Keeping a visual diary is something that may appeal to you and there are many sources of encouragement from the books of Claire Walker Leslie, a pioneer in the field and a long time friend of John Busby to the online videos and teaching of John Muir Laws in California.
Here is John Muir Laws and Valters Videnieks taking a detailed look at some of John’s pictures to study the techniques and strategies he used. I have put the pictures they are talking about in a series of galleries underneath. I really enjoyed their enthusiasm, I hope you do too!
https://johnmuirlaws.com/john-busby-nature-journaling-inspiration/
“Nature journaling is not about having a book filled with pretty pictures, nature journaling is a strategy that we use to help us look more deeply into the world, to see things that have been around us our entire life, that we may not have noticed and also to memorise, to remember these details.” John Muir Laws
“The process of seeing is what counts, not ‘how good is my drawing?’ “Claire Walker Leslie http://www.clarewalkerleslie.com/
Looking at the Variable Lines
Looking at Fast Gestures
Looking at Shadows
Looking at Selective Detail
Looking at Simplification
Looking at Place and Context
Looking at Poses
Most of the illustrations Valters chose were from John’s book Birds in Mallorca (widely available second hand). I have substituted other drawings of similar birds as the originals from the book are in the possession of a collector of John’s work.
If you are interested in buying a drawing from one of his books please see our collection of book illustrations here
We have copies of Looking at Birds, Lines from Nature and Land Marks and Sea Wings available in our online shop and you can read reviews of them here