Coming Alive
it's an exciting time of year!
Hi Friends, I’m finally getting back into my Nature Journal. Between prepping and working on a large cloud painting, my entries came to a halt. But that is the beauty of keeping a perpetual journal, you can simply jump back in when time permits! If you are new here you can read more about my journal in this earlier post.
On a sunny afternoon, I strolled around my yard peeking into garden beds hoping to see signs of new life. Lo and behold, I spotted new allium shoots that had poked up through soft earth. This little specimen was laying on the ground with all its roots and bulb exposed. I decided it would make a great subject for my journal entry for the week!
It was a fun subject to sketch with all its various parts. I really enjoyed sketching all its entwining roots. In this sketch, I added a touch of watercolor for a bit of variation. I’m really looking forward to seeing these when they bloom into large purple globes later this spring! They always add a bit of whimsy to my gardens.
Keeping a Perpetual Nature Journal is a wonderful way of observing subjects that appeared at the same time in previous years. It also gives one an idea of whether some plants were ahead or behind their growing season from other years.
On another afternoon stroll, I found a piece of bark hanging from a small maple tree. Deer frequently roam our yard at night, and unfortunately found the bark to be good snacking material. Over time they left the lower portion of this little tree stripped of bark leaving the core visible!
This was such an interesting subject with all its jigsaw piece sections. Tiny black dots were scattered on top of the bark. I believe they are a type of fungus.
I drew a portion of the bark which was fun to sketch. I had to really observe and concentrate while drawing this bark, as it was easy to loose your place while sketching.
( Young delphinium leaves in my garden, coltsfoot growing roadside and young tulip leaves in my gardens)
It’s so exciting watching new growth spring up both in my gardens and along the roadside. New signs of spring are arriving everyday now. Soon it will be difficult to keep up with all the new growth that suddenly appears in rapid succession!
If you are enjoying a spring season, I would love to hear what new bits of growth you are observing in your area! Are you looking forward to the arrival of any special blooms? Mine are definitely apple blossoms!
Warmly,
Debbie xx
P.S. I am presently enrolled in a Sketchbook Habit Course with Dina Brodsky. So excited to be taking this course! Love to hear if you have taken this course? Stay tuned for future posts on my experience.
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nice work
BRAVO!
So lovely, Debbie! Like you I love spring - over here there are huge numbers of cowslips in bloom on roadside verges, central reservations and people's lawns - they're beautiful. This last weekend I've seen my first bluebells, stitchwort and swallows - two of them (they say 'one swallow doesn't make a summer' - but neither do two in April!). Nice to see migrant birds so early - although it's still pretty chilly for them!