Are you a nature journaling beginner? So is Emily. That’s why she was surprised when I asked her to be on the Nature Journal Show. However, I think it is really important to get the perspective of new nature journalers. As it turns out, Emily had some surprising nuggets of wisdom to share and great art supply recommendations! Someone who has been nature journaling for a long time is not always the best teacher or motivator for people who are just getting started. In fact, some of my best and most popular interviews have been with nature journal newbies. In this article, I will share some of the lessons from the interview.
What her ideal nature journaling outing looks like…
Emily is not yet comfortable sketching in the field. Because of that she actually takes photos outdoors and then works on her pages at home. Her attention is mostly focused on her nearby nature and helping her learn more about the plants and animals in her neighborhood. Because of this practice she has already observed interesting things that most people don’t notice. For example she noticed that one Ginko tree had a different color pattern on the leaves than any of the others. See her nature journal page below. If you like the look of this goauche page be sure to check out the supply list below.
Art Supplies for a Nature Journaling Beginner
People who are just getting started always want to know about supplies. Actually, intermediate and advanced nature journalers do too! Let’s look at some of the supplies that Emily uses.
- Gouache Paint Set: Everyone in the live show was wowed by her colors. It turns out she uses this very affordable set of Gouache. You can see it here.
- Pencils: Emily uses a variety of pencils including mechanical and regular. I forgot to ask her which kind. When I was getting started with nature journaling I used these very dependable mechanical pencils. The eraser actually works well on these ones. Many mechanical pencils have terrible erasers.
- Kneaded Eraser: You didn’t know you needed this. However, they are very useful. Especially if you are trying not to damage your paper. They are also fun to play with. Here is my favorite one because it has a case.
- Non-Photo Blue Pencil: John Muir Laws uses a non-photo blue pencil. Most people know that. These erasable pencils are used for the under-drawing. You use the blue pencil to get the basic shape and then you draw or paint over that. Emily uses this one.
- Micron Pens: Lots of beginners and advanced journalers use micron pens. These pens have permanent ink, come in a variety of sizes and are dependable. In addition they are relatively affordable. You can see a whole set of sizes here.
- Toned Paper Sketchbook: Even beginners want their pages to pop with color. One trick is to use toned paper. Even if you are a total newbie this can help. Emily uses this Strathmore Sketchbook with tan colored paper. Alternatively, you could use this one by Stillman and Birn that has three different colors of toned paper all in one!
How not to get too precious with your first nature journal…
Buying art supplies is the easy part. Now you have to actually use them. One common mistake for nature journaling beginners is to get precious about your sketchbook. Did you buy the beautiful toned paper sketchbook mentioned above? Are you now afraid to make marks in it? Don’t worry you are not alone. In fact, this same thing happens to advanced nature journalers as well. Luckily, Emily shared a great tip for solving this dilemma. Simply use multiple sketchbooks! She had three! First, is one for total warmups and mark-making experiments. Next, is one for drawing practice. Lastly, she has one for more polished paintings. The polished ones are the ones you see on her Instagram. Check out her Instagram and follow her progress here.
Do you still need more help getting started with nature journaling?
Regardless of your experience, we got you right here. Below are links to some super resources for beginner nature journalers.
