Join John Muir Laws and naturalist David Lukas for a glimpse at the fascinating structure and function of composite flowers found in the sunflower family. These are the most common flowers in the world so learning how to understand and draw these classic flower shapes will be a valuable addition to your naturalist sketchbook. David Read More
Category: Drawing Plants and Flowers
Tips, tricks, and techniques to help you draw plants and flowers.
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
How to Draw Curling Leaves
In this “Ask Jack” session, John Muir Laws (Jack) examines “leaves doing yoga”, or how to draw leaves that are curling or otherwise not flat. Read More
Gaining Confidence in Journaling
Join me for a workshop on different ways that we can find confidence in our journals, focusing on curiosity instead of creating pretty pictures. This was part of a series of workshops during International Nature Journaling Week. Read More
Ask Jack: Queen Anne’s Lace
In this session of Ask Jack, we look at how to draw a compound umbel of flowers. Read More
Rendering Treebark Textures
Join John Muir Laws in exploring how to render treebark textures. Read More
How to Draw Mushrooms
Join John Muir Laws, the Brower Center, and Bay Nature Magazine for a workshop on how to draw Mushrooms, focusing on structure and foreshortening. Read More
Nature Journaling in the Pantry
Enjoy this introduction to nature journaling with John Muir Laws and the Sonoma Land Trust. John presents basic techniques and tips to help you get in the right mindset to begin your nature journaling journey. Watch as he explores a sprouting onion from the pantry. Sometimes you find mystery and surprises in the familiar objects 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
NJC, Episode 23: Make your own Nature Collection
Have you ever made a collection of natural objects? Why not put one in your journal? Making a collection of similar found objects is a great way to focus your observations and to prime your brain for new discoveries! Read More