Many species of flowers have a simple disk shape with 3,4,5,6 or many petals. Learn how to plot the spacing of the petals for each of these types had how to draw the flower from above or from an angle. When you draw the flower from an angle the petals become foreshortened in surprising ways. Read More
Category: Art and Drawing
Tricks, tips, techniques and inspiration for artists.
Drawing Ice and Snow on Toned Paper
In this workshop, John Muir Laws explores methods of drawing ice and snow phenomena with toned paper and looks at general strategies to help you use toned paper to record values in your nature journal sketches. Read More
NJC, Episode 16: Could it be-Using Inference to Explore Mysteries
You can follow up on a question in many ways. You might look up the answer online or in a book. You might make your own observations to answer the question. You can also use inference to explore questions where the answer can not be directly observed. When we infer, we make predictions, “if this Read More
Live sketching with a Great Horned Owl
Join the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and John Muir Laws to sketch a Great-horned Owl live and up close! We learn about owls and the sanctuary’s mission and practice sketching from live birds. John Muir Laws demonstrates strategies to help you draw owls as they move and turn their heads. Drawing from live birds is a Read More
How to Draw a Bird, 3/4 view
Say goodbye to static bird profile drawings. In this workshop, we explore details of drawing birds from a 3/4 view from the front and rear. Read More
NJC: Episode 15, Estimating Numbers in Nature
What do you do when there are too many to count? Join John Muir Laws and the Nature Journal Connection as we explore ways to accurately estimate numbers as we explore with our nature journal. Read More
Haiku for Nature Journaling
Join Elizabeth Gillogly and host John Muir Laws on the Nature Journal Educator’s Forum to explore how to use Haiku in your journal and classroom. Haiku is a simple form that fits easily into journaling activities and observational experiences. It is a great addition to other journaling modes stands alone as a core activity. Together Read More
Tally marks, Colored Pencil Wren, and Gull on Toned Paper
Join John Muir Laws in the Nature Journal Workshop as he demonstrates a better strategy to make tally marks, how to draw a wren in colors pencil (based on inspiration from the artist Michael Warren), and drawing and painting shadows on a gull with gouache on colored paper. Read More
Building a bigger, better, bird brain
Why is it hard to remember the plumage, songs, and details of the lives of birds? What if there were simple tricks you could use to help you observe more deeply and remember your experiences more vividly. Join John Muir Laws for an investigation into neuroscience and birding skills. How can you get more out Read More
NJC: Episode 14, Pace Yourself!
Learn your pace and you can measure long distances with accuracy and precision. How can you measure the distance between two objects? How can you measure predetermined distance? How can you measure the height of a tree? These skills will allow you to use numbers in your journal in new ways and to measure the Read More