Macro & Micro Lens Sketching
"By discovering nature, you discover yourself."
~Maxime Lagacé
Materials Needed:
Journal/sketchbook/white paper
Pencil
Sharpener and eraser
Optional - Watercolour paints/ pencil crayons/sharpies
Find a memorable and mindful "sit spot" to reflect & observe nature.
This may be a location you use throughout the nature journaling sessions.
Sketching Your M&M's (Macros & Micros)
Sometimes it can feel scary to share your work with others. As a teacher I often ask students to share their work. This can make them feel vulnerable. By starting my own journal I could model my own learning journey with students. They can see you do not have to be perfect to share your ideas.
Every year I share the book Ish ~ By Peter Reynolds to help students understand as long as your sketch is tree-ish that's all that matters!
The more you practice the more you will grow and find your unique sketching style. Keep trying and never give up.
~Paula Huddy-Zubkowski
Macro Sketching
Decide what direction you would like to turn your sketchbook landscape or portrait.
Start with writing the ancestral land/location and the date. Other optional ideas to add are weather/time/directions/coordinates.
Focus on the MACRO lens of your space. This will be the "Big Picture of the Space."
Look for shapes and patterns to help guide your sketching. Look at the frame of the landscape to help you add more detail to your scene.
To help with your writing consider what you see, think, and wonder. What details could you add to your sketch (textures, thoughts, details, poetry, 5 senses, vivid word choice, etc...)
Micro Sketching
Once your MACRO sketch is complete you will now add a MICRO lens to your sketch.
You can draw boxes on your paper to help you have a location to sketch your MICRO lens drawings. Now you will ZOOM into something that you would like to observe closer. (leaf, flower, bark, moss, etc..)
You can choose to add one or many MICRO lens drawings.
Throughout your sketching or after your sketches are complete feel free to use watercolours/sharpies/pencil crayons to enhance your sketch.
Take your time to reflect and observe the nature around you! Enjoy.
Video Of How to Apply This Sketching Strategy
An afternoon drive to bird watch and enjoy the view of the Rocky Mountains. We were able to find mountain bluebirds and breathe fresh air.
(Macro the landscape and the micro is the mountain bluebird.)
An app to use to identify nature
Prompts to Inspire Your Writing
What element of nature speaks to you the most? Why?
Write from the perspective of an element in nature. What will you notice or say?
How can we all speak for the trees and the land that we are gifted?
What message can we share about the importance of natural spaces in our communities?
