Challenges of nature journaling

One of the challenges of any nature journaling for the purposes of learning is finding a balance between enjoyment and enlightenment. So far I'm achieving both, but not without some conscious decision-making. This has not been a passive sketching project. There are thousands of species of ferns, from many different groups - many I've never … Continue reading Challenges of nature journaling

Ferns: a continuation of a visual journal

I have an appreciation for the diversity and charm of ferns, but I'm not a botanist, so defining their form isn't always easy - understanding their taxonomy and phylogeny even less so, but that matters less to me than the act of journaling. My homage to ferns is mostly meditative, and it is lovely to … Continue reading Ferns: a continuation of a visual journal

Fern journal continued

Here’s another two pages from the fern journal. I’m loving this journal and can’t wait to see it filled. Ferns from Eupodium and Marattia genera Right now the ferns are fairly easy to draw, but harder ones with more more complex leaves are coming, especially ferns with tripinnate and bipinnate-pinnatifid leaves. Each new fern brings … Continue reading Fern journal continued

Soup and sketchbooks

It’s a cool and rainy Easter weekend here in south-east Queensland. Perfect days for soup, sketchbooks, reading and getting cosy with canines. Each day I try to add a little more to one of my many sketchbooks. Most of them are themed; they all have purpose, and much of the time my mood dictates which … Continue reading Soup and sketchbooks

Sketch to understand: Ferns and more ferns

I'm only on the second two page spread, but already I'm thinking this might be a multi-volume project. There is so much to learn. Sketching ferns is time-consuming, even for the less complex leaves, but very enjoyable and quickly becoming a favourite side project. From the genus Danaea, Marattiaceae family

Sketch to understand

I’m a huge fan of ferns and sketchbooks in equal measure, but I am often hesitant to draw or paint ferns as they can be quite delicate and complex, not to mention diverse. I recently started a new pen and ink drawing involving ferns, but was finding my lack of confidence was a barrier to … Continue reading Sketch to understand