A nature journal, or nature sketchbook, is an illustrated journal for creatively recording your observations and experiences with nature.
You don’t need to be a scientist, naturalist, or artist — it’s for anyone!
Throughout the Garden today there will be prompts of ideas for drawings in these sketchbooks.
We invite you to record what the Garden means to you.
When adding an entry to your nature journal, consider starting with these prompts:
“I notice” “I wonder” and “It reminds me of”...
Nature Journals are made of:
Pictures
• Artist’s Sketchbook
• Portraits, diagrams, maps, comics, landscapes, color studies
Words
• Writer’s Journal
• Observations, poems, memories, hypotheses, notes, memories
Numbers
• Naturalist’s Log
• Measurements, estimates, ratios, lists, metadata: time, date, weather, location, elevation…
Measure a plant with your body. When you draw the plant in your nature journal, make a note of how tall it is compared to you.
You can even add a picture of yourself in comparison — stick figures are fine! About knee height? Almost as tall as you?
When you draw that item in your journal, make a note of its size.
As long as your hand? As wide as your thumb?
Zoom in, Zoom Out
Pick a small part of a plant to focus on. “Zoom in” and draw only that portion.
Draw it big enough to see all the details.
Look for these shapes in the Garden.
Draw something simplified by only using these shapes.
Shapes in Nature Cont.
Drawing something complicated? Try breaking it down visually into different basic shapes.
Draw those shapes very lightly. Use these light shapes to guide the rest of your drawing.
A rain drop + A gumdrop
Triangles + the number 11
A squished bean + the letter C + a long raindrop
Add details and colors
Erase the edges of the shapes. Smooth out the lines between shapes
OMG it looks just like me!
Draw all around you.
Draw something in front of you for a two to four minutes.
Then make a quarter-turn and draw what you see in that direction.
Do this four times, until you have drawn whatever is in front of you in all four directions.
What can you draw that reminds you of the word “Alive” ?
Resilient
What can you put in your nature journal that is “Resilient” ?
Can you find something to draw that represents “Fragile” ?
