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! 

Nature Journal: An Afternoon Walk

A recent walk on a lakeside trail reacquainted me with what's in bloom right now.  The parking lot at the state park office featured a garden bursting with native wildflowers -- from Queen of the Prairie to bergamot, blazing star and goatsbeard.  Along the trail, American Bellflower stood out in its beauty.

It's a tall, leggy plant, but if you look closely, its individual flowers are elegant...

...even fairy-like.  I found this individual blossom irresistable to draw!

The evening was lovely, and I took a two mile stroll with my nature journal, sat on a bench by the lake, and drank in the peace of the scene.

I find that sketching & writing descriptions of nature connects me in a deeper way than simply sitting.  It relaxes me like meditation. Back home, drawing from photos I took along my walk reminds me of the beauty of the experience and cements it in my memory.

I hope you get the time to relax in a favorite place with your nature journal or sketchbook. I'll be teaching a Nature Journaling class at the Raccoon Creek State Park on Saturday, August 1st from 10am to 1 pm.  You can register by visiting the park's website here:

https://eventsreg.dcnr.pa.gov/register/create/52622653639305

 

Happy Creating!

Osher Nature Journaling Workshop

We had a wonderful time at our Osher Nature Journaling Workshop!  The weather was lovely, the woods were full of life, and my participants were eager to get outside and explore.

We started the day indoors, talking about the process of nature journaling, trying out drawing activities.

Then we went outside to explore nature around the Raccoon Creek State Park Recreation Hall.

Participants sat in folding chairs, recorded observations...

... and sketched nature.

Some wrote poetry.

Others simply sketched with a pencil.

We returned to the Recreation Hall where we shared our discoveries...

...sketches ...

...and poetry.

Seeing and hearing everyone else's creative explorations uplifted and inspired me.

After lunch, we headed out on a nature walk through the woods to a Civilian Conservation Corp-built camp. 

We each took time to sketch and record what we noticed.

We returned for a final wrap up and sharing session at the Recreation Hall.

Many thanks to David for his work setting up, lighting and photographing for our class, and to my participants for being great adventurers and exploring the topic of nature journaling with me!

Here are my sketches from the day.

I hope you're enjoying the summer and finding time to sketch!

Happy Creating!

Winter Nature Journal: A Deer Friend

Last autumn, we noticed a particularly friendly young deer who was unafraid of us.  As I hiked our farm, I'd often encounter this guy.  When the other deer ran off, he lingered. I always kept my distance, but was charmed by his curiosity.

Hunger brought him up close to the house to eat where other critters didn't dare, giving me good photo opportunities.

This winter, he's been visiting my birdfeeding station and dining on sunflower seeds, so I decided to include him in my nature journal.

Here's the reference photo I used for my drawing.

I started with a graphite pencil sketch, then inked in the lines and added color with my Derwent Drawing Pencils.  I touched in some spots --his ears & around his eyes -- with a Posca paint marker that I wanted to be bold white.

 

I hope you'll use these reference photos to make drawings and paintings.

Happy Creating!

Nature Journal Update

Over the last few weeks, I've been getting out on hikes and finding spots to sit and sketch wintry scenes like the one above of a young sycamore tree against an evergreen down by a snowy lake.

Have you ever noticed how your fastest drawings are often the ones you like the best?

On hikes in the park with David, my body warms up while moving. When we stop for a break, I find something small or simple to sketch.  Soon enough, it's time to get back to hiking, but the little breaks give me just enough time to make a quick drawing.  I love these quick ones as they show the energy of discovery.

When it's truly cold, I sit inside by the birdfeeder and make quick sketches of the visitors. I hurriedly drew the chickadee at the top right from observing a live bird.  Frustrated when the chickadee flew away, I looked up a photo online and made a watercolor sketch at the bottom left from that reference.

Most recently, I found a tiny mud coccoon inside a hollowed out acorn -- probably the work of a mud dauber wasp in the warmer months.  I made several drawings of the cozy little bug home.

I took a photo of the coccoon acorn with some of the other empty nut hulls in the shelter where we took our mid-hike snack break.

What are you finding to draw in your nature journal? Do you prefer drawing big-picture landscapes or smaller details?  Plants? Animals? What's your favorite thing in nature to draw these days?

I hope you take some time to sketch your favorite things!

Happy Creating!

Nature Journal Update: Colored Pencil Drawings

Here's a flip-through of some recent nature journal pages, from hikes in the woods (above) to sitting at the breakfast table (below).

What we draw we connect with. How could I be anxious when I am connecting with my sweet, snoozing cat?

Nature journals are great for recording discoveries -- like the page above remarking on my discovery of a place on Hawk's Hill that reminds me of a favorite place I used to sketch years ago.

I hope you take the time to make some sketches and written observations in your nature journal!

Happy Creating!

Sketch Autumn Leaves with Me!

A recent hike in the state park turned up a wealth of colorful sassafras leaves.  I had my nature journal and a pack of Caran D'Ache Neocolor II watercolor crayons.  I began with a pen and ink drawing, then added colors with the watercolor crayons

A bit of blending with a wet brush mixed the colors.  

Here are some photos from the hike. I hope you will to make your own colorful autumn leaf sketches.

Happy Creating!