Nature Journaling in Winter

Nature Journaling in winter? Absolutely! With just a few minor adjustments to your tools and routine, winter journaling can be tons of fun and a great learning experience. Today we take a look at the things you need to adjust to make your nature journaling excursion a success.

Nature Journaling Field Kit: Winter Style

How does a winter kit differ from a summer kit? In summer, I carry a small watercolor set with a fillable water brush for adding color to my sketches. Where I live, winters have many days that are below freezing — making watercolors difficult or impossible. So in winter, I switch to colored pencils. 

But, how do you carry and sift through all the colors you might need, you ask? Most of the time, I carry only 6 colors — 2 sets of the 3 primaries — one warm and one cool. That way I can create almost any color I might need. 

Aside from switching to pencils, I tend to carry pretty much the same things. I do eliminate the small junk book I carry for pressing leaves and flowers. Winter cold makes things too brittle to press most of the time. I also leave the insect repellent at home. Yay! I add a tube of lip balm in its place.

A Change of Clothing

There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.’

~ Sir Ranulph Fiennes

So, what to wear out in the field in winter is really the biggest change you’ll probably need to make. Dressing for the weather is really not as difficult as we like to make it! 

Keep your core warm, and the rest of your body will be warmer as well. Layers, layers, layers — my mantra for all seasons! No matter what you’re doing, where you’re going, or how long you’re planning to be out, layering is the way to go. As your body temperature and the air temperature fluctuates, it’s easy to add or subtract layers as needed.

Cover your ears! There are not a lot of nerve endings in our ears to register temperature changes; but ears, fingers, and toes are the first body parts to be damaged by prolonged exposure to the cold. Choose thick socks and appropriate footwear. Look for fingerless gloves so that you can sketch, but make sure to cover your fingers when you aren’t sketching.

But Winter is Boring; Just Brown, Gray, and Dead!

Well, . . . OK, I get that. I used to think that too. Used to.

Nature journaling is all about observation and connection, right? For sure, when I’m sitting at home looking out the window, most days are gray, cloudy and lifeless looking. But, trust me, when you get out there and begin to really look, you’ll see a whole different world!

With nature journaling in winter, it’s all about texture. The strong, bright colors of summer might be behind us, but they leave behind the structures of the plants — the parts that were hidden behind all those colors. You get to see the support structures, the seeds and how they were formed. And bonus — all those seeds now become winter food for birds and seed eating mammals. You can get some great sketching time as they come to dine!

Sketching textures can be a challenge, but challenging ourselves is good for the brain! And so what if your attempt at a pinecone is not a work of art! You spent time with that pinecone – observing. Did you hold it in your hand? Turn it over? Did you notice something you hadn’t before? Did you identify the tree it fell from? Congratulations! You’re a winter nature journaler!

Winter Nature Journaling: Yes, Virginia There is Color!

OK, so like we said, at first glance all you see is brown and gray. But, in order to successfully capture that brown seed, you’ll need other colors! Really. Look closely. I’m betting that you’ll see some form of purple in the shadows — not black like you thought. In winter, the light or highlight areas often contain a bit of blue.

Look closely at that mound of snow. Depending upon the time of day, you’ll see blues and purples as well as reflections from sunrises and sunsets.

Look up. There will be breaks in that bleak, winter sky! Sketch the clouds and that beautiful blue surrounding them!

And who doesn’t need practice mixing green colors? The other day, I stood in one spot at a local park and counted at least 5 different species of evergreen trees, all with wildly different coloring! One could spend an entire winter season sketching, studying, and cataloging just those trees and bushes!

So you see, at first glance, nature journaling in winter seems like a boring proposition, but just like nature journaling any other time of the year, it’s all about the closer observation! Are you excited to get out there? 

Are you new to nature journaling (in any weather!)? Start HERE.