How to Nature Journal Tidepools in Costa Rica

I have done lots of nature journaling in tidepools in California but right now I’m going to show you how to nature journal tidepools in Costa Rica!….Did I mention I will be leading a nature journaling tour to Costa Rica in 2022? Sign up to my Patreon for more info. www.patreon.com/MarleyPeifer

1.  In the first place, get comfortable. As you know, I like the super comfy Joey Chair. Obviously, you want to get comfortable somewhere you can see lot of stuff from.
2. In order to capture the essence of the place we will start with a landscapito or scene. Overall this is the best way to get the feeling of a place and is especially useful when you are traveling.
3. Next, we will start with one of three nature journaling techniques. Either a collection, a joint comparison, or else a curiosity wander.
4. If you see something outside the tidepools/rockpools that looks really cool definitely capture it in your nature journal!

Pro Tips for How to Nature Journal Tidepools

1. Look for portable objects that you can take back to the hotel and nature journal later.
2. Regardless of whether you are nature journaling in Costa Rica or not it is always good to have a back up plan in case it starts raining.
3. Ideally, you should be able to do a compelling watercolor scene with a good value range in one pass while also knowing how to build your values up with multiple washes.
4. In case you have to nature journal in moist or wet conditions (rain, waves splashing, wet hands etc) try the Prismacolor Ebony Pencil. Even though I use waterproof ink tools they can get messed up by droplets of water on the page. The Prismacolor Ebony Pencil however, is great in these conditions.

5. Practice making quick simplified drawings of creatures for creating collections. Paula Peeters does the best example of this that I have seen. For example the collection of birds below. How could you apply this technique to marine invertebrates you find in the tidepools and rockpools of the intertidal zone?

Supplies for Nature Journaling in Tidepools

Here are the links to some of the products in this video (I get a small percentage if you buy using these links)
Joey Travel Chair I was using: https://amzn.to/3mVfPsY
My Sketchbook: https://amzn.to/3mUuT9fu
Close Focus Binoculars: https://amzn.to/3dS4zs0
Pilot Futayaku Gray and Black Brush pen: https://amzn.to/3deM4yV

Prismacolor Ebony Pencils: https://amzn.to/3wrppHG
Pentel Waterbrush Large: https://amzn.to/3v0gLyb
Watercolor Palette: https://johnmuirlaws.com/product/custom-watercolor-palette/ ( I don’t get a percentage for this one but John Muir Law’s palette is the best art supply investment I have ever made!)

Just getting started with nature journaling?

Need more tips? If so, check out this post. It will walk you through how to nature journal in 10 steps.

Need help choosing nature journaling supplies? Check out Nature Journaling Supplies: What You Need and What You Do Not

Check out my Patreon for special access: www.patreon.com/MarleyPeifer
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