Jack Hobe Nature Art

Keeping a notebook or sketchbook of observations and questions about the natural world is a practice used by the great founders of modern science and natural history (including Audubon, Da Vinci, Peterson and more) to learn more about their subjects and think of revolutionary ideas. You, too, can record the flora and fauna around you using a notebook and pencil – your ability to observe carefully and teach yourself about unfamiliar subjects will develop immensely, as will your creative and artistic skill set! Anybody can start their own nature journal or nature sketchbook – no previous artistic or scientific experience needed. This page will help you learn about the basics of nature journaling and how you can get started.

What is Nature Journaling?

Nature journaling can be defined as the practice of documenting your nature observations, inquiries and musings in a notebook through writing, images and quantification (see this page by the Wild Wonder Foundation). Keeping a nature journal or nature sketchbook is a fun and creative way to deepen your engagement with and appreciation for the natural world, beyond simply taking things in through passive observation or snapping a quick photo on your phone.

Most nature journalers use three major prompts or activities for looking more closely:

• Active observation through drawing, writing and numerical information (sometimes called ‘I Notice’)
• Asking questions about your subject (also known as ‘I Wonder’)
• Making connections to past observations (or, ‘It Reminds Me Of’).

Each of these tools works together with the other two, and each provides different “lenses” for learning more about nature. I usually start with observing my subject, then ask questions and make connections based off of my initial observations.

Nature journaling incorporates several ways of translating your thoughts onto paper. Three major ones are:

• Images – can be in the form of a drawing, diagrams, maps, fun icons and even photographs if you’re short on time (although this last option does not engage your brain as much as physical pen-on-paper methods). Drawing especially is a huge element of nature journaling because it forces you to look closely at your subject’s form, features and anatomy in order to represent it on a two-dimensional surface.
• Writing – includes paragraphs, short written notes, poetry, etc. Easier to record some things (e.g. behaviors, processes, complex subjects) with writing rather than drawing
• Quantification – refers to numbers-based observations such as counting, measurements, timing, graphs, and plots. Numbers can help to record numerical information that isn’t captured by drawing or writing, and can also represent large datasets in a digestible manner.

Using all three of these methods to document your outdoor adventures helps to fully involve your brain in journaling. Keeping a nature journal is as much ‘brain exercise’ as anything else!

What if I Don’t Have Artistic Talent or Experience?

You do not need to already be an artist to start keeping your own nature notebook. For beginners, it’s best to favor an observation method that is more comfortable for you on your page- for example, use mostly writing with a little doodle here and there if you’re not a regular drawer. I encourage you to start trying to draw things in addition to writing about them, even if your drawings are rudimentary or don’t look exactly like your subject. You will improve at drawing with practice and repetition, just like any other skill (think about how many times you fell on your bike before you figured it out!). You can become good at using art as a way to observe things even if you don’t currently have the experience or talent, as long as you keep at it and draw regularly. I also recommend finding online or book-based tutorials on drawing and sketching nature that will jumpstart your journey as you learn this new skill. I teach several online and in-person classes each year that help you to learn fundamental nature sketching skills – you can sign up here for some of my pre-recorded online classes to get started right now! If you live in the Mid-Atlantic area, view my Events page to see if I’m teaching an in-person class that you can attend this year. Finally, here’s a page of other resources for learning nature sketching techniques compiled by the Wild Wonder Foundation, a great organization dedicated to helping spread the practice of nature journaling.

What do I Need to Get Started?

You can start a nature sketchbook right now! Take a spare notepad or clipboard and pencil and start documenting anything natural that is interesting to you- a houseplant, fruit from the grocery store, the tree outside your window, sparrows at the birdfeeder. Just like any new skill, you will not produce perfect “Instagram-quality” pages right away- it will probably be messy at first. This is a process that takes time to develop, and each nature journaler is always adding new techniques and practices to his or her tool kit. You will be amazed at the new things you notice when you start journaling.

Make It Your Own

One of the most important things to remember about keeping a nature sketchbook is that your journal’s format, process, regularity and look are entirely up to you- there is no one “right” way to do it. Some journalers really like the art side of the practice, leaning mostly on drawing to record things and carrying watercolors or colored pencils with them. Others write beautiful poems about their subject or lean on making detailed paragraphs to express their thoughts. You may find that you like to collage real nature objects on your pages using tape! You don’t necessarily have to journal every day, either. While I have found that a regular habit of getting outside with my sketchbook (about once or twice a week) helps me to stay in the zone and grow in my practice, a different schedule may work for you (just keep in mind that the more regularly you get outside with your sketchbook, the faster you will grow in your proficiency). Some journalers (like me) were already interested in nature through birding or gardening, and picked up journaling as a way to look more closely at their subjects. Feel free to incorporate journaling into your current outdoor focuses or interests!

Supplies for Nature Journaling

The bare minimum supplies needed to start nature journaling are a clipboard with paper or a rigid notepad or sketchbook from the craft store, and a basic mechanical pencil or ballpoint pen. However, you may eventually find that more art-friendly tools help you to work better while journaling. Here’s some supplies I keep in my personal sketching kit.

• Sketchbook: An artist-oriented sketchbook, like those produced by Canson and Strathmore, will have nicer paper that takes pencil and paint better and is more durable. Spiral-bound sketchbooks with paper covers tend to fall apart over time- try and find a durable hardbound sketchbook like this one from Strathmore (Blick affiliate link). I also highly recommend this sketchbook designed by a naturalist and field guide author with the nature journaler in mind. The stretchy band keeps pages from flopping in the wind, while the last few pages have helpful tips for drawing and journaling. This notebook is my personal favorite.
• Pencil/Pen: A reliable mechanical pencil like the Pentel Twist-erase series (Blick affiliate link) will produce consistent lines with fewer lead breaks. If you prefer to work in pen, try the Bic Atlantis or, for the best ink flow, refillable higher-end pens like those made by Parker. Fiber-tip art pens give wonderful line variation with no blobbing – I like this one by Tombow (Blick affiliate link). A note on pencil vs. pen: while I love the soft, detailed lines of a pencil, I personally have found that ballpoint pens produce darker, more forceful lines that show up better in sunlight, and don’t smudge easily like graphite. Each journaler has their own preference on these tools.
• Non-photo Blue Pencil: You may be wondering why this seemingly random tool is included in this list. However, a really light pencil turns out to be extremely useful for blocking in the macro-information before putting in more decisive, detailed lines. Getting the overall form and shape of your subject right before committing to details helps immensely for avoiding problems in your drawing later on. Many artists use this trick, and if you rely a lot on drawings to show what you are seeing, the Prismacolor Col-erase Non-photo Blue copy-not 20028 pencil (Blick affiliate link) is your best bet. This specific product works best for making light lines before your main drawing, which then fade away underneath darker details without need for erasing.
• Journaling Bag: Most nature journalers find that their supplies are too bulky to fit in their pocket or hold in the hand, especially if you use binoculars. A backpack could work, but is hard to get to when you need your stuff quickly. I have found that an over-the-shoulder bag that sits down at the waist keeps my tools at my fingertips- most shoulder bags are too small or designed for computers, but the one design that has really worked for me is this dedicated nature journaling bag made in the USA by a small business in Maine. The bag’s durable fabric, comfortable strap, waterproof zippers and numerous pockets all make it the best bag for journalers out there, in my opinion. If you are able, invest in a good bag for your supplies- it will make journaling much more enjoyable.
• Color Supplies: Some journalers lean towards artistic expression in their journals and want to add color to their pages. Colored pencils are the easiest way to start if you don’t have formal training- try Prismacolor’s sets (Blick affiliate link) for a high-quality but inexpensive way to add color. If you have problems with breakage, Faber-Castell’s colored pencils (Blick affiliate link) are a little pricier but don’t break as much as other brands. Watercolor paints are another good option- they dry quickly and produce beautiful effects, however they can be a frustrating medium without instruction on their use. I use a custom watercolor palette with paints from Daniel Smith, but this is an expensive way to get into watercolors for beginners. A more affordable option is the field palettes made by Windsor and Newton, especially their Cotman Field Travel Set of 24 Half Pans (Blick affiliate link). This palette is great out-of-the-box, but I recommend modifying it a little to get the best bang for your buck. You can learn how to modify this palette in my online Introduction to Watercolors for Field Sketching course. With regards to brushes, I only use a Pentel Large Aquash waterbrush (Blick affiliate link) with water in the handle, which makes transitioning between colors and adding water to a page so much easier.

Do not consider these supplies must-haves for starting a nature journal – they can come later on as you grow in your artistic ability.

Further Resources

Check out the links below to get more info about nature journaling, its main tenets, and tools you can incorporate into your practice.

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International Nature Journaling Week: A yearly event designed to equip journalers with new skills while focusing on an overarching theme. Find out more here: https://www.naturejournalingweek.com/

The Wild Wonder Foundation runs an excellent site that features information on upcoming events as well as materials on journaling techniques: https://www.wildwonder.org/

The Nature Journal Club Facebook Page is a great way to connect virtually with like-minded folks, while also receiving feedback and help with your own journal pages: https://www.facebook.com/groups/232418176925001/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=2503653399801456

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