     The use of the journal to solidify something I'm studying really fits with my ultimate goals.   I've been trying to learn the differences between my local trees, and this type of journaling would solidify what I'm learning.    The monthly journal page and beautiful watercolor memories of Liz's journal pages are more of a long term dream goal for me. 3  Ha ha that would be a very long term dream.   Being confident enough in what I'm doing to begin to see my own creativity emerge has always felt like an impossibility.
    • Christina
      Participant
      Chirps: 19
      1. I grew up in southern West Virginia surrounded by the forests of Appalachia, and that's where I spent most of my free time - soaking it all in. Now I live just north of Manhattan (after graduating from Cornell - ILR '84!) and I became a Master Gardener with Cornell Cooperative Extension. I love the outdoors. I think plants and birds and insects have stories to tell us, if we just observe... I tried starting a nature journal on a trip to South Africa - I was so disappointed with my childish drawings that I stopped and spent the rest of the trip with my camera by my side. I love making images, and I particularly live the dynamism and sense of life and movement that a drawing gives you. And to tell the truth, I'm dying to learn how to use watercolors, too! 2. The journals in the video are incredible! It's stunning to see how the artists' styles develop over time, and how the image-making and notes created an indelible memory, organizing one's thinking about a plant or a bird or about the clouds on a given day... I like the use of "boxes" or frames around some elements of a drawing or text to make them "pop", and like the quick, gestural drawings of birds to capture the movement of them - almost like a video in pencil or watercolor! Very cool to record the time and date and weather... I think I want to do that, too. 3. I am working through how I want my journal to look - all of the journals in the video had wonderful ideas to incorporate. I like to write as much as I enjoy drawing so I can imagine a lot of notes in my journal. As a garden designer professionally, I'm probably going to focus on color combinations I find in nature as a source of inspiration, so will probably include little palettes of color as notes... IMG_6169IMG_6170 Here are a couple of doodles I made after I signed up for the course - had to try out the new materials!
      • Tu
        Participant
        Chirps: 5
        I really like your doodles! The drawings are lovely as are the colors in the watercolors.
      • Christina, Your doodles are awesome!  Doodle away I'd say.
    • Muriel
      Participant
      Chirps: 3
      1. What inspired you to begin nature journaling? I've hiked and traveled all my life taking photos and putting them away, or iPhone photos I seldom look at, and when I do, there are so many observations that I know are lost.  I turn 69 next month and want to begin methodically recording what I actually observe and hope to do it for as long as I keep hiking and traveling. Great memory enhancers. 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? Shayna and Liz have a holistic approach pairing what they saw with what they felt objectively and subjectively. I think I will endeavor to adopt a combination of these.  I also know I will try to capture the scientific structure of animal, vegetable and mineral of what I see, because these comprise the total experience. 3. Do you have a different journaling idea, not mentioned here, that you’d like to share? I hope to slow my pace down to enjoy nature more, and record more detail each day.