Hi, friends!
I’m feeling the pull of a new season despite the old season trying to linger, and yesterday’s livestream really got me excited about all the new foliage that is about to emerge.
I keep an eye on the tree outside my bedroom window. It has such a lovely seasonal cycle: pink leaves that fall way late spring to reveal bright green, which in turn fall away in autumn to reveal fire orange and bright burgundy red leaves. In winter that tree is an energetic calligraphic line at the end of my garden. Right now it has a rusty haze as new buds have formed and are waiting for warmer temperatures to signal it’s time.
I’m seeing that same haze on most of the trees across my area — mostly on the birch. Such an exciting time of year!
Livestream Notes
Book Recommendations (Time Stamp 00:37)
The highlighted texts are my favorites; the others are interesting and inspirational.
The Art Of Botanical Drawing by Agathe Ravet-Haevermans
Botany For The Artist by Sarah Simblet
John Ruskin And The Victorian Eye by Susan P. Casteras, et al.
Plants And Their Application To Ornament by Eugène Grasset, et al.
A Trail Through Leaves: The Journal as a Path to Place by Hannah Hinchman
Basic Plant Anatomy (15:12)
I highly recommend creating a field guide with plant anatomy that you tuck into your journal to refer to when drawing in the field. It’s so helpful at the beginning to lean into your notes, and eventually you will have it stored in your memory so you won’t need it as much (or at all).
Block In/Sketch (22:28)
Just record basic shapes, angles, and the relationships between elements to get a good sense of your plant’s proportions. Use a pencil or a pen, and resist the urge to erase. Just work very lightly at first.
Drawing With Pen (30:33)
When you see a line you like or are sure of, darken it. Your lighter sketching lines will seem disappear, I promise!
Painting (1:01.28)
I work in watercolor, so I work light to dark and in many layers. It’s a slow medium so it gives you plenty of time to observe, write notes, etc, before adding more.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s livestream. If you are new to Cricklewood Nature Journal or nature journaling, you may like my recent series of Notes to celebrate Earth Day. The series is full of activities to help your nature journal journey in the outdoors. Happy Spring!
xoSusannah
P.S. Keep scrolling for this week’s prompt.
P.P.S. What’s on my easel this week? Keep scrolling to find out!
P.P.P.S. Join this episode’s chat to share your journal pages, your thoughts, and cheer on others!
Wonder-Filled Wednesday
Every Wednesday at 1:30pm Eastern US time (Time Converter), we marvel in our nature journals together — draw along with me or just watch, ask questions, etc. Livestreams are hosted on Notes for everyone, and recorded/archived for paid subscribers.
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Prompt And Extra References For Practice
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