Go wild with a nature journal

How art can cultivate curiosity and a deeper love of the natural world

By Mark Newton

Lederman Trainee

Whether you’re a casual doodler or a professional artist, creating a nature journal can be a hugely fulfilling way to chart your experiences in the natural world. In this blog, I share some advice on making your own nature diary, and offer insights into how this hobby can strengthen your connection to nature.

For as long as I’ve been able to hold a pencil, animals and landscapes have inspired me to create art. But it’s only since the start of my job as a trainee with Sussex Wildlife Trust in November 2021 that I’ve regularly filled the pages of a nature journal. Once I began journaling the things I experienced in nature, I became more curious and observant each time I stepped outdoors.

Nature journals by definition are illustrated records of thoughts and observances in nature. While most nature journals are eclectic compilations of anything seen and experienced in the natural world, many artists and journalists also have a focus, filling their books with just wildflowers or species from a particular location. The subject of my book has shifted with the seasons, from autumn fungi to spring flowers, and rutting Sika Deer to nesting Jackdaws. As my traineeship has progressed and I’ve reawakened my passion for ornithology, my journal has developed a distinctly avian theme. Let your love of nature guide the creation of your journal.

A nature journal can be compiled in whatever way you like. It can be a book filled purely with artwork, or a combination of sketches and writing. Some journal-writers love text-heavy pages, with only small drawings to accompany their prose. I prefer a balance between the two. Deciding to include a particular species motivates me to read up about it, and include some written facts and personal anecdotes alongside the artwork. You don’t have to be good at art to produce a nature journal; Above all, it is a process, and an act of exploration and play, with the focus on the experience and thoughts rather than an end result.

Choosing when and where to draw in your journal really shapes the look of it. Your drawings could be swiftly rendered while out in the field, in response to fleeting glimpses of animals seen, or carefully drawn from photography once you’re in the comfort of your home. The pages of my nature journal are filled at my desk indoors, collaged from drawings I’ve produced over a few days, and accompanied by my written thoughts and observations. I’ll typically choose to draw an animal I’ve spotted while out and about, then use my own photos or other images found online to accurately render the details. Drawing from memory is actually quite a challenge for me, but I think copying from photos or even other illustrations is a great way to develop your own style of art.

The materials you choose for creating a journal depend only on personal preference and the time you’d like to spend making it. Some artists paint or draw directly into their journals, often out in the field, which is achievable when using quick-drying materials such as watercolours, inks or pencils. Others use collage or paint that takes longer to dry, building their journals up layer by layer over time. Be experimental, and take the time to discover which media you prefer. As you get more familiar with a certain tool or material, you’ll become more skilful and take greater pleasure in the things you create. Patience is key!

I’d like to finish with some thoughts on the value of nature journaling, especially for the naturalist and nature-lover. Drawing the things I saw, felt, smelt and heard helped me to remember them better. I began to notice subtleties in their form and colour, and even recall facts about their lifestyle and behaviour. Creatures I thought I was familiar with from an early age suddenly surprised me with features I’d never noticed until I drew them. The act of attentive, quiet observation helps us to develop curiosity and concentration, and fixes a moment into our memory. Capturing a species as a sketch on a page rewards us with a deeper knowledge of it, and our attentiveness cultivates a greater love for it.

With all this in mind, I encourage you to create your own nature journal, whether for 30 days of wildness or a lifetime of exploring nature. There’s a whole world out there to discover and draw.

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