Observing & Recording · Visual Arts & Making
Nature Journaling
Draw it, date it, place it, and whether it looks good is beside the point
A notebook, a pen, and three rules: draw it, write the date and place, note the weather. The difference from sketching is purpose, because nobody needs a good picture — the point is standing in front of one thing for ten extra minutes, and drawing surfaces detail a photograph lets you skip. After some years it becomes a local record of the seasons.
First stepTake a notebook to a nearby park, stand in front of one tree for ten minutes, draw a single leaf, and write the date, place and weather.
Barriers
Cost to start
Free
Going deep → $50–300
Alone or with people
On your own
Effort
Light
Without a teacher?
Self-taught
One session takes
1–2 hours
Where
Outdoors, free
Why people take it up