Annette

My journaling activity began in June when I started carrying a sketchbook in the field. Here in Waukegan the bird migration has tapered off by that time and birding is pretty slow. I had bought a set of watercolors a few years ago and found I needed to draw something from life rather than photos. Flowers are less challenging than birds. They are easy to find and generally sit still. By looking at other journals I can see things to do that will make my journal more useful and interesting. I loved the color swatches in one of the journals featured. I have been fascinated with watercolor pigments for a while. I plan on including swatches where appropriate. I have tried boxes on the page and it isn't working for me. My goal is to try to record more information than the illustration includes. My past journaling is weak in that area. My choice of mediums is varied and I require a smaller format book than is recommended here. I have a small (5 x 7.5) loose-leaf binder that fits into a generous pocket. I fill it with a selection of papers. This is time-consuming but it helps me to learn the different mediums. I am learning a lot about the importance of opacity and transparency of watercolors by using black watercolor paper. Probably not a choice for many paintings but fun and instructive to work with. Another paper that is interesting is toned gray or brown paper. Winter here is gray-everywhere. Sketching the gulls on gray paper helps the whites and blacks show. Inserting a photo in my journal is not out of the question, if it is pertinent to the record I am trying to make. I will add tracing paper in case I find a leaf or feather that I can make a rubbing from. Finally the most important suggestion is to jot down questions. This will give life to my observations I'm sure.