Nature Journaling

I’ve never done any journaling.  However, I have always admired those who do write and draw in their diaries.

Scottsdale Artists’ School sponsored a 2 hour class on nature journaling last Saturday. I invited my daughter, Julianna because she is an artist and has kept a journal as long as I can remember.

The class was held at the beautiful Hermosa Inn on a chilly morning outside under clear blue skies. Our “classroom” was in a private courtyard outside.

The class included personalized instruction, sketching techniques, watercolor skills. They also provided our own sketchbook and tools in this neat zippered pouch by Blick Art.

The instructor, artist Devon Meyer, started the class by showing some of her journal entries. Her drawings and illustrations are so beautiful! I was motivated!

The grounds of the Hermosa Inn are filled with lush, desert landscaping and provided many vignettes for us to choose.  The instructor, as an example, showed us how she painted a flower pot in the courtyard.

Her inspiration:

And her journal entry:

The first part of the class we talked about sketching and then went off to find something to draw, using what we had learned.

I selected a large blue agave across a wash.

We didn’t have time to add detail, shadowing or color but the lesson was to focus on the shape. I’ve not done a lot of sketching before and it was rather different doing this standing up and holding the pad.

Next we talked about watercolor, which I know very little about.  She provided the watercolor palette, watercolor pencils and brushes too.

Next we played with mixing colors and values.

We left the classroom and explored the grounds to find our next subject.

I chose an adobe wall with bougainvillea climbing on it.

It’s not great but it was such fun to learn something completely new! Plus I was able to spend the morning with my daughter in this gorgeous setting.

The Hermosa Inn is hosting another art event entitled Mimosas and Monet on February 10 from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. using acrylic paint. Who knew they had a 2018 Winter Events calendar that includes classes on art, cooking and spirits.  For more information, visit the Hermosainn.com or call 602-955-8614.