It’s been 5 years since I started my blogging activities around nature sketching and nature journaling, and teaching about the subject. What an adventure!
To celebrate I’ve decided to do a small giveaway (details at the end of the post)!
So many of you have been a part of this journey and even before that, and I want to take a moment and say a huge thank you! 🙂
This blog has seen several transitions over the years, in the same way my career as an artist evolved. From lettering and calligraphy to illustration, and now primarily to sketching it has seen several iterations, and my creative goals and habits have slightly morphed over the years.
It was only after discovering drawing in a sketchbook again, and starting a nature journaling habit that I felt creatively excited and (yes, that word) inspired again, and since that day, I’ve never really stopped.
Here’s the blog post from 2018, shortly after I crawled out of my creative slump and discovered nature journaling.
I wouldn’t say that I’m strictly nature journaling these days, my sketches often are far more time-consuming and detailed than those quick journal notes, and I tend to take less notes, but it’s still at the core of what I love about my sketching practice: being outside, observing nature, and exploring it through drawing.
Whether it’s the birds outside my window, a rare orchid I discover on a walk, or the light of the sun setting behind the hills and houses – it all inspires me to take a closer look and see how I can translate it to my sketchbook with the eyes of an artist. I’ve become so much more patient since then, as a person and with my sketches, and I’ve made huge steps in learning how to see and in my skills. Looking back I would say that art school wasn’t entirely unnecessary, but self study definitely pays off too if you stick with it!
I’ve learnt so much in these past few years, and all I really plan to do right now is to keep going and keep learning, and to share what I know through teaching. On to the next 5 years and beyond!
Without all your kind support, encouragement and shared love of nature I would have never made it – this was really what kept me going and growing my skills, both for sketching and teaching. I love the small community of people that has formed around this blog, and all of the wonderful students that I had the pleasure to meet.
It’s exciting to look back at how it all started – all of the images that are featured in this post are from the very beginning of my nature sketching journey (except for the one at the very bottom that’s one of my most recent sketches – a goldcrest). I’ll probably reflect on this incredible journey a bit more soon – for today all I want is to say a huge thank you to all of you, and share my giveaway! Here it goes:
I’m giving away :
- 5x $50USD coupons and
- 5x $10USD coupons
which can be used when purchasing any of my courses directly from me on Gumroad (it’s not possible to redeem these on Skillshare).
To enter the giveaway: Just leave a comment below to go into the draw (if you want to comment and not be part of the giveaway, just add that).
I’ll select ten winners randomly and notify them via email on November 30 2023. The coupons will be valid for 12 months.
Thank you again so much for being part of my sketching adventures and this blog – whether you’ve been around a while or just found me recently. It really means a lot that you are following along – whether here on the blog, or on Youtube, Skillshare, Patreon or as a student in one of my courses. I appreciate you all very much and I’m grateful you’re keeping me company on my journey.
Dear Julia,
Congratulations on your 5-year anniversary and more importantly, your continued inspiring enthusiasm. Your blog posts always seem to arrive at just the right time synchronistically to give me those welcome creative nudges exactly when I need them. I wish you many more years of inspiration and look forward to reading about your insights and taking your classes.
All my best wishes and kind regards,
Laura
I love seeing examples of your nature sketches – sometimes I get into detail too much have a hard time remembering that the feeling and impression of a sketch is more important than capturing all the details. Thank you for posting your work!
Thank you so much dear Laura!
Congratulations! Your posts are always inspiring and give me so much pleasure. I also wish you many more years of inspiration.
Best wishes and many thanks.
Dear Julia,
You have been the most profound influence on my journey with Nature sketching, from the first I was enthralled by your connecting with nature, I too take daily walks and pockets are filled with cones, feathers, leaves and bark that arrive at my “nature table” with hopes of further exploration….sometimes my sketchbooks have lots of words ~ journaling the experience along with a sketch in watercolor or pen, inspired and encouraged by you! Thank You so much for sharing your guidance and beauty of the natural world! Blessings, Nancy
Thank you dear Nancy! I too collect so many small things from nature to explore them at home, especially during this season.
Dear Julia, how wonderful that it’s been five years! I love the honesty and beauty of your blog. Thank you for continuing it. I’d love to be entered in the drawing!
Hi Julia, I’ve recently discovered your YouTube channel and purchased your self study course. The reason I stayed interested is because of the simplicity to your approach and how you share it. I’m an intermediate drawer but have improved already. You’ve also rekindled my excitement for drawing and continue in it.
Thank you so much!!
-Robyn from California
Thank you so much Robyn, it is amazing to hear that the course is also useful for those with previous drawing experience. I’m glad it has been valuable to you!
Hi Julia, Your approach and positive attitude has helped me get into drawing. I find that sketching is good for my mood when I depressed. I’m a musician and interested in using sketching in graphical scoring. Thanks so much for the good vibes and inspiration.
Thank you Frank! I’ve never heard of graphical scoring, that sounds very cool. And I’m glad sketching helps you with dark moods – it often does the same for me!
Good morning Julia—
Wonderful news about your being so creative and inspiring to so many of us these past 5 years! I still revisit your Sketching Fundamentals course periodically— to reignite my own creative journey. Nature always calls us to look closer at the created order, and marvel in awe. Thank you for leading the way for me!
Congratulations! Five years is a long time. Keep going. Enjoy reading your work.
Hello Julia,
I have watched all of your YouTube videos and have really enjoyed your blog as well. I love your minimalist approach with your supplies and could listen to you speak forever (I have a big appreciation for different accents and yours is lovely). I have just started nature journaling recently thanks to reading your blog posts on it and it truly does help me to be more present and appreciate more details in nature. I want to thank you so much for inspiring me and to cheer you on with your art journey too.
Warmly,
Shielamae
Thank you Shielamae! I try very hard not to sound like a mad scientist or bad guy from an action movie, but sometimes those hard German consonants slip through I guess. I really like what you say about nature journaling, that’s exactly how it works for me.
Happy 5-year anniversary. I love observing nature aspire to sketch when I’m out in it, but fear (I guess) always seems to stop me. I love your posts and your beautiful art. I hope to take a class and lose my inhibition. Thank you for sharing your wonderful gift!
Thank you! I know that feeling very well, and what helped me is slowly trying out how I feel more comfortable outside with a sketchbook. Being in a place without people, or doing really quick sketches first, or taking a photo in case I’m disturbed and want to leave, or choosing a spot that doesn’t make it obvious that I’m sketching, this can all be helpful in the beginning.
Thank you Julia. 🙂 I love your ideas, especially “slowing down”. I’m definitely going to try! Thanks so much for the inspiration. And I love your YouTube channel.
Julia I love your blog. I have been trying some drawing and journaling and you have inspired me to just do it!!!
Dear Julia,
Thanks so much for your post and congratulations on your 5 year celebration. I must say I discovered nature journaling thanks to your posts and videos, I always look forward to them !
So happy to learn you will maintain this blog and although I don’t have much time these days to do my own drawings I will keep it up somehow 🙂
Thanks for your guidance and all the best in your creative journey and beyond!
Saludos,
Adriana
Hi Julia
Best wishes on your quincentennial! Thank you for your ongoing passion and hard work. I always get your blog posts, which give me much-needed creative help. I have read some of your blogs and may take your courses in the future. I wish you many more years of inspiration.
Warmest regards and best wishes,
Rhia
Thank you Rhia, that is really good to hear!
Congratulations on the blog milestone! I loved hearing about how your blog and your art practice have morphed over time. In an art world where people are always telling you to brand yourself and pick a lane, it’s nice to hear that you’ve allowed creative changes to naturally take place.
I’m too busy to be entered into the giveaway as I’m going back to school, but I do hope to take your classes at some point. I will say I’m glad I found your blog. I always love hearing your thoughts. Of all the emails that come to my inbox, yours is the only one I always make sure to read (no exaggeration). I appreciate your authenticity and your attitude towards nature, creativity, social media, and being patient with yourself. I always come away feeling refreshed by your authenticity and thoughtful take on things. Seeing your lovely artwork is a treat too. 🙂 Here’s to five more years!
Thank you Melissa, that is such kind feedback and it means so much to me that you make time in your day for my emails. I’m always trying to put something meaningful and honest out here on the blog, and I’m glad that people seem to appreciate that.
Dear Julia, I find your work and posts so inspiring. They are easy to follow and enjoyable to read. You’ve encouraged me to just sketch every day and not worry about creating a finished “masterpiece, “ as well as finding beauty everywhere in nature. Thank you and look forward to more of your instruction and ideas!
Best regards, Nina
Thank you Nina! Yes, that’s the spirit, wonderful!
GOOD JOB! 5 years! This week as I was walking in my yard, I noticed my Rose of Sharon was shedding THE MOST gorgeous-vibrant yellow leaves! I stopped and admired God’s handiwork! I snapped a pic and later tried to replicate it in a sketchbook! I certainly didn’t even come close to capturing that bright and clear yellow color…BUT I sure had fun trying too!
And that’s the important part: noticing something, documenting it and enjoying the process – thanks for sharing this Connie!
Hi Julia,
I love your work since it’s nature and I feel a real affinity to all things nature. Having said that I just recently retired and now have the time to follow what I love. I just need the confidence and push to get started.
Thank you Eva! Skills will come over time when you practice a bit, you can do this. I’m currently preparing a small course that will help with that push and motivation part, but I’m pretty sure you already have everything you need – your love for nature! 🙂
Congratulations on 5 beautiful years of blogging! You are always such an inspiration and your content is always so wholesome and interesting. Wishing you 5 more great years and happy painting!
Thank you dear Anne! I hope you are well. 🙂
Hello Julia,
Congratulation on your 5 year anniversary, what an achievement. I am only 2 years into my sketching journey, and find it equally exciting and terrifying. My father was an artist, I inherited his art supplies after he passed away, and am busily sorting through his collection.
Good luck in your future endeavours, and I look forward to more blogs.
Cathryn
Thank you for being an inspiration to us all! I always look forward to your blog posts and videos.
Congrats and thank you, I’ve discovered your blog and have been using your guides to teach nature journaling to homeschoolers. It’s very accessible to both me as a teacher and directly for my students who are not only working on observation + writing, but have a strong interest in drawing and painting (and are usually more advanced than me to begin with!).
That’s amazing – students often love drawing and painting, and it’s great that you include this in their curriculum!
I’m not a journalling type, but have many sketch books. would like to get more inspiration for writing these visual stories. Julia I’m with you in that I love birds and basically being in nature… alone.
What I like about keeping a sketchbook or art journal, is that it can be anything you want. I personally am also more visual and usually don’t take so many written notes, and that works just fine for me.
I think about things like composition (how to structure the page, where to place elements), if I want to show time as a factor (different positions of birds, showing a process), and sometimes I return to the same place at a different time of the day.
Julia, I live far off the beaten path in the West Virginia mountains, and I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate being connected to you via your inspiring and informative blog. Your style is what I try to do! Please keep up the good work.
Thank you Sam!!
Julie – I was drawn to your work as you remind me of Marjolein Bastin’s work, an artist I admired for her work featured on Hallmark products. I will be retiring next year and am interested to learn about sketching. I have bought some materials, but I have to get my house in order before I can get involved in any more hobbies. I also have a blog which I started in 2013. It is about walking and nature and I take a lot of photos. I would like to sign up for your blog. Right now I just get the newsletter, so I’ll see how I can follow you here and on YouTube. – Linda Schaub
Thank you Linda, oh her work seems to require much more patience than I usually can muster. What lovely nature explorations!
The newsletter and blog content are really the same, so if you get the regular emails notifications about new blog posts, that’s all you need! I don’t post on Youtube that often, but I always mention it on the blog, too.
Hi Julia, So kind of you to do a giveaway. It’s always a bright spot in my morning when there’s a blogpost email from you! It’s always a breathe of fresh air. Thanks for all that you do and best wishes for your present and future.
Dear Julia,
I also want to say congratulations to the five year anniversary of your blog! A few years ago, I signed up for the Nature Journaling week and joined your class online. You were teaching about how to paint clouds in watercolor, I never forgot it and I’ve been following your blog ever since. Thank you for sharing your talents, artwork and life reflections, all of which inspired me to write daily and draw in my own nature journal. God bless and continue to bless others.
That was a wonderful event, and thank you for being around for such a long time!
I love your blog, very inspiring.
Congratulations Julia, 5 years is a fantastic effort and I’m glad you still feel inspired to continue. Your insights, pages, blogs and videos are such a pleasure to learn from.
I aspire to reach the same level of success you have with your teaching. ☺️ Thank you for sharing your journey and wisdom and I wish you good fortune for the next 5 years!
Thank you Kim! If I’ve learnt anything from those years of teaching, it’s that listening to the students, meeting them where they are (skills-wise), and being passionate about what you teach are the most important factors. And the rest is patience and hard work. From what I can see I think you’re on a good path! 🙂
Happy Anniversary, Julia! I’m so happy to have landed at your website when i first dared to wade into “Art” and watercolour. Your posts have been my go-tos these last 18 months: guidance, advice, technique, reassurance, and beauty all in one place. I have been enormously grateful for your replies to my specific questions, and even though i have many paint colours and can’t give them up, your palette has been my workhorse, and i love working with it. Thank you for everything you do, for the time you give so generously. I hope you’ll be in the field to celebrate! Best wishes, karen. [I’m sorry if this is a duplicate; earlier did not post.]
Thank you so much, Karen, that is such wonderful feedback and it puts a big smile on my face!
I appreciate your humble but powerful insights and teachings. You have inspired me to setup two nature journal kits so that I am always ready to capture and appreciate nature.
Thank you Anthony! It can never hurt to have enough sketching kits around so that you’re always prepared.
Congratulations!!!! You are so inspiring Julia and your blog and YouTube videos have probably influenced me more than any other content I’ve viewed. I’m also in the middle of one of your classes and enjoying it so much! You are so generous in doing this giveaway! How exciting!!
Blessings to you!
Betty
Thank you dear Betty!
Congrats on 5-years, what an accomplishment!
Your posts have been a massive inspiration and an amazing resource. I’m so grateful to have found your work. Here’s to another 5 years!
Hi Julia, happy 5th anniversary! It’s so nice to have someone like you keep me on track and give hope that the creative way away from the internet is the best way to keep me safe and sane. Thank you for the inspiration you give me, and thank you for your generosity! I hope to find you here in the next at least 5 years from now!
Best wishes,
Raluka
Julia – Happy 5 year anniversary! I found you online a few years ago. You brought back my sketching journey. I used to collect pine cones, bark, leaves and chunks of wood. On my walks with my dogs, I took pictures of the hills and woods around my home. Drawing gave me a feeling of relaxation and peace. You are a continued source of encouragement.
Thank you Sandra, that is so kind! I always bring lots of small things home with me, too – photos and small collections of things from nature.
Waking up today to all of your amazing comments put a big smile on my face – I’m blown away! I’m aware not everyone will read this, but if you are, thank you, thank you!
Querida Julia me alegro mucho por tu quinto aniversario. Fueron tus bocetos observados por pura casualidad viendo vídeos en YouTube los que me inspiraron y me han animado a aprender a manejar un poquito las acuarelas y a seguir observando la naturaleza que ya era uno de mis hobbies.
Cantidad de veces vuelvo a observar tu blog desde el principio y continuamente encuentro algún detalle nuevo para aplicar en mis dibujos.
Sigue así, no abandones nunca ese blog, es precioso, mirarlo cura el alma cuando la tienes un poco rota. Un abrazo y gracias por despertarme está preciosa inquietud.
Thank you dear Marta, this means a lot. <3 I'm glad you've been around here for such a long time.
y espero seguirte mucho tiempo Julia. Un abrazo.
Congratulations! I love your SkillShare classes. Thank you for this giveaway!
Congratulations Julia! I have only been following your work recently, but am so inspired by the intentionality of your sketchbook. I have been intently birdwatching for about 4 years now and want to start a sketchbook. Do you have any posts on getting started? (I probably should have scanned the site before asking, ha!)
I don’t want to dump an entire truck load of links onto you, but if you like, you can head over to the blog archive at https://juliabausenhardt.com/archives/ and search for “get started”. A series of posts about getting started with nature journaling should come up, and very possibly a post about how to draw birds specifically.
Dear Julia,
Your generous blog popping into my inbox never fails to encourage me to try something new- a different tool or technique or simply to observe a new bird, animal or plant more closely. Your mantra ‘ loose but precise’ frees me up to have a go whilst striving to capture the specific detail of the bird or plant that I am drawing or sketching. Thank you for your work and long may it continue!
Thank you Sally, that is so cool to hear, it felt the exact same way for me, a very liberating technique!
Julia, Congratulations on your 5th year anniversary. I always enjoy these blogs, as I do your classes, and insights into the mind and creativity and even concerns of artists. Keep up the good work and wishing you many more such anniversaries.
Congratulations on your anniversary–what an inspiring journey of artistic- and self-discovery. I found you through the watercolor palette class on Skillshare (I’ve never heard of the Gumroad platform), and I’m interested in the botanical watercolor course. Thanks for all you do!
Thank you! And yay, that palette class is a great introduction into pigments and building palettes. Gumroad is essentially a platform to host files and courses, so for those who prefer buying a course directly instead of a subscription like Skillshare.
Congrats on your 5 year anniversary. It’s been great to follow your journey these past few years!
Hi Julia. If all the artists that swamp my email you are the one I always make time to read everything. I must admit to being in a bit of a slump at the moment. Trying to go slow, observe more, accept what I can do and not get annoyed with myself. Thank you for your inspiration and generosity. Carol
Thank you Carol! And take it slow and let your art be in the background if you don’t have the inspiration or energy for it right now. I’m certain this will change again.
Congratulations on five years! I love your posts….both because they make me consider my own writing and drawing, and because seem to be quite “together,” by which I mean self-confident, level-headed, and well organized.
Thank you that means a lot to me – I often don’t feel organized or super confident, but I always try to be honest and positive in my blogs.
Congratulations on your 5 year milestone, Julia and becoming a top teacher! I enjoy watching (and rewatching) your classes – I always learn some new technique in drawing or watercolor. I became inspired to draw birds as well as nature from your classes and now try to draw birds every day if I can – either from photos or life. I am so thankful that you have shared your talent on Skillshare and YouTube – you have made such an impact on my art practice and skill as well as my enjoyment in doing art! Best wishes for continued success!
Thank you dear Susan, that is so wonderful to hear. And I always enjoy when you share your work on Skillshare!
Congratulations on the 5-year anniversary! I first started following you because of your calligraphy, and have kept track of your journey since. Your blogs are thought provoking and engaging. Thank you and keep up the good work!
-Meenal
my daughter loves nature and drawing. your work really inspires her.
Oh that is wonderful to hear – say hello to her from me! 🙂
Happppy anniversary! It must be extremely satisfying to look back on what you’ve done (for yourself, first of all, and for us amateurs) over the past five years. I wish you many more years of blogging,
I have stopped and started drawing and painting so many times and I have so many beautiful watercolor paints and I’m absolutely petrified to start again because my skills have eroded so badly. I keep hoping to do so and I love watching your videos and thinking I could do that if I just got into the habit. Maybe with a course I could set up a routine and get back to it..hope springs eternal..
Mariah, that is such a coincidence – because that’s exactly the kind of course I’m working on right now – getting started (again) with sketching, building up skills, developing a regular sketchbook practice. I won’t have it finished before January ’24, but hopefully that’s a good time frame to prepare. 🙂 Don’t be afraid of your art, it’s all just paper and pigment, and skills can be practiced!
Oh my gosh, I wish I had discovered your work earlier this year. I have just started out with plein air – -which is a good fit with your style. I work in ink and watercolor and love painting flowers and landscapes. Love your butterflies and will be taking that after Christmas. Can you consider doing dragonflies as well? Thanks for this opportunity.
Dragonflies are a wonderful subject, I love observing and sketching them! I will definitely put out a tutorial or entire class at some point, thanks for the reminder!
Congratulations on 5 years! I’m 4 years into my nature sketching journey, and am so glad I found you along the way. I always look forward to your inspiring words. Thank you for you.
Dear Julia,
I think.i have commented before but in case I didn’t, I want you to know howmuch I appreciate your blog posts. I am not an outdoorsy kind of person but I have a great appreciation for it. You make it possible for me to enjoy nature through your posts and I greatly appreciate that. so please keep posting because it helps me to enjoy nature through your eyes and thoughts. thank you so much for what you are doing!
Thomas, thank you, that really moves me!
Hi Julia,
I only discovered you this year when I started nature journaling. Your blog and YouTube videos are so informative and I‘m always looking forward to new entries. I love your calm presentation and all the details and tipps you share. The course I took was also very helpful and it will definitely not be my last. I wish you all the best for the next five years, lots of inspiration, the right pace and balance that feels good to you and enough support and clients to keep going!
Herzliche Grüße
Katharina
Congratulations, 5 years nowadays is a long time! Thank you for inspiring and teaching me with your nature studies. Your wildlife and flora is so different to what I see here in Australia but the process works just the same, observing, trying and trying again!
Congrats on 5 years! I have always enjoyed your emails, blog, website and drawings. A true inspiration.
Congratulations to you. Your work inspires people to want to see more. Finding connections to the natural world around us makes us calmer and more appreciative. Its the world we need to appreciate more these days. I enjoy your composition techniques and would like to see more workshops on that subject.
Thank you Julia. You have inspired me in many ways. Through your art and your love of nature of course, and also through your thought provoking ideas about breaks from social media. I feel we are kindred spirits. I wish you and all in this community peace and well-being.
I started following your calligraphy blogs and then I started to see your beautiful and detailed nature sketches. I’m not a good drawer but your blogs encourage me to keep practising. I love the colours and the watercolour technique you put in your illustrations. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and for being an example that you can reach many people even without being on social media. Congratulations on your anniversary.
Oh wow, then you’ve been following me for quite a while, thank you Victoria, that’s amazing!
Good morning Julia, I am a little late to answer, please forgive me, I had to be hospitalized last week (I am ok now) but I wanted to congratulate you on this 5th anniversary You are such a beautiful person, a marvellous teacher, someone so caring and so conscious of the stress around the world. Personally, you helped me a lot to « see and draw » Nature with a slightly different eye and to be indulgent with myself.I am proud of my sketches and now two of my granddaughters, Alizée and Marianne are sketching also in their own sketchbooks that I gave them, showing what you were also drawing.
I live near Montreal, Quebec, on the south shore of the fleuve Saint-Laurent and I hope you could come some day to sketch our beautiful Nature in Quebec and in Canada.
Merci pour tout,
Christiane
Christiane, I hope you’ll get well soon! Thank you so much for sharing this story about your sketching journey and your granddaughters, that’s so lovely to hear! I would very much like to visit Canada one day, if I do, I’d love to see your corner of Quebec.
Congratulations dear Julia on this 5 year milestone. I always enjoy and admire your nature sketchbooks. I wish I would have the patience to draw like that. I love nature and the winged ones who love my garden as it has been all organic for years. Best wishes to you.
Dear Julia, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise so willingly. Here in South Africa you are a great inspiration to me.
Thank you for this contest!
I believe nature is a wonderful muse in any artform!
Julia, In particular, I love your simple penciled wren drawing with a touch of yellow on its head. The simplicity of the spot of colour makes the bird pop. You are such an inspiration. Thank you for sharing, thank you for being part of our lives, and thank you for your passion of nature.
Congratulations on your 5 year anniversary! Thank you for your blog posts and videos – they are so inspirational! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise, and for your calm and reflective presentation.
I would like to dedicate more time to nature journaling and better my drawing and watercolor skills. Your blogs have been inspirational, but I have yet to really start. So today is the day. I will purchase one of your classes and get to it! Thanks so much for sharing your creativity.
Congrats on 5 years Julia! Love your work, and thanks for a great giveaway!