Drawing from Nature

by Darrien Staton, LandTrust intern summer 2015

July 23, 2015

Sometimes you just want to get out of the house, office, or studio space and take a moment to enjoy all that nature has to offer. Whether it’s birds chirping in the trees, the colorful flower bed sitting outside of your local market, or a mass of bumblebees surrounding a flower outside of your country home, your mind is constantly deciphering and observing your experiences.  Every so often, when I take these the moments to breathe, I like to gather my drawing utensils and sketch pad to document what I am seeing. It is not about rendering a perfect object, but taking time to flex and express the right side of your brain; letting your mind freely roam around, gathering and collecting information.

Although capturing the likeness of an animal or the detail of a tree can be very impressive and beautiful, I like to go a more abstract route when I draw or paint. To get a different view and to make things interesting, one thing you can do is draw upside-down. Everyone knows what a squirrel looks right side up, but have you ever observed nature looking the opposite direction? In addition, you can try covering one eye, or trying drawing the subject without looking down at your paper. When you look down, you will be surprised at what you are truly creating.

When I am drawing from nature, it is not about what I perceive to be in front of me, but what is actually right in front of me. For instance, when some people go to draw the sky, they may draw small puffy clouds, put the sun in the corner of the paper, and color the sky blue. Although that may be a beautiful representation of the sky, there is actually more to what you are seeing. Yes, the sky may blue, but perhaps if you look closer you may see the delicately thin strands of purple that also lay among the blue. Due to the glare of the sun, you may only be able to see the colors yellow and red, along with a touch of white you noticed sticking out between the sun rays from the clouds. This does not mean the sky is not blue, but you are merely capturing what you are seeing and not what you believe to be true.

There are many techniques and styles of drawings. You can use anything from pencils, pens, charcoal, and crayons to your fingers and toes. But my favorite drawing technique that I have been recently introduced to involves a stick and watercolor paint. Pens are nice, but there is nothing like drawing with a stick.  Generally, people like to carve and use bamboo sticks, but I have found that common sticks and branches from any tree works just as well. First, you will need to find sticks of various lengths and size, preferably long because you can always make them shorter. Then, using a knife, carve and thin the ends of the sticks making them flat. Depending on how long you make the tip and how flat it is, the sticks will make different size marks on the paper. Once you have them all carved, all you need is some water color paint and you are ready to draw.

Drawing is just another tool that allows you to embrace and interpret your surroundings. It is a more expressive way to document what you are seeing and gives you a new perspective on the everyday. You do not have to be good at it, and you have the freedom to draw whatever you may like. The next time you are outside, perhaps going to take a walk in the park, grab some pens and paper, and give it a try.