Drawing from Photographs: Nature Finds

In our studio, there are trays of sticks, rocks etc.  Sometimes we want to send these treasures back into the world while keeping a recorded documentation of them.  This lends to the future creation of diagrams, labelling and descriptions.  

Materials

• Notebook
• Camera or other device with these capabilities
• Pencil/eraser
• Glue stick

Group/ Classroom setting

• Ikea TOLSBY frames * If these aren’t available to you, we show you a little trick as to how to make a paper stand!  See below.

Directions

• With an adult, go on a nature walk, taking photos of your specimens that you find.  You may want to take a photo “in the field” or take the items home, photograph them and then return them to the earth.

• Once you have your photographs, glue them into your sketchbook (you could also use something like self-adhesive photo corners).

• If you are doing this in a group setting, pop your photos into a picture frame to put out onto a table.  Here is a copy of the photos we took if you would like to use those as an example or a starting point.  They are sized for the frame: nature pictures3

• Sketch away with these thoughts in mind- how can you show texture?  How can you experiment with taking a 2-D image and making it appear 3-D?  What different types of lines can you use?  If you like, label your work, add colour and provide a description- where did you find the item?  What surrounded it?  Do you have any predictions (prior to researching it) as to what it might be?

• Continue this process throughout the year, noting any differences you might find during the seasonal changes.

• If you are in a classroom setting, set up a nature table for displaying your collections and/or mount the sketches with the photographs beside them to display the work.

* Creating a Paper Stand

If you don’t have a frame and want to make a quick and inexpensive stand, here is a trick I learned from one of my host teachers as a University student, using cardstock, Poster/Bristol Board or thin cardboard.

Purpose

• Getting out into nature.
• Learning how to take photos of items of interest.
• Exploring how to draw a likeness of something.

Safety Notes

• Have an adult accompany you on your nature walk, being sure to respect nature and people’s property.
• Ask permission, prior to using equipment such as a camera or cell phone with the camera feature.
• Avoid choosing items that may be dangerous (e.g., selecting mushrooms for example).
• Small items such as erasers and glue caps should be stored out of reach of small children (o-3 years of age) or those that tend to put things in their mouths.