Nature Journaling and Field Sketching

1) What inspired me to begin nature journalling - I was looking for a way to capture the memories and feelings of my birding excursions. Also, I thought this course would provide advice and training on how to better observe nature. 2) Which ideas or approaches do you want to try - Watercolors. It may be rough at first, but that's my plan. I've seen many beautiful watercolor paintings that speak to me more than other mediums. 3) Different ideas - I may also take pictures of the journal pages to preserve the images and make it easier to share.

1. What inspired me to begin nature journalling:  I am a doctor, an occupation that involves pretty much only the left brain. I have a need to produce something beautiful that I can look at once I finish. I love nature and I spend a lot of time hiking and mountain biking, but find that I always come back feeling refreshed but somehow "incomplete," as if I really want to bring part of the experience home with me. I also like to gain a deeper understanding of things I look at in nature and I want to be able to  appreciate more detail in what I see. I have travelled a lot and seen lots of things, but when I come back I always find the I actually remember very little, and photos just never seem to do the experience justice. 2. Which ideas or approaches do I want to try: I like the idea of a black pen drawing and just 1 or 2 watercolours to fill the picture in. I also like the idea of pictures "peeping out" of a little box. Date, time, location and weather on every entry. I liked the spread sheets of things observed in a month of the year, which puts one in touch with the change of seasons. Seeing round/oval/square shapes in animals and objects 3. Different journalling idea: I highly recommend the webpage josenaranja.blogspot.com. Lots of ideas for travel journalling, which I will also incorporate.

1. I want to live a more mindful life.  I want to connect with the world around me in a deep and meaningful way; to notice and notice and take note of all the detail, the tiniest detail that I can see with my eye, and reflect on the complexity of nature’s design process.  The closer one looks, the more one finds and I haven’t even scratched the surface most of my life.  I am about to retire in a year or so and I can’t wait to start doing all kinds of things that speak to me, and one of them is nature journaling. 2. I don’t think I will try to limit myself to a particular approach or style, at the beginning, at least.  I will just start to draw what I see and see where it takes me.  I am so impressed by the beautiful illustrations by the journalers in the video; I imagine it will take some time before I develop my skills to the point where I am proud of my work and it really looks realistic.  I, too will want to discover and write down the actual creature or plant’s name and botanical name, for the record. 3. I want to create a journal that reflects my experiences with nature in these years of my life; while my husband is spending hours and hours watching and photographing birds, I will be sitting on a little stool sketching and colouring, and in this way we can be together but still pursue our individual interests.

1. My passion for animals and nature and need for escape from hassles of my life. 2. I want to try primarily the one with colourful pencils and watercolours, because it seems more interesting to me; at the same time, I also want to make the habit of taking notes just like almost all of them, because I want to improve my attentive skills. 3. Not yet.

1. This class was given as a gift and I am very grateful for it. 2. I would like to try journaling from my mind with no rules and see how it comes out on the paper. 3. I do not have any ideas as of yet.

I always try to do a sketch book , but didn't know how to proceed . I am also stating a garden and I want to records my progress , mistakes etc.. and my husband love birds and is a good observer of nature , I feel like to doing nature journaling will help me to progress in art , drawing , observing etc.. I like the approach of Shayna.. the date,  time, this is my first attempt 

I've started nature journalling as a way to focus on what I'm seeing and in all honesty as a meditation practice. I'm not what you'd call a gifted artist. I struggle with drawing but I still enjoy it and do it just for me as a way to quiet my mind. Now, seeing the journals of others I feel reassured that whatever I want to do is just fine. It's nice to see the variety of approaches and I like including simple drawings with written notes (I'm much better with words.)

1. What inspired you to begin nature journaling? My interest is birds.  Journaling is less expensive than bird photography and recording bird song.  The equipment for those endeavors can mount into the thousands of dollars.  It's essentially an arms race of equipment.  Plus all that equipment is heavy to lug around.  I wanted to be agile, lightweight, and be able to move quickly to find birds and plants of interest. While a photograph can capture more detail in an instant, I think there is merit in taking the time to observe and capture your impressions on paper.  This imprints the details in your mind, just as taking notes in class forces you to be mindful, thoughtful, and attentive. I'm definitely not an artist.  I hope I can develop my skills to somewhat capture what I see.  Drawing and journaling also seem like a more organic, human way of documenting experience than using engineered products like cameras, lenses, sound recorders, and microphones.  There is charm in seeing the sketchbooks of Leonardo da Vinci.  Learning about nature journals lets me think that I can follow in the steps of Lewis and Clark and capture the nature that I see. 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 like the way the capture the essence of what they’re drawing: the graceful curve of a fern leaf, the texture of a pine cone, the subtle gradations of color, the accurate silhouette of a landscape, deconstructing the form of a bird into overlapping ovals and circles. I like the idea of drawing a picture – first, as a mnemonic to affix the essential and defining characteristics of a bird or plant, and second, as a charming record of my memories. I definitely want to annotate my drawings with details I notice, questions that come to mind, topics for further study, and perhaps hypotheses about why things are the way they are. 3. Do you have a different journaling idea, not mentioned here, that you’d like to share? Journaling is a personal creative endeavor.  Each person will develop a style and structure of their own.

I have admired the nature journals I have seen but never felt like I had the time to do one myself. I love the idea of documenting and adding text to pictures. I have thousands of digital photographs organized in folders and realized they showed a progression of nature through the seasons but do not record what I was thinking or observing.  I can look at the photograph and kind of remember the situations but there is no text to tell anyone else the story behind what I was thinking when I took the picture. What a wonderful way to look back and see what was surrounding me at that moment of time. I love flowers and birds and want to create a journal of what I see and feel. Definitely like recording the date, time, weather, location and will work on capturing lots of sketches of birds like D. J. McNeil shared with us. I can start by trying to sketch the birds coming to my new bird feeder! 

I have been bullet Journaling to organize thoughts & obligations for 5 years. Prior to that,  I have travelled with my family & jotted down daily interesting points/highlights.  Something we revisit long after our "trips" are done.  Both styles of journals fed a specific purpose.  Today, I begin learning how to pool the practical,  educational & artistic modalities into a deeply personal account.   I can't wait.  Flexing my brain us cathartic!

I want to try nature journaling with my students as a way of helping them slow down and see the world around them.  I've noticed over the years that whether it is a trip to the zoo, a museum, or even out to our on-site prairie restoration garden, the students race through and miss much of what is around them.  I've tried nature journaling in the past with them (and with my son when he was young) and I think if I were more knowledgable and experienced I could incorporate this with greater sucess.

1. I started nature journaling in part because I got this course as a gift, but also because I love art and nature. 2. I think using watercolors would be really pretty, and I also want to include some text in my nature journal.

I think it's a convergence of many things, from my love of photography and nature, my Dad's watercolor paintings - mostly of flowers, to a friend's family of creative people that when they travel together they create a journal notebook of images, words and art from their trip from their breakfasts to sunsets. It's a really unique way to capture memories.  I have a pollinators garden and have been adding items along to bring in the birds and a photograph is taken to quickly, whereas the  journals take time and are a great way to slow down the pace of life. Also, sharing my love of nature with my grand-nieces and -nephews as I hope to pique their interest in nature. I really like the first two journals from the video. Shanya's seemed like what I expect to see when I hear the words nature journaling and Jewel's was more like an artist telling their story with color palettes, words, and images. However, all of them had their own individual beauty. As far my own journaling, I think I will wade in and see what happens. And one day hopefully, I will visit the Galapagos islands and share my journal page of the blue-footed boobies and the basking sea lions.

In different ways I've done nature journals for most of my 63 years. However, after too many tragic losses over the past year, I have decided that if I am going to continue doing so, I'd better do it now. My main reason for taking the course was to retrain myself to get in the habit of drawing and writing daily. Currently we are buried under over two feet of snow with another 18" on the way, so my nature walks are currently sharply curtailed. I will start with the birds currently here, but use photo references for ease and comfort. All the journal styles have some merit, but Shayna's most closely resembles my own. I probably won't box everything in though, just the drawings. I did like her 'magnification' of certain aspects and would definitely incorporate that. I am a great fan of botanicals, and hope that my end product mimics the Country Diary style. Watercolours are my medium. I have a few projects in mind for botanicals this year, going from seeds to flowers. We have a few little 'microhabitats' here where plants uncommon to the area flourish and we guard them with great jealousy and zeal. We are great bird watchers, and have a few families of long-billed curlews on the property. We base our haying around what they are doing at any time so they can continue to raise their young. I've been recording them in a special diary (writing only) for the past two or three years. We are in central BC but I grew up on the coast and spent a great deal of time outdoors.

1. I’ve been an observer of nature since my early childhood. I grew up in rural New England, and spent every summer at a beach cottage along the Massachusetts south coast. I’ve always been surrounded by plants, birds, rocks, and seashore critters. My main interests now are birding, gardening, and bird and landscape photography. Recently, I read Slow Birding, which inspired me to slow down and look more carefully at the natural world. Drawing/painting and making written observations fit in well with the slower approach. I’ve also watched my sister learn how to paint with watercolors over the last year, and we are taking this course together. 2. I like the un-selfconsciousness of the journalists in the video. Some of the journals are messy, some are neat, and the levels of drawing/painting skills are all over the place. But all of the journalists showed a deep connection with their work. The two approaches that resonated most with me are the box organization (I tend to be a bit messy, and structure helps) and the idea of doing a two page monthly spread. That seems manageable to me. 3. I don’t have any other bright ideas yet for journal organization, but might do some brainstorming of layout ideas.

I love my garden and I want to watch it with greater intention by nature journaling and preserve my memories of the plants and animals that live in it.

I'm nature journaling for two reasons: to prepare for a research trip I'm taking to South Carolina in March to learn more about whimbrel and their migration, and because I ask my own students to sketch and journal in science class. I want to experience the process more fully myself so I can relate and give tips to those who get stuck. I'm also excited to hopefully have a meaningful record of my trip like many of the journalers in the video.

I wanted to start nature journaling to learn more about what I saw in nature. I’m an avid bird watcher and I love learning about them. I think that drawing them and their environments will help me not only learn more but also help me identify them better. I would also like to learn more about the plants I see as well. Overall, my goal for this journal is to learn more about what I observe.

Inspiration for nature journaling came to me through birdwatching and a couple of videos.   Many years ago I enjoyed the book ‘The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady.’  I also watched the video and the series in the 1980’s.  In 2022 I saw the movie ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ and that did it…time to take up nature journaling. I believe Shayna’s approach with what she describes as a loop - drawing, writing, and research will be a good approach for me.  I also like the boxes she cleverly uses to surround the drawings.  All of the journalers contributed amazing ideas that I will return to.  Thank You

As a life-long birder from a family of birders and avid Colorado hiker, I've often thought that someday I'd spend more time journaling and sketching what I see. My photographs are lovely documentation but I'm aware that the "pencil is the best eye" as said by nineteenth century naturalist, Louis Agassiz. It's time to take the plunge! I appreciate the introduction highlighting a wide variety of approaches, and no doubt will try a few before settling in to the one most comfortable for me.

I wish that I had kept a nature journal on my trip to the Galapagos. I think it would have encouraged to spend more time really looking at the local plants and animals.  Since the pandemic I have become more aware of nature in my neighborhood. I became interested in birdwatching. I have also submitted photos to Inaturalist to help me identify what I have seen. I have been hesitant to start a nature journal because I felt I wasn't a writer and certainly not an artist. I realize the only way I will gain more confidence is to practice writing and drawing.

Learning to see more intently is my inspiration to begin nature journaling. Birding was my gateway drug to a broader appreciation of nature and the interconnectedness of everything. It has taken me a long time to get past my fear of the white page because "I'm not an artist." Keeping in mind that the purpose for me is not to make pretty pictures but to learn to see better, record details, and then research and learn more about the flora and fauna trims the ego and frees the brush. I'm startled by unexpected associations. The hue of a Red-Breasted Nuthatch spurred dreams of my red-haired brother.

I have always been fascinated with the natural world. have been a birder for over 20 years now, it has taught me a lot not just about birds and the world we live, but a lot about myself. When i first saw examples of nature sketching and journaling, i was attracted to the peacefulness of the work. I soon realized that i could gain some life changing experiencing of learning how to do this for myself, i also intend on sharing this with my family, friends and co-workers who derive as much pleasure from the outside world as i do. i expect that this course will never really have an end, because i know that we will constantly learn from this wonderful activity, and the possibilities are endless.

I find spending time in nature to be a meditative experience. I have always loved the outdoors and birding has been a passion for years now. I wanted to find a way to capture my walks in nature and I'm glad that I found this course. I am blessed that i'm living close to the sea and mangroves that attract a variety of migratory birds in winter. Even though I have dismal drawing skills, I'm hoping to learn through this course and become consistent in recording the wonders of nature around me. I liked all the approaches in this video but I'm attracted to the technique of using small boxes for descriptions and details. I may try this as I start off and let it develop organically from there.

1. Nature journaling seems like a logical step for me as a writer, birder & gardener. I have been hesitant because I can't really draw, but I'm encouraged by the suggestion that what I see has geometrical components to it. 2. I am drawn to the idea of carving out page space with boxes. I think it will be useful, at least in the beginning, because the best advice I heard was that observing over a time period -- say 2 hours -- I will see change & movement occur, potentially teaching me something or answering a question I have about my observations.  Time and patience sound like the entire process and that appeals to me as well, to be present. 3. My intention -- although I'm not sure it will happen -- is to incorporate memories. Observation lends itself to daydreaming & reminding. I'd like to document myself, my history as I document my natural view. Birding has already begun this process for me, but I've struggled with how to create the records of all the varied observations & feelings I experience as I'm hiking, looking for birds.

I have always enjoyed bird watching and drawing. Recently I took a water color class. I have found a wonderful sense of peace spending time outdoors observing nature and a sense of timelessness while drawing and painting. I hope that taking this course will help me develop a new habit!

Shaver's Creek, a Penn State environmental center, started offering Nature Journaling classes in January 2021. Since then, a once-a-month class has been held. I enjoy that each class offers a different topic to explore. The approach I've been using is perhaps most similar to the first example: a drawing with observations. I typically use: I notice, I wonder, It reminds me of... as my writing prompts. I have been using black pen, pencil, and colored pencils. I have not ventured into watercolor yet.

I love being in nature whether it is in my own yard, or out on a hike.  Drawing facilitates really seeing.   I have no knack for drawing and would like to develop some skills and basic drawing techniques.  Drawing is so important to really seeing something and when I do draw I realize that I have a much greater  appreciation and connection to my subject. Watching so many people share their journals and seeing different approaches to journaling was not only helpful, but a lovely way to work into this process.  What came across in watching the film was the joy and enthusiasm each of the journalers has for drawing and journaling and sharing their journals. My father, a naturalist at heart, always carried a sketchpad with him.  In the last 25 years of his life filled over a hundred journals with his sketches, almost all of nature or travel.  It is delightful to look through these sketchbooks and see nature and the world through his eyes.  Creating my own nature journals feels like a way to connect with him. In starting out, I like the idea of dating each entry.  Boxes seem like a clear way to help organize.  I may need to play with doing multiple drawings to see what works and what doesn't.  I want to allow myself to let it come a bit organically and focus on process over product.  Lol.  I am somewhat intimidated by the beauty of the journals we saw.  I also hope to make sketching a habit.  I have a tendency to sketch on anything and then not have a consistent journal.  I am going to use a dedicated notebook for this class so that I will have it as my record.

Across the different approaches to journaling and field sketching, the practice does two big things: 1) enhances learning and understanding (noticing greater detail, discovering through patient observation), and 2) deepens the experience (being in the moment, remembering multi-sensory details of your own experience). I found this really compelling and am excited to jump in!

1. What inspired you to begin nature journaling? I want to acquire the sense of wonder and respect that the journalers in the video radiate. 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? From Shayna, the use of boxes to isolate / highlight the drawing, as well as her use of a magnification lens to highlight details.  Also, doing some research to better inform my entries. From Jewel, adding color swaths to represent the colors present, and to be proud of my work like she is. Understanding that my entries will get better with time and consistent effort. I thought her cactus tree was awesome! From William, being amazed like he was with the Blue Footed Booby; learning to portray depth like he did in the drawing of rock formation. From Margaret, how her sketches evolved to depict wing structure in the hummingbird. From D.J., how basic shapes are at the heart of the drawing.  And if I can draw basic shapes, I'm already doing good! From Holly, Wow! Use of water color adds a whole different dimension to the journal and brings her drawings to life.  I'm sold on water colors! And, sticking to a journaling schedule - daily or monthly, is an inspiration. From Liz, how the beauty of self is reflected in her sketches and words. To all, a debt of gratitude for sharing. Thank you, Rey Estrada

My Dad did nature journals. The one from high school is mostly birds. His grandkids have had tatoos done of some of the sketches in his honor (He died in 1994.) His books from the South Pacific in WWII ended up being used for toilet paper. I've been watching birds for 70 years and want to capture the memories of some of them. I'm definitely my father's daughter, but he was an incredible artist. I've only been trying for 30 years. I loved the variety of skills and viewpoints. Barb Garnier 01/05/2023

My inspiration to work on nature journaling started with bird-watching sessions and walking trails in nature. While exploring nature with school children, I wanted to do something interesting for them, and as a record to maintain their observations, found Nature journaling is the best way of recording.  I am very much passionate about this and wanted to learn it in a professional way to train myself and help students. Most of the Journalers in the video are good in their way. I would like to take up the concept of adding more content like the other journalers. But preferably wanted to express my thoughts through sketching by adding visual appeal to the trail/nature walk. It's similar to those ideas, except would like to add my trails, other details like the importance of the location, if bird watching, and the list of species observed, want to record all the details. My first attempt at Nature Journaling. Happy to receive the feedback from Liz and other friends Regards, Geetha Suresh

Being able to sketch and paint outdoors has been something I have wanted to learn for the last year. Especially as a skill for when we travel. Amazingly, my wife gave me the Cornell course as a Christmas 2022 gift. What a wonderful surprise! I share two things that I did once I started to get familiar with the online course material: first, since these are watercolors that I am seeing for the first time, I painted a color chart, pictured in the lower right corner of the image below. How different some of the paints appear on paper as opposed to being in the pans in the travel kit. Secondly, I personalized the Canson sketchbook by doing my first-ever water brush composition of a scene drawn from memory, also pictured below. I separated the page and pasted it on the front cover of the book. As a beginning watercolorist, these paints on the course supply list and the water brushes are new to me. The piece below is the "loosest" that I have ever done! All those conservation and taxonomy classes in Fernow Hall prepared me to start out with a very representational approach! Thanks for a great set of beginning exercises!--Bill, January 4, 2023

1.  I've been journaling for travel for many years, and have incorporated sketches of nature into this practice. I love the impressionistic aspect of sketching to spark memory and feeling, which is different from photography. I have family who are birders/naturalists, and in the last 2 years introduced me to bird identification, helping me to be more attentive to nature everyday -- not just when I travel. I just retired, so saw this course and immediately felt the time spent on it would enhance my enjoyment and appreciation of nature and art. I've not yet used watercolor for the journal sketches, so this practice will help me enhance them.  2.  I like Shayna Miller's style, which is akin to mine incorporating text and sketches. I also like the variety of subject matter. I'd also like to learn to use D.J. McNeill's use of geometric shapes for (especially) birds. 3. One of the discussion participants mentioned collecting samples to add to their journal. I've done some of this, and want to continue to add pressed flowers, leaves, bird feathers, etc. to the journal. It makes it more 3-D and tactile!

I love the combination of drawing and writing....and sometimes adding color! This will become my diary of 2023.

I have family who are artists and talented--that talent seems to have passed me by. I want to journal to help imbed in my memory the details of the species but also the moments and feelings when I enjoyed seeing birds and nature. I intended to journal only about birds, but I have become more keenly aware and appreciative of plants (which I also greatly enjoy). I now intend to journal not just about the birds but also the environment and plants as well.

I enjoyed seeing each and every one of these journals. Each person showed and explained their reasons for the picture they had drawn…. It meant something to them,.. it stirred a memory in time. I believe that is what  your nature journaling is supposed to do, or that is what it does for me…. What a wonderful presentation. Thank you all for sharing.

Hello! I like elements from both the first and the last journals (and journals). I love the idea of boxes and zooms from the first journal and the follow-up research that the journaler did post-nature encounter. From the last journal, I love the idea of daily journaling; however, I am also realistic about time constraints. Luckily, I walk through a wonderful park nearly every day to get to work, so I can still see and experience nature daily. My thinking is to take a smaller journal for notes and then work on the larger pages when I have more time. So, like the last journaler, I'll probably do monthly pages from these smaller notes. From both journals, my intentions for my journaling is 1) learn more about nature (especially birds!) and 2) build a lasting document of these experiences to share with others. Very excited to get started!

What appeals to you about this journaler’s style? I really liked the last journal. I can't draw at all and have an incredibly busy life at the moment. My word for this year is "notice" what if I just drew a petal, a rapid sketch of the crow sitting outside my office window? Something I could do in 5 minutes. What would you think are the goals of this journal? The goal seems to be regularly noticing and capturing what the journaler noticed. The daily discipline of painting something is appealing to me, though maybe 3 - 4 days a week might be more realistic. A page a week? What surprised you about the content? the amazing detail she captured with watercolor.  She made it sound like these pieces didn't take her long, but they look very time consuming. What elements has this journaler included that you might want to include in your journal? having many images on a page, regular documentation - daily, weekly or monthly.  I'd want to add brief descriptions as she did in the monthly pages.

I love that the artists’ journals reminded them of their experiences in way that photographs simply could not. There is a sweetness in each artist’s image/entry, perhaps because their personality is embedded in the images.

1. I have always wanted to learn to draw and paint. As an avid naturalist and informal science educator, nature journaling seems like a good place for me to start! 2. It was very helpful to see a wide variety of journals. As a beginner artist, the polished journals filled with perfect watercolors are beautiful, but a bit intimidating. It was nice to see that simpler approaches also look great! My favorite approach is a mix of images and text, focusing on close studies of individual organisms. I would love to do a full record of an animal over an hour or so, documenting all of it's behaviors. 3. I would love to try incorporating actual specimens into the drawings. For example, if I painted a bird on a branch; I could mount a sample of that branch on the page and incorporate it into the painting.

I have always had a dream to draw and paint, and am very drawn to nature. I don't travel much but have a lovely sanctuary in my backyard. It is filled with birds, squirrels, chipmunks, the occasional raccoon, fox, deer, skunk - all attracted by various feeders. I learned something from each of the journals presented, but think I will do best with a simple approach. Since the idea of drawing is so daunting to me, perhaps only one or 2 sketches on a page to start will be possible. I also will share my thoughts and discoveries on each page. I also am drawn to the meditative aspects of this process. I look forward to this experience and learning from all of you.

I love all these journals!  What an inspiration to get out and document the earth!  I have so many pictures of wildlife on my phone and would love to have a documentation of the description but never thought of journaling at that moment!  It is going to be a great year to try and document my outer world.  I really am interested in finding out the scientific names and information on flora and fauna I see to remember so the scientific journaling appealed to me most.  I may print some pictures I already have and try incorporating them into the journal so I can document what they are and where I experienced them so I can have that to reflect on.

I was inspired to start nature journaling for several reasons. First, I am going to  expand my freelance work in science writing and I think that nature drawing skills would be a good adjacent skill to be able to include with my writing. Second, and probably more importantly, I like the idea of spending more time in nature as an observer rather than just passing through. I am a regular walker, hiker and outdoors persons. However  I feel that many times I miss interesting thing on my hikes because there is an expected pace that one keeps that prevents rest and observation. I like the idea of sitting and observing for an hour or two that several of the journalers discussed. And, taking notes to help me remember how I was feeling, what the day was like and also make connections (i.e. frog camouflage and dappled tree light) that spark futures ideas to research and understand.

May's favorite style was Shayna Muller's style. She liked the boxes around the writing and drawings. May also thought her sketches were beautiful. She also liked that Shayna took her time and added were she zoomed in to paint the details, May also liked the style of the date, and weather conditions. My favorite design was Liz's design. She put so much detail in the sketches and added specific colors in each place. I also liked the style of the writing, small and cursive. It made the book look professional sketch books you find in art stores. And my favorite part was the watercolors, all the colors had their specific place in the painting, and there was always a new color to see. Margot & May

I am an avid hiker and when I was younger considered myself an artist. I want a way to try to connect my dormant artistic talent with the nature I enjoy everyday. i like the idea of boxing things out and including questions and info you find later.

I'm a travel writer and would like to incorporate nature journaling into my practice. I think it will give me a unique perspective on my travels and the natural world within them. I would prefer to keep my journals somewhat open, with just one or two main sketches, as well as notes, per page. That said, I also really liked the journaler who practiced once per month and had several sketches per page. I'm eager to try sketching both animals and landscape formations, such as rocks and beaches.

I've looked at this course several times and have taken online classes with Liz and enjoyed them very much.  What tipped me over (besides the sale) is reading through the discussions.  Everyone seems to enjoy the course and take part of discussions.  Journaling is an excuse for me to go out by myself and slowly take in nature instead of a hiking pace with friends.  It gives me quiet time and I can concentrate on what is around me.  I've recently retired and am getting into birding so it all fits in together. Not sure what my journal will look like, probably mostly sketches.  Just whatever my hand is inspired to do!

1.  Wildlife photography is a hobby that I love.  I've wanted to start a personal journal and have started and stopped many time because I would loose interest.  I love the idea of combining art and writing.  I had just completed a bird photography course with Melissa Groos and came across this course and it seemed like a great way to incorporate my two interests. 2.  I really want to try the monthly journal.  I'm not sure if I could stick to a daily journal but was thinking I could definitely commit to putting together a monthly journal.  I take ALOT of pictures and thought I could use many of my pictures a reference for my nature journal.  I love the idea of having a reference at the end of the year to look back and remember different sightings thoughout the year.  I'm excited to try. 3.  I like the idea of using some of my photographs as a reference.  For example I took this picture of a female and male red belly woodpecker at my feeder.  Maybe using the image as a reference to draw them but doing research afterwards to learn more about these beautiful birds. 3.  I 

I have always been drawn toward nature, spending my life on a farm and in the mountain wilds or the ocean with my grandparents. I feel calmer, healthier, in nature. For a long time, I've abandoned nature drawing because of self-criticism. I use a lot of zentangle doodling for relaxation, but I felt like I was missing out on something by never going outside and trying to draw in nature. I sincerely hope this class will help me reconnect in nature and release some of that criticism. I love the idea that there can be little blurbs all over a page- and that some of them may not be finished- but that by blending writing and illustration, a memory can be made (as someone with a TBI and difficulty forming memories, this is particularly alluring to me.) I think I'll try to include some lunar details on my page- what moon phase we're in, for example- because I love seeing if nature changes with the moon (tides, seasons, etc)

Professionally I was an engineer but on retirement I went back to college to do fashion and textiles. I have never been good at drawing but I particularly enjoyed fashion illustration and it's ability to quickly catch shape, texture and movement with great economy. I have always taken photographs but am inspired by the idea of hand worked journals, both for personal memories of visits to local woods and also as a means of better seeing. The guidance of this course looks perfect.

I recently retired and moved to the Pacific Northwest.  This new environment is uniquely different from the my California  origins.  I am learning how to sketch.  I am an avid hiker and would love to sit and draw something to remind me of what I saw, heard and felt.  I love the idea of formally keeping track of time, date, location and weather.  I also like the idea of writing questions that come up as I observe.  I have never journaled before, so I am not certain how it all works.  How do you sketch a bird who flies away as soon as you get close enough to sketch it?  I think I will start with plants that don't move very fast.

1.  A friend said he had started drawing and he believes anyone can do it.  I am retiring in 1 week and will have more time.  I love nature, especially birds.  Journaling may provide an opportunity for me to go deeper. 2.  I may want to enter the date and place, but do not want to get to data-oriented.  I spent most of my career deep into data.  I want to explore the feeling side. 3.  Maybe record how I am feeling when I start and how I am feeling when I finish an entry?

I nature journal with my children as it is part of our homeschool curriculum.  I am still exploring and refining my style as well as developing the technical artistic skills.  This introduction has been helpful in showing the various possibilities to incorporate in my journal.  I was drawn to the journals that balanced the drawings and word descriptions.  It's often difficult to do both at any given time.  I feel like I need to keep two separate journals.  One a quick /daily entry that gives me drawing practice and a less frequent but more detailed entry once a month that gives me time to delve into deeper observation and description.

I’ve been taking watercolor classes but find what I enjoy most is focusing on elements of nature—a bird, an orchid, leaves, rock walls—rather than fully realized scenes or landscapes.And I want to get better at drawing, and seeing, the details. I’m a nonfiction writer. Nature journaling might lead me in new directions; I’m intrigued by the posibilities in that. Daily journaling seems like too much pressure and monthly not enough but I like the idea of a discpline until it becomes a regular practice. I’ll begin with weekly drawing.

Being a decoy carver of shorebirds wanted to be able to draw better patterns so went online, found John Muir Laws site. Started watching a couple of videos on journaling and it looked like fun and have always enjoyed drawing.  Came across this course on his site and though it would be fun to take and make me do it instead of talking about it.

1. I've started a nature journal to chart the progress of a wildlife garden I began on retirement (2019) and have been developing since. Photos are okay, but they don't really encourage the fine attentiveness and enhancement of memory that journaling seems to cultivate. Here's a photo of my front garden in July 2021:

I've been an avid hiker (and mushroom forager) for years and as time goes on I'm focusing more and more on observing nature and learning while I'm outside--I've also been getting back into drawing and sketching, so nature journaling combines several interests of mine and gives me a way to slow down and process what I see and experience outside.  I was first introduced to nature journaling through Claire Walker Leslie's work and I've been inspired to learn more.  I look forward to honing my observation skills and learning new ways to translate my experiences into journal entries. One thing I'm excited to try is field sketching--currently, most of my drawing happens when I get home and sit down to look at photos and notes that I've taken.   I'm also excited to integrate watercolors into my journaling.

What inspired me to begin nature journaling is my backyard built by my husband from scratch.  Native plants as well adapted plants surround the L-shaped back yard and most of them attract wildlife.  I want to capture the evolution of the plants and how wildlife take advantage of nature to survive.  Then the backyard of my house will have a nature journal to be transmitted to the next generation. I like the idea of picturing geometrical shapes to start a sketch and developing from them.  I also like the water color addition to highlight details.

For the past couple of years, I have been keeping lists of birds that I see each day--and I have really enjoyed doing that. But I wanted to take it to another level and add more observations. So I would like to expand what I already do to add more narrative and some pictures--that's the part that is intimidating. I have never drawn or painted but I am excited to begin.

I am one of those "who cannot draw a stick figure", so I am looking forward to this course. One thought... Shayna showed how she would "zoom" a portion of her sketch. I think I will use the clip-on macro lens I have for my camera phone to do precisely that... get some detail that one cannot see otherwise. Cool, eh? For example, this is a photo of a blackfoot daisy bloom that has a small spider poised to catch lunch. The bloom is half inch across, so the detail is not readily available to the naked eye.

I've  tried nature Journaling before, but never stuck with it long enough to fill the notebook. I am a watercolorist, but I've  been away from it for a while. Since I've  just moved to a new state. I want to start by learning all the different  kinds of trees that grow here and the native plants. I used to paint birds, and I found it was a good way to learn about them. I'm  very interested in doing a page for each month and adding little drawings of individual items as the month progresses. I already have some photos of the lovely woods around here.

I have always loved the idea of nature journaling. I have ensured that my kiddos always have their journals with them on hikes and trips. Then I realized that my own nature journals were so blank! I am ready to invest time into my own journals -- I like the idea of a daily sketch -- and the monthly one for accountability.  I am looking forward to the rest of this course

This was a gift, an early Christmas present.  I am doing more and more bird watching these days.  I am drawn to the casual, the in the moment combination of sketching and journalling. I liked the diversity of the formats and methods shown.  I will probably draw something first, or several somethings.  I will also probably take pictures of sketches I like and use filters, etc.  I may even paste printouts of altered sketches in the journal.

I love drawing, just do not seem to have the time on a regular basis. We've been doing a backyard native plant restoration project and I was inspired to document the changes over time and species that visit. I like the idea of documenting time and place and weather and just jumping in with images and explanatory text. I am also going to try to incorporate this into one of my classes and share what I learn with my students.

       Since I love learning about ornithology, I have been drawing and taking notes on birds and sometimes other animals. This is also been a class that my mom and I have been wanting to do together. I would love to make my drawings more colorful and realistic when I am journaling. I would also like to use my journal for other animals and plants besides birds. 

1.  I love nature and the peaceful feeling that I get reconnecting with nature. Nature journaling should allow me to slow down and improve my drawing and painting skills.   2.  I think I might try the boxing in style.  3.  Nothing different, but might evolve into something a bit different as I go along.

I love the idea of capturing a month on a page.  It is not as intensive as having a journal entry for every day but still captures the highlights of a month of observation.  It is a great way to remember the month and relive those moments.

I'm inspired to use a journal to be fully present and notice specific details as well as the amazing scope of the place I'm in.  I'm eager to learn and observe more of the small bits that fascinate me before I move on to the next thing.  I'm also hoping that journaling and sketching will help me focus and use time wisely as I recovery from surgery and am unable to walk much for the next few weeks. I'm in awe of the artistic skill level of these journal sharers.  I feel like I'm not far beyond lollipop trees and snowmen and happy faces. THe colors in these journals are jaw-dropping--they look like the sea and clouds could just wash over me.

oops, I moved too fast :)

I love watching the birds in my little backyard and how different ones come at different times of the year. I need to learn how to capture these amazing little creatures as they flit to and fro, hang out on the feeder and play in the bird bath. These videos were awesome. Before I started this class, I had this vision of just learning to journal birds, but after watching the videos I’ve changed my mind, I want to learn how to draw plants & rocks.  I like the idea of having some notes with the drawings, particularly the date, time & location.

I have never been a person who journaled, but I started journaling earlier this year as part of my “dreaming big journey of discovery” to start a new business. It’s been an amazing personal growth experience. Now I want to expand to journaling and field sketching my time in nature with native plants, birds, butterflies, and more. I’m very excited to start this course because I want to capture these times with drawings and words. The journaling style that I hope to accomplish is filling a couple of pages per month, maybe weekly.

I live next to a chaparral preserve and love observing our summer-dormant natives spring to life with the first winter rains.  Nature journaling will give me the ability to document these changes in a way that is both memorable and beautiful. I am drawn to the first journal and how her drawings spring out of the boxes, it really brings them to life.

I have never thought myself to be artistic (think stick men...), but a couple of years ago decided to give watercolours a try.  I've enjoyed attempting to paint the birds that visit my bird feeder, but mostly by taking photos then painting from them.  They are simplistic pictures, but they are mine and I enjoy them!  I'm looking forward to learning to record nature as I see it (rather than from photos), and love the idea of recording thoughts and impressions alongside.  The monthly nature journal page especially appeals to me!

I am an avid birder and my husband and I camp a lot.  While I have done some sketching when we have traveled it has never been organized or consistent.  Nature journaling will encourage me not only to capture some of the beauty that I see but also to write about the experience, something that isn't captured in a photo.  I also see it as a meditative exercise, a chance to slow down, be in the moment and observe the beauty around me either at home when when traveling.

1.I am retired and I love walking in nature.  I want to develop my powers of observation.  I have never drawn as a hobby so I want to see how I do with it. 2.  I like the idea of using geometric shapes to start the sketch.  I would like to record details in writing as well. A page per month sounds reasonable.    

I have been a bird watcher since I was a little girl. That practice has followed me into adulthood. I do want to get out in nature more, and nature journaling seems like a wonderful practice to incorporate into that time. I really appreciate the journals that include accurate renderings as well as facts and observations. I am very excited about this course. 10/22

This is something I have been thinking about for a long time.  I have been doing Citizen Science for a number years birds, butterflies and dragonflies mostly.  I have wanted to see what my artistic ability is and do more with keeping records of what I see in nature.

I was inspired by Liz in a previous course I took about sketching birds. Also, I have kept a journal on trips I've taken out west and they are so special to me. They typically are not set up in anyway, and are on lined paper. I want to step it up a little bit! I want to start organizing my journal a bit more- and try to make entries weekly of normal, every day "wonders" so I form a habit that feeds my soul. I also want to be able to share this practice with my students.

I was inspired to begin nature journaling by a recent trip to Alaska. I spent many days hiking in the wilderness with small groups of people (less than 6). One day I was hiking by myself and found time to get down on my hands and knees and look at the plant life. I took pictures and they were great but I found I wanted to spend more time with the plants. At the time I wished I had a journal to make some sketches. When I got home I had an email with information about this course. It was perfect timing. I know that sketching really allows you to see details that you might otherwise overlook. I am happy to be participating in this class. 

I want to develop my experience of observation

I'm enrolled in the Master Gardener Basic Program. Journaling will help reinforce what I am learning by teaching me to observe details and recording those details. I like the idea of using water color and recording time, place, weather, as well as, describing what I see.          

I want to learn to preserve some of the colors and shapes of ordinary things that I see in different light outdoors, and to record some of my thoughts, feelings and observations. Some images that I see are so fleeting as light and seasons change and deserve preservation. I have no experience with drawing or painting.

1. What inspired me was the ability to capture detail in a full scene, or just one element, like a leaf or a twig. I'm also excited to learn how to gesture draw animals. I often get caught in the details and would love practice capturing just the important things to highlight a movement or a pose. Lastly, in my recent creativity journey, I've been captivated by urban sketching using pen and watercolor, so I hope to practice that in this course!

Nature journaling forces you to really observe the details about an animal or plant or place.  It also makes you aware of the overall appearance and behaviors, too.  By being actively involved in looking and recording makes you more aware of subtle things that you might overlook by just snapping a picture.  I want to improve my observation skills as well as my descriptive skills.

I became inspired when I saw this course, and saw the chance to improve my ability to draw birds. I really like the idea of making each page tell a story and a journey, both of the creature and environment, and of the person making it.

I started yesterday and my first journal entry was looking out the window while I was volunteering at the library bookstore. There were trees outside an old building. I was viewing the back of the structure. I’m fascinated by trees and find drawing them difficult. I’m hoping to get some tips and ideas from the class and nature journaling seems a good tool for me to use to continue looking at and trying to capture the trees I see outside my home and in the woods and while visiting different places. Thanks. Wanda 9/16

1 what inspired me to try nature journaling? the shifting of the seasons and the beauty of seed pods. a body memory of sketching decades ago. paying attention to something in nature can shift the inner dialogue, create a more open and accepting conversation with self, the world, helpful in the fall as the cold closes in... 2 I like the drawing a day, a page of daily drawings, the close up details, the memory aid the drawings provide, ID support. I hope to capture my various garden beds so I recall what is there and add care notes.

I am interested in journaling to try to capture those moments that are significant that I miss with my camera (I am a wildlife photographer).  Sometimes there are moments that can not be recorded as a photo or film due to poor conditions of one kind or another.  Also sometimes I may hear a story of something that has happened near where I live and I missed seeing it but some how it stayed in my awareness so I would like to be able to draw and paint it along with telling the story.

I love the page where the journal writer documented several different kinds of ferns. I currently am interested in plants - drawing them and identifying them - botany.

1. I really enjoyed the field journals and field collection notes I did for my archaeology and botany classes. I joined this class because I'd like to start incorporating watercolour but have never worked with that medium. 2. The journals that had notes to go with the sketches felt the most familiar and fit best with how I process information. 3. I really liked how many different types of physical journals were shown - small, large, blank, lined, landscape or portrait, cards or books - it emphasized how personal and versatile this all is. There really isn't a "one way is the correct way".

Nature is incredibly beautiful and I want to capture it all.  I have been a nature photographer for many years and now I want to try other ways to record my experiences with nature.  I have long admired those that keep nature journals and the beauty that can be found in these journals.  I very much enjoyed the presentation on the different styles of nature journals and I liked them all but I think I am going to start out with a box approach.  I think this will help me get started then see what develops from there.  This summer I have been identifying the plants on my property and would like to really get to know them and I can't think of any better way than drawing them.  I have also been a birdwatcher for awhile and have fun photographing them but like with the plants I want to get to know them even better and again I see this through a nature journal.

While studying birds I would like to have a beautiful way to document what I've seen and the memories that I've made. I like the journals with landscapes in them because they hold special memories of what was experienced that day. Watercolor is one approach I would like to attempt because there are so many ways to show color.

I will annotate my sketches with the date time and weather and location. I will sketch part of a scene that interest me and not try and make a artistic rendering in the field.   I think what inspired me to try nature journalling is the desire to capture detail and learn more about the object that I am interested in or seen and become a little bit more observant of what’s around me. Taking pictures doesn’t really do justice to what I want to do. I might try and take pictures of what I am sketching and perhaps seeling some details that I may not have time to draw due to weather or other things that might be a priority at that moment. I’m sure I will develop other techniques that I haven’t thought of yet once I start journaling. I’m looking forward to seeing exactly what I end up doing.

Lately, I haven't been doing art or getting out into nature as much as I used to. I see this as a way that inspires me to do both in a new way. I'm not feeling a need to choose a particular journalistic style at all. I'm approaching this as an experiment of discovery. I often let art emerge and surprise me. Of course, trying to capture what some natural object looks like is  quite different than the more free-form art I've done in the past. But perhaps I will find a way to converge them. My aim isn't necessarily to create a field guide but rather to capture my own feelings and observations of nature. It will be interesting to see what evolves.

I am so excited to begin this journey. I am just learning how to watercolor, but enjoy doing artistic endeavors. I do journal (but not regularly) and often written about my travels, using my husband’s photographs as inspiration. I love to walk and ponder nature; I enjoy watching the birds that visit my feeders over the seasons and also love to putter about in my flower and vegetable gardens. I am hoping that this course helps me to be more attentive to the little things — much like carrying a camera can focus attention. I so enjoyed the ways each of the journalists shared their approaches. I liked the observations about how their writing and sketching changed over time: isn’t that the reason why we write….to learn, to grow, to become? I also liked the way that the writings merged with the drawings and paintings, each inspiring the other.  I hadn’t thought about the more active approach to observation — generating questions while writing and sketching — but I would like to adopt that approach, too.

1. I was inspired specifically by John Muir Laws' form of nature journaling, which is about inquiry and observation, rather than just drawing or writing. I work with kids and teach a lot about science, so this method really appeals to me, and has been very rewarding on a personal level as well. 2. I really liked the first journal, particularly when her drawings began to burst out of the boxes - I also thought it made them look more vibrant and alive, and I think I might try to incorporate that. 3. One small thing I've learned from Laws' work is making a little bubble question mark right next to a question or a list of questions - it makes the page look more fun and also helps to organize it.

1. I love drawing, but I also love writing, so something that combined both seemed like the perfect thing to do. I also want to get better at sketching birds and filling in with watercolour. 2. I was really inspired by the one that had the "fill in a whole page per month" idea, because that way, over time, you can get a really good idea of what it looks like where you live at a certain time of year. 3. Right now, I don't really have a different idea, I just want to try various methods until I find the one that works for me.

One of the main reasons I started nature journaling was to learn more about plants, identifying them, seeing their features more clearly,  noticing where they are growing and what insects and other animals might be interested in them. I also just wanted to spend more time outdoors, really noticing things--sitting long enough to really observe and not just being busy tending a garden (nose pointing at the ground) or mowing the grass.

Recently retired birdwatcher, I have kept travel journals but want to learn to sketch birds from life.  I like the notation of date, weather etc and the observational notes.  I also like breaking down the birds into shapes.

I am a retired field environmental professional that used what we now call journaling throughout my career to document what I found in the field.   I worked a great deal on mine land reclamation, hazardous waste clean up and nuclear waste clean up.   Thus, most of those journaling books are now in part of legal case files and project record archives and thus out of my reach.   All beginning journal keepers should note that, although thousand of photographs were taken of the sites I worked on, it was always my journal pages, sketches, and watercolors that ended up on the big screen in front of the jury---go figure.  I am now excited to start my personal nature journal to document the many wonders of my new home's backyard which is on a big water body called an Resaca (look it up, it not a river or a lake). As an old field guy I have one plea; please use alpha-numeric dating for your dates (example: 23OCT2017), and military time (1704H = 5:04 pm) on all your enters.  All other date/time notations can lead to multiple interpretations of when the notations were made.  This, in turn, leads to the notations, sketches, watercolors, etc. being thrown out of any data set or evidence file (scientific or legal).   It is so heart breaking to see good work rendered unusable for such a silly reason.   Remember, you can never predict when what you document will become important to society.

I love this idea although I haven't started my nature journal yet. I have kept drawing journals, often landscapes, but without the words to accompany it, and the goal of observing nature closely, I simply judged my drawings good or bad, and tried again the next time to do better. I sense that I won't be judging my product so much on this venture. Rather, it is a mode to observe, get lost in the observation, treasure that time, and move on to the next observation. This will establish a stronger and ongoing relaI tionship to nature. I walk my two white golden retrievers around "Starbucks Lake" -- I call it that because I can't find the name of this reservoir on any map, but there is a coffee shop half way around it -- and we enjoy seeing the birds and bunnies and other dogs. This walk can seem boring to me because there is no cardio, no uphill or downhill. Then I downloaded "Where the Crawdads Sing" and for the first time I stood and watched three double tufted Colorado Cormorants on two logs. I didn't try to make up for the flat terrain with speed. I just stood and watched. It was wonderful, and I tried sketching them when I got home. The book inspired me to stand and look for ten minutes, and to open this Christmas present from my love. I also purchased the Ornithology course online, and a huge, heavy textbook. I look forward to seeing how this next year unfolds with walking, looking, drawing, writing, and reading about birds. It is a good new step for me. I was missing a new adventure at 72 and settling for simple pleasures without a goal. This is great for me!

I love photography and painting, and I hope I can discover unexpected details around me by keeping a nature journal.I think nature journal is a good way to observe the interesting things around you and capture a moment in your life that surprises you, it makes me pay more attention to the things around me, discover the beauty of nature, and understand more about myself. I want to keep a nature journal with various boxes and categorize the daily journal. For example: the first box records the problem of observation, the second records the moment that touched you, the third records the knowledge (details) My new idea: do a quarterly summary of each season and pick out your favorite moment or thing in these 3 months.

During the past 2 years I began photographing birds in Central Park in NYC, developing some skills and becoming part of the local birding community. For many years I taught illustration and painting to high school art majors, then opened a studio in midtown where I created nature-themed paintings and illustrated the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe (The Raven), Wallace Stevens (Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird), etc. The pandemic arrived, I closed the studio and began working from home. Most mornings I am in the park, just two blocks from my apartment, where there are ponds, waterfalls and a reservoir. It's been a struggle, however, to get back into painting. Through photography I've been able to spend more time observing the habits of wildlife. I want to get excited again about painting. Keeping a nature journal seems an excellent way to slow down and observe life, creating visual and written notes. I was inspired by all of the journalers, each one had something unique to offer. I'm ready to begin!

I think that what attracts me to try journaling is that it is a contemplative process as well as one that requires slowing down, concentrating and becoming much more observant. So much of my life was busy accomplishing a lot as quickly as possible. My job, teaching high school science was never done- planning, grading, physical preparation, and  mentoring was all consuming, including many nights, weekends and even much of vacation time. Additionally, I had children of my own.  I am absolutely in love as well as fascinated by the natural world.. Having an activity whereby I can fully immerse myself in it for whatever amount of time I want feels like heaven. As I read through the journal examples, I was drawn to aspects of several of the journalers. I liked Shayna's approach-draw, think, reflect, remember and look up what she wanted to learn more about, which fits my personality. My curiosity is endless and I love to follow a question or learn more about something that pops into my head and this is a process to do just that!! I think that sketching combined with writing is great for remembering. I went on a birding adventure abroad and I could see how journaling could have enriched my experience. To me it feels better than photography, it involves all the senses. I loved the aesthetics of Holly's journal.  Having sketches of the total landscape along with detailed sketches of specific plants, birds, insects and animals puts them in perspective. I felt that way about Liz's journal also.

1. That inspired me was the inspiration I have always drawn from nature, since also is my work environment; and ultimately is the perfect union between my art hobby (painting and drawing in general) and my academic background in sciences. I love the idea of fitting a month in just one page, I hope I can fit everything I get to draw in mine... also the idea of inserting squares to fit your notes would help me to a have a more organized layout. I would like to include my descriptions of sounds and smells; as well as, things I collet from my journaling trips (sustainably and mindfully collected) to include them in a "scrapbooky" style.

1. I want to observe the world better and I hope that by spending time observing and drawing I’ll slow down and look with patience and attention at the world. 2. I like the ones that included words and drawing. As a poet that appeals to me. 3. No new ideas, but I do want to see how words and art can be blended into an expression of my attention.

I like the free style presentation that some had. I liked the personalization. Journaling to enjoy not to instruct

1) I am a linocut printmaker who often depicts birds, however, you can't complete a lino out in the field as it takes a lot of time, elbow grease, and sharp tools! Watercolor is a medium that is much more immediate and portable, so I wanted to learn how to use this medium. 2) I appreciate the last sketcher's goals of trying to do one drawing a day or a month of drawings. I also appreciated how many sketchers were working out the logic of what they were observing on paper, rather than just appreciation--they seemed to be learning from what they were observing. 3) I've also been looking for a way to combine words and images together in my art. I'm hoping that along with my observations and notes, I can include word-play and poetry to go along with the sketches.

1. I took both of Liz’s recent workshops on the Cedar Waxwing painting and drawing essentials.  I loved both and want to learn more about nature sketching and improve my painting and drawing skills. 2. I can’t pick just one style I like!  I love the colors in Shayna, Jewel, William, and Holly’s journals.  Yet I also love the simplicity of D.J. & Margaret’s journals.  I liked Shayna’s details including looking up both the common and scientific names of her subjects.  I love how Margaret and William keep multiple quick sketches of the same subject to learn more about their subjects.  I think Margaret had a dozen sketches of hummingbirds in a 2 hour time-frame and each one seemed to teach her something.  D.J. has used his as official documentation.  Shayna’s is a “personal field guide” and Jewel, William, and Holly seem to be about memories.  I’d like to incorporate all methods into my journal. 3. I think I might try doing multiple pictures of the same subject in using different mediums - watercolor, colored pencils, or pencils sketches and see which I like the most.

1. I draw a lot, but mostly 0nly from reference found on the internet, so i find that there isn’t much movement or different angles to what i draw. 2. I really like the idea of quick and loose sketches to get the basic shapes down that i would be able to return to at a later time. 3. Adding in some small bits of nature found outdoors scrapbook style

1. My partner and I took the Cedar Waxwing class with Liz. My fist watercolor! We are both artists, but I would like to learn to journal more in nature (meaning more discipline to do it!). I draw, but do not paint, and would like to learn. I am more of a 3d artist (blown glass). My interests are in birding, beekeeping, and fly fishing. I tie most of our flies, so I consider myself an amateur entomologist. I also do a lot of photography of all of these things. I would like to have a more personal touch of hand drawn experiences with our adventures. 2. Stylistically, I like pen and ink with watercolor. I also liked the daily or monthly sketches, for discipline. 3. What I need is more practice! I am confident that I will come up with a system that works for me. Thanks for the inspiration!            

I took Liz's watercolor class of a cedar waxwing just as a lark. My grandma began watercolor classes in her seventies and I was interested in trying them myself. As an elementary teacher, I had not considered the possibilities of doing nature journaling with my students.  I teach mathematics and science. What a perfect fit for both! To begin with, I just want to sketch, watercolor, and jot notes on the pages of my sketchbook. If I were to go on a nature trip, I would love to use the little journal to document the trip in pictures and words. I also loved the idea of having various sketches on one page a month. So many possibilities. I plan to have my third grade students begin nature journaling when we get back to school this August.

1. After taking a bird drawing workshop with Liz, I was inspired to engage more with the birds I observe. Field drawing has felt intimidating to me in the past, but the process she broke down really helped me get started. 2. I love the color that gets incorporated into these journals and the way the watercolor helps them to break down the different shades present in nature. Can't wait to do that! 3. I think I'd like to try something in my journal where I draw or paint the same thing over the course of a year (or longer!) and watch it change. Maybe the same view or a single tree...

1. After taking a bird painting workshop with Liz, in which we painted a Cedar Waxwing, I became inspired to do more bird paintings.  I don't have much confidence in my art work, so I hope to dive in and see how my journaling and art work improve over time.  Also, yesterday I was super close to a summer tanager and watched him take a bath.  He didn't seem to mind that I was there at all.  So my first page of my journal is to try and capture that moment. 2. I like the idea of keeping dates and locations, and also doing the drawings first to use whatever space is needed.  I also like doing a circular close up when needed to show more small details. 3. I may have more ideas as I get working more on my journal, but not at the moment.

Really inspirational journals with great practical tips. I like the idea of a box at the top with the date, time, location and weather conditions. Also like the idea of drawing boxes with the subject peaking out of the box. Will try to start with monthly page as a manageable goal with the idea of working to daily journals on future trips.

1. I am a teacher, so in the summer time I have time to stop and reflect. I spend most of my time outdoors in beautiful, natural places along the Eastern seaboard. I hope to cultivate a journaling habit/practice that encourages me to tap into my creative side in a way that is slowed down, deliberate and contemplative. I hope to bring these practices into my life and routine beyond the summer. I know many people who keep nature journals and always thought that this was out of reach for me since I am not an artist. I am excited to learn some drawing/painting skills while I learn to better observe and notice. 2. I like the monthly journal at the end of the video, but will try to keep a weekly version. I also like the first journal type and how she uses the boxes. I need to do some additional reflection about what my journal will be. I am not entirely sure yet. I do know that I need to be open to mistakes and changes of mind along the way. The young woman who let her journal "become" as time went on is inspiring to me because I don't want to have a fixed mindset going in. But I do see the importance of setting some goals.  

I actually enjoyed the journals that included the colorful sketches and journal entries. I thought the combination of personal observations and the information that was gathered from scientific knowledge made for a great resource. Very important I felt was that the journal left an imprint of  a memory for the journalist and our community.  

Which ideas or approaches I want to try: I've attempted several times to start a nature journal but never really got it going. I've had a hard time deciding what format I want to use, so I keep putting it off. For this reason I especially like Holly's idea of doing monthly pages, as it seems a bit less daunting and I think I can stick with it, doing a drawing with the associated information without feeling that more is needed at the moment. I can always add daily or trip pages as well.

1. This course is a Mother's Day present from my children, their spouses and families. My daughter -in-law came up with the idea because I love watching birds, I had feeders for years ( I am now in an apartment) and I have gone on birding trips, plus I do watercolor painting. I have kept watercolor journals on some trips. Now that I am in a new setting, journaling will be a great way to get to know parts of it more intimately. 2. I liked all of their ideas. I, especially liked the first journaler with her boxes and the changes she made later. The young woman who journaled every day was very ambitious and she did it all so beautifully. A monthly one seems more practical for me. 3. No new ideas yet, I will let you know.

I've always loved starting new journals and notebooks with various themes and intent, often taking a lot of time at first with them, only to lose interest, put them down, and eventually just store them in the closet. The closet is packed with half-started notebooks. I'm hopeful that Nature Journaling will me get outside, appreciate the small things, improve my art and writing skills, and help me to actually finish a notebook.

1. What inspired you to begin nature journaling? Nature inspires me- and my own forgetfulness- when I see such amazing things, I guess I want to keep a record to look back on and spark the memory and wonder.  Curiosity also inspires me- I like to find out more about what I find and keeping a track of that is cool- it makes me feel like I understand my environment more. We have just moved to a little town near the ocean on the southern coast of Australia and have a mix of beach, rockpools, coastal brush and local rainforest to explore- so much to capture! 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 loved Shayna's journal- she has a focus on the visual, but plenty of observations and questions and I think I will do the same of filling in information afterwards.  I also liked her page with multiple ferns - the idea of creating your own field guide- I can see that working for me for so many different organisms in my environment- ferns, shells, starfish, pine cones- endless. I also loved Holly's journal- her pictures are so gorgeous, that one really inspired me to create beautiful pictures, but also the idea of capturing the changing seasons came across really strongly in her journal and I liked that alot too. In Liz's journal I loved the landscape captures- how such vast landscapes could be captured so beautifully in miniature is really inspiring to me- I had always thought more about drawing small things, but will definitely try and capture some big landscapes in miniature now. In DJ's journal I loved the repetition of drawing the same species over and over again but capturing all different details and postures- I mostly draw birds once- usually the first time I see them- and dont really draw common birds like seagulls, but see through DJ's work how trying to capture different aspects could be great to make me a better drawer and to discover things about their behaviour.

I have been receiving the Cornell Uni emails about birds for a few years and I get so many I usually skip them...sorry! However, Liz's one-hour demonstration of drawing a black and white warbler caught my eye and was very enjoyable, and I noted the offer of this course. Well, I looked into it and signed up. Here I am, happily. I am an artist and a birdwatcher, with very few paintings of birds to my name...so far. However, I have been enjoying painting mushrooms, leaves, blossoms and flowers. The idea of nature journaling appeals because I love plein air painting. It allows me to slow down and just be peaceful, note what is going on, see birds come and go, and watch weather changes and light and shadow play over water and headland. I like the idea of journaling each day for a month, and I like the idea of journaling to capture the essence of a trip. I think I prefer vivid pictures of varying sizes together with notes and arrows pointing to specific details, plus writing that runs around the pictures and down the page. I also like the idea of identifying what I have found and adding that information later. Briony Penn published her nature journal and from what I recall it was exquisite. (Here is a link to her book. It is not quite a nature journal per se, although, perhaps it is. Anyway, I think it looks exciting.)

I started nature journaling because I've always loved drawing animals. and when I got into birds I found out about nature journaling and Audubon. so later on I found bird academy and for weeks or months, I was thinking of starting a class. then I asked my mom and she said yes today I just started the class.

I signed up for this course two years ago.  For some reason, unknown to me, I put it on the back burner, meaning to get back to it any day now.   Two yrs went by.  Today, I watched Liz on a podcast & she got me energized again to get out my course supplies & start over.  I was surprised the the little amount of drawing I had done 2 yrs ago showed me that I did actually pick up some knowledge even though I didn't get very far.  So, now I'm beginning again.  I walk every day either in the forest behind our house or along the bluff trail that juts down into the ocean.  Lots of sea birds.  Even though we live in a constant drought here on the central CA coast, there are lots of little wildflowers that I'm going to attempt to draw.  Today I saw some CA Quail running under the brush in the forest.  They are extremely shy & run like the wind so I don't know if I can capture them, but I'll be on the lookout.  They do sometimes come to our back yard to check out our feeders. I'm excited to get back into this course & onward I go.  It's so well taught & Liz is so low-key I think I can do this without being judgmental of my work -- something she stressed on the podcast. Ps: I raise Monarch Butterflies so I will practice drawing their beautiful lines & spots.  They never leave the yard & are very friendly so it shouldn't be too difficult getting them to pose :)

I was gifted this course by my partner for Christmas several years ago and am now finally taking it. I enjoy being out in nature and have been dipping my toes into birding - or at least learning to identify the birds around me using Merlin and eBird. Honestly, I had initially hoped for a course on identifying birds but looking into it further, I find nature journaling to be appealing (if not a little intimidating). I do like the idea of having a way to more fully and mindfully take in my surroundings - not just the birds (which, honestly, seems quite challenging given their movement) but recording the scenery and general observations when out spending time in natural areas whether for the day or camping. It provides  something "to do" to experience a place without having to be on the move (hiking, boating, etc) and creates a strong memory, both in your mind and one to return to on the page. I like the combo of using color and lines to draw the scenery and doing more close-up/individual studies along with words to help fully capture a place/time. I enjoyed many of the journals shown and can see how various methods can prove useful depending on my time and inclination. The one spread per month is appealing to build the habit especially when time is short. The previously mentioned method of notes+colorful scenery+close-ups would be nice when camping or otherwise spending longer days outdoors. The organization of the first journal felt appealing for a beginner like me, with boxes (albeit, somewhat free form). I appreciate how many of the journals were approachable works in progress. I look forward to honing my art skills and cultivating a creative and mindful way to experience nature!

1.  COVID hit and listening to the birds around me gave me so much peace.  I learned to identify many by their songs and then by their sizes, shapes and colors.  I wanted to connect on a deeper more intimate level by drawing them. I found I could draw with practice and now I want to improve my drawing/observation skills.  It is healing to contemplate the beauty of the natural world and to be in awe.

I love being outside and wanted to make a different record than is on my iPhone. I want to learn how to draw and describe the outside world. I am new to drawing.

I live in Stony Plain Alberta Canada, lake country! All seasons bring an abundance of enjoyment when out on the water and surrounding areas. I mostly photograph micro environments and paint larger oil paintings from them. I want to start recording more of the experience through a collection of  illustration, descriptive language, mark making, colour, prints and whatever means possible to tell a story about the places I encounter. It is my hope this will bring a rich layer of meaning to my larger work in the studio. Images included are some past sketches done from memory of places I visited, and a larger oil painting done in studio.

Living on top of  the grand canyon (830 feet)  the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers for 19 years, it's time to document the awesome change of the seasons reflected in nature, sky and river. I want to improve my powers of observation,  learn color with old eyes, explore line and shape.

I was inspired to start nature journaling because I wanted to become a better birder. I wanted to be able to identify the birds by sight, sound or even behavior. I wanted something tangible to carry with me to track my progress. I also wanted to learn how to draw my surroundings, so I could immerse myself more deeply in the natural world. More importantly, I just wanted to document my experience in nature. To have something to look back on, and maybe share with people. First assignment. draw the yellow warbler. It took me 40 min 😆

I was inspired to begin nature journaling because I love the blend of sketching, watercolors, and writing. I feel like this will be a wonderful way to express myself.

Hello fellow natural journalers! 1. I am currently enrolled in The University of Newcastle, Australia course called Drawing Nature, Science and Culture: Natural History Illustration. It was while searching online for the topic of field sketching (which is the third week homework) that I stumbled upon this Nature journaling course. I have always been fascinated with nature journals and the way they combine text and illustration. Seeing as I am used to drawing from photographs at home, what inspired me to take this course is the desire to get out, observe firsthand and finally create a nature journal of my own. 2. My idea is to try to focus primarily on landscapes, plants and various small natural objects that I run into. I know that I would like to combine several drawing (graphite pencil, colored pencil and pen) and painting techniques (watercolor and gouache) and quick gestural sketches with sustained drawings. I would also like to work on good composition, informative notes and accurate illustrations. 3. I like that some of the journalers recorded the date, time, weather and location in their journals and some colour notations. Not my idea but I have seen in other journals scale references and dissections of plants that illustrate their structure. These are some things that I would like my nature journal to include. I have attached an example of a page that I was recently working on for the above mentioned course. It is drawing natural objects and all of them were done at home on a desktop with desk lamp lighting. Additionally I scanned and arranged the drawings and hand written text in Photoshop. I look forward to starting my nature journal and seeing how the immediacy changes my drawings, my style, composition and most importantly the new ideas this experience will spark!  

I'm taking this journaling course to reconnect with my writing life and to create more vivid, personal memories when my husband and I travel.  I want color incorporated in my journal, which is now computer/word oriented, and though I have had little training in drawing and was frustrated with a watercolor course I took years ago, this course seemed perfect for trying out mixed media in a private space, with pinpointed drawing and painting techniques.  I'm hopeful this will become a spark for creative growth, and already I'm excited by the course content.  Things that spoke to me in this first lesson are Holly's two-sided explorations with nature and with art techniques, and her discussions and drawing/memories of her "encounters" with mushrooms, pine cones, birds, etc.  I also loved Liz's journal overall--it's looseness in form but kind of chatty quality which is very personable--and I especially responded to her reminder that even unfinished sketches have memories associated with them.  I can see that if I catch the habit, it will be for all seasons, and not just the special circumstance of travel.

Retirement and Covid came at the same time for me.  I have been lucky to be able to be outside and love it, taking walks in our little woods and working on our little garden area.  I have taken many photos and having just discovered the macro mode on my phone  has invited me into the smaller worlds I might otherwise miss.  Drawing with journaling seems like a natural occupation for me because I often sit or stand for many minutes to visually explore and observe.  I especially liked the journals with repeated drawing of one subject as with the hummingbirds and thereby learning the significant features of the bird.  All of the examples sparked inspiration.  I need to learn about drawing techniques and can see that regular journaling with illustrations will help with that. I was so happy to find the course through eBird and am excited to get started.

1. I've always been interested in drawing but have had no formal training.  I'm a photographer as well, but have had the desire to sketch when sitting along the beach, looking at flowers, etc. The difficulty I've always had is trying to figure out how other people can sketch so quickly even if the subject is moving. Also, I've gotten frustrated with watercolors in the past, but I've always loved the look.  I'm looking forward to learn how to successfully use them. I definitely want to include the pertinent data of date, location, time, and weather conditions. That is what I do in my photography. I always strive to identify any object from nature as well -- seashells, plants, birds, etc. I will definitely include the identification. I want to use a looser style to leave room for my sketches and text.

I belong to a Pollinator Gardening Club where I live and I would love to learn how to draw/paint the many flowers, plants, bushes, bugs, and butterflies in the garden.  I have never drawn or used water colors so this will be fun to learn the process.  I like to make collages and I think this will help me to be more creative.  I love nature and being outdoors.  I look forward to recording the sketches and journaling my thoughts and observations about plants I am seeing.  I also look forward to the time being quiet and to enjoy and contemplate nature.  I really liked Shayna Miller's nature journal as she had order and structure on each page with the boxes and I think this will be helpful to me in learning to nature journal.

I have been interested in nature journaling for a long time, and have started them off and on for years. But I'd love to get more consistent with it! I volnteered for the Wild Wonder Nature Journaling conference last year and it was really inspirational.

I was introduced to nature journaling in 2021 when I took a quick lesson through Sketchbook Revival.  It was taught by John Muir Laws. I love nature and I love creating.  I am enjoying sketching and want to learn more about watercolour. To date I have mostly sketched and drawn birds from other’s photos.  I would like to be able to draw them from life.  The page above was easy for me because plants move a lot slower than animals! I also took part in International Nature Journalling Week 2021 and Wild Wonder 2021.  They were eye opening experiences for me. I have so much to learn!  There are so many different ways to do things! I liked all the journals shown in the video.  One thing that struck me was the difference in the amount of time required for each style of journaling. I have limited time, so Holly’s journal really appealed to me. I can do a page a month or a small sketch every day.  Last year I jumped with both feet and tried to do too much at once. I was going in all directions. This year I want to take a slower paced, more focused approach.

I am always looking for ways to learn and improve my creativity. I take a lot of bird and wildfowl pictures however as my collection grows something is missing and that is a more personal connection with my work. Some days I can take hundreds of pictures in a day but by adding journaling, I hope it will slow me down and allow me to connect more with the subject. Journaling should also help me improve my drawing and watercolour skills while adding something to my photographic skills. I haven't figured out how I want to keep my journals other than the basic of date, time, weather etc. but through practice and experience I will develop a process.

I've drawn on and off over the years but never with any discipline outside of a class structure.  I'm looking for an approach to help me to tap into that creativity and discipline. I've always been drawn to subjects in nature and am an avid hiker and camper and am now spending more time outdoors and traveling.  In looking for a class to jumpstart a drawing practice, coming across this course on nature journaling was a revelation!  It seems like exactly the approach I have been looking for and I'm really excited to jump in.

I want to begin nature journaling since I really love those birds flying through the sky and I enjoy the process of painting. I think nature journaling is a great way to combine these two interests and this process help me to enhance my drawing skills. As an beginner, I don't many specific idea on how will I deal with my journal, but I think that will be an excellent experiences to explore different style of journaling and find the suitable one.

My initial interest in exploring nature journaling was as a way to strengthen my sketching ability and provide possible designs for my art as a printmaker. Looking at others’ nature journals, I see that an observational journal could also be useful to me as a gardener. I also realized that not everyone is a skilled draftsman (one of my concerns, as I don’t think I am), but that useful information can be observed and recorded regardless of “artistic ability.” (I still want to get better at sketching, though!)

What inspired me to begin nature journaling is to both observe things more closely as well as improve my rendering skills. As with handwriting notes, drawing is a great way to reinforce learning so I think that’s what I’m excited about.   It’s hard to pick one style of journaling, but I like the idea of notations that go along with the sketches.

Since I was a child have been in contact with nature, I have great respect and admiration for animals and I love to draw, so that´s the reason that I decided to begin my nature journaling, I saw the different videos and I think all are interesting, with  differents and personal approaches that brings me ideas and helps me to define and create my own.

Desire to participate in what I’m observing with more patience for detail and form.  A way to give observing greater time.

Why did I want to begin nature journaling? Seeing the videos of others' journals gave me clarity. I love drawing and painting. Art wasn't my career. I've spent 4 decades teaching midwives, nurses and doctors. I wanted some activities that would take my brain away from health career and stretch my thinking. I've been bird watching with my daughters for several and doing the Audubon bird count. I did the bird sketching class and enjoyed Liz's work so much that I wanted to do more. My husband jokes that when he travels with me and my daughters that we can't walk more than 3 feet without stopping for a bug, a bird or a bud. Journaling will help me document the highlights of the experience without taking endless flat photos.

REBOOT: I’m restarting through this program in the new year to refresh my skills. - I was inspired to nature journal by migrating wild birds in Texas & other floral/fauna on Gulf Coast - by contrast I’m “rebooting” in the winter Midwest / Jan.Feb. - I like how in video Shayna takes a STUDY approach & learns factually through journaling. This parallels my approach. I focus less on the art now and “pretty pages” and more on paths to learning. - ALSO I like how she says her style continues to evolve and be less rigid over time, as that’s also true for me & so she’s  validating. - on my page in the photo (wind chill below zero), I wasn’t going outside, so I had to work harder to journal & from inside my window, studied skies and researched tips to help me briefly re-enter nature when it’s harsh   - ALL of the journal videos/styles & journalists  are helpful for different reasons & especially helpful as I reboot during winter & continue to evolve as a nature journalist

I've seen other people's nature journals, and they looked like something that would keep me focused, learning, and enjoying nature even more deeply than I already do. My husband is an amateur nature photographer.  He sometimes takes a long time to get his images, so this will give me something to do while he is taking pictures and will give us another way to capture the experience. I like the journal that started with drawing and set things off with some boxes. My journal will probably be sporadic depending on when I get out, but I would at least like to enter some things each different season.

Nature has always been a major part of my art journey, but for the most part I have only worked only from photos. Keeping a nature journal seemed like a good way to capture what might be misted or skewed photographs like an understanding of animal behavior, color, and the atmosphere of actually being there.  This also seemed like a good course to take to see if I wanted to peruse science illustrations as a career or just something I would to keep for pleasure time.

I am inspired to begin nature journaling to create a record of observations I make when I stroll through a natural habitat. I liked what one journalist said that drawing creates a record of what you see. You have to look closely to capture the details, much more closely than if you just take a picture. I like that I will have a lovely, permanent record of the things I see so that I can go to a field guide and more accurately identify birds and plants that I see.

1. I have always loved seeing nature journals of all types, even back when I didn't realize that it was an activity that real people did and sometimes took on as a profession. I found a seashell guide book when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old, and I was obsessed with looking through them and admiring the art of different shells surrounded by facts and research notes. I would write extra notes in the margins for myself even though I had no idea what I was talking about. I truly miss that seashell book. 2. I really love the idea of marking the page with the date, time, location, and weather. But I also really loved the monthly journal. The idea of just filling up pages throughout the month and then grouping them all together is appealing to me. It's a lot less structured, which works well for stretches of time where I'm not at my best. I think I want to start with the more detailed method of marking my pages, but on other days I may just mark the date and time under the drawing so I still know when it was done.

1. I cannot recall the exact spark, it may have been a few years ago in graduate school where colleagues shared A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, Darwin's journies were top of mind, and I wanted to be as provocative as Rachel Carson in defining and presenting how human activities are affecting the environment to insprie collective actions for change. I've been wanting to nature journal for years and finally have moved it up in priority. I want to improve my observation and drawing & painting skills. I like the idea of having a record of a day's memories or trip memories as well. I enjoy birding and think it'd be an added way to memorialize time spent in the field where many more questions on species id arise (insects, plants, fungi, reptiles, etc). 2. I want to try being able to record movement and behavior like the hummingbird journal and dove and spider entries but have them also be even more beatiful with all the watercolor applied.

I am 12 years old and love sketching  realistically so when my grandpa gave me the corse for my birthday I was exited to jump right in. I think that field sketching will be a great way to express my love fore nature through doing something I love. I liked the idea of drawing the different positions of things and to box my drawings I also like the idea to right down the experience behind the picture.

I've written in a journal for years - mostly for clarity in what is going on in life. I always started with the date, weather, where I was and what I was doing.  I love being outside and observing nature. Expanding my journalling to include sketches seems like a natural progression.  I like the idea of spending time to observe rather than - for example - checking off a bird and then peeling off to get another one. Sometimes that's fun too - especially if one has consumed a lot of caffeine. I like that some of the journalers had a question that may or may not have been answered. I like the idea of using the calendar. I need a bit of a push. I think I'd find it too much to do an entry each day but maybe a weekly or monthly pages would be good.  As I am not artistic, I appreciate how some of the journalers gave themselves time and space to observe, practise and write about what they didn't quite capture in a sketch. I am happy about the time of year that I am starting this course - January. Some of the days are so cold and dark but there is beauty in the subtle white, grey and blue tones and shapes of branches. If it's too cold to be outside, I can have a good look at my collection of fossils, rocks, bug bits and pieces, feathers, pine cones and leaves. Or, there's always the bird feeders to watch. Spring is around the corner.

1) I live along a river with fields and woods. I’ve always loved birds and gardening. A guy in an international gardening/wildlife group got me interested in fungi and then mosses, lichens so I started noticing so much more on my own property. I thought about nature journaling after years of taking pictures that mostly live in the computer (I know, I know.)  Having a journal of what I’ve seen and experienced to look through over the years is intriguing. I’m hoping I can learn to ignore the critic within and fully enjoy capturing nature in this way. 2) I like the idea of a monthly sum up of a variety of items. I want pictures and writing. Color is very important.  More informal design.

As a few others have mentioned here, I was looking for a way back to a regular drawing practice, something I haven't done much as an adult.  I love to be outside, hiking and observing, and nature journaling seems like a good way to incorporate what I already do with what I would like to do more of.  I appreciated all the perspectives of the journalers  in the video, but I especially liked the way Shayna used boxes to structure her pages and "zoom" shapes to indicate detail drawings.  I agree with Holly that a drawing each day may be a little intensive, but a weekly or monthly page or section is an attractive idea for keeping me in the consistent drawing mode.  I want to make sure I feel free enough to just draw/journal without worrying about the finished look of it, especially for now.

1. I was inspired to do nature journaling when I had gone through a winter tree ID training and also after I had taken a course in college that had us create our own field guides (although that was in PowerPoint). I thought that drawing tree buds would be more effective than taking a picture of them. Journaling allows me to take notes to help me understand what I'm seeing in the moment. 2. I like the idea of doing a sketch a day, like Holly Faulkner did with her journal. I thought that was beautiful how she set that up according to days/months. 3. I don't think I have any different journaling ideas, but I might have to do a couple of different journals - one with the sketch a day, and another for more in-depth studies.

I like the idea of journaling  but but not a lot of writing, but  more drawing instead. I want learn to draw better simply from live things like bird, and sometimes foxes and deer  and maybe some landscapes when possible. I usually use my camera to capture some of the birds,foxes and deer but when I thought about it some time later. I take a ton of pictures. Then thought I could  stake some picture then sketch some might also help a me draw better living thing over time. So I am taking this course and reading another book for tips. I realize my sketching will be most likely yucky for a bit but love the idea of draw animal from life and adding some color from water color pencils or just enjoying sketching for fun and enjoyment.   Joan

I am inspired by a group of talented artists and gardeners who volunteer together at the Mountaintop Arboretum in Tannersville, NY. We are learning about native trees, and the birds that nest in them. I am a rank beginner, with very poor eyesight, but I believe that starting a nature journal will help me to identify and observe the trees, plants and birds more readily. I don't have to be an ace at drawing, but I'd like to learn about the nature around us. Ultimately, I'd like to be able to draw more accurate landscape and garden designs.

Nature journaling seemed like an ideal way to combine a few intentions of mine: to give a kind of structure and inspiration for any art I want to do, and to give me another means for practicing mindfulness and observational skills. I hope it becomes a means for me to focus on my intentions, both with art and with my thoughts and actions in the world. I particularly enjoy the journal styles that blend drawing and notes on the same page, and I like the idea of picking individual subjects, rather than whole scenes, to focus on details, or one particular aspect (e.g. shape, colour, composition, patterns, behaviours). I'm curious to try out different techniques and layout and see which works best for me over time.

Although I am passionate about outdoors, gardening, etc., I have a very tiny suburban, almost urban backyard to work with.  Still there are very many critters that call my backyard home, or at least a place to eat and hide daily.  I wanted to learn about nature journaling because I like to jot down notes about the garden for future reference, sort of my own personal backyard almanac.  Every yard is it's own sort of micro-climate and the timeline for what I'm growing and the things that happen in my garden differ from others in my same area.  Anyway, I thought nature journaling would be a nice and useful way to document the life of my little garden.  Of course anytime I am able to get out into the outdoors I will be able to add to my journal that way as well.

I started falling in love with birds and wanting to know them better at the beginning of the pandemic when I moved to teaching remotely. Seeing birds more and more, I sometimes try to take pictures, but I would like to have something more personal to focus where I want and write about what I see. I've always written poetry, but I've never drawn much. That's where this course comes in for me. My mother-in-law bought it for me as a Christmas gift, and I'm excited (though a bit nervous) to learn more about drawing and to incorporate this into my journal.

I started bird watching in earnest as a pandemic activity to get outside and spend time finding birds. I journaled but without drawing. I would draw birds separate from journaling. My son bought this course for me as a Christmas gift and I am excited to combine observation with drawing! I think the first journal example best fits me. I only just started to experiment with views of birds from angles (instead of just side views). I am not ready for the creative flourishes in the other journals.

I like the simple, graphite journals, focusing in on one topic.

I had a class where we were assigned to different topics, there were reading a book then writing about it, bird watching, and nature journaling. I got bird watching and I was unhappy at first but I dealt with it. I told my mom about my unhappiness and she got me this course! I forgot to tell her it only lasted for a week, but I hope this class improves my drawing skill of real animals.

Journalling was a daily part of my ESL teaching, freewriting while my students wrote. The freedom from worrying about mistakes & simply 'thinking on paper' has so much to offer - for language fluency in L2 learners & teachers alike. I can see from these nature journal clips that it's much the same here &, still a beginner in drawing & painting, look forward to getting into the habit of letting go of my tendency to perfectionism in my first nature journal. All of these journals offer inspiration & i think i'll just wait & see which of their strategies pop up as i begin mine for this course. It will be a great boon to be able to pursue it together with my dear friend & walking buddy Susie.

I've always been interested in drawing and painting, and art in general, but I've never taken the opportunity to delve into as I would have liked.  I though that nature journaling could allow me to step into that realm.  I've been trying my hand at nature journaling for several years, although not consistently, but I'm making an effort to make it a habit.  I want to capture those fleeting images that I see in the out-of-doors, things that a camera doesn't do justice for.  I wanted to capture the details and to note what I saw, as well as improve my technical skills of drawing and painting. I like the idea that Holly Faulkner had, of having a page per month, and entering a variety of sketches of things she observes, and not being "locked in" to having to make a sketch per day.  I also like how Shayna shared her progression of moving from placing everything in boxes to allowing a more free-form style of capturing her observations. I'm including one of my first nature journal entries, looking at the bird feeder outside my kitchen window.  I took a photo, and then worked off of that, since the birds were flying so quickly.

Ive drawn and painted in spurts over my lifetime during each of which I have been fully  immersed - daily activities set aside as I lose track of time, drawn ever deeper into the process  - with long dry spells between I am now in my late seventies - and am no longer have the physical strength or stamina  for many of the cottage and gardening season activities that I loved. I was attracted to this course as a 'right sized' endeavour - which would rekindle my love of drawing and painting and writing and through this activity extend/expand  my enjoyment of the cottage and gardening and the old train bed walks I take with an artist friend .  She also has been looking for ways to re-start her drawing and painting - and so the two fo us have signed up - and will share our experience with each other - and it is our hope that this will  sustain our engagement long enough to establish a pattern/a habit of daily/weekly observation and representation of  the natural world.

I’m an avid journalist and nature lover, but aside from taping or tracing leaves into my journal, I’ve not really sketched or painted nature. Probably because I’ve never considered myself much of a visual artist.  I love the idea of observing more carefully and making deeper connections between my outside and inside worlds—and trying to do this more visually. There were many techniques I appreciated in the sample journals that I’ll likely incorporate: drawing boxes with specimens that escape them; little color palettes; finding geometric shapes. I’m eager to learn more drawing/painting skills and have enjoyed reading others’ comments here too.

The first time I saw a nature journal, in a book by a nature journaling instructor, I was so taken by the beauty of it that it never left me. Fifteen years later, I was struggling with depression, and to feel better I started trying things I had always wanted to do but for some reason had never done. I've been working at it on and off ever since, and it has become a part of my journey. Art and creativity don't come naturally to me, and I have trouble with the muscles in my hands, which prevents me from doing some things, like using colored pencils or a water brush. But I have also discovered that I love watercolor, and for the first time I have created a few sketches that I can stand to look at. I love all of the approaches in the video. Some for their color and beauty and others for their close study and attention to detail. I'd like my journal to be unstructured enough to practice any of these approaches.

I have been bird watching for as long as I can remember and been involved in conservation and native rehab projects for most of my life. I had never thought to record my observations and experiences until recently. I have been diagnosed with PTSD as a result of working in Policing. It was suggested as a rehab and mindfulness to assist with recovery and I just love it. I really liked the idea of drawing and journaling everyday for a year, today being the 1st January 2022, I will begin my journey.. below is my first nature journal entry d:28/12/21. I like some of the other ideas which i will include in my next pages.

1. I love nature and art and wanted to get back into drawing (something I haven't done much of as an adult). This seemed a great way to combine the two. Further, I teach middle school science and want to introduce journaling to my students. I think they would really benefit from this. 2. I like a clean page (no lines). I also like how some of the journals make boxes to contain, define their data. I am curious about what I see and would also utilize field guides to confirm what I'm seeing or learn more about it. I like the use of color, but am lousy with water color. So I might stick to colored pencils (for now).

I'd like to try drawing and journaling fish I see diving as a way to pay more attention to details and to remember details for identification. Obviously this will be different since I can't take the journal underwater. I don't photograph fish but I do have access to a lot of good photos. Ideas????

1.  I started journaling when I was taking my master's degree in Outdoor Education from Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, TN.  There was a class in the progam specifically on nature journaling.  Then elements of journaling were incorporated into several other classes.  One class was a week long canoe trip in the Boundary Waters National Park up in Minnesota.  One of the requirements on this trip was to have a daily journal. All through my life, I have always drawn from pictures or things in nature.  Since then I have started to put my drawings into a journal format.  As a high school science teacher, I'm using journals in my classes.  In the classroom setting the focus is on class content, not so much on outside observation due to the climate of the classroom.  The students journal every week.  The format is to divide a full page spread into five sections.  Each section is labeled as D1, for day 1, D2, D3, D4, and D5.  D1 is Monday and D5 ends up as Friday.  Then specific things are required in each day.  D1 is the title and statement for that week's topic of study. This information is given by an electronic newsletter from the science dept.  D2 is a picture, D3 is 4 bullets of information, D4 is another picture or chart, and D5 is the question and answer.  The question is again listed in the electronic newsletter (aka: Science Zone).  Throughout the week from demonstrations, class lecture, text book reading, and visual materials, the students are to get the information to complete each day of their journals.  The students are given guidelines about colors, outlining and use of space.  This is my first year doing it and so far it has promising results. In looking at this first section, I have found this class to be thought inspiring and look forward to completing it as I look for new ways to add to my nature journal and as a tool for the science classroom. 2.  In seeing another nature journal on the internet (Amazon.com) which I ordered a copy, I've started using the format that they used.  This was before I started this class.  Now from this first section, I see the value of dates, locations, and weather.  These different details, provide valued information for what is put down in each page of the journal.  I haven't done weather but now I plan to add it to my pages. At this time, I'm planning to experiment some with watercolors in my journaling process.  I've done watercolor paintings in the past but at this time I have been using colored pencils with black outlines, which is the format from the journal copy I purchased.    In my own journal I have also been using common names and scientific names. I'm seeing there are some common points to journaling but yet there are differences in styles which I can use to improve my own skills. 3.  My ideas have been mixed in with the above response.  1) journaling in the classroom and 2) copying the style of another journal that involved colored pencils, black outlines, and bit of information and facts.

I have been birdwatching many years but still have difficulty identifying certain groups of species like sparrows. I am thinking that by drawing and colouring my drawings I can improve my bird id skills. I have started taking drawing lessons only recently (at 60!) and I « discovered » watercolour crayons which I would like to use with my drawings. I often take nature pictures on my iphone which I like but end up throwing out not knowing what to do with them. By transferring them to a sketch book I would have a record of what caught my attention which I would like to share with family and friends.

1. I love to watch birds and keep lists.  Recently took an intro drawing and watercolor class and thought nature journaling would be a good way to continue to practice art skills and record my outdoor adventures.  2.  I want to use a journal with good watercolor paper so that I can continue to improve in that technique. 3. I have been keeping a nature journal for a year, but I don't do much field sketching.  Much of the time I'm on a paddleboard at it doesn't work (I have tried)!  So, I take digital photos with a small waterproof camera or my phone if on land and draw from the computer later in the comfort of home.  I do make notes in the field or write down my bird lists as soon as I get home to combine with the photos later.

1. What inspired you to begin nature journaling? I live on a ranch—I spend lots of time outside and my house has lots of windows so I’m constantly hearing and seeing nature. I take lots of pics but wanted a way to draw/paint and write to capture my days. 2. Which ideas do you want to try? I like that all the journals I saw are sort of continual and stream of consciousness. I do like tracking the date, conditions, and other notes about what I’m observing. I really like the magnified views and details the one journaler did.

1.) The National Park near my home has some phenomenal and breathtaking views, as well as beautiful birds, and I would love to be able to capture that beauty in something tangible and that I can show to other people. By putting these things on paper, it helps me to develop a deeper love and appreciation for birds and nature in general. 2.) I want to start with a drawing and add annotations around it. Then if I have time, I would like to research a little about what I am documenting and add some more information about it. 3.) Maybe include how the item or place makes you feel or your interaction with it.

1. What inspired me to begin nature journaling? As I go through my Senior year of high school, I have had to think about what I can do to continue learning after my "required" school is over. This is a fun way to spark my creative side (which doesn't come out unless I really force it to) and to continue learning outside of textbooks. Birds inspire me to put my hand to something Im not that great at: Drawing. In fact, my first real piece of art (you know, not the 5 year old's stick figure "drawings") was of a Cedar Waxwing. Since then, the only thing I really feel comfortable drawing is birds. So I don't want to settle for mediocracy in doing the thing I love. But to reach for greatness, and see where this wonderful journey through God's creation leads me. 2. Something that I found fascinating about several journals from the video, was the special noting of...well...noteworthy things. For example, the "magnifying glass" technique in Shayna Muller's work. Another thing that stuck out to me was the attitude of "its ok if its not perfect." In fact, DJ McNeil, purposely omitted some features because he hadn't seen it well enough to draw it. I'm naturally a perfectionist, so I would struggle to leave a bird faceless or to leave a scene unfinished. But its a relaxing and often motivating thought to be okay with however your drawing turns out.

1. What inspired you to begin nature journaling? I began nature journaling as part of my journey through healing from trauma (a decade of domestic abuse). There is something about being present in nature and observing details closely and understanding that we are all part of a bigger picture that instills hope and possibility and that is no small thing when your mind is filled with anxiety and worry and always overactively scanning your environment for perceived threats. Nature journaling is grounding and inspiring and so good for our mental health. 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 love the idea of recording time, place and weather. In the past, I've just jotted down the date but the extra details bring the memory alive so much more. I will also keep using watercolor, as I love it.   3. Do you have a different journaling idea, not mentioned here, that you’d like to share? I'd love to bring in the art of hand lettering and practice decorative lettering in combination with nature observations.

I love how this is a mix of art and science. It really shows a level of connection to the nature rather than just a study of it 1. What inspired you to begin nature journaling? I am a forever learner and started birding march 2020 during quarantine. I realized while I like learning the science I really love the beauty and connection. I’m excited to mix my love of learning with my hobby of art 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 go with whatever feels right in the moment. Perhaps like the first one of having drawings and words in loose boxes 3. Do you have a different journaling idea, not mentioned here, that you’d like to share? maybe adding how you felt that day. Adding what your human experience was being with the subjects

1) This course was a gift from my husband. It was a beautiful surprise. Some time ago I started to paint and draw and also we like to go outside and appreciate nature. So he taught it would be nice to combine both activities. I am excited. 2) I like the idea of appreciate and record God´s creation. Also have a close connection with nature and learn about different species. I want to enjoy and relax at the same time memories are created on my 1st nature journal.

1. I have long wanted to start nature journaling, but either got frustrated by not being "good" at it immediately, or just never took the time to figure it out. I recently moved to a new city, but to the region I have long called home. While I planned my move, I decided to finally take up nature journaling as a way to get to know my new surroundings, reacquaint myself with the region, and get outside when I have a an annoying tendency to stay inside. 2. I am inspired by the journalers who -- implicitly or explicitly -- recalled a time and place where they observed the subject of their sketch, and even remembered how they felt that day. The casual mention of a warbler in the field, to the near-scientific notation of location, date, and weather. For so long I have thought of nature journaling (and journaling generally) as a product for someone else to look at, not for myself. I am certain that this is why I have had such a hard time sticking to it. I always got frustrated if I couldn't write something "profound" in a journal, so what was the point? These journalers have demonstrated that the nature journal isn't for anyone by themselves, and the joy, memory, education, and perhaps even therapy, that comes from their experience.

As I am new to sketching and painting, I know that I will depend on words and reflections often in my journal. But I would like to get to the point where I can illustrate the same things I might write about in pictures, colors, shapes, etc. but I think I will always incorporate thoughts and reflections in writing as a complement to pictures.

I live on one of the Southern Gulf Islands and with my job and house and garden and sailboat, I feel like a rarely have time to do anything let alone anything artistic. Except that I need to journal every day just to stay in touch with me. I always feel the need to express the beauty around me. On our last trip, this one to the interior of BC, I bought a book called Nature sketch and started sketching out of it because i have always wanted to be able to record the beauty of our travels somehow. So I really want to learn to sketch, draw and paint! I liked how the author of this book learned about what she sketched and wrote it down so I could learn it too. My friends who are biologists tell me stuff all the time which I promptly forget. I know I will remember it better if I sketch the details of what they are talking about. It also feels when I do like Nature is not separate from me, and I am more a part of it. Also, in my profession I use lots of plants and flowers. I keep a blog just for fun (nothing to do with business!) and would love to illustrate it because it feels so personal and is a way of putting more of myself into it. As you can tell, I am a complete beginner. But as a child I used watercolours to show all kind of animals and nature living their lives in an interwoven way. I would like to do the same thing again with this course. Thank you!

1. I've had a lot of extra time to pursue my lifelong hobby of arts and crafts since working from home. I find art courses helps to keep me consistently inspired and they help me to broaden my horizons in terms of drawing subjects. Journaling has always been a hobby as well, so it made sense to combine the two.   2. I would love to implement templates across my pages, although that idea may be inspired more by my love of comic books and manga. I also think that consistently having a place for flora, fauna and scenery would help make for nicely varied subjects. I'm also going to base my art off of photos more often than not to I don't run into the problem of having incomplete details, especially with birds. I also want to try to use mixed media, both watercolor and colored pencil and see which gives me better results.   3. Templates and themes within my journal, though not entirely a new idea, may be an interesting way to help organize my pages and make them as organized and informative as possible.

1. I love birds and have always had a hard time drawing birds for some reason, despite the amount of time I spend watching them. I love being out in nature and appreciating the little things. I hope this will nurture that vein in my soul! 2. I really liked the idea of capturing the general shapes and motions of birds, even leaving out facial features when the bird flies away, and not pretending to have seen the face and filling in the blank. I also like the idea of incomplete drawings, like that is a natural part of the journaling process. It takes away from the obsession with perfection, and redirects the focus on the goal of the journal entry, whether that be general shape of birds. I also was surprised at people being able to capture birds despite how much they move! I'm interested in trying the journaling style that includes mostly drawing (for that is mostly why I am taking this course) but includes notations and questions, because I'm sure I will have some!

1. I've been intimidated by nature journaling but Liz's Robin watercolor class gave me some confidence so I thought I'd give this a try. I love art and can watch little insects and animals for hours - seems like the perfect combo! 2. Noting flora and fauna and general observations about the environment (sounds, colors, patterns, etc) and maybe leaving some space for extra details that can be looked up later. Love the zoomed in details in the first journal!

I am not real good at all this tech stuff, but I hope you get it and can make sense of my meanderings.

I strategically placed bird feeders outside my window during my year of "Covid Teaching" last year to stay sane and balance screen time, and began to wonder how to record the little details of things I observed everyday.  After seeing these examples, I am inspired to combine my love of letters and calligraphy with my nature observations. I know I won't have time to enter something everyday, but I like the idea of the journal tracking my nature observations over time through seasons, so the dates/weather seem more important to me now.  I, also, like the ideas of thoughtful composition....the journalist who grappled with the use of squares. Most of my art experience is with oil paints and human models who sit still for lengths of time.  So my big question is how do you accurately capture creatures that move???  The one journalist talked about capturing the shapes, so I found that helpful, but what about colors and details??  I'm looking forward to the challenge and delving into watercolor.

I'm just learning to draw in retirement and there are so many subjects in the natural world that I feel will be inspiring and challenging as a beginner. I loved the journals that captured the change of seasons and provide a diary of things you see each day or month. Combining drawing with poetry appeals to me, also drawing and discovering the names of birds, trees, insects that you may not have noticed in the past.  I like the meditative quality of drawing, so I think just being able to slow down and observe closely will be a very comfortable way to spend my time.

I am a watercolorist who uses my own photography as my guide/reference while working in my studio. I have always loved being in and observing nature, as my paintings show. However, I have never been much of a nature journalist, preferring to capture my subjects via camera because sitting with bad hips and back is painful after a short while. NOW, post hip surgeries, back surgery, a year and a half of COVID, and also being a full time caregiver to my mom, I have a deep desire to nature journal! I been working on a series of paintings of clouds and monsoon skies and my I-phone camera always meters for the whites, making the blue sky too dark to use as a reference. Plus, I spend sooooo much time at home now. My sanity project has been to expand my wildflower/native flower gardens, thus increasing the pollinators to my yard. An avid bird watcher, I have feeders all over the yard so the blossoms, birds, bees and butterflies bring absolute delight to me and my mom who is battling cancer.  Journaling these backyard wonders will enable me to stay close to my mom while staying creative and increasing my observation skills. Jocelyne Shiner

I am a science teacher at a Montessori middle school with a land-based program on 13 acres and used to draw/paint but haven't in years (motherhood, work, etc got too busy). I am excited to see the dusting off of an old hobby merge with creating purposeful, mindful appreciation for our campus. So far my kids have LOVED the experience. They even took their material and worked on their journals off campus on a trip. It's been a joy and I am so grateful to have the format of this course to help all of us grow and develop our skills. Thank You!!!

I've enjoyed birding for the past two years.  I typically bring my camera and capture birds on my walks through trails, parks, and other nature locations.  Although I have been extremely satisfied with birding and photography, I want to improve my bird and nature observation skills.  Nature journaling will help me slow down, but I also look forward to learning more drawing and painting skills.

1)I capture the “flora and fauna” near my home and wherever I travel. I now want to study, reflect on and record the details of the subject. I have always admired others’ travel and nature journals, so I am excited to begin my own. 2) Each journalist came to the projects with the skills they had acquired elsewhere. The evolution of their depictions and their focuses were different and I appreciated each style. I will review this lesson to take notes on what speaks to me and I’d like to incorporate in my journal.

• My first nature journal was made on a family trip across the US when I was 15. Now I am 72 and retired and trying to pick up drawing again. Looking for inspiration to get me started.

I bought a book on nature journaling in 1998 and started a journal in 1999. I have a number of entries for 1999 and 2000, then one for 2007, and nothing until 2020! My original journal still has empty pages. As I am looking towards retirement, I want to spend much, much more time in nature. I love the idea of a page or two per month, but am a bit intimidated by my lack of drawing skills. I love the idea of doing lots of practice drawings. Hopefully I can be patient with myself.

I'm much more of a writer than an artist, so my journal is mostly descriptions of observations, records of my questions, and how I answered them through further observation or research. It's like a journal of discovery, as well as to record memories of places and birds, flowers, insects, animals I've met. I can open to any page and find joy. The illustrations where there are any are just to aid a verbal description. So, I'd like to get better at drawing so I can incorporate that element. I'm just starting with pencil sketches. I am so impressed by the watercolor sketches, and hope to someday be able to learn that skill as well.

1. I've always been passionate about nature and I'm planning on going back to school for wildlife conservation and to become a wildlife biologist. I've always also been fairly decent at art and really admire those who are talented in the ways of arts. I want to try and find a way to combine my two passions while also improving my observation skills and artistic ability. 2. I like the last one where she did multiple sketches for a whole month. I love all of the color and want to do something similar, but I also love adding in all of the written observations as well. I think the first journal is probably the closest to what I want to do.

1. I have always loved being in nature and recently began birdwatching. I would love to improve my art skills and be able to capture what I see on paper. 2. I like the idea of including information about time and weather. It will be cool to track changes over time.

I have always been interested in the natural world. I have, even though I have an Art degree, felt my drawings skills were lacking. I started taking course work at the School of Botanical Art and Illustration offered by the Denver Botanic Gardens. I still fall into old habits of heavy line work and dark values. I am hoping to refine my ability to see proportions, line weight, and value use by starting a new habit of drawing each day.

1. I think I like the idea of being able to use art in a way that is personal and "every day."   I enjoy recording my experiences and those of my family, and I think this can be another way to collect memories.  I am also interested in drawing what I see more accurately.  2. I have tried the art every day, and it seems too demanding for me at the moment.  I'm a mom of three, and quiet times can be few and far between!  I think I like the monthly idea.  Doing a little here and there as I am able seems most realistic at this stage in my life.  3. I don't think I have any other ideas at the moment, but maybe there is a combination of styles that would suit me.  I guess I'll find out!

I really never thought I could draw but I enjoy the idea of journaling and after taking Liz's course on sketching birds discovered I probably can draw and so I want to give nature journaling a try. 2) I liked the journal with the boxes that expanded to loose boxes with drawings going across the edges.  I like a bit of order but I also like to think it doesn't dictate an experience :).  I read one of the other discussion posts where the author noted that she had moved into a new house and had used her journal to capture the changes over time in her yard.  Just yesterday we had topsoil put down at our newly built house and trees, shrubs, and perennials planted and I will take this other student's suggestion and make the changes over time in our yard the beginning focus of my journaling. Becky

My father often sketched nature whether scenery, a flower, bird, plant but never had a story with it.  I saw journals with stories for various life aspects and the nature one intrigued me the most.  I liked the idea of small sketches and stories thru the day, sort of like Liz but also some of the other ones.  I might be more likely to journal about my day and then put in sketches perhaps without all the info about the item I am doing.

I bought a new home approximately four years ago and the builder removed nearly all of the natural habitat in the neighborhood. I've since planted many trees, shrubs, and flowers and have enjoyed watching the birds build nests in the magnolias, the bees feed on the lantana and holly, the American goldfinches eating the coneflower seeds, and the morning doves sunbathing on the fence. I have northern cardinals that swoop in for a quick snack, hummingbirds that adorable the crapemyrtles and (the dreaded) mockingbirds that can't seem to remember where they build the nest (so they build another one and another one and....) My hope is to use my nature journal to document the changes in the yard as it matures, capture the seasonal (and permanent) visitors, and enjoy the habitat I've created. I live in a city with high growth and we are constantly intruding on the natural world. Planting my pollinator-friendly yard and watching the visitors come and go has been so rewarding (and feels a little redemptive). I'm planning on using my nature journaling as a way to really appreciate the space throughout the year. Thanks to Liz, I've also recaptured my joy in drawing but have almost always done black and white sketches. I am looking forward to adding some color, learning new techniques and just tap into my creative mind.

1. I am trying to be more present in my daily life, living in a more mindful and meditative way. At the same time, I'm following another course of study that makes me want to connect more deeply with animals and the living world around me. I thought perhaps learning to draw them and capture them descriptively in words would help expand my creativity and my attention, as well as helping me develop patience to spend the time getting the little details right. 2. I want to learn to paint things... I don't have any experience with paints, so I'm starting out sketching. But I'm looking forward to painting. I want my journal to combine art and words to paint the full picture of the experiences I have. I am a writer, and want to improve my writing by paying attention to the details in a way I feel can be achieved by drawing and painting. The first journal in the video struck me, as a combination of art and words that seemed very satisfying to me. 3. I would love to add creative writing into my journal. Poetry, storytelling, dreaming... so along with the lyric and detailed description through words and art, I can evoke the spiritual or emotional experience of what I see.

I suppose the idea is really a romantic one.  In my minds' eye it just seems to be a great way of stepping away from the hustle and bustle of the 21st century and communing with nature.  I also want to capture the beauty of what I see and what appeals to me.  I have very little art experience, so it's a bit intimidating.  More like a dream than anything else.  But I'm also hoping the drawing will help me truly see and be able to identify what I'm looking at and help me to learn more about the natural world around me.

I was inspired by some of the great ones. First Henry Thoreau but most recently John Muir. I have been writing for years but have always desired to sketch in my journals. I am not retired nor am I a young student. Older but still running my business. But I was impressed by the comments of spending a long time observing. One journalist said she watched a hummingbird for 1 1/2 hours! I realized life is moving quickly for me and I do not want to miss things. Many had simple sketches and a few notes but it flooded their memories. I loved that. I am ready to begin my greatest adventures!

1.  I have always liked to draw, but not done any drawing in a long time.  I was really inspired to start nature journaling by a planned trip to Australia.  I am not a photographer and get impatient with the process, but I wantb to be able to document the trip and "own" the birds I see. 2. I want to develop my drawing skills and learn about using watecolor.  And I like the idea of combing words with drawings  - of noting observations and questions.

I had been closing in on retirement for some time, and every time a Cornell Lab Nature Journaling class notice came across my email, I promised myself that as soon as I retired, I would take the class. Well, I finally retired in June! I am attracted to the journals that are more colorful and "busy." I also like the close-up detailed drawings of individual flowers and birds, rather than landscapes. I have never really drawn or painted, but I have kept word journals for many, many years, especially when I go on trips, and I am looking forward to enhancing my words with pictures.

I live near Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding beauty has inspired me. Nature journaling will help me record the details of what I experience each day or week. I love that each journal is personal to the individual.

I started nature journaling because I really love to paint and see wildlife. I also really love the idea of being able to explore, document, and draw what I see each day. Nature and painting are both a big part of me, so I figured why not start a nature journal. The ideas and approaches I want to try are just leaving the imprint of the bird, and the very last journal in the video. It was so beautiful, clean, and organized. I really hope I can create something beautiful with my own spin on it. I really appreciate the creation of this course, and I can't wait to watch the other videos.

I am trying to connect my ongoing coursework at the Denver Botanic Garden's School of Botanical Art and Illustration to a daily practice of observation and sketching.  I saw this course and felt that it would start me working on a new habit.  The habit of slowing down and watching the world around me.  I work in the Information Technology field and it feels like we are running at full speed all the time.  I am hoping to take a breath and record those little daily miracles that surround us via this class.

I too love both art and nature (particularly birds) and want some direction on how to enjoy both and create a memory. I am curious as to how you get a bird to sit still long enough in order to sketch it! I would like to experiment with pencils, colored pencils and watercolors

In my younger years I loved drawing for pleasure and did a lot of it. I did sketches with pencil non coloured and coloured. I have not done this in years and as I was looking at the courses on Bird Academy I noticed this one. When I retired I was gifted a sketch book and pencils but haven't used them yet. I have never sat out in nature and sketched I mainly sketched from pictures. However I love being outside and spend much time outside on backpacking and biking trips, birdwatching, gardening, etc.. I feel this course will be a great course for me to take to bring my love of sketching back into my life. All the journals were interesting, I liked the fact that I can make the journal my own and change how I organize it etc as the mood strikes me. I do like the ones that have the date, place, time and weather indicated for each drawing, as well as the field notes. I found them interesting to read. I feel this would help me recognize a bird, flower, etc..  next time I saw it and it tells a story with pictures and words. Also I feel it will slow me down and make me more aware of my surroundings and the details with in it.

I have been keeping written journals of our travels, but don't usually illustrate them.  Now that I have turned 80 I find that 'sit-down' activities are much more appealing, and I love being outdoors.  There are so many possibilities for sketching birds and plants anywhere. I watched a doe give birth to her fawn in our paddock several weeks ago and wished I had been able to record it on paper.  I'm hoping this course will help me gain the skills to do  that.

I work in conservation on some of our UK reserves. The monthly journal really called out to me as a goal. It would be fantastic to get monthly memories of how the reserves change throughout the year!

I'm a gardener, birder, beach naturalist, mushroom hunter and all around nature nerd. I'm also a mindfulness practitioner and I love the idea of bringing all of these things together through nature journaling. I'm drawn to the idea of a monthly entry as goal and hope I can learn to use watercolor effectively because I love color!

I am a naturalist, and help with monitoring Eastern Bluebird nests, and banding the young birds.  Although I trained as a wildlife biologist, I work as a teacher/tutor.  I like photographing landscapes, waterscapes, plants, and close-up details of plants, and see how things change over the various seasons.   I also love birding, and would enjoy learning how to draw or sketch birds.  I am interested in learning to sketch bird postures, silhouettes, and details, so that a particular species will be recognizable.  I also want to have fun with it! I enjoyed seeing all of these various artists/journalists' nature journals.  Each has a different technique, and great ideas.  I would like to combine sketches with detailed observations.  I liked the idea of using a page for a particular date, or for a month.   I also liked the idea of using "zooms" or insets, to show a particular detail. Since I am not an artist, I wish to learn the basic techniques for pencil/pen sketching, as well as water colouring.  Water colouring is challenging, as the paints can bleed or run.  So I would wish to learn how to work with water colours correctly.   (I am from Canada, so you will see Canadian spelling!  I see it's trying to correct me on "colours"!) Sylvia

I'm really interested in tracking the changes of native plants throughout the year. I know I'm looking for a balance of written notations and images, but haven't worked out how to include the progression through time. I'm considering having a page dedicated to a specific plant that I revisit throughout the year. Then I can come back to that space different times throughout the year and add drawings next to other dates for easy comparison.

I am a WV master naturalist & enjoy spending time outside in the woods around my property. I want to try nature journaling to help me become more observant and also improve my drawing skills. I liked Shayna's style.

To be more aware and learn to focus more on my surroundings. To look and examine and to have fun with it.

I liked the idea of making a commit to journaling by Month because Nature changes each month.  Journaling has been a part of my life in the past and so has drawing but I want to upgrade my practice.  I have tried watercolor pencils and brushes.  I will try both again.  I did find a mechanical pencil and will try that.  I like the idea. Documenting the item and then coming back with added research appeals to me.  Adding the place is a good idea.

Hey Marc here, I have been big into journaling and love going out into the field with my daughter and identifying everything we can with iNaturalist. I have also been pressing flowers from my garden and presenting them in my journal too. Citizen science is pretty awesome. I really like nature and I use to draw when I was a kid (not very well and probably not so much now), and engineering sketches for work,  so why not get into field journaling that I can share with my friends and family and show them a hobby I truly enjoy! I actually was really into the first journal with the flora exploding from the boxes and notes all around it. Maybe I’ll try that style but I’m sure I’ll make my own style who knows.

I became interested a few months ago after putting up a couple of birdfeeders in the backyard and then trying to identify the birds as they came to feed. I have been an instructor for marine education on a barrier island for school groups, so I am very familiar with our coastal birds here in North Carolina. But backyard birds (inland birds too) not so much. so after observing birds more carefully for colors and shapes and habits for ID ( using eBird and Merlin)I started to really pay attention to what was round.  While out on hikes and runs through local parks and trails, I would come along some flower or bird and stop to take a picture and try to ID it, if I didn’t know it. Or just take a picture of it because I wanted a record of it.  I saw a short video of you talking about nature journaling and just thought it would a good next step.  I guess you can say, I am inspired by nature and Liz. Oh, and Robert Johnson.  He has an exhibit of his work in gauache & colored pencils of North Carolina natural habitats at our local art museum. His notebook with field sketches and notes that are used, are displayed for each particular work.So, I am a beginner with no drawing skills, ready and eager to get started. My style is not set.  I like your and one of the first girl’s( Shanya)preference for page set up.  We’ll see.    

Greetings,  For my nature journal the approach I intend to blend into my recordings will be modeled after Shanya Muller's journaling style - how her journal is organized into boxes and the order in which she records her observations - recording data, such as date, weather, time, place, then observing and sketching either a specific species or landscape.  I am an educator and students that go through our program at Wind Dance Farm & Earth Education Center keep nature journals and each year I explore how to expand on their recordings.  Currently they record meta data, such as date, time, location, weather, clouds, then they sketch, write scientific and common names, and write three reflections:  What I noticed, what I wonder, and what it reminds me of.  I am almost embarrassed to say that I don't keep a nature journal, yet I expect it of my students.  Time for that to change.  I am looking forward to this class and incorporating what I learn into my own life and sharing new guidance for students who move through our program.  You may appreciate what we do at our center and I invite you to visit our website winddancefarm.org.  Thank you for offering this course and onward I go!

I began creating a nature journal with my granddaughter, inserting leaves, feathers, flowers, pine needles, etc. noting date, place, then drawing maps of our walks.  I took the bird watercolor course and loved it.  I have always kept travel journals with semi-cartoonish maps and drawings.  This course is exactly what I need to improve my skills, eye, and enjoyment of journaling, now to share with my granddaughter!

I love the outdoors and I'm intrigued to learn how to draw nature. We have local woods where I walk at least weekly and I enjoy seeing all the many changes the seasons bring to the landscape, the flora and fauna and I would love to document these changes and the wonder I see in some small way.

1 I discovered nature journaling just recently, having taken an interest in birds during pandemic lockdown (bird watching from my balcony and getting familiar with garden birds). 2 I’m impressed with the beauty if the journals and i really like it when the journal shows landscapes and plant as well as animals. It’s a good idea to show the whole scene and also small details (like a flower bud or bird’s beak) i.e. show things at different scales. I’ve only just started journaling with plants and birds, but I want to try to include landscapes and rocks (geology). So far I’ve been using ink pen and watercolor pencils, and I look forward to gaining confidence through this course.

I have always been fascinated with nature journals.  I didn't know where to begin as it all seemed time consuming, sitting and drawing, noticing the fine details of nature.  I'm a teacher and would like to have my students keep a nature journal.  I enjoyed looking and hearing about all the journals in the video especially Shayne's and Holly's.  Shayne's is organized just the way I like to keep things organized on paper.  I thought the zoom was a great idea.  Holly's journal looks like a book, very artistic.

1. I'm a birder, a long-time gardener, a hiker and back-packer (back in the day) and have drawn all my life.  I've taken a number of courses at the local art museum, and have kept a "regular" (not a "nature") journal for years.  The idea of combining all these loves made perfect sense.  Also I've just turned 80, and as my eyesight fades, alas, I want to do as much as I can to see and record the precious details of the world around me.  2. I appreciated ALL the journals, for each represented a deep personal encounter.

I was inspired to begin nature journaling because I wanted to try it. I like Liz´s journal and  Faulkner´s .  I also would like a idea of kind of Mcmullan´s field guide.

I am inspired to begin nature journaling because the act of describing and drawing something homes my observation skills. I have been amazed at how much I don’t see! I need words to go with my drawing because my artistic skills are underdeveloped. Due to this and how long it takes me to sketch I have considered taking photos then drawing from the photos. Or printing and pasting the photos in my journal. The next step would be to emphasize the small details through a sketch. The only negative about this is that the actual process of drawing facilitates observing the small details and creates an intimacy with the subject that ‘taking’ a photo does not do in the same way. I have recently learned about “receiving” a photo. I think this attitude of receiving could help create more intimacy. And I could use photography as a bridge while I am working on drawing skills.

1. The thing that inspired me to begin nature journaling was my love of both nature and art. 2. I think the nature journaling approach of  a drawing a day was neat. 3. I had an idea one day to put a comment beside each bird I recorded in my nature journal, instead of just pictures. This is one of my journaling ideas.

I am a photographer that also likes to sketch and color. I made the sketches below while on a camping trip to the Pilbara area of Western Australia. Since I was traveling with others, there were times that were not available for photos, so I sketched while in the moving Toyota off the road vehicle. I love sketching as much as I love photography and in recent years, the drawing has prevailed with advent of digital photography. I am landscape artist that loves the detail of the surrounding area complete with the local flora and fauna. I am now learning digital photography, so my sketching needs to go along because I am not content with photography alone, as it may not catch the whole experience. I will incorporate a combination of photos, sketchwork, and internet research. The internet research was not available during the times I spent in Australia in the 1980's.

I'm combining two amateur interests: birdwatching and watercolors. I'm not aiming for perfection, just enjoyment, and a more interesting way to document travels.

1. Ive always wanted to draw but not had the confidence to try nor the patience tp persevere. Im hoping that I might learn from others to encourage me to have a go and continue with the initial process. Also I think as i move towards retirement this could take me into an area of interest or a hobby to pursue. 2. I would like to try and be confident and accepting of sketches, completed or not and also to try a range of different topics both flora and fauna and also to use watercolour paint. 3. Not at this time but as I am in the southern hemisphere my material will be different.  

I want to learn to observe more closely and keep a visual record of at least some of the things I see, including in my own gardens.  I was encouraged to hear the naturalists talk about how their style evolved and to see varying degrees of "artistic skill."  It made me feel less timid about jumping in.

I have always been fascinated by the idea of keeping nature journals and by those who have done so. So, I wanted to try it for myself. I think what draws me to it is the idea of having to slow down and observe everything around you.

I work in wildlife research and conservation and have always been interested in art. I'd love to combine these two passions and use this course as a way to start to stick to sketching/painting.

In January of 2020 I took up watercolor painting.  After over a year of learning this art I have discovered a need a purpose to paint.  Coupled with the long time practice of scribbling notes while on vacation that ultimately get lost, the notion of nature journaling seemed like the ideal solution. While we are a bit past most spring activities, I want to start my journal from the point of view of looking out the windows to our gardens to a walk about these gardens as the growing season progresses.

I simply wanted to learn how to start a nature journal.

I have wanted to try this course out for a long time.  I felt intimidated about my skills when I look at others work.  The classes i have been taking and the work i have done in an open studio setting have given me the confidence to give it a try.  I know that my style will be something that will develop over time and I will be able to depict the things that I observe in my own way.

The desire to document the nature in my own backyard, as well as what I observe on nature walks, has inspired me to begin nature journaling. I've documented through photography, mainly using the iNaturalist app, but want to practice more of a mindfulness approach to my observations. Nature journaling requires attention to detail and "being in the moment," and those are some of the characteristics of mindfulness. Another inspiration is related to my profession as a teacher. Next year I will be teaching science to 5th and 6th graders, and I plan to have them keep science notebooks to document their work. I want to sharpen my own skills this summer to be more prepared to guide my students in a careful and focused approach to notebook/journal entries.

1.  I am a naturalist by vocation and avocation--I have spent the past 18 years teaching very young children, and their teachers, to love nature and to know about much of the nature around them.  I am retired now, and would like to use journaling as another way to keep getting me outdoors and keep me learning new things about nature.  I enjoy nature photography, but as several have noted, it is easy to be drawn into looking only through the lens, and also easy to forget about the photos when the day is over. I am very slow at drawing because I am detail oriented and a perfectionist.  My goals for this course are: a. To form a journaling habit, b.  To learn to draw more quickly and expressively, c. To learn to use color. 2.  I enjoyed all of the journals in the video.  I particularly liked Shayna's, with its blend of art and observation, especially the zooming.  I think I would do better emulate DJ's less detailed sketches. I loved the flow of the daily journal in water color.  I think it would be good to try a sketch a day or at least weekly to push me out there.  I think I would like to do more with images and less with writing if that is possible, though the notes are valuable learning tools. 3.  I do not yet have a different journaling idea, though I do want to consider a dedicated journal to use to document the plants and animals we see on our family's mountain forest property.

1. Being out in nature and observing plants, landscape and birds has been my grounding place during this pandemic. I participate in a couple of citizen science projects, which I love doing and have also been restorative, especially during this time. I think the nature journaling would enhance this experience and develop my observational skills. Plus, I have wanted to learn to draw and paint birds since starting birding a few years ago when I retired, but thought, I'm not an artist. It resonates more with me than photographing what I see. And Liz says we all can be artists! 2. I liked the balance of observations and visuals in Shayna, Liz and D.J.'s journals. I will use the boxes, at least at first, the way Shayna evolved them. I also really like her "zoom lens" to show detail. I want to pay attention and record my impressions of the visual beauty, even if I don't have time to draw and paint it all - as Liz said, these triggered memories for her. I especially appreciated D.J.'s attention and focus on behavior of birds and other animals. Several of the journalers referred to questions and curiosity arising, and going away to research and learn, then returning to the journal to record what they discovered. I very much would like to do that - to become absorbed in something triggered by my observations, and enhance my knowledge as a naturalist. This also brings up another thing that appeals to me about nature journaling - and the reason I was captivated by birds on retiring. I slow down, lose track of time, and feel connected to something larger than myself of my human world. It is very relaxing and peaceful. It is meditation. 3. Being in nature is my cathedral. I think the journal will help to evoke that for me, even when I am indoors. I took a class on writing haiku last winter. I think I will sometimes be evoked to do that by something I observe, or write about a memory that has been recalled, or a prayer that has been inspired. I may also sometimes include an inspirational quote, such as Liz as done in the text for this course. So while it will mostly be more science oriented, I think adding the art points out the beauty of nature, which does bring up a spiritual component for me.

Now that I'm retired from teaching math/science in Alaska, I have time to really explore the interconnections between the things I love....spending time with family, being outside in the wilderness, learning, birding and writing.  This is the perfect intersection of all these.  I really liked the journal that was mostly watercolors organized by month.  I would definitely add more text- thinking about details, what I discover and what questions I still have.

1. I guide canoe trips and was looking for a different way to capture our connections with the environment around us. In the last 24 months or so I've seen so many nature-journal-watercolorists show up in my social media feeds. It finally feels like the right time to develop the habit and learn some art skills. 2. I loved how many trial and errors there were across many of the journalers' pages - a good reminder to shoot for progress not perfection. While the first journaler opted not to continue with boxes, I think I might start there to help myself get over the fear of how to fill the page. I like structure until I learn enough that I can break out of it. 3. Not yet! I might as we go along.

I want to improve my art and think that drawing birds will aid in doing this.

Since I was little I have loved to doodle and sketch. Over the last few years I have also started birding. This class seems like the perfect was to add the two together and to better my technique and learn water colour. But the biggest reason of all is I want to be able to take the time to slow down and appreciate and feel the beauty that nature has to offer.

I have been drawing and painting every day since October 2018.  I participate in daily art prompt challenges and using different media in my art.  My husband and I recently have started birding.  I have been wanting to try nature journaling for a while now, but did not know where or how to start.  I came across this course while searching for ways to learn how to begin a nature journal. I would like to try Shayna Muller's way of nature journaling because her style seems to match what I would like to capture in my journal.  I like the boxes and having the art work peek out from the boxes while having journal writing surrounding my art.

First day for me.  The beauty of it all is overwhelming. The colors and patterns of birds mesmerizing.  But all of this calls forth my detailing brain.  What I want to be able to do first is to capture the feelings as unadulterated as possible. Not sure how this is going to go, but that is what I will work toward first. Will report back omg how the journaling progresses.

During the beginning of the pandemic, while out of work, my only touchstone or routine was to visit the same wooded trail and river by my house each day. I took many, many pictures. While I love the instant gratification of photographing nature it often feels so rushed. My goal with nature journaling is to slow down and learn to pay more attention, while hopefully developing some drawing and painting skills. I enjoyed and benefited from seeing the variety of journals and processes in the videos. I love the look of using paint in a journal and also the idea of grouping nature observations by month. I also enjoyed how some of the journals featured the smallest details such as the close-up patterns noted on a leaf. I’m certain my journal will have lots of text, perhaps some poetry, and may even include some embroidery in its pages.

I love nature and being immersed in nature.  I would like a way to capture what i see in nature and how it makes me feel.  I tried photography but found that i do not enjoy seeing nature through a lens, as it takes away from just experiencing the sounds, sights and feel.  I think nature journaling would be the perfect way to capture what i see and feel while still being full immersed and present.  I was also thrilled to find out that you do not need to be an artist to nature journal. I think i resonated most with Jewel Alston’s presentation in that her journal was more of an experiment.  I feel like this will be me.  I am really leaning toward Liz’s style of sketches filled in with notes, etc. but i don’t really know what my style will be until I begin but I have a feeling it will be a bit messy, etc at the beginning.  But I am super excited to get started.

I’m inspired to begin nature journaling because I have too many hobbies that are treated as separate pieces and I see this as a way to consolidate them in a way that allows me to share my experiences. I was interested in the journals that combined the descriptions with sketches to showcase more or less a storyboard of their observations. I tend to scrapbook a lot with items that I find in my explorations. My goal is to combine my urban experiences with the natural environment that surrounds us. I’m excited to start this process and see how it evolves.

I'm inspired to begin nature journaling because I spend a lot of time looking at things up close; exploring color, texture, and pattern. However, I notice I struggle to communicate or translate what I saw later without photos and want to be able to absorb more by adding a new level of intentionality and interaction to the practice of observing and aiding my memory. I like the routine of adding date, time, location, count/number of items etc. also adding a color swatch on the side or below an image is fun and helpful. I tend to like very clear and detailed drawings that are well proportioned that still allow for multiple images or words to co-exist on a page and allow for a zoomed-in portion.

Being able to draw/paint what I see and writing down my thoughts will be much more personal for me than taking a photograph.  One day, a few years ago, I was so excited about a bird I saw in my backyard that I found a piece of paper and wrote down my feelings at that moment.  That experience has inspired me to continue this excitement with nature journaling. I would like to try the approach that Liz uses.

We have a lot of wildlife in our back yard.  I am an inspiring artist - learning to draw and paint and nature journaling is a great way to practice drawing and painting, and to capture images of the plants and animals where we live. I like the journals in the video.  One I'd like to try, eventually, after some practice is the one drawing a day, or one page a month.  It seems like a great way to record changes over a period of time.   It would be really fun to go back after a year to see the changes. I also like the landscape drawings & paintings.  Ultimately I'd like to do a travel journal when on holidays.  This will be great practice for me.

1. Plants and animals and natural landscapes fulfill a deep yearning for connections with what is outside my own petty concerns. I would like to see and experience natural wonders more clearly and keenly. (And hone my artistic skills in the process.) 2. I definitely will note date, time, weather, and location. I love the use of watercolor, and the mix of image and words. I like the loose use of frames, as well as both gestural/geometric and more detailed approaches. As a beginner, I am going to need to be comfortable "failing forward" a lot. I'm sure that I will do a lot of research after the fact to label and name features of my observed plants and animals. 3. As a poet, I image lines of poetry will become part of my observations. And I might also incorporate quotations by writers I admire when they occur to me as I read or as I am out in the field.

In 2017 I read a biography of Henry David Thoreau and realized that birding and journaling don't necessarily happen 'out there' but can happen right in our backyards. I've contributed regularly to a journal since then, but I've only recently tried to add visuals to my observations. I am excited about this course because I want to do a better job of capturing what I see; I like the quick sketches and color and boxes and accompanying descriptions of place and weather conditions, and I believe that is what will be most satisfying in the long run. Thank you for this opportunity!

Journaling helps me see and understand how things are connected. It takes me beyond a walk or a book and helps me slow down. It also gives me something to look back and reflect on.

I have made a stab at nature journaling in the past because drawing and writing have a way of focusing your attention on something you think is special. By recording that special animal, plant or scene, you have also embedded it in your memory. I really like a couple of the journals. I like the idea of sometimes, at least, of boxing in the drawings with writing and other things outside. I loved the way some of the journals used watercolors in their artwork. I've only tried colored pencils. I also liked the idea of drawing or observing one thing per day or session. In busy times using one large page a month totally made sense. I also liked the way that page captured the essence of that month in nature. I love birding and birdsong. I'd like to try to capture the feel of a song or call as a drawing too. Adding a simple sonogram might work.

1. I started journaling because I wanted to do more than just photograph everything, followed by disengaging in what I saw. I've found that when I draw something I become totally invested in it. Uh... by 'invested' I mean, the object, the situation, the details get glued into my memory and I can thereafter enjoy that bright spot, over and over again. 2. I love the 'drawing each day' journal. In the past I think I kind of wanted some special something-or-the-other to trigger my wanting to draw. I think it's better to just get out and draw, and that way special something-or-the-others pop up daily, rather than once in a bit. 3. Nope, no bright ideas as yet!

This course was given to me as a gift. I have never been able to draw but I love watching nature and think think will be a great help with my gardening journal.

I have always loved art and nature, even when I was a little kid I brought a little notebook with me to parks and tried to draw the animals and plants that I saw. I have been working to improve my art skills and at the same time be able to better illustrate what I see in nature, especially plants and animals. In my journal I would like to include the date, time of day, species, and location. I want to fill the page with images and also write some notes.

I’ve always enjoyed dabbling with sketches but have never felt very adept. I love the goal suggested in the materials of “practicing drawing without self-judgement.” That’s a good one for me. Also the freedom to use lots of attempts to capture details—I don’t have to get it “right” all in one go. I’m in a new area (arrived right before the pandemic shut everything down) and surrounded on all sides by astounding natural beauty. Time to express gratitude through art. Here’s my first attempt! We spotted this little guy before I began the course, and I was inspired to give it a go mostly from memory. Thanks, Bird Academy, for the invitation to step in!

I'm finding sketching plants very calming during the pandemic, taking my mind off everything that's going on in the world. I started with indoor plants then as the weather warmed and plants starting sprouting outside, I moved outdoors. I haven't been doing much writing, other than identifying the subject and date the sketch was done. No color either yet, so I'm looking forward to making them a part of my nature journal. I have never done any formal art lessons so I'm excited about this journey!

About 6 years ago, I started birding.  I retired 3 years ago and took some courses on colored pencil drawing.  All of my art work is based on photographs I have taken.  I have discovered I am very detail oriented and a perfectionist, so have not done nature journaling as the art is done in the field.  I want to learn to be more free flowing in my art and not such a perfectionist.  Of the samples I looked at the one I like the best was the picture on one page and the writing on adjacent page.  I also noticed that the art and pictures were not "perfect" but allowed the person to remember events and recall places and feelings.  Sounds like a good goal for me!

I love artistic stuff and nature journaling is a way for me to practice drawing from the source instead of using reference images. I love nature but I hardly ever get out to enjoy it, hopefully with this new venture I will get out more. I think I'll try a combination of the various different journaling approaches. I definitely like Shayna's process of starting with the drawing first. I think I'll make my drawing larger though, cover more of the page with less written stuff. I'm not sure what I want to do with the written portion. I like the idea of including descriptive and informative details for close ups and journals focused on animals and a more poetic approach for landscapes.

1.  I often see birds visiting in my yard and always take many photos in an effort to ID who is visiting.  After having taken the Drawn to Birds in the fall of 2020 an interest was sparked in me to learn to draw some of the birds that I observe.  I also like to observe insects and perennial plants in my small city yard.  I thought that attempting to record in a nature journal would be a very interesting project to capture memories of nature encounters in my own yard. 2. I definitely want to record the date, time, and weather as I believe this will help bring back the memory of when a sketch was made when I decide to go back to revisit my journal days, weeks, months or years later.  I loved Shayna Muller's "zoom" technique to show a close-up of an area.  I'll keep this in mind.

1)  As I noticed birds in my backyard, a new Zoom friend could explain and identify it for me, the sounds, colors, habitat, and where she sees the bird on her walks, right nearby where I live.  I have had questions before, but now I knew someone who could describe lots of details to peak my interest.  My mom had the 'birding' interest, I remember her small handbook with tabs she made for easy reference, and the book described the phonetic sound.  Now that I'm retired, I'm way too busy, but I have found I can sit still with this hobby, and relax, enjoy, contemplate, and  after taking a couple drawing classes, I have widened my interest and expanded my creative juices.  New to drawing at age 73, and loving it!! 2)  I like Liz's format, a complete scene, small, with text.  A large scene but with details.  A lot on one page. 3)  I am blown away by the types of journaling expressed.  The journalers and artists have such an enriched mental style, to allow their thoughts to flow, and write about them, keeping that moment alive, by journaling.    

I have always been interested in the natural world.  For years I have kept a written journal about what I have seen on walks and trips.  Due to work and family responsibilities, the input was very limited.  Now that I am retired I would like to expand that input and include drawings and hopefully eventually water colors.  I hope this will improve my observational skills. I was impressed by all the journals presented.    I especially liked the drawings of the spider consuming the bee and all that the drawer learned from observing it.  I also liked the hummingbird drawings and how the presenter was trying to show all the different body movements in her drawings.   I was impressed by how much talent all the presenters had.

I have an interest in birds and in art. This seems to be a great way to combine the two and get me back in the habit of drawing and painting--and observing. I like the idea of making this a regular practice without being a mandatory chore. Make it fun. I will probably experiment with various mediums. try to do quick sketches and some more detailed renderings.

I really like Shayne's box style and her developing the break-out of the box design; small drawings, lots of notes, magnifications.  Margaret's was admirable in her ability to improve her pencil drawings as she observed the hummingbird behavior over time.  And DJ's focus on form was intriguing.  I hope to incorporate these facets into my journal ... and eventually some color.   My aim is to add depth to my joy of observing nature every day in my own neighborhood and later, when able, in my travels.  Here we go.....!

1. I'm not sure when or where I first came across John Muir Laws book, I believe I was doing some research on the Arts + Sciences and I sort of got stuck on it. But never really dived in until much recently, when I changed jobs and had more time to spend in nature. I was learning about all sorts of flora and fauna and wanted to learn more about the practice.     2. I really loved all the journals, I'm most drawn to the flexibility in how to set up your journal and how folks made it work for them instead of giving up the practice altogether. I sort of haphazardly draw things, and so I'm hoping to put some planning and routine observations into practice.

I really wanted to develop my field journal to include drawings and more visual aspects to my descriptions of plants and wildlife.  I would like to be specific in my drawings, journaling specific behaviors, postures and the seasonal changes in plants as well as document the environmental and climate changes in my region.  I particularly like the first journal that had the images pop out into the descriptions and sometimes adding a zoomed in feature to the drawing for more intricate details.  I like the idea of a rough pencil sketch but love the finished quality and detail of watercolor.  Also, I would like to use my journal as more of a project based documentation, ie. the study of Monarch butterflies or the Spring arrival of certain native plants in my region, especially to document the changes occurring in our environment, habitats and diversity due to climate change and loss of habitat.

I've been dabbling for a couple of years...just with pencil and then colored pencils. I think doing a monthly page or 2 is where I will start. Last spring, during the pandemic, I hiked every morning before heading back to my "desk at home" and found I saw so much! I wanted to get it down on paper, both in words and images.

1.  A nature journal will help improve both my observation and drawing skills by incorporating my love for nature in a physical recording.  I look forward to learning the techniques as I go through this course.

1 - I started watching the birds in my backyard and have moved on to taking field trips to watch birds.  2 - I'm intimidated by the idea of putting my ideas on paper, but want try.

I enjoyed seeing the various styles, I feel my journal will progress to reveal my own style in time.

I am a near complete neophyte when it comes to field sketching and maintaining a journal. My initial reaction is to feel a bit intimidated by the whole process. Given that tendency, I believe that delineating space for the drawing and utilizing bullet points for written observations, will most likely help me overcome my discomfort.

I enjoyed seeing the different interpretations of each person's journal. Seems like each of us will have to experiment a bit to learn what works best– it's nice to get affirmation that there is no one "right" way to approach it.

I completed the Florida Master Naturalist Classes, and though I enjoyed them tremendously, I remember so little of the vast information we covered. Documenting  with illustrations and facts will help me to remember not only new moments/experiences but the details of the marvelous creatures and plants I've seen. I've used online watercolor tutorials this past year, and hope to build skills in this class. I'm thrilled to marry my love for creation and painting.

I have started a job position where I have very little contact with nature, very long hours inside, even though I live and work surrounded by world class nature and wilderness.  So am eager to learn to draw, paint and follow through maintaining a journal to savor the moments of nature I do have.

My summers in Maine fill me with so much joy and love for the plants and animals around me, and last summer I tried to paint and draw what I saw, but didn’t quite know how to capture the feeling of a particular spot or a particular species. I was drawn to this course because I want to be able to observe my surroundings more closely and appreciate the natural beauty to the fullest. The final journal was so beautiful to me, and I resonated with the artist’s initial ambition to paint/draw EVERY day — and think that a page a month is probably more realistic. :)

Many years ago, I enjoyed taking some drawing and watercolor classes.  I’ve wanted to take another art class, had been considering a botanical drawing class.  The pandemic restrictions of the past year have allowed me to notice and enjoy the natural world around me more, including keeping a rudimentary journal of new discoveries in my backyard and walks around my neighborhood and nearby park.  For the first time, I noticed migratory birds, seeing several species I had never noticed before.  I hope that I can continue to enjoy more discoveries, and love the idea of keeping a more beautiful journal, incorporating drawings, watercolor, and reflections.

In my retirement I have become a potter, and I also enjoy felting.  I would like to become better at drawing and painting so that I can use my artwork on my pottery pieces and on 2-d felting pieces.  I have long enjoyed studying nature; it inspires my work.  I have gotten journals in the past, started them, then set them aside.  Also got watercolors several years back, but succumbed to the fear of the blank page.  I am looking forward to this new-to-me way of exploring the natural world, and to actually using some of the supplies that have accumulated in my home.

I have wanted to keep a nature journal for some time because I derive great satisfaction from my natural surroundings; I’m a born chronicler and I love how sketching allows me to really experience a bird, a plant, an animal, etc. Yet, I’ve been intimidated by the empty page or a new journal. I don’t want to “ruin” them, as Cindy said, and my desire for perfection has kept me from jumping in. What I so appreciated about seeing the shared nature journals was realizing that it’s personal. It’s what the journal means to the one who keeps it, not what it means to anyone else. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Each journaler spoke of how their sketching captured the day, the observation, the experience for them in a rich way that a photo never could. It was so heartfelt.

1) On a visit to Indiana Dunes National Park, we took a ranger led boat tour on Lake Michigan. The ranger asked us to sketch the shoreline and dunes. I felt very uncomfortable with the request that I draw, but found it to be a satisfying experience as I recorded my observations in a way that was more meaningful than taking a picture on my phone which would have lacked detail and personal interaction. 2) I’d love to by able to create a beautiful, water color journal, but since I have no experience with water color, I think more simple pencil sketches would be a better way to start. 3) I keep a brief, daily diary in a planner and would like to add art to some of the entries.

1. This course came up as an ad. I have always loved to draw and paint, but never could put anything in any kind of order.  I just liked to hoard sketch books and was afraid to "ruin them". Now that I am retired I will get the chance to slow down and try going out into nature to sit and observe and use a journal to record what I have seen and enjoyed. 2. Anything that will help to keep things in some kind of order instead of my usual "all over the place" approach to everything.  I like the look of the incomplete boxes around drawings and separating information with boxes. I definitely will want to look information up about each animal/plant that I explore.

1.  To gain a deeper appreciation of the natural world both in my own backyard and in the wider world.  I've always admired John Audubon's work, but felt intimated to try sketching and journaling.  I'm glad to have found this course! 2. I would like to try to incorporate more scientific information about the plant / animal I am sketching, while still focusing on the art of making the journal. 3. Possibly including personal experiences about what you felt as you were sketching?

1- I like to draw and nature journaling is a good way to make time and get out in nature as well as draw. I think this class will introduce me to new things (I have never done nature journaling before), and I hope it will help me improve my drawing and watercolor skills. 2- I like the journals that have more pictures than words. I liked the ones with lots of different angles of the same subject, and I liked the spider one where it was drawing out a process and the different steps.

Since I am so new to this whole process, I would like to experiment and try different methods.  I'd like to try sketch and watercolor but also colored pencils, and pens.  I believe I might start off with the boxes around an object just to get and idea of how much space I can use on the page for journalling and drawing.  I like the idea of zooming in on an object for details and also the use of ovals or circles  for drawing birds. I think it will take some time to develop my own kind of style.  The fun is in trying though.  Terry.

I've been a writer, photographer, and artist since my early retirement 7 years ago. I shifted towards nature writing during the pandemic to tie in with my photography. I now want to try nature journaling to sketch and water color on my walks.

1. I was trained by a fabulous zoologist who was a colleague and friend in the Grinnell style of notebook keeping. Very formal. Very data driven. It was a method that worked great for a vertebrate museum collection. Not so much for what I wanted to do with my field notes. I was often 'too far afield' in my note taking style. What it took me many years as a field biologist to realize was that I was a nature journaler and not a museum collector. While I absolutely understand the value of those formal field notes for academic research the artist/biologist in my needed to fly a different path. 2. I loved the use of boxes with the drawings and also the approach of a drawing a day or a month spoke to me. I might like to try a combination of those styles.  

The pandemic lead me to walk in different areas around my home, as where I usually walked became a lot more traveled by more people. So, I went to an area near a quarry close to my house.  There were many animals there, and birds, and I kept a written journal for the past year of what I saw and when, and some other observations.  It has been quite a year of loss, but I am drawn to document this year as a nature journal.  Those daily walks and observations kept me anchored in a good place, for at least part of every day through a difficult year. I do not think I have quite the skills for the task, but I think I will learn a lot by creating this journal.

I journaled on the sides of my bird lists for years and it grew to flowers, landscapes and notes. I like the idea of boxes to relieve the clutter. I think I saw a white tailed kite on a trip years ago and since I recently found one near my home I want to find that journal and see.  I would like to know about giving some depth/detail to my sketches. And I have NO idea what to do with water color. Looking forward to finding out. Hurray, that things don't have to be finished, and it's fine to not get it perfect, and it's ok to try try try. This will bring more delight to my expressions.

Whether I'm in my own garden or on vacation in a National Park, I spend more time than I should probably admit just watching and listening to what's going on around me. Like one of the nature journalists in the video, I find myself falling in love with certain plants, animals, fungi or lichens. Taking time to capture more -- in writing or in a sketch -- about the qualities of a particular barnacle, blossom or preening songbird that I've fallen in love with will help solidify that memory. Nature journaling will help me be more disciplined in recording what I see, when I see it and note what else is going on at that time. Though I love going through photos my husband and I have taken, it's not the same. I am inspired by all the nature journalists who shared their journaling methods in the video, and I'm eager to learn more and get started.

I decided to take up nature journaling as a tool to improve my observation skills and develop a form of visual note-taking, to improve my memory of what I observed. I'm a birdwatcher and birding has become my gateway drug to a broader interest in and observation of nature. I haven't had an art class since kindergarten, so I appreciated the very modest sketches some of the nature journalists shared and what can be learned from them. And I was awed by the great artistic skills of others. Nature has always been my solace, so I expect that there may be emotional responses or thoughts that arise while observing and sketching and I will record those too in my journal.

I enjoy being outside in nature (especially bird watching) and dabble with painting, but came to a greater appreciation of both throughout COVID. I am a teacher and  it has been such a stressful few months. Sitting in my backyard watching birds has literally been a sanctuary experience for me. I even began to turn my backyard into more of a habitat for birds and other critters. I love noticing the light at different times of the day and being aware of the cycle of things. It is truly calming. I feel like I sync with myself when I can notice other creatures going about their native and instinctual ways. Nature journaling feels like a natural way to extend my experience and look forward to working my way through this class.  The picture below is of a newly fledged eastern bluebird. We watched as all 4 fledged from the birdbox from a distance in our backyard last May.

We are turning our Irish farm into a private nature reserve. I want to be able to document the changes we’ve made through drawings and personal observations which I hope will complement the scientific studies we are doing. I already paint landscapes but so far I’m rather rubbish as drawing animals and doing detailed work that looks realistic. This course looks perfect for helping me develop new skills.

1. I recently moved to Alaska and.. the landscape is so beautiful and changes its impression with the weather. Also, lots of birds! 2. Framing the picture and having bullet points of details observed is an attractive approach

1. I enjoy journaling daily, sketching and being outdoors. This will refine my observations and experience in all areas. I am taking this course to better connect with nature and to look closer at the world around me. I hope to gain knowledge and improve my sketching skills in order to use my garden this summer as subject matter and canvas. 2. Like Shayna, I will use boxes to frame and highlight my drawings and detailed notes. 3. I like texture. Adding bits of actual samples to touch would be fun, although it would make the journal rather bulky. I may or may not do this.

As an artist, I have journaled on and off in the past.  As time went on I have stopped doing it and want to get back to doing it because I know it is a good habit to practice drawing and painting.   I love birds and have carved a few, and also have carved and painted their feathers.  For me it is important to get the colors right so that I can assimilate them on my carvings.  I love to create, and have fun doing it.

I hope to improve my drawing skills and enjoy all that Nature has to offer around me. I enjoy using pencil, pen and watercolor together and think this will be a wonderful experience.

I like the idea of starting with writing the date , time  and place where I am located for the journal experience. I feel a little conscious about my drawing ability but know that it is my journal and i do not have to share it unless I want to. I also realize that i can only improve my drawing by doing just that .....drawing. I am a true lover of Nature and an avid birder so I am looking forward to getting started with this project.

1. I love birds & I'm also an ecology and environmental science teacher. I want to teach my kiddos about phenology and I thought nature journaling would be a wonderful way to include inquiry and creativity to discussions on seasonal shifts. 2. I want to get better at gesture sketches to quickly capture what I'm seeing for animal behavior. I tend to spend lots of time working from photo references for the bird art I do now so this will be a skill to build on.

I am looking forward to this course to combine my two main interests of nature and art.   I want to improve my drawing skills and develop watercolour, which I have never had much success with!   Learning to sketch from life should help my observation practice as you see much more when taking time drawing and really paying attention than if you just take a quick photo.  I think I will learn to appreciate the beauty of  nature much more as I progress.   I would also like to use the journal for identification instead of relying on photos

We're a homeschool family. I'm doing nature journaling with two of my boys. I hope for my artist son to get more comfortable drawing/painting outside and for my bird-loving son to enrich his study of birds. As for myself, I have worked mostly in oils. I am looking forward to developing my skills in watercolors. They will be so much less complicated and more portable for painting in nature.

I want to build a daily drawing practice to improve my drawing skills and I love birds and spend a lot of time outside, so nature journaling seems like a good way to combine these. Since I'm fascinated with bird behavior, I find the narrative aspect of writing about what I observe compelling and it seems like a good way to go beyond just focusing on the thing I'm drawing to include aspects of the whole experience of what I'm observing.

I live on a lake and have recently started birding. What better way to learn birds than to sketch them.

I retired a few years ago and set a goal for myself to learn how to sketch and paint. Before I could get "started" Covid-19 hit! We live in a condo community, and I love to be "with nature," so within our 20 ft X 30 ft patio, I have five feeders offering various goodies for the birds we have in the area.  I wanted to take my communing with nature a step beyond just watching to sketching and painting the variety of wildlife we see in our neighborhood.  I can't wait to go traveling within our city to see other species at other parks in the area when Covid-19 is more under control. I am a novice to sketching/drawing and painting and I want to learn as much as I can and practice as much as I can to improve my skills. I loved the unique nature of each of the journals...  I aspire to be more creative and free with my journal, but will include the stats to help me keep my work organized and make it easier to remember when I look back and think about a particular day.  I don't know if I can sketch every day, but that's how I want to start out! Sharon

I am so looking forward to this class and adding sketches to my vacation journals. I too prefer being outside than cooped up indoors.  I am a beginner for sketching and never have worked with watercolors. My mom and aunt were very good/great artists. Somehow I didn’t get under their wing to practice and learn their mediums. I wish I had.  I quilt and garden enjoy nature hikes and vacationing.  I think this class will help with the art and improve observation and being in the moment skills. As far as journal styles I want to combine the art with notes on my thoughts and allow space for me to record facts that I learned from what ever I am sketching. I plan to include the date and location and like the idea to include the weather of the day. And if possible include both common and scientific name of the drawing. Adding watercolor I hope will bring my things to life. What are my goals?  Use the techniques learned for my vacation journals. And all my vacations include nature experiences.  I would love to say I would sketch something daily, but I don’t think that is realistic so for now I want to keep up with class lessons and sketch at least one thing with each visit to this site. Do the homework. Last year we were to go to AUS and NZ but COVID  hit and that dream ended. So I want to be ready to nature and travel journal should this trip ever come.

I am a writer, photographer, watercolorist, bird enthusiast, gardener, and nature lover who is interested in nature journaling. This course seems to be a good place for me to start.

After a year of covid 19 secluded life I am always looking for some new activity that can be done alone , especially outdoors.  I received the e-mail describing a course about drawing birds.  As I read along, this course drew my attention as it included more about nature and would be perfect in spring when new buds are blossoming all around.  Although, at 83, I no longer climb mountains, backpack trails and make long canoe trips, I look forward to nature journaling at my slower pace. I hope to improve my sketching and observation skills while outdoors.

I ran across this course when I was looking up a bird and I thought it sounded like a great way to develop my sketching and drawing skills, as well as get into a journaling habit. I made this first yellow warbler drawing according to the instructions. I used what I had on hand, an HB pencil and some pastel pencils. I spent about 45 minutes on this. Based on the journals in the video, I hope to improve my drawing skills and achieve some realism in my work. I am interested to try watercolor, pen and ink, and pencil techniques to start out. I would like to make pleasing journal size watercolor mini-landscapes as Liz showed from her journal.

I want to take my birding to a new level and journaling seemed to be the obvious progression. I enjoyed all of the journalers and appreciated each style. I will definitely record the date, time, location and weather and combine sketching and written descriptions/notes. Sketching will help me pay more attention to detail and I can also write write down observations to ensure I capture the moment.

I love being out in nature hiking & experiencing all of the plants, animals & birds.  I have been increasingly  enjoying birding and recently took Liz's bird sketching class.  Now, I'm hooked!  I like the journals that combine the illustrations with verbiage - observations, feelings, questions.  I expect my style will evolve as I learn more and actually start working on my journal.

I used to draw when I was a child.  Now I am  71 years old.  When walking with others I have always been one of the first who would notice a bird, plant or animal, proclaim out loud, look there's a hawk, a chickadee, trillium etc. I took the class Drawn to Birds, loved it and felt like I wanted to learn more. It seems my drawing skills are not gone and are better than I thought they would be.  It was nice to see the different journaling styles and how talented everyone is. I like the idea of drawing what I see even if I may not know what it is and looking for identifying information later.

1. I love the seasons and want to learn more about the different species of plants, animals, and fungi that thrive in each season. I also have always wanted to document the memories of vacation travel in a more meaningful way than just clicking a photo. 2. I loved the ones with water color that brought the photos to life. The last field journal showing one one species in detail per day then switching to monthly collages was cool. I also loved the landscapes captured in the Galapagos by Jewel. I'd like to try combining the ideas of these two journalers. 3. One thing I might like to add would be to attach physical items such as pressed leaves or a fallen bird feather found that day to give the journals a 3-D presentation with physical links to the memories of that day.

I used to draw and paint as a kid and haven't done much at all since high school. I'm looking for a way to get back into art and looking at things more thoughtfully and appreciatively. I'm hoping that having a journaling practice like this will bring more mindfulness to my day and a greater appreciation to the natural world around me.

I am an avid gardener, nature lover and native plant enthusiast. I believe nature journaling  as well as photography will encourage me to take time in nature to really observe and record my experiences. I believe nature is so restorative to body and soul.  I don't feel like I got much of the artistic genes like many in my family, and I am hoping to learn and practice through this class.  I feel like the more we understand nature around us, the more we humans will protect and sustain it.

For years I’ve enjoyed photographing birds and landscape.  Nature journaling will be a whole new experience for me.  I’m looking forward to drawing and painting in the field and improving my drawing skills.   I think nature journaling can  be a peaceful meditation that has its rewards as you record the details of the subject matter whether it is an animal, plant, or a vignette, etc.  I enjoyed seeing the different journaling styles presented by class participants.  At this point I’m just going to let my journaling style evolve on its own and I might want to include a tangible object now and then , ie. a piece of grass , a pressed leaf or flower or a feather.  I am looking forward to what’s ahead in this class.

I am doing a Master Naturalist class in Minnesota and really wanted to develop a style for my weekly journaling. I have no formal art training and have long wanted to learn how to capture particularly birds and get tips on how to draw and paint them. I love the interspersing of sketches and words and the thought that what I observe links to my experience in the world - so have been adding quotes and poems to mine alongside the scientific facts of species and behaviors observed. Loved seeing all the different ways of expression demonstrated in the different journals and am conscious my journey will be an evolving process!!

1. I started nature journaling with my children to hopefully make them more aware and appreciative of the nature all around them. 2. I love the look of the watercolour, monthly summary pages but I think I am too regimented and probably tend more toward the daily summary, everything-in-boxes style.

1. I am looking forward to connecting with nature more by expanding my art skills. Nature journaling looks like it will allow me to capture my experience in a way for others to see the way I see nature.
2. The approach of drawing my observations each month is appealing. I also like the design element of text incorporated around the drawings.
3. Not yet!

• 1.  I am looking for a different way to interact with nature. I take photos now, but find that I don't revisit them near enough to appreciate what I was seeing. I also enjoy being creative in many different forms so nature Journaling could combine that for me. 
• 2. I love to combination of photos and descriptions. It is appealing to see and have some more descriptive pieces.
• 3. I am thinking of a summary of the month and day by day pages.

I love to observe and study plant, animal, and mineral forms. I'm curious about what I see and also love to look for patterns over time and from season to season. Sketching what I observe seems a natural extension of something I enjoy. I like the idea of using a journal to capture and remember special moments, or to answer a question. It also makes sense to me that something you've observed closely enough to sketch is something you'll remember, something that becomes a part of you.

I have always loved bird watching, gardening, plant identification and art. I’ve loved the idea of a nature journal, have a ton of empty journals. Now, as I’m thinking of retirement, it’s time to start putting it all together.

I like the idea of writing and drawing to remember the experience. I think what will be hard is to find time to journal while I am in the moment and to resist the urge to go back and finish drawings or add a drawing later. I didn’t hear anyone mention that they did that. But I guess that’s the thing with journaling. There is no wrong way and plenty of different ways to journal!

I've always enjoyed being outside, watching what was going on around me.  I initially picked up Clare Walker Leslie's book, The Curious Nature Guide, and was drawn in by her sketches.  Someone shared that she was a naturalist and nature journaler.  I had the opportunity to take a teachers' workshop with her at Clark University in Massachusetts, followed by a weekend retreat.  That, combined with my long interest, but little action on my part of developing my artistic skills led me down this journey.  For awhile I was very diligent in recording in my journal, but I got out of the habit, and I'm working to re-establish that practice.  I like Jewel's approach, of using her nature journal to capture her observations and then share them with others so they can experience what she saw and experienced.  I also like Holly's idea of shifting from a daily  documentation to a monthly page, where she's added to it through the month.  It allows for flexibility, but maintains the practice.  I haven't been one to add much writing, beyond the observations that I note, but I do find poems that I like, and often keep clippings of writing that speaks to me tucked into the journal.  I'd like to find a way to incorporate those into my practice.

I enjoy getting outside and taking pictures of nature and asking myself "what can you find?". I love to look closely, look at what's different, what's going on, who made that, etc. Once the ice melts I'm in my kayak most days, watching the loons, observing their behaviors, seeing what else is on or in the lake. I gave myself an art tool kit for Christmas so I can take it out on my kayak, or on walks and begin to get in the habit of nature journaling. I've only had a couple of entries so far, but hope to get inspired to do more.

1. I have always enjoyed art and nature. I have dabbled in nature journaling and have always dreamed of making it a regular practice. Time to make it a reality. 2. I particularly like the idea of the art moving outside the bounds of the frames / boxes and the close up views. I also really liked the hummingbird study. The pure observation was great and shows it is not always about a pretty picture.

I retired two years ago and my daughter sent me a sketch book and a Nature Journaling book.  I have always liked to draw birds and animals and like observing their behaviors.  I like drawing flowers as well and am fascinated by the growing stages of flowers and plants.  I live on 6 acres of woods in the Ozarks and we have deer, wild turkey, squirrels, and lots of birds, which we feed.  I like to watch the birds behaviors at the feeders and observe them on their nests and feeding their young.  I've always said that I would rather be outside than inside.  That is where I am happiest.  We keep most of our property natural so that the animals and birds have a little sanctuary to come to where they know they are safe.  This course will help me practice my skills and learn more about the outdoors. It will also help me to record what we see on our road trips to the National Parks and Bird Sanctuaries we visit.