Stories in an Autumn Nature Journal

The beauty of a nature journal is that you can tuck it into a bag and tote it with you on a hike or picnic.  You can make sketches that tell a story, even if you don't feel that they're great drawings.

I was sketching this leaf on a hike with my husband, enjoying sitting at a picnic table under a forest of tall oak trees, when we started to notice large acorns dropping all around us.  Each nut hit with a sharp Thwack!

Concerned that the next acorn might clock us on the noggin, we resumed our hike, backtracking to an open field we had passed.  We found a bench at the edge of the field, where we sat and I sketched and jotted down the story of our hike.

The next morning, I took hot tea outside on a cool morning and watched the sun rise over the neighbor's pasture.  I made notes of the sounds I heard and sketched a small part of the sunrise scene.

I don't consider any of these drawings to be great drawings, but I love them because each one tells the story of a moment in nature. I can return to them and remember my hike with my husband, or the bold contrasts of backlit apple trees in an October sunrise.

This stillness in nature feeds my soul, and adding color and words to the experience only deepens it.

I hope you get a chance to sketch a bit of nature this week and add the words of your own story.

Happy Creating!

A Five Mile Nature Hike!

A busy schedule had kept me off the hiking trails for too long.  When our opportunity finally arrived, David and I took advantage of a lovely day to walk in the woods.

David brought his camera equipment, and I tucked my colored pencils, a pen and my nature journal in a little bag.  At each water break or beauty stop, I pulled out my journal and made quick sketches of what I saw.

At the halfway point, I sat down and made blind contour drawings of curled leaves still clinging to a sapling.  They seemed to express the force of the fall winds, curling and twisting as if dancing on a breeze.

As we hiked home, I turned to see the distant hill in the setting sunlight.  Calico oak leaves dappled the forest canopy with rich color.

These sketches bring back the experience, just as David's photos bring back memories of the friendly people and horses we encountered on our adventure.

That's the power of an image -- it locks in the memory of the time you made it, transporting you back in time to relive moments in the beauty of nature.

I hope you get the opportunity to sketch a natural scene.  Go ahead; lock in a memory of the peace and beauty of nature!
 

Copyright 2023 Betsy Bangley.

The Last Bouquet of Autumn

The night before the first frost, I stepped outside under the moonlight, with scissors and baskets in hand to collect frost-sensitive flowers, herbs and vegetables.  

Having all of that fragrant life indoors inspired me to sketch these zinnias, Queen Anne's Lace and basil tucked in an old Mason jar.

Later, I walked in a nearby corner of Raccoon Creek State Park, sketching an old cabin on top of a hill, and the woods in the floodplain along a big creek.

This is the season for nature journaling!  

Earthy color and beauty reside in the landscape, just waiting to be witnessed, sketched and enjoyed.  Journaling like this never fails to relax me, and make me grateful for the beauty around me.

I hope you find some time to walk in nature, make some sketches and take advantage of nature's healing balm.

Copyright 2023 Betsy Bangley.

October Color!

Autumn color never lasts as long as I wish.  I'm always trying to gather up the colors in artworks while they last.

The campground at my state park closed last week.  I took advantage of the quiet space to spend an afternoon there, painting from the comfort of a picnic table.  The brilliant foliage against the dark trunks and limbs drew my eye, and I raced to capture as much of the scene as I could before the light left and the washes dried.

Happy Autumn!

Fall Foliage with Watercolors

 

Autumn has arrived at my home on Hawk's Hill, and I recently spent a morning painting the first splashes of color adorning our Grandmother Sugar Maple tree.  This ancient tree brings beauty to our lives in any season, but particularly this time of year.

My recent lessons with Pittsburgh artist Yelena Lamm taught me so much about how to approach painting landscapes, how to control edges, and how to see colors.  What a pleasure to dive into painting this scene with a new focus and new skills!  Many thanks to Yelena for her instruction and the inspiration it brought me.

Autumn is a great time to take a class and pick up new skills.  Art classes are a terrific way to bring focus to your art practice and to gain momentum -- and to connect with other artists.  

Click here for a link to my upcoming classes. I hope you'll join me for one!

Art for Self Care: Autumn Colors!

 

After a busy modeling season, having an hour outdoors in nature to follow the twisted limbs of a sassafras grove with my pencil and brush brought me peace and joy.  

The yin & yang of intense activity followed by stillness and focus in nature invigorates me.  And, what a delight to fall into the brilliant colors of autumn.

Hoping you find time to sit in nature this week to fill your soul up with beauty!

Making an Autumn Leaf Stamp

Inspired by the beautiful autumn leaves, I wanted to create a print for some greeting cards.  I began with leaves picked up on a walk, and sketched them in my nature journal.

When I was happy with my sketch, I made a copy to play around with, adding swirls and other design elements in pen.

I transferred my design to the block I intended to carve using an old trick. I laid down several heavy layers of graphite with a 4B pencil on a separate sheet of paper, then placed the graphite transfer paper graphite down on the stamp block, and placed my design face-up on top.  I drew slowly over each line with my mechanical pencil. 

After transferring the design onto the stamp block, I carved away everything but the design I wanted to print.  I used Speedball Lino Cutting tools to carve a Speedball Speedy-Cut block.  This is the type of block that's soft as cream cheese, and super easy to carve.  You have to be careful with the edges to keep from getting broken.

Finally!  I had the stamp cut.  It's best to wash off your stamp before stamping with it the first time -- I skipped this step, and wish I hadn't!  As I inked the design onto cards, little discarded bits on the stamp made goobers on subsequent prints. 

I cleaned up the stamp and pad, and then created some exciting artworks!

One delightful discovery I made after I printed a bunch of cards was that the design worked no matter which way I turned it.  Now I have a stack of fresh cards to send to family & friends, and that makes me happy.

Welcome Autumn!