It seems that nature journaling has become more popular as we try to reconnect more directly with the natural world around us. This is very promising as its introducing a wide range of people and children to a world they usually only glance at as they walk through forest and parks.
I don't regard myself as a 'nature journaler'. I think sometimes the technique gets a bit too caught up in layout and design. I'm more of a sketchy scratcher - my sketchbook is full of odds and ends of pencil, pen, watercolour and writing, some pages half-done, some abandoned, some loved to death.
During the workshops, I really enjoyed sharing my love of art and the natural world with others and being able to give each person a way of entering into the world of observation, curiousity and 'slow' journaling. My emphasis was on using writing (for example, asking questions, recording sensory experiences, lists, or weather observations) and not being concerned with the 'right' way to do it, just record your own story, your own experience of this place, this eco-system, this plant.
By the way, I gained some of my skills via the free 6-week online Natural History Illustration course - click HERE for more information.
And now for a few photos, including a few from my sketchbook. I hope that you might get out into nature soon with your sketchbook and pencil. Take a moment or two to give the natural world your full attention. The attention it deserves.
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| Nature Journaling at Boondall Wetlands |
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| Some pages from my sketchbook |
