Camille
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Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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One of the themes I've noticed while nature journaling is the impact of human activities on wildlife. Sometimes it is freeway noise and sometimes it is the frequency of humans (sometimes with dogs) using trails near where animals live. Some animals, like the pond ducks I wrote about, got really close to people, especially if people brought food. Other birds, like a little sparrow and some crows only came to the same area if people were farther away. -
I found my sit spot experience to be very relaxing and I stayed for 30 minutes rather than 15 because I lost track of time. I am looking forward to going back to this area for more nature journaling as the birds were very active and there were many different plants and fungi that would be fun to draw. I was near a well-used trail, so the birds were very accustomed to human presence and appeared soon after I sat down. Definitely visual and auditory observations came most easily to me, and while I did enjoy the scent of the forest, I forgot to write down anything about it. I attempted to estimate distance and size, but I am not sure how accurate I was.
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The squinting technique definitely helped me to distinguish where the shadows fell on the artichokes and to not be as distracted by different colors. For example, the artichokes had purple, brown, and yellow on them in addition to shades of green, so squinting helped me ignore the colors and just look for light and dark. I used a couple of different shading techniques and that really seemed to help add texture as well as depth to my drawing. I want to keep practicing different shading techniques to create more variety of middle tones and also to get faster with shading overall.
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1. I draw from reference photos a lot, so this felt normal. Drawing the shape of the bird and the branch came easily. However, trying to get all the details in (especially the wing) and enough contrast using just a mechanical pencil was a little challenging.
2. If I wasn't asked to draw it, I would not have noticed the way the the light and shadows fall on the bird. I also paid a lot more attention to the warbler's feet and how the are clutching the branch in a surprisingly loose looking way.
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1. I've always loved observing animals and drawing, so nature journaling is a perfect mix of these two loves. I also love the way nature journals look in how they combine drawings, paintings, and writing. They can tell a story and capture a moment in a beautiful and informative way. As much as spending time in nature is relaxing for me, I have not been doing it enough lately. So, I'm really looking forward to spending more time outdoors while nature journaling. 2. I like the approach of making good use of the page by filling it with multiple sketches of the same subject from different angles or zooming in for more detail. I also like the style where the text flows around the drawings and makes notes on observed behaviors. 3. Since I am also a creative writer with a background in biology, I think it might be fun to add poetry to the journal pages.
One of the themes I've noticed while nature journaling is the impact of human activities on wildlife. Sometimes it is freeway noise and sometimes it is the frequency of humans (sometimes with dogs) using trails near where animals live. Some animals, like the pond ducks I wrote about, got really close to people, especially if people brought food. Other birds, like a little sparrow and some crows only came to the same area if people were farther away. 
I found my sit spot experience to be very relaxing and I stayed for 30 minutes rather than 15 because I lost track of time. I am looking forward to going back to this area for more nature journaling as the birds were very active and there were many different plants and fungi that would be fun to draw. I was near a well-used trail, so the birds were very accustomed to human presence and appeared soon after I sat down. Definitely visual and auditory observations came most easily to me, and while I did enjoy the scent of the forest, I forgot to write down anything about it. I attempted to estimate distance and size, but I am not sure how accurate I was. 
The squinting technique definitely helped me to distinguish where the shadows fell on the artichokes and to not be as distracted by different colors. For example, the artichokes had purple, brown, and yellow on them in addition to shades of green, so squinting helped me ignore the colors and just look for light and dark. I used a couple of different shading techniques and that really seemed to help add texture as well as depth to my drawing. I want to keep practicing different shading techniques to create more variety of middle tones and also to get faster with shading overall. 
1. I draw from reference photos a lot, so this felt normal. Drawing the shape of the bird and the branch came easily. However, trying to get all the details in (especially the wing) and enough contrast using just a mechanical pencil was a little challenging.
2. If I wasn't asked to draw it, I would not have noticed the way the the light and shadows fall on the bird. I also paid a lot more attention to the warbler's feet and how the are clutching the branch in a surprisingly loose looking way. Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)