Books and Inspiration
POETRY
Egrets - by Judith Wright
Once as I travelled through a quiet evening,
I saw a pool, jet-black and mirror-still.
Beyond, the slender paperbarks stood crowding;
each on its own white image looked its fill,
and nothing moved but thirty egrets wading -
thirty egrets in a quiet evening.
Once in a lifetime, lovely past believing,
your lucky eyes may light on such a pool.
As though for many years I had been waiting,
I watched in silence, till my heart was full
of clear dark water, and white trees unmoving,
and, whiter yet, those thirty egrets wading.
Websites
Some websites that will help inspire you and your nature journaling
A leading figure in the nature journaling movement, John Muir Laws is an artist, naturalist, educator, scientist, and the author of The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling, among other books. His web site includes a blog archive with hundreds of hours of free video tutorials on his blog on a variety of topics including how to draw, nature journaling tools, and more, as well as many free step-by-step tutorials. He also has a free downloadable nature journaling curriculum for teachers and homeschooling families. On his site, you can also learn more about and join the Nature Journal Club, a Facebook group with more than 10,000 members around the world who are dedicated to sharing ideas and supporting each other in the practice of nature journaling.
Bethan Burton is an artist and environmental educator based in Brisbane, Australia. She created Journaling With Nature as a way to share her nature journaling passion with others. She uses pen and watercolour to create finely detailed depictions of natural subjects and often draws what she sees through a microscope or loupe. On her website you will find examples of her journal pages, blog and resources to get you started with nature journaling. Bethan leads journaling workshops for professional development groups, teachers, families and children.
Alex Boon is an artist and writer based by the sea in East Devon, southwest UK. He is interested in “deep immersion” into a landscape, through insight meditation practice conducted on long walks on the area’s many footpaths. He creates written and illustrated descriptions of the local countryside and is currently working on an illustrated book about his experience of the landscape of East Devon and West Dorset.
www.fionasongbird.com/naturalist.html
Fiona Gillogly, age 16, is an avid artist, birder, nature journaler, writer, musician, actor, and passionate advocate for nature. She spends time daily in the wild lands near her California home, and she loves to look for mysteries in nature and explore them in the pages of her journal. Since she began nature journaling at the age of 13, she has created nearly 2,000 pages in her journal. Fiona has given talks on nature and nature journaling at Environmental Volunteers, the Central Valley Birding Symposium, Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference, and CSU Chico. On her site, you can see some examples of her nature journal pages and watch videos of some of her talks.
Drawn Into Nature is a website created by Jules Woolford. It is a personal response to the natural world, where she seeks to encourage people to engage with nature, and especially, the natural world on their own doorsteps.
Her main tool is her illustrated nature journal. Through sharing her wildlife encounters and experiences she hope to inspire others to begin their own journal; and help people experience the joy of connecting with, and caring for, our amazing natural world.
www.juliabausenhardt.com/courses
Julia Bausenhardt is an inspirational watercolour artist who has developed a series of online classes to teach and encourage others to keep a nature journal. On her website you will find classes on drawing birds, painting clouds, beginning a nature journal, as well as nature journaling during different seasons of the year. Each course has around 1.5 hours of video demonstrations, and features one or more practical sketching projects so you can practice what you’ve just learnt and will walk away with a result.
Artist and educator Jean Mackay has been exploring nature and sharing its beauty and diversity with others for more than 20 years. Working in all kinds of settings, from tide pools to farm fields to museums, Jean’s watercolor paintings and journals reflect a keen eye for detail and profound sense of wonder. Her blog, Drawn In, shares the ordinary, yet extraordinary things that she encounters close to home and farther afield.
Marley has been has been teaching nature journaling for five years. In addition to his excursions in California, he has also nature journaled in the Ecuadorean Amazon and cloud forest, the Serengeti, and the seasonally dry tropical forests of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Marley lives in Sebastopol, California where he practices gardening, wildlife tracking, birding, and painting. He strives for a reintegration of art with science, a synthesis that he develops in his journaling and teaching. Nature journaling has been a fundamental practice for Marley ever since he discovered how it improved his observation and learning.
https://cambsnaturenotes.blogspot.com
This is the blog of Sharon Williamson who shares her love of nature and her adventures in the wild nature of Cambridgeshire, England. Inspired by the natural world, she enjoys drawing, sketching, journalling, painting, photography and printmaking
www.lilyandthistle.com/category/nature-study/nature-journaling
Hannah Stevenson runs Lily and Thistle, a hub for mothers who want to bring more creativity into their days and their family life. On her website you will find a blog packed full of creative inspiration for your family. There are also step-by-step tutorials to walk you through painting natural subjects, such as acorns, holly, mushrooms, snails and more.
www.ExploringOverland.com/field-arts-intro
Roseann Hanson is an author, naturalist, and explorer who has been keeping nature journals for 40 years—her newest book is Nature Journaling for a Wild Life, an 8-week “workshop in a book” that includes 60 pages of watercolor journal paper, weekly lesson plans, tips, and resources. Roseann has authored a dozen natural history and outdoor books, including the Southern Arizona Nature Almanac and San Pedro River: A Discovery Guide, both of which include her nature journal data and art. She loves sharing her passion for art and science communications.
Fay Merritt Iseminger is an artist living in the Pacific Northwest, USA. She works primarily with ink and watercolor in handmade sketchbooks that she binds herself. Her work includes sketches of her beloved garden, birds, nature and things she wants to remember from her daily life, along with inspiring quotes and tidbits from books she has read. She believes sketching builds awareness of the world around us; is a fun way to strengthen focus and is wonderful therapy!
Paula Peeters combines art, science and nature to produce resources that inspire and educate. Her book “Make a Date with Nature: An introduction to nature journaling” can be downloaded from her website.
www.scratchmadejournal.com/nature-journaling
Scratchmade Journal is a website full of inspiration for those interested in connecting with the natural world through art. You will find tutorials on how to paint myriad natural subjects, including mushrooms, trees, landscapes, seascapes and much more. Tonya has also curated resources for nature study and nature journaling with children.
Kelly Johnson is an artist, author and nature journaling guide. She leads journaling and gardening workshops, offers courses and more! Her blogs are full of activities for the whole family to connect with nature and the world around them.