Why Nature Journal?
- It's a great tool to spend time in nature and observe the world.
- You can experience and document an event in nature.
- Why not just take pictures?
- Photography creates only an image, while journaling provides the opportunity to create an image plus documentation of what you learned and experienced.
- Nature journaling tells a story, and can describe senses beyond sight.
Types of Drawing/Journaling Exercises:
Day-to-day observations
Pick one spot, and try to visit it for several days in a row at the same time. Write or draw what you see there! Use your senses to make observations about what has changed! Focus on using as many senses as you can- touch, listen, sight, and smell!
Contour Drawing
Pick a point an object (tree, flower, etc). Place your pen on the paper and draw the object following that line without looking at your paper or the drawing until finished. What kind of lines did you discover in your object?
Poetry
Using verse can be a great way to express the way you experience nature! Remember, not all poems have to rhyme!
Photographs
Photos can be a great supplement to your journal, particularly when used with writing describing the image in the photo.
Memory drawing
Pick an object and observe it without drawing for at least a minute. Then, turn away from it and try drawing it without looking at the object.Once you have drawn it, look at the object again, and see what details you may have missed the first time. You can go back and alter or re-draw the object as many times as you want! See what new observations you might find!
This comes in handy when observing live animals- you can watch them, and then draw it from memory once they have moved!
Rubbings
Use a crayon to make rubbings of leaves, bark, or other things you find! Almost anything can be a nature journal! A spiral-bound notebook, a purchased sketchbook, or even a book made of scrap paper!
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