The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling Kindle Edition

I originally purchased this book to have easy access to the information on John Muir Laws blog and in the videos.First impressions: This book is stunning. About the size of a phone book, it has a sewn binding and lays flat. The graphic layout work in the book is the best I've seen, and the authors and publishers went to great lengths to keep the book exceptionally well organized. If you have a fondness for quality and attention to detail, this guide will set off all the happy buzzers in your brain.I normally do "what I liked/what I didn't like" format for my reviews. For this volume, I'll simply list the features that are unique and note the one or two things I wish had been handled differently -- there is nothing to "not like" about this Guide.Unique Features:1. I believe the strength of John Muir Laws blog, classes, and books lies in the fact that he is dyslexic. He is the "best science teacher I never had" because he always finds a way to show instead of tell information. He then works in tandem with people whose strength lies in words, and produces a home run every. single. time. This book is no exception. Expect every principle to be explained and illustrated thoroughly for both halves of your brain. I was particularly impressed with Emilie's ability as a writer to present a single voice throughout the book. Having read the blog, I recognize Jack's voice, but she lends a harmony and richness that is strikingly beautiful.2. Each section of the book stands alone. If an illustration was needed to demonstrate "blocking in", the publisher didn't refer you to another page, they simply added another full page illustration. As an educator (B.S., Science Ed; home educator for 20 years) I appreciated that major concepts were presented more than once because of this feature. Many books are edited for redundancy and lose their educational value as a result.3. Observations from the portion of the book on how/why to keep a nature journal. ~ The writing is passionate and infectious -- Jack and Emilie have you longing to go out and journal after just reading a few paragraphs. ~ He doesn't just provide a checklist of questions, he demonstrates the natural flow of questions that arise during a field investigation by including photos from his own field journal. ~ I particularly enjoyed the section on "How to Think Like A Naturalist and Scientist"4. Projects that Focus Awareness is probably my favorite chapter in the book. Using large photos from his own journal, John details 13 different types of field investigations, noting their strengths and potential problem spots. For a teacher, this chapter alone is a full year of material (2-3 week units for each project) and the rest of the book could potentially be worked into each of these 13 projects. For an amateur naturalist, this chapter will provide at least a year's worth of projects that will open the door to a lifetime of investigation.5. Inquiry Tool Kit is aptly named and another unique and valuable resource. Just as the following chapter will provide a list of physical supplies, this is a set of mental supplies that enable an amateur naturalist to unlock the beauty and mysteries of nature. I have never seen a resource like this, and as expected, the list is thorough and contains dozens of illustrations to show as well as tell.6. Visual Thinking is a chapter on how to arrange the information you are collecting in the physical journal. He begins with a nod to the (insanely tedious) Grinnell Method, and then moves on to teach techniques for presenting information graphically. Unless you have taken college level science courses, you probably won't understand how unique and valuable this information is. We have all grown accustomed to slick infographics produced on the computer, but learning how to accomplish this in field journaling is an entirely different beast. This principle will also be approached later in the art section of the book under "Post-Hawk Composition" (nice pun, by the way!) One quick note here: the "Elements to Include in Your Journal" intended to be copied isn't photocopyable -- it lies next to the gutter and the background/text don't have enough contrast to photocopy well. I know from having hand copied this list off the blog how valuable it is to have once I'm in the field. Take the time to hand copy the list into your field notebook: you won't regret it!7. The next 80 pages of the book are dedicated to art supplies and techniques. I have dozens of art books from years of home educating K-12. None of them compare to this section. He demonstrates how to use each technique or supply, but then goes on to show how to do full drawings using them in tandem. From color theory to edges to values, he succinctly shows how to capture your subject in a way that is scientifically accurate and artistically compelling. I especially appreciated that he gives specific brands and colors and then goes on to show how he uses that particular tool to best effect. If one tool performs substantially better than another, he call out the potential problem and shows an alternate technique. (Orange clouds on a blue sky aren't easily accomplished in watercolor, but work well with gouache, for example.)8. The last half the book (the reason I originally purchased the book) is "how to draw" various plants, animals, weather, and landscape elements with step-by-step instructions. This half of the book alone is worth the price. John Muir Laws employs a method of teaching drawing/painting that allows students to catch scientifically unique features with a minimum of fuss. He is the master of simplifying the complex without losing important detail. His drawing style represents the perfect tension point between sketch and scientific illustration. When drawing snakes, he presents a scientific illustration of a snake done in a studio over the course of several days and then shows how to capture the same information in a field sketch. Fans of his blog and video classes will notice some of the details missing from these pages -- the clock trick for placing a bird head and tail, for instance. That change is balanced by the addition of clearer text instructions.John and Emilie clearly demonstrate their love, passion, and experience with nature journaling throughout all three hundred pages of this book. Whether you've been following his blog for a couple of years or are new to the nature journaling world, this comprehensive guide is worth every penny. Teachers working with middle school and up will be able to create lesson plans centered around this resource with very little effort. (The blog contains an elementary level curriculum with complete lesson plans) Amateur naturalists will be ecstatic to find a resource that is entirely devoted to and illustrated with field work.

What a great book. Perfect for artist who love to take it outside for some plein air. Lots of techniques and tips. Incudes a breakdown of different animals and how to draw them. The perfect sketchbook companion.

This book has been called the “bible” of nature journaling. It is. If you have even a passing interest in nature journaling, this book is essential. It will save countless hours of experimenting or seat of your pants notes.

I love the book, bought it so I didn’t have to keep watching youtube videos. To address one review, there is a page in the book, 218 to be exact, that does address what do do with animals that are on the move. The suggestions are art appropriate to what the art journalist is trying to achieve versus just the artist. Next time, though, I will order from his website for future materials, no care was taken with this book and is muddy and bent.

The media could not be loaded.  Este libro me ah encantado! Porque es un libro donde podemos desarrollar nuestra habilidad de dibujar, también nos enseña cómo seleccionar materiales y como dibujar con precisión todo tipo específicos de animales, plantas, paisajes donde quiera que te encuentres. Muy recomendado para los amantes del dibujo.

I bought this book as part of our homeschool nature study, and as much as it is informational to teach and learn how to draw and take notes effectively, it's just as beautiful just to sit and look through.Both of our artwork has improved when drawing things in nature, and we've learned so much about using color palettes to bring life to our work.This book has trained us to look at things we see in nature with new eyes, and has encouraged our creativity with self-confidence through the instructions.If you buy any books about nature drawing, the law's guide books are the best!

This book is a wealth of information on materials and how to use them.My 19 year old daughter said she wished it gave more ideas about how to sketch stuff that doesn't sit still. I told her "take pictures." So while it is about drawing natural subjects, and even about drawing them in their natural habitat (i.e. with a limited art kit in your journal), it does not address the fact that nature moves, often quickly, nor describe how to do or use quick action-line representations or what to try to notice first in a quick-moving subject so you'll still be able to draw it once it's taken off. I guess the author has had so much practice that it didn't occur to him to address this. It did frustrate the daughter and would have been a lovely topic to help beginning naturalists or nature artists on the steps to becoming comfortable. I guess some artists spend time studying dried or stuffed specimens to become familiar with them. Others work from pictures. Mine wants to capture it as it swims or flies by.The book itself is wonderfully complete in discussing different field art materials (does not cover oils or acrylics but does cover watercolors, colored pencils.) and their selection and their usage for various types of scenes. It has information about how to represent different items in nature with discussions of composition, as well as line, texture, and other art concepts. It's pretty much a full art class for folks whose subjects are the natural world. Info on how to draw fur, feathers, mountains, skies, etc. Check out the index in the Look Inside feature to see all topics. Author is an excellent realistic art illustrator and this book would teach you how to up your game if you, too, want to be able to do realistic nature illustrations. I would expect it might take someone a full year to get through the whole thing. It's very comprehensive. It does assume some basic artistic ability and motivation. And, of course, practice! Excellent reference or coursebook.

Superbe book for anyone wishing to get into nature journaling. I have Claire Walker Leslie and Cathy Johnson's books which are good but they are not in the same league. Muir Laws provides so much more information. Like his videos on YouTube the book has extensive coverage both in depth and in illustration and you cannot avoid getting thoroughly hooked. I cannot recommend this book enough it's worth every penny. I took up nature journaling as a retirement hobby in my sixties the book is my bible I also bought the book for my granddaughter who is 8yrs old. It's never away from her and she has produced wonderful drawings with its help. So a great book for any age or ability.

Ok, so... I have always wanted to create a journal of capturing the natural world around me.. just by flicking through this, I can see that it goes way beyond that.I studied art at college but never gain the skill of quick sketch as I’m too much of a perfectionist, This book easily breaks down how you can achieve quick sketch, how to create those sketches into quality lively drawings and paintings, and how you can capture structure, movement, wind and other aspects of the natural world.I wasn’t expecting much from this book, but it has gone far beyond my expeditions, it gives you an in-depth guide on birds, plants, flowers, trees, animals, landscapes and for me especially, insects!!!!Initially I was surprised about the wealth of text in the first 70 pages but it’s very much needed to understand this art form. This is the one book you need in your life, even if you don’t want to create a journal, this is a drawing bible!!!

Nice to have a different take on drawing. This guide provides lots of useful information on how to keep a journal. It takes doing a day to day journal to a much more informative level and worthwhile reference. There is so much information, beautifully illustrated, in an easy to understand way that I found I could dip in and out and I have found really useful tips that I have used in my own work as an artist.The book has undoubtedly heightened my observing skills and made my notating stronger.I am happy to recommend this book, so much so that I am ordering another as a present to a keen birdwatcher.

This is bar none the GREATEST drawing guide I have ever read. Even if you have no interest in nature journaling or even nature, you would benefit from this as a thorough beginners drawing course. Honestly it teaches you everything right from the beginning - but not in a way that is dull or repetitive. I seriously love it.

What a fantastic book. This is amazing and so detailed if you are a complete beginner. So many useful tips. The first part focuses on getting started with journaling and then a huge section on how to get started drawing with lots of step by step tutorials. Also a small section on different mediums. This may be a journal book but budding artists can learn a ton here as well. Worth every single penny.