Text and Illustration by Leslie Watkins

Spring is the perfect time of year to begin nature journaling. A small kit of just a few essentials is all you need. Keep it handy to take with you to the garden, on a hike or on vacation. A sketch kit, as simple as a sketch book, pencil and pen, is small enough to pop into a backpack or tote and can be kept near the door or left in your car. 

Jotting down notes, observations and musings may provide inspiration for future poems, essays or books. Quick sketches of garden plans and schematics will help you visualize designs. Keeping track of your favorite garden plants, flowers and planting dates can be very useful. Looking back at past records is a great way to plan for the future. 

Maybe the best reason of all is simply for the pleasure of doing it. Taking the time to create a nature study is a wonderful form of relaxation that will enhance your appreciation of the beauty around you. Studies show that you gain the same benefits from drawing and painting as from meditation. It calms and relaxes, reduces stress and releases dopamine, a natural anti-depressant. You can sketch with friends, in a class or alone, whenever and wherever you wish. 

Looking back at your journals will take you right back to the time and place in a way that photographs simply can’t. Pages may include thoughts and feelings, notes about scents, sounds, weather, who you were with and what you were doing.

Sketchbooks are available spiral bound, making it easy to fold the cover back while working. The paper can be smooth or rough, able to accept water media or toned for fast studies. A pen and pencil with eraser and a good sharpener work well for both sketching and writing. For more detailed drawings, use inks or colored markers. Watercolor pencil sets make it very easy to create colored drawings. Add a little water either on location or later and you have a painting. Also available are very convenient blender pens that contain a fast-drying solution to be used with watercolor pencils in place of water. Traditional metal watercolor palettes are available in many shapes and sizes.

During the warmer months, you can find many art classes on location and online. Traveling to locations with friends is a lot of fun. Pack a lunch, a bottle of water, some bug spray, a towel to sit on and your kit and get ready to spend a wonderful day in nature.

Sketch Kit Supplies

• Sketchbook
• Pens & Pencils
• Kneaded Eraser
• Watercolor Pencils
• Blender Pens
• Water Painters
• Plexiglass
• Various Markers
• Pencil Sharpener
• Wide Brimmed Hat