I have always felt at my happiest when I am outside in nature. There has been so much written about the mental health benefits of being in green space and speaking from personal experience, I find that however stressful my day has been, an hour or so outside just quietly observing and I feel calmer and less anxious. Combine this with a sketchbook and it becomes a truly mindful and meditative experience.
There is so much inspiration to be had from nature as an artist – I don’t think that I have ever stepped outside with a sketchbook and not come back with a kernel of something special. Here are my top tips for finding inspiration in nature.
Sketch what is in season
One of the joys of changing seasons is the shift in colours, light quality and flora and fauna that it brings. There is a constant flow and sometimes even a couple of days can bring a change. A wonderful exercise is to find a quiet spot – perhaps a corner of your garden or a local park or churchyard, and revisit it regularly. Observe the changing colour palette, the tone of the light (cool or warm?), the soundscape and the smells and record them in your sketchbook. What plants are growing there? What birds can you hear? What insects can you see? Even in the depths of winter when at a first glance it appears devoid of life there will be something different to see and sketch and it really makes you appreciate your surroundings when you focus like this. I think it’s really important not to think of sketching outside as a fair weather activity – get wrapped up and get outside regardless of the season!
Focus on patterns and textures
Nature is full of patterns – bark textures, leaf shapes, seed cases, flower shapes, berries… Use these patterns to create detailed studies. I love to compare the different bark patterns of different trees and to try and understand why they are so different – the papery bark of a silver birch compared with the deep ridges on an oak tree for example. Close observation like this really helps you to connect with the natural world on a deeper level.
Pick an object like a pine cone, feather or tree bark and study it closely – sketch the lines and curves of its texture and observe how they form naturally intricate patterns. This exercise is excellent for honing detail-oriented skills.
Embrace movement through wildlife observations
One of the great challenges and pleasures of drawing in nature is that it is constantly moving – capturing this motion is one of the trickiest skills to master. Try making a series of very quick sketches to capture the essence of animal movements – focus on the rough shapes and forms without getting too worried about the detail – sometimes I will go back afterwards and fill in the detail – the key is to observe the shapes associated with the movements. This exercise really helps you to understand the energy and dynamics of capturing wildlife and will add something really special to your work that can’t be replicated by working from still images.
Use nature’s colour palette as inspiration
The colours you find in nature are far more nuanced than they appear at first glance. Pick a colour, green for example, and observe how many different shades there are. Look at what difference it makes depending on where the light falls – how can you capture this using watercolour? This is also a great exercise in mixing colour. Give yourself a restricted palette – for example ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow and crimson red. Try to capture the different greens by mixing different amounts of each colour and observe how the colours interact. These colour studies are incredibly useful references that can inform your paintings later on.
Document shapes and silhouettes
Nature is a rich source of shapes from angular lines of tree branches to soft curves in the landscape. These shapes can help to create interest within your art. Pick a day when the light is casting strong shadows and use the contrast to help you create silhouettes. I love to look up amongst the branches of a tree and really observe the shapes that are created. Look at how the shadows create form and shape and try to capture this in your sketches.
Nature can offer endless inspiration and connecting with it through art can be a humbling process. Take a sketchbook, find a quiet spot and let the beauty of the natural world help to shape your creativity, and above all enjoy it!
EXPLORE NATURE...
Our wildlife journal is ideal for capturing your adventures in nature. Click here to take a look.