In this “Ask Jack” session, John Muir Laws demonstrates how yellow plays with other colors in both colored pencils and in watercolors. (Aug 2021) Please note: if you are watching this recording on YouTube, auto-generated subtitles are available if you select for CC. Read More
Category: Art Technique
Drawing Moss and Lichen
In this “Ask Jack” session (Feb. 2022), John Muir Laws demonstrates how to render moss, lichen, and moss-like textures. Read More
Drawing Denmark
In this “Ask Jack” session, we draw a landscapito of a field in Denmark, courtesy of participant Valters. John Muir Laws demonstrates how to render grass textures using some neat tricks, as well as how to create depth in your landscapito. Read More
Africa Series: Giraffe
You should see the view from up here! Learn to understand and draw giraffes. Appreciating the skeletal structure of a giraffe will help you understand and draw these magnificent animals. Also, learn a fast and easy trick to help you paint that crazy pattern with watercolors. The giraffe skeleton worksheet for the class can be Read More
Africa Series: Artiodactyla
Let’s explore Artiodactyls. Animals with cloven hooves are diverse and fun to sketch, from deer, to antelope, to cows and buffalo. Let’s understand their anatomy to help us draw them in the field. To download the Artiodactyl worksheet, please go to this link: https://johnmuirlaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Artiodactyls.pdf Read More
Value Studies with Watercolor and Tombow
Let’s use a brush to create our values. Learn techniques with monochromatic watercolor and Tombow brush pens to create fast value studies. Bring paper brushes, watercolor, and gray value Tombow pens. Try an N95 (lightest), N75 (light), and an N65 (dark). Download and print the lion skull worksheet here: https://johnmuirlaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Lion-Skull-line.pdf Read More
Watercolor Special Effects
Learn a smorgasbord of watercolor tricks and hacks to get cool textures and effects. Read More
The Cold Canyon Fire Journals
Join Robin Lee Carlson and John Muir Laws in a discussion of nature journaling in the aftermath of a wildfire. When the nature reserve at Cold Canyon went up in flames—a casualty of California’s raging fire seasons—Robin Lee Carlson embarked on a five-year journey to learn the legacy of the burn. What she saw challenged Read More
NJC, Episode 38: Fast Sketching Tips
Learn fast, fun, easy, low-cost, techniques that can improve your field sketches and nature journaling. Here are a handful of techniques that you can experiment with. If you like one of these approaches, add the new materials to your nature journaling kit. How can you use a brush with water-soluble pens, a pencil blender, or Read More
Drawing Iridescent Birds
In this “Ask Jack” session, John Muir Laws deep-dives into rendering iridescence on birds, including hummingbirds, ducks, and cormorants. Read More