Sunday, January 2, 2011

Keeping a Nature Journal

Last year during the St. Louis Home School Expo I took a couple classes on drawing by Barry Stebbing.  I really enjoyed it.  I went right out and bought a few art supplies including a good drawing pencil, a drawing pen, watercolor markers, colored pencils, erasers, and a sketch journal.   I must inform you that I am not an expertise artist, far from it.  My drawing skills have a lot to be desired, but they have gotten better. I do believe drawing is like baseball or playing a musical instrument.  The more you practice the better you get.   Though I know my work will never hang in the halls of museums my hope is that one day they will bless the hearts of my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on.  Along with my nature drawings I write.  I write about what I am thinking, how what I am drawing makes me feel,  my hopes and dreams, prayers for my children, favorite quotes, poems and much more. 


One book that has inspired me is The Country Diary of and Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden.  Its a beautiful and exquisitely detailed book.  It is filled with information about history and nature.  As soon as I looked at it I knew that this is what I wanted my nature journal to resemble.  So I've been waiting patiently for January to arrive so I could begin a new journal just like Edith Holden. 





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