A recent warm afternoon found me on a paddleboard in the local state park lake. I paddled my nature journaling supplies across the lake to a dock and picnic area accessible only to boats. Settling in a sunny spot, I made this quick watercolor sketch of a cluster of trees across the lake.
I find that the peace of sitting in nature with art supplies, & focusing on what you find beautiful has the power to slow you down and relax you.
How do you do this?
My top Nature Journaling Tips:
1. Find something that fascinates you.
2. Focus on exploring that natural feature with your art supplies -- expressing the colors, shapes and textures you see.
3. Don't try to make your artwork "pretty" or perfect. There is no such thing as perfect! Such expectations weigh you down and stop creativity.
4. Let yourself fall into the experience of expressing what you see. You might even want to write about what you notice alongside your drawing or painting.
5. Think of your art making as a meditation, a time to focus on nature and explore what your art supplies can do. I find that when I take this approach, I'm often surprised by how much I like the end result.
6. Leave yourself open to serendipity. I spilled some candle wax on this page of my nature journal. Not wanting to waste the page, I put washi tape down to prevent the oily spot from transferring to other pages. I like the way the indigo tape frames the scene.
I hope these tips help you to take your nature journal outside and get creative!
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