Enjoy this workshop from the 2021 Charlotte Masson Global Conference. The Charlotte Mason System is a rich homeschooling program that integrates journaling as part of a student’s broad education. Click here to watch the workshop on Vimeo. Read More
Blog
Linear Perspective
Learn how to show depth in your drawings with linear perspective. We will explore one-, two-, and three-point perspectives and the basics of how to use vanishing points to create the illusion of depth in rectilinear objects. Please access and print the perspective grids here: https://johnmuirlaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Perspective-Grids.pdf Read More
Oh My Gouache! Part 1
Gouache, an opaque watercolor, has wonderful practical uses but also its own challenges. In this workshop, we will learn Jack’s gouache system and learn how to set up our own gouache palette. What paints should I use? How can I avoid the paints cracking and falling out of the palette? We recommend that you wait Read More
NJC, Episode 30: Metacognition
Your nature journal can help you understand the way you observe and think. Once you have finished a set of notes in your journal, look again. Are there any other observations, questions, or connections that you can include? Can you summarize the big idea of your page in one sentence? Add titles, subheadings, bold words Read More
NJEF How to Start a Nature Journal Club
Nature Journal Clubs are great ways to build community and skills. You do not need to be an experienced journaler or artist to start one. John Muir Laws will share his thoughts and ideas, and we will crowdsource the educator community for more ideas on starting and sustaining a nature journal club in your area. Read More
Interview on the Night Sky Tourist Podcast
Join me for a lively conversation with Vicky Derkson of the Night Sky Tourist Podcast. Listen here. Read More
How to Draw Block Diagrams
This is going to be fun! Learn how to create landscape block diagrams. These are great ways to explore and visualize landscapes and ecosystems. This system will help you playfully explore and document your discoveries in nature. Read More
Stems, Leaf Arrangement, and Inflorescence
In this Part 5 of botanical illustration, we take a closer look at the way leaves and flowers emerge from the stem. Understanding the arrangement and inflorescence type can help us see patterns when we encounter both familiar and unfamiliar plants, and better draw what we see. Read More
Explore with Master Naturalist David Lukas
Join John Muir Laws and his guest and long-time friend David Lukas as we follow some of David’s journeys and discoveries in beautiful Washington state. A videographer, writer, and naturalist, David shows us slides of some of the cool things he sees out in nature and tells us more about their natural history, as the Read More
NJEF Scientific Visualization and the Moon
In this session of the Nature Journal Educators Forum, we look at visualization as a tool for understanding natural phenomena, using the phases of the moon as a jumping off point. During this session, John Muir Laws mentions a previous class taught by Amy Schleser, called “Doodling Diagrams”. To see a recording of that class, Read More