In the depths of winter, when the polar vortex chases us indoors, we can still keep a nature journal. I made this colored pencil sketch at breakfast one morning from the photo below.
I have always loved goldenrods, even when they lose their bright yellow blossoms and take on wintry gray and umber hues. The fluffy texture of the remaining seeds against the crystalline snow often stops me in my tracks when I walk my farm. Simply beautiful.
What do you find beautiful out in nature this time of year? A quick photo snapped with your phone can become a sketch in your nature journal, something to remind you of those bitterly cold days at 5 degrees F some sweltering August afternoon.
Tips for using a cell phone for drawing reference:
- Transfer your photo file from the phone to a laptop or other larger viewing screen to help you to better see what you're drawing.
- Try a B&W filter on your photo. Most cell phones have different ways to process a photo, including a grayscale and a black & white filter. Eliminating the colors and focusing only on values will help you clearly see where the lightest light and darkest dark areas are ,and the shapes of each shadow, highlight, & midtone.
- Cell phones are good at photographing small things like flowers and insects, etc. Try the Macro function on your cell phone camera to bring really tiny things into view.
- Cell phones show wide angle views in their normal mode. The distance between you and your subject looks farther in a cell phone picture, so you may need to crop the larger image if you're looking at landscapes for instance.
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