Nature Journal Update:Summer Wildflowers

Recently, I spent some happy hours at the Raccoon Creek State Park Wildflower Reserve, where the summer wildflowers are in bloom.

I love the simplicity of a handful of colored pencils and my nature journal to record what I see in nature.

The wildflower garden buzzed with honeybees and bumblebees.  When an insect moves so quickly, the only way I know to sketch them is to make super quick gesture drawings, my pencil scribbling loosely and swiftly.  

Sometimes the bee moved before I was done with the drawing, so I just started again with a new sketch.

I find quick drawings like this exciting and freeing.  There's no time to question whether you're getting the lines in the right place.  You just have to trust that you're doing it well enough.  

When I step back from my drawings later, I notice that, though incomplete, they are full of life and real details that make me feel closer to the little critter.  It's no secret; bumblebees charm me!

The most stunning aspect of the wildflower garden to me was the collection of so many blooms, so many colors and textures in the sunlight.

After sketching in the wildflower garden, I hiked the Jennings Trail, stopping on a comfy bench to sketch the woods.

Notes of the hike bring back memories long afterwards, and deepen the experience in the moment.  I love the intersection of art, writing and nature. No better anti-anxiety treatment for me!

I hope you find your own special bit of nature to relax in and make sketches in your nature journal.

Happy Creating! 

Sketching at Nature Camp

When I was in high school and college, I worked at an educational summer camp called Nature Camp.  I recently visited this favorite place to teach watercolor workshops.  

I had a wonderful time catching up with old friends and sitting beside the creek that runs through camp, soaking in the peace of nature while sketching.

Here's a 1-minute video of one of my favorite spots in camp.

And here's a demonstration painting of a piece of birch bark that I made during one of the workshops.  I started with a pencil sketch (HB), then lightened up my pencil marks and began with a wash of yellow ochre mixed with burnt sienna.  I touched in a charcoal gray mixture of burnt sienna and ultramarine blue. Then I let it all dry.

I finished the sketch with some details: a shadow made from ultramarine and burnt umber, the horizontal marks (lenticels) and the darkened edges. 

Here's a photo of the bark if you'd like to make a sketch or painting of it yourself.

Happy Creating!

Mornings with a House Wren

Every morning, this Northern House Wren sings the loveliest burbling song in my garden.  His ebullient music drifts in through the open windows and lifts my heart.  I took the photo below the other morning to use as a reference so I could add him to my spring nature journal.

I started with a light pencil sketch, then layed in the browns & grays of his plumage, touching in some ultramarine blue for darker shadows.  I mixed burnt sienna, burnt umber and ultramarine blue to create the grays. Warm azo yellow created the bold yellow of his beak, and I used yellow ochre, burnt sienna and ultramarine blue in the stick he's clinging to.

Next, I painted the entire background area with clean water, being careful to work around the wren and his stick.  Then, I touched in mixtures of Hooker's green dark, sap green, ultramarine blue, and azo yellow.

I finished the sketch with my black fountain pen -- adding a few lines and the wren's eye, and used some Prismacolor colored pencils on the stick and a white gel pen to create the spots in the wren's plumage.

When I'm painting animals or other fleeting subjects, I like to work from a reference photo.  It allows me to luxuriate some time on the details.

Somehow, this little guy looks like he's yelling!  I think I got his posture a little off -- a reminder to me to keep stepping back early in the sketching process.

What is going on around you in nature?  I hope you get to take some time to record your observations in a nature journal!

Happy Creating!

Turning a Bad Photo into Good Art

The image above is not a good photo.  The lighting is dull, and there's too much clutter distracting your eye from the beauty of the creek snaking through the hilly woodland. 

Yet, photos like this one still have an artistic purpose.  They make good reference photos for art, especially when it's too cold to sit outside and draw in person!

I started with a sketch of the main elements in the scene, and began adding in areas of color.

The photo was taken just before 6" of snow fell, so I wanted to get the white-gray appearance of the sky. 

I turned the pencil on its side to create a soft, uniform area of color for the snow clouds.

With the sky and the icy creek laid in, I began adding detail to the woods - the weeds & grasses on the forest floor, the distant trees, and the details in the tree trunk on the left.

I stepped back to study the composition, and felt it needed more vitality on the right hand side.

I added in the wobbly tree on the right, and am happy with the sketch. 

As the artist, you get to decide what you include in a drawing.  You can edit out the parts you don't like and add in bits you prefer. Choosing to draw the parts of a scene that inspire and excite you is more fun, and creates a better drawing.

Happy Creating!

November Landscape on Black Paper

Out on a walk, I snapped this photo.  The dark shadows, the sunlight in the forest, and the bright foxtails in the field all drew my eye.

I chose Strathmore's black Artagain paper to capture the dark, shadowy evergreens and cherry trees.  I find that working on toned or black paper makes it easier to express the brightness of winter grasses and weeds in the sunlight.  It's fun to shift gears and look at drawing the world from a different perspective -- keeping the darks and adding in the lights.

Here are a few tips for working on black paper:

1. Start with a sketch using a light colored pencil, and use a gentle touch!  It's common to make changes early on in a drawing as you're laying things out, and pressing down hard on the colored pencil makes it harder to erase.

2. Pick out the parts of the landscape that interest you the most.  You don't have to draw everything!  Simplify the scene and be expressive in your drawing. 

3. Step back often!  Even 5 seconds of holding your drawing at arm's length will help you see the big picture.   You'll see areas that might surprise you with their beauty, and also areas that you want to work on.  

Stepping back early will help you include the parts of the scene you feel are important, so you don't end up wishing for a paper stretcher!

4. Use a black colored pencil to create fine, dark lines -- like the small branches against the blue sky. It's easier to add fine lines back in than to work around them in the negative space.
 

I hope these tips help you.

Happy Creating!

A New Nature Journal

A few months ago, I started a watercolor nature journal, and I'm having fun painting nature scenes in it. Still, I missed my brown craft paper and the possibilities it brings for working with colored pencils & gouache.

I cracked open a craft paper journal that I had bought online to create a new nature journal.  I can work in both journals, using whichever works best for my ideas.

Right away, I delighted in making simple pen and ink sketches, adding colored pencil to some.

The brown paper automatically creates the midtone, making highlights and shadows more dramatic.

I try to listen to my intuition, that tiny voice within that offers suggestions.  It often feels like a little nudge rather than a loud, obvious instruction.  Each scene calls out for a certain medium -- some feel very watercolor-y and others invite sketching with a colored pencil.  Maybe it's just my own moods that I'm responding to.  

I find that when I listen to these little nudges, I'm happier and create more freely. It doesn't mean I'm always going to create impressive work, just that it will feel right and that I will be more at peace with the finished artwork than if I had forced myself to follow an expected path.

Listening to your intuition and trying out its ideas is a valuable habit to get into.  Your intuition is full of exciting possibilities and will help you to make wonderful discoveries.

Happy Creating!

Vignettes from a Summer's Day

Mornings in the summer, I like to take my art supplies outside to a picnic table in my back yard and paint in my watercolor nature journal.

My cats join me for this quiet work.

I've been enjoying a technique of painting the little details that catch my eye in the landscape.

I begin by drawing a series of shapes -- circles, squares, rectangles, etc. -- then pick an image to fill each shape.  

I start each vignette with a pencil sketch.  Once the sketch looks right, I add watercolor & India ink.

A refillable Lamy fountain pen filled with waterproof ink works well for adding lines.  You could also use a Micron pen or a Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pen. Once the ink is dry, the watercolors won't cause it to run.

You can add more details over the watercolor with colored pencils.  I used Prismacolor colored pencils for some of the details, and for all of the thistle scene. Feel free to mix your media!

These little scenes were from a walk around the farm I took August 8th.  As I walked, I looked for beauty, and took lots of photos.  I selected 9 images to illustrate, including my cat, Grover, sleeping beside me on the cushion.

By breaking the page into many smaller shapes, the overall scene doesn't feel as overwhelming as a larger composition.  And, I am able to include the beautiful details that I love in any scene.

Here are a few of the photos I used for references.  If you're looking for something to sketch or paint, give one of these a try!

Happy Creating!

Alaskan Adventure: Sitka, Alaska

Our first port on the cruise was Sitka, Alaska, on Baranoff Island -- one of a string of islands off the coast of British Columbia.

When you arrive in a new land, so many things catch your eye because they're different from home.  I found a multitude of fascinating details -- wildflowers, trees, whales, waterfowl, and mountainous vistas -- that I wanted to record.  I drew circles, squares & rectangles in pencil to fill with illustrations that made Sitka special to me.

I loved how the mountains and the Pacific Ocean framed everything in this small town.

We walked down a boardwalk along the rocky shoreline, to the Sitka National Historical Park, the site of a gorgeous temperate rainforest.

Trees grew out of old stumps, and moss seemed to cover every surface.

The colors of Alaska are eye-catching: cobalt blue mountains, yellow ochre kelp washed up on the beaches, the yellowy sap green of thick moss covering every log and much of the ground, and the deep pine green of hemlocks and spruces.

As we approached the little cove next to the National Park (above) we saw a dozen bald eagles flying and perching along the shore.

The majestic birds seemed unconcerned about people watching from the nearby walkway.

Inside the deep woods, the sounds of warblers, eagles, and the wind in the massively tall trees brought an immediate sense of calm. 

I didn't invent this technique of making mini-illustrations inside borders, but I do recommend it. This technique breaks up the page into manageable chunks.  You can take your time with each little facet, and when you are done, you have the larger story told in details.

Give this technique a try!

I started with pencil sketches, then added watercolor, and often, I put finishing details in with a permanent fine line black pen & colored pencils.  

Happy Creating!