Gouache Sketches in My Nature Journal

One of the beautiful possibilities in using a brown craft paper nature journal is that you can paint with gouache, and light tones, like this moth, pop off the page visually. 

I found this tiny moth on a nature walk in the park one quiet afternoon.  You can see from the grass blades in the photo, that it was quite small.  I enjoyed making the tiny large in my nature journal.

 

The moth is called a Confused Euscara (Euscara confusaria), and its wingspan measures about 1.25 inches.  I'm guessing the "confused" part of its name comes from the fact that it looks like a dead leaf.  When I hovered my phone right over top of the little moth to take its portrait, it didn't move a muscle, acting just like a dead leaf!

Wingstem bloomed along the trail, and I snapped a photo, then painted the flowers later in my studio.

Each medium has its own magic.  I hope you find an art supply you enjoy and make some sketches.  See where it leads 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!

Nature Journaling in the August Heat

A hot summer's afternoon was the perfect time to take a short walk and sit on a park bench to sketch.  The very act of sitting in a quiet, shady woods is relaxing and excellent self care. 

I'm practicing simplifying the landscape in my artwork and creating pleasing compositions. 

Sitting for a few minutes on a park bench and mindfully looking is helpful in truly seeing the scene around you.  You can pick out the parts of the landscape you want to focus on.  It helped me to unwind and to compose these two vignettes.

The first scene was right before me -- a broken sapling in a grove of maples.

The second vignette had more contrasts -- late afternoon sunlight streaming through the canopy and deep shadows.

I recommend this technique of sitting still, seemingly doing nothing -- no phone scrolling, no drawing even.  Just noticing nature around you.  Soon, you will begin to see parts of the scene that you want to sketch and paint.  After a little stillness, you might use a viewfinder, a small rectangular frame cut out of cereal box cardboard, to scope through the landscape.  It will help your eye catch on an appealing composition.

Happy Creating!

Summer Morning Painting

In an earlier post, I mentioned the trick of taking a walk and finding views to paint. The scene above is one of those spots found on a morning walk.

Planning ahead saves time, and you know just what to carry with you. I brought my pochade box, my Strathmore Visual Journal nature journal, paints, water and brushes. The pochade box allows me to work flat, an important trait for watercolor painting.

I took the photo above to use as a reference in case I didn't finish outdoors.

I also used the photo to help me to see the shadows in the scene more clearly.  Shadows can have nuanced lighter and darker areas.  They can vary from light shadows with dappled spots of light to deep, dark holes. Our eyes are naturally drawn to areas of high contrast, so these are good to incorporate into your paintings to draw the viewer's eye in.

It always amazes me how much I can see in a photo that I didn't see in person.  I encourage you to use a photo to help you see the values in your scene, but paint in person so you get the freshness of the landscape.

Happy Creating!

Summer Nature Journal: Nature Treasures

On walks around my farm, I notice the goings on in nature, and find myself picking up treasures.

Fallen acorns, feathers, & leaves tell the story of what's happening in nature right now, and a sketch of your collected finds makes a lovely & descriptive page.

What's happening right now in your area?

Wouldn't a handful of nature treasures be fun to sketch?

Happy Creating! 

Nature Journaling: A Morning Hike

Recently, I took a morning walk in the park before the heat of the summer day.  

After about a mile, I found this fascinating tree,

with fungi growing inside several cracks in the trunk.

I perched on a nearby mossy log and started sketching.

I have a special nature journal I keep in my electric car, Bluebird. I've always dreamed of traveling around in my electric car and having art explorations:  I plug in my car, and while she's charging up, I go make art.

You can read about my art & electric car connection in this post: https://betsyblissart.blogspot.com/2024/11/turning-my-art-into-stickers.html

What are your art dreams?  I hope they come true for you!

Happy Creating!

Nature Journal: Morning Light

These late summer mornings filled with light and robust plants inspire me.  When I walk, I keep a lookout for beautiful scenes like the one above, and return with my art supplies.

I set up my pochade box one steamy summer morning. I made a quick pencil sketch to lay out the scene, then washed in Winsor lemon mixed with a touch of sap green, working around the white Queen Anne's Lace blooms and leaving those spots unpainted.  

I built up layers of different greens, using French ultramarine blue mixed with Winsor lemon for the shadowy hedge in the background, and a variety of warm & cool greens for the weeds in the foreground. 

I recommend taking a walk, scanning the landscape around you for possible compositions. Make a list of scenes or take a photo of each, and make plans to come back with your art supplies. 

When you work in a sketchbook or nature journal, you're free to create anything you like.  No pressure.  If you don't like the end result, turn the page and start fresh!

Happy Creating!

Starting A New Nature Journal

I filled nature journal volume 27, and was left in a quandary about volume 28: use a watercolor sketchbook or my favorite brown paper journal?  

I've decided to start with the watercolor and simply sketch with my brush, then add written observations of the day.  Lately, I've been practicing layering washes -- lighter washes first, & when they're dry, I add more color and detail.  It takes patience to let each layer dry before going back in with another wash.

What are you curious about experimenting with right now? I hope you give it a try.

Happy Creating!

Canoe Paddle & Nature Journaling

Quick sketching on a paddleboard is the essence of summer!  I had some new colored pencils to test out for my Nature Journaling class at the Community College of Beaver County, so I took them along on a paddle with David.

We traveled up a creek, under the canopy of the forest, where I cooled my feet in the stream water and sketched the overhanging maples.

When you sketch, you don't have to include every detail.  Pick out the areas of the scene that interest you, and focus on them.  You can simplify the rest.

I was interested in the areas where the morning light poured through the canopy and lit up leaves.  All around these bright areas were deep shadows -- a lovely scene.

I hope you take some time this weekend to make a sketch, & play with your art supplies.

Happy Creating!

Nature Photo Walk

One nature journaling technique I use when the weather is too hot or stormy to sit outside and sketch is to take a hike and snap photos with my phone.  Later, I can make sketches from the photos, and I often find tiny details that I'd missed when I first looked at the scene.

Let's go on a nature walk!  You can use these photos to make sketches as if you were walking through the meadow and orchard with me.

These photos were taken on a hot July morning on my farm.

I was entranced by the freshness of the bright green oak leaves on the tip of this branch.  New growth with  only a few bug holes! The darker, older foliage has been chewed by a variety of critters.

Trumpet creeper blooms.

These little mushrooms popped up all over the field.  We've had lots of rain over the last month.

The honeysuckle bushes are decked with bright red berries that catch the sunlight.

Wild blackberries have begun ripening.

Wild yarrow blooms along the fenceline.

I hope you have fun making art from these photos!

Happy Creating!

Summer Nature Journal: Watercolor Sketching

I snapped this photo of my neighbor's cow pasture on a morning walk.  I love this vista in any season.  This particular day, the blues and greens caught my eye.

I made a loose watercolor sketch of the scene using the photo above for reference.

When the paint was dry, I added a few lines with my Lamy fountain pen.  The combination of black lines and bold colors has always been a favorite of mine.

When winter comes, I will have a record of the summer's heat and growth in my nature journal.

If you'd like to nature journal with me, there are still a few spots left in my Nature Journaling class at CCBC.

Nature Journaling

Course dates: Mondays, July 7,14 & 21, 6-9 pm

Community College of Beaver County, Monaca, PA

Cost: $89

All materials are provided.

You'll receive a sketchbook, colored pencils, pencils, an eraser & a pencil sharpener.

For more information and to register, follow this link:

https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/category/arts

Happy Creating & I hope to see you there!

Hike & Sketch with My Nature Journal

What's better on a summer afternoon than a hike in the woods?

A hike with your art supplies!

I love tree trunks, especially where the roots reach into the soil.  That connection point creates the feeling of grounding for me, and also beautiful shadows and shapes.

Taking a break on a recent hike, I painted this woodland scene in my nature journal.  I enjoyed mixing a variety of greens, and simply exploring the woods with my paintbrush.

What do you love to look at?  That would be a great subject to draw or paint in your nature journal.

If you'd like to take a class with me, there's still space in my upcoming Nature Journaling class.

Course dates: Mondays, July 7,14 & 21, 6-9 pm

Community College of Beaver County, Monaca, PA

Cost: $89

All materials are provided. 

You'll receive a sketchbook, colored pencils, pencils, an eraser & a pencil sharpener.

For more information and to register, follow this link:

https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/category/arts

Happy Creating & I hope to see you there!