🌿 "The foundation for a naturalist's learning is curiosity and willingness to pursue learning in many different ways: watching, considering, recording, researching, asking questions." And that is what this book is about. First of all, Clare encourages us to take time noticing the natural world around us, wherever we are - in the backyard, taking stroll in the neighborhood, picnicking outside, or even when doing chores inside your house, take time to see outside your windows. Be curious, and record what interest you in quick sketches, even when you're not quite sure what animal or bird or tree you're looking at. In short, Clare instructs us to be more mindful. Clare always keep her journal very near her, so that if something interesting appears, she could instantly take a quick sketch, to be perfected later on.
🌿 Next, is the main topic, that is, the journaling. Clare gives us detailed instruction and many examples of how to keep a nature journal - what to sketch, what to write, what information to put in. There are steps to draw or sketch, from leaves, flowers, trees, insects, birds, larger animals, to tree and landscape. She also gives full instruction of how to scratch a layout from an object in several seconds. From which we can add the details later, with help from guide books, if necessary. We can use colors for shading, either by using coloring pencils, crayons, or watercolors. In many of her examples, Clare often uses pen too to do shading.
🌿 All in all, this book is a perfect one to get anyone starting nature journaling. It is not overly technical, and Clare is humble enough to encourage anyone, even if one never draws, to try nature journaling. It's not the drawing that matters most, anyway, but the mindfulness and the connection to the natural world. The only drawback, for me personally, is Clare's instruction on seasonal sketching. For someone who lives outside America, or at least the West, these sections are a wasting of time. However, the rest is instructive enough, and it really encouraged me to do the hardest step: to produce the first nature journal. And I have done that on the first day of my Christmas holiday. I have planned to go outdoor every day, but alas, I caught a terrible fever on Christmas Day, followed by intestinal cramps that forced me to rest in bed for several days. But I have achieved the hardest thing - to start the nature journaling - so I'll just repeat it on any weekends ahead.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I love nature journaling. (I have this book, but with a different cover.) You remind that I have wanted to return to doing this. It's been soooooo long. :( And now I live in Florida where it is tropical and teeming with life. I used to journal when I lived in the desert, and it was just brown and dull all year round. I felt the same about seasonal observation because there were very subtle changes in the desert. But truly, nature journaling will teach you to be more observant and even your drawing will surprise you.
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