For work/professional development, I got video access to the Wild Wonders 2023 nature journaling conference. After the fact, so it’s asynchronous and all that. I just stream the videos and follow along as my schedule allows. Got to get through four days before the end of April!

Of course, between work and life and asynchronousness, sometimes I lose my place and I go back and pick up again partway through the video. Did I already post the Sketchbook pages about the mountain lions? Or the chickens? Well, I went back to the chicken one – – this is still only the third video out of the four days! – – with Debby Kaspari – – and drew/painted some more. (Last time I just went with colored pencils and I had a mixed media sketchbook . Colored pencil can be really handy. It does not really smudge like graphite but you can still do all the shading that you do with graphite. I like that. )

This is a small 50lb paper sketch pad so it’s completely wrong for watercolor, which is why everything so wrinkled and color-blendy. But my goal is just to loosen up and learn the shapes even if what goes on the paper is wrong.

And I made that goal today!