We’re sorry, this class is sold out! Please email Brenna (bmarsicek@madisonaudubon.org) to get onto the waiting list. Thank you!
Starting your Phenology Journal
If you've longed to have a sketchbook full of nature drawings and observations from your wanderings, this class is for you! This class will help you start your own Phenology Journal.
Phenology is the tracking of natural events as they change throughout the year. The journal that we will begin will have one page for each week of the year. The idea is to make one drawing each week of something you find in nature. Each year you'll add new drawings to the page, so the sketchbook could last you a decade! It's okay if you miss a week here and there, because each year is a new opportunity to make a drawing on each page. You can fill in the gaps as you go.
Artist, scientist, and educator Carolyn Byers will help you set up your Phenology Journal. Then she'll teach you basic drawing skills including: accurate perspective, breaking down the object into basic shapes, building detail, and composition. We will provide some natural objects like pine cones, dried prairie plants, and leaves - but please feel free to bring your own! After we practice a bit with the new drawing skills discussed, we'll make the first drawing in our journals.
We will provide some supplies for participants to borrow: drawing pencils, clipboards, and erasers. We will also have drawing paper for you to use and keep. Please bring your own sketchbook if you would like to set it up during class or being drawing in it. Please also bring any other art supplies you enjoy working with or would like more practice with.
Keeping a nature journal will grow your observation skills and your art skills. The Phenology Journal will help you find time each week to slow down, check in with yourself, and immerse yourself in nature. If you would like to learn more about Perpetual Phenology Journals, check out this article about Lara Call Castinger's work.
We’re sorry, this class is sold out! Please email Brenna (bmarsicek@madisonaudubon.org) to get onto the waiting list. Thank you!
Artwork by Carolyn Byers
