An Introduction to Creative Nature Journaling

Back by popular demand!

Following three sold-out courses, we're delighted to be offering this fantastic course again.

Event lead: Rachel Anderson, Heritage Researcher

Event length: 3 x Sessions 1pm - 4pm

Meet at: NHSN Council Room, Level 2, Great North Museum: Hancock

Event cost: £75 NHSN Members / £80 Non-Members

About this Event/Course

Join artist and naturalist Steve Pardue for a hands-on, immersive course designed to introduce you to the art of nature journaling at the Great North Museum: Hancock. Whether you've always wanted to start a nature journal but didn’t know where to begin, or if you've tried and struggled to maintain the habit, this course is for you!

Over three sessions, you’ll learn how to notice nature in new and meaningful ways and translate your observations into creative expression on the page. You’ll explore some of the fascinating treasures within NHSN’s North East Nature Archive (NENA) and learn how nature journals have played a pivotal role in documenting and preserving our understanding of the natural world.

This course is all about observation and creative expression. No need for advanced artistic skills, just a love of nature and a willingness to have a go! You'll learn how to develop a daily journaling habit and how to capture the world around you in your own unique way.

Course Overview:

Session 1: Tuesday 14 April 2026 | 1pm – 4pm | Introduction to Nature Journaling

• Join NHSN Senior Naturalist on a guided walk to Exhibition Park exploring Newcastle's urban flora
• Learn techniques for observation and creative expression

Session 2: Tuesday 28 April 2026 | 1pm – 4pm | Nature Storytelling

• Explore the treasures of the NHSN North East Nature Archive (NENA)

• Practice drawing from nature and incorporating storytelling into your journal

Session 3: Tuesday 12 May 2026 | 1pm – 4pm | Completing Your Nature Journal

• Consolidate your learning and finish your nature journal with watercolours

• Tips for maintaining your journaling practice beyond the course

By the end of the course, you’ll:

• Have a completed nature journal to take home

• Have developed the skills and confidence to continue journaling independently

• Gain a deeper connection to the natural world and your own creative expression
  

We’ll provide a small kit of materials to get you started, including:

• 2 Fineliner ink pens

• Steve’s "Shortcut to Nature Journaling" guide

• A blank concertina nature journal

Sign up today and start your journey into the world of nature journaling!

About Steve Pardue

I am an artist and designer, living and working in Northumberland. I combine my love of walking and nature with my art and fill my notebooks with poetic and immersive responses to nature and the world around me. Often my work includes words from music and literature as well as my own words that spring from nature. I work mainly in fountain pen and watercolour.

My daytime job is delivering public art commissions and design for outdoor spaces through my design agency from my studio in Hexham.

Accessibility

This is a fully accessible event.

Photos will be taken at this event to use on social media and in NHSN publicity material. If you would prefer not to be photographed please let us know at the start of the event.

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