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! 

Watercolor Nature Journal: Black-Eyed Susans

Preparing for a class like Nature Journaling means visiting the park to see what's going on there -- what flowers are blooming, which birds dwell there, and what new nature developments have arisen since I last visited.

The wildflower garden at the Raccoon Creek State Park Wildflower Reserve is lush with native blooms this summer.  Volunteers tend this colorful garden.

The day I visited, sun splashed down through the nearby trees, and filled the garden with light.

I delighted in the way this Rudbeckia bloom contrasts with the dark forest behind it, and decided to add this scene to my concertina sketchbook.  A simple pencil sketch, then layers of Azo yellow and Yellow Ochre in the Black-Eyed-Susan petals, followed by layers of lighter and darker greens in the background brought this sketch together. It's more of an impression than a finished painting, and I like the looseness that approach creates.

I hope you'll paint your version of this scene from the photo above.  Or better yet, take your nature journal outside and see what's happening in nature near you!

Happy Creating!

Painting in a Wildflower Garden

Yesterday, I spent the morning in the wildflower garden of the Raccoon Creek State Park Wildflower Reserve, where the light poured through the colorful blossoms of Blazing Star.

As I gathered my supplies and drove out to the site, I felt myself grow nervous at the thought of "Making a Painting," fearful of making a mess & failing.  My harsh critic, the Hobgoblin, was hard at work!

I reminded myself that I was allowed to paint without expectation, to simply go through the process rather than forcing myself to make something my inner critic deemed "good."

When I arrived at the garden, I decided to simply sketch with my paintbrush, skipping the pencil sketch.  Lost in the process, I didn't take photos of the progression.

 I began simply with splashes of the pink Blazing Star blossoms, with a mix of permanent rose & permanent blue-violet.

The stems and leaves came next, a mixture of sap green with a touch of permanent rose. 

The final step of the painting was the background -- interspersing areas of sap green with dark splashes of Hooker's green & permanent blue violet.  I touched in a bit of pink here and there to echo the flowers, and called it done.  

About midway through the process, I met two park staff members -- interns Audrey and Natalie.  We talked about their work at the park, about our shared interest in watercolors & creativity, and about pushing back against that frustrating harsh inner critic.

I've noticed that when I talk about the process, and talk about my own self doubts, it eases my struggle.  I get out of my head and notice how illogical the harsh critic's messages are.  

Is there any real danger in making a painting that I don't like? Not at all.  Every painting teaches me something.  Even if it shows me a technique or color mix I don't like.  I'm still learning and gaining ground.

In the end, I felt buoyed by my conversation with Audrey and Natalie. As the old saying goes, "A burden shared is halved. A joy shared is doubled."

They halved my struggles with the Hobgoblin and doubled my joy in painting.

I jumped back into my painting with more spirit, and liked the finished piece.  Not perfect, but pleasing to me.

After wrestling with my Hobgoblin/inner critic, I felt a sense of peace, as you do when you've just exercised and rest in the afterglow.  

My tips:

• You don't need a big kit of supplies.  Use a small collection of your favorite paints, pencils, etc. -- whatever feels comfortable & familiar to you.
• Give yourself permission to make a mess!  No expectations or pressure.
• Find the part of the scene that really appeals to your artist's eye.  You don't have to paint the whole scene before you, just the part that's fascinating & exciting to you.
• Allow yourself sketching time to warm up.  You could try different mark-making to express the textures you see in your subject or simply swatch the colors you see. 
• Focus on exploring and making discoveries rather than making a pretty picture.
• Think about what you are learning.
• Encourage yourself as you would a friend.  Be kind to yourself and your art.

Does your inner critic tell you you can't make good art? I encourage you to push back against that voice, remind it it's wrong, and go out and make imperfect art.  It feels good to face the Hobgoblin down and to learn from each painting or artwork.

Here are some photos from the wildflower garden at the Raccoon Creek State Park Wildflower Reserve.  I hope you'll use them to create your own art!

Many thanks to Natalie & Aubrey for stopping by to talk with me as I painted!  Our conversation was uplifting!

Happy Creating!

Watercolor Nature Sketches: Phlox

I love to sit in nature and sketch.  Sometimes, I only have time for a quick hike, so I snap photos of anything I wanted to sketch on the spot, like these wild phlox in bloom.

It's often the tiniest things in nature that draw me in.

I began this sketch with a pencil drawing, then painted in the flower petals in mixtures of permanent blue violet, Phthalo blue, & permanent rose.  I let the first wash of color dry before adding in shadows on the petals.  

I laid in the background by painting in one big wet layer, touching in darker bits and letting the color spread.

With watercolor, you control the flow of the paint by controlling the water.  Watercolor blooms and spreads within a wet area, and won't flow to dry areas of your paper unless it's very runny and dribbles.

To create the little shadowed spots behind the flowers, I let the flowers dry fully, then carefully painted the area beside the flower with clear water and touched in a dark mixture of permanent blue violet and Hooker's green. 

I worked quickly to touch in other green mixtures to give the sense of foliage on a forest floor.  By keeping the background indistinct and more abstract, the phlox flowers pop forward to catch our eye.

I finished the sketch by adding lines with a fine black pen with permanent ink.
 

Would you like to make paintings of tiny things?  

Here are a few photos to practice with!

Happy Creating!