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Category: Art and Drawing

Tricks, tips, techniques and inspiration for artists.

Flower Symmetry and Foreshortening

Flower Symmetry and Foreshortening

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

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Drawing Ice and Snow on Toned Paper

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

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NJC, Episode 16: Could it be-Using Inference to Explore Mysteries

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

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Live sketching with a Great Horned Owl

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

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How to Draw a Bird, 3/4 view

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

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NJC: Episode 15, Estimating Numbers in Nature

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

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Haiku for Nature Journaling

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

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Tally marks, Colored Pencil Wren, and Gull on Toned Paper

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

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Building a bigger, better, bird brain

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

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NJC: Episode 14, Pace Yourself!

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

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Recent Blog Post Index

  • Flower Symmetry and Foreshortening
  • Drawing Ice and Snow on Toned Paper
  • NJC, Episode 16: Could it be-Using Inference to Explore Mysteries
  • Live sketching with a Great Horned Owl
  • Charlotte Mason and Nature Journaling

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© John Muir Laws 2017