WHAT IS THE BEST NOTEBOOK FOR JOURNALING?
High-quality notebooks tend to be favorites for everyday journaling. You can always start with what you have on hand (I’m looking at you, stationery stashers!), but it’s a good idea to invest in something that won’t fall apart. I’m exceptionally picky about notebooks, and with good reason. It’s the actual journal, after all!
I had a really hard time picking a favorite brand of notebook, but I have 3 brands I would order again without hesitation. In the photo above, I have a Rhodia Goalbook , Scribbles That Matter Pro (middle), and an A5 Leuchtturm1917. The Leuchtturm1917 was my first love, but it ghosts a bit more than the other two versions. The Rhodia has the best paper, hands-down, but it’s a soft cover and has more ivory paper. The Scribbles That Matter is my new love, but the color choices may be a bit bold for some people.
The one you pick really depends on your preference. Ghosting doesn’t really bother me, but some people can’t stand it. Ivory colored paper can be quite soothing, but some people prefer bright white. Honestly, any of these 3 notebooks will serve you well. There’s a reason I couldn’t pick just one favorite!
Moleskine items are designed in Italy with most of them being printed, stitched, and assembled in China. Since 2008, some components have been manufactured in Volant, Cahiers and Folio hard covers in Turkey, watercolour paper in France, and some components in Vietnam. The paper used in Moleskine products is Forest Stewardship Council certified and acid-free. Since August 2010, all Moleskine products, offered to retailers in California and throughout the world, comply with the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. After concerns in 2008 about PVC traces in some notebooks, all items are now PVC-free.
Created with the nature journalist in mind, The Laws Sketchbook for Nature Journaling hardcover blank journal is the perfect starting point for anyone interested in the practice and joy of getting out, observing, and recording nature
Picadilly is widely available.
WHAT ARE THE BEST PENS FOR JOURNALING?
If you ask 20 people about the best pen for journaling, you’re sure to get 20 different answers. In my opinion, fine felt-tipped pens (artist pens) are ideally suited for everyday doodling, drawing layouts, creating tasks lists. They’re my absolute go-to pens for all my journal-writing needs. Sure, I love a good fountain pen, but they don’t give me the effect I want when using stencils, against a ruler, or for sharp doodled lines. I’ve started reserving my fountain pens for fast note-taking and letter writing.
have a whole jar full of artist pens. There are so many trustworthy companies making these now that I could devote an entire post to comparing them. Instead, I’ll just mention the ones I reach for again and again. Sharpie pens (PENS, not markers. If you get fine-tipped permanent markers, they will bleed through your journal pages) are always floating around my house. They’re easy to find, even in bulk. My absolute favorite pens are the Tombow Mono Drawing Pens, but they’re more expensive and harder to find. Pigma Microns are also a great option. They come in an assortment of sizes, and since they use archival ink, you can use them for a variety of other purposes.
The Zebra Zensations This pen is a key part to a journal kit. You can vary the pressure to change the strength of my line. The ink is water resistant, acid free, and archival quality.
WHICH COLORED PENS and pencils ARE BEST FOR JOURNALING?
have so many colored pens, but I only use two sets with any regularity. Again, you can’t go wrong with either one of these sets. I go back and forth between them, but either one would fulfill all of my journaling needs!
My Staedtler Fineliners (at the bottom of the picture below) are so beloved that I upgraded from my 10-pack to the 42-color set. I’ve gotten a lot of use out of them, and I love having so many colors at my fingertips. They’re very fine, which gives you a lit of control over where the color goes.
Out of sheer curiosity, I also picked up the Tombow TwinTones as soon as they were released. As a general rule, I love Tombow products, so I knew I had to try them! I keep the TwinTones on my desk, and I reach for them daily. These are double-ended planner pens, so each pen has 2 tip sizes to choose from. They come in 2 different sets (Brights and Pastels), so you would need to buy them both to get a full spectrum of colors. Compared with the Staedtlers, this ends up being the more expensive option, but the double tips also offer some extra versatility.
Faber-Castell Artists’ Color Pencils Polychromos Pencils are high quality pencils made in Germany.
Prismacolor Copy-Not Col-Erase non-photo blue pencil #20028 can be used to make ghost lines.
ACCESSORIES AND TOOLS FOR JOURNALING
A ruler may be the only drawing tool you ever use. I’ve always liked the clear Westcott rulers because they make it easy to keep things centered. A small ruler fits easily in the back of the journal (especially if it has a pocket), but I also keep a longer ruler for making layouts at home. A 12-inch ruler (mine is a Westcott B-70) is long enough that I can create lines across two pages at once. It saves a lot of time!
Circle Tools
I got by with a simple little ruler for over a year! I never used any stencils or tools, and if I needed to make a circle, I traced a glass or bottle cap. That was great for keeping my supplies in check, but I really wanted a better tool for making circles. I bought at least 4 different (horrible) compasses on Amazon before I stumbled upon the circle and helix maker (pictured above). I had no idea how it would work, but I took a chance. Holy moly! Besides a good notebook, my circle maker is probably the best journal-related purchase I’ve made! It’s so each to make a circle exactly the right size. I know, I sound like a crazy protractor lady! But it’s the tool I get asked about the most, and I recommend it more than any other. There’s nothing else like it.
- An art journal
- Gesso
- Paint (acrylic or watercolor)
- Brushes
- Pens & Pencils
- Paper
- Stamps & Inks
- Stencils
Though at first glance the natural world may appear overwhelming in its diversity and complexity, there are regularities running through it, from the hexagons of a honeycomb to the spirals of a seashell and the branching veins of a leaf. Revealing the order at the foundation of the seemingly chaotic natural world, Patterns in Nature explores not only the math and science but also the beauty and artistry behind nature's awe-inspiring designs. Unlike the patterns we create in technology, architecture, and art, natural patterns are formed spontaneously from the forces that act in the physical world. Very often the same types of pattern and form - spirals, stripes, branches, and fractals, say--recur in places that seem to have nothing in common, as when the markings of a zebra mimic the ripples in windblown sand. That's because, as Patterns in Nature shows, at the most basic level these patterns can often be described using the same mathematical and physical principles: there is a surprising underlying unity in the kaleidoscope of the natural world. Richly illustrated with 250 color photographs and anchored by accessible and insightful chapters by esteemed science writer Philip Ball, Patterns in Nature reveals the organization at work in vast and ancient forests, powerful rivers, massing clouds, and coastlines carved out by the sea. By exploring similarities such as those between a snail shell and the swirling stars of a galaxy, or the branches of a tree and those of a river network, this spectacular visual tour conveys the wonder, beauty, and richness of natural pattern formation. CHAPTER 1. SYMMETRY -- CHAPTER 2. FRACTALS -- CHAPTER 3. SPIRALS -- CHAPTER 4. FLOW AND CHAOS -- CHAPTER 5. WAVES AND DUNES -- CHAPTER 6. BUBBLES AND FOAM -- CHAPTER 7. ARRAYS AND TILING -- CHAPTER 8. CRACKS -- CHAPTER 9. SPOTS AND STRIPES -- |
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- Guner, Isk, and Ekin Ozbicer. Botanical Illustration from Life: A Visual Guide to Observing, Drawing and Painting Plants. , 2019. Pri
- Laws, John M, Amy Tan, and Emilie Lygren. How to Teach Nature Journaling: Curiosity, Wonder, Attention. , 2020. Print. Teaching NatureJournaling. https://johnmuirlaws.com/teach-nature-journaling-video-workshop/
- Laws, John M. The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling. , 2016. Print.
- Martin, Rosie, and Meriel Thurstan. Exotic Botanical Illustration: With the Eden Project. London: Batsford, 2012. Print.
- Leslie, Clare Walker, Charles Edmund Roth, and Edward O. Wilson. Keeping a Nature Journal: Discover a Whole New Way of Seeing the World Around You. 2003.
- Thurstan, Meriel, and Rosie Martin. Botanical Illustration for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide. , 2015. Internet resource.
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- Hazel Wilks, Kew Gardens: https://youtu.be/JqQDp9VnDAk
- https://www.botanicalartandartists.com/botanical-artists-in-the-uk.html
- Taggert, Emily, The History of Botanical Illustration. The Met.
- https://mymodernmet.com/history-of-botanical-illustration/
- https://mymodernmet.com/jo-brown-nature-journals/
- https://mymodernmet.com/botanical-illustrations-somang-lee/
- https://mymodernmet.com/history-of-paint/
- Stewart,Jessica. https://mymodernmet.com/free-botanical-illustrations-online/
- https://mymodernmet.com/werner-nomenclature-of-colours/
- Botanical art techniques: A comprehensive guide: Watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, vellum, pen and ink, egg tempera, oils, printmaking, and more
by American Society of Botanical Artists, ed. by Carol Woodin and Robin A. Jess. Timber Press, 2020. 416 p.
ISBN| 9781604697902. CBHL 2021 Award winner. - Frary, Michael, and William A. Owens. Impressions of the Big Thicket. , Texas, 1973.
- Leslie, Clare Walker, A Year in Nature: A Memoir of Solace Green Writers Press of Brattleboro
- The Curious Nature Guide, 2015
- The Nature Connection Storey Publishing, 2010
- Keeping a Nature Journal: Discover a Whole New Way of Seeing the World Around You
- Drawn to Nature: From the Journals of Clare Walker Leslie 2005
- Nature All Year Long
- Nature Drawing: A Tool for Learning
- The Art of Field Sketching
- The Ancient Celtic Festivals and How We Celebrate Them Today
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- Notes from a Naturalist's Sketchbook 1981
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- Ball, Philip. Patterns in Nature: Why the Natural World Looks the Way It Does. , 2021.
- Syme, Patrick. Werner's Nomenclature of Colours, with Additions, Arranged so As to Render It Highly Useful to the Arts and Sciences, Particularly Zoology, Botany, Chemistry, Mineralogy and Morbid Anatomy: Annexed to Which Are Examples Selected from Well-Known Objects in the Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral Kingdoms. , 2018. Print.
- Munsell Color Charts for Plant Tissues. Baltimore, Md: Munsell Color, 1977. Print. Finlay, Victoria.
- Color: A Natural History of the Palette. Place of publication not identified: Random House Publishing Group, 2007. Internet resource.
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- Create color palettes from a photograph: https://icolorpalette.com/color-palette-from-images or color.adobe.com
- Earl, Amy, moleskin journals https://www.amyearls.art/review-moleskine-art-sketchbook/x
- Rhoddia, https://rhodiapads.com/collections_premium_goalbook.php
- Leuchtturm1917, https://www.leuchtturm1917.us/
- Scribbles that Matter, http://www.scribblesthatmatter.com
- Windsor Newton https://www.winsornewton.com/na/
