Intro to Observational Drawing: Beginner Tools for Art & Journaling

A beginner-friendly workshop teaching simple, foundational drawing skills: contour, shape, texture, and tone, to help you draw what you see with confidence.

Drawing begins with learning to see.

In this beginner-friendly workshop, you’ll be guided through simple, foundational drawing skills that help you move from hesitation to clarity.

This is not about being “good at art.” It’s about understanding a few key principles
and learning how to use them, readily and consistently.

In this 3-hour session, you’ll explore:

• How to draw what you actually see.
• How to use simple shapes to build form.
• How to add texture characteristics.
• How to create depth using light and shadow.

These are the same tools used across both art and nature journaling and once you understand them, everything begins to make more sense.

Through these simple sketching techniques, such as contour, shape, texture, and tone, you’ll begin to build a quiet, steady drawing practice.

One that supports not only nature journaling, but also:

• Travel journaling
• Everyday life sketching
• Drawing objects, places, and people
• Painting and other creative practices

These are foundational skills you can return to again and again.

• Complete beginners
• Anyone wanting to feel more confident drawing
• Nature journalers wanting stronger foundations
• Creatives looking for a relevant, structured starting point

No prior experience needed.

A relaxed, supportive environment with clear guidance and no pressure to perform.

You’ll leave with:

• Practical drawing tools you can reuse
• Pages of your own observational sketches
• A stronger sense of where and how to begin

• Sketch book or drawing paper, and/or Visual Diary /Journal
• Pencils (HB & 2B), rubber (recommend kneadable eraser) and Colour pencils (or watercolour pencils), and/or your preferred choice of colouring medium.
• Waterproof Ink Pen/s (0.3mm or over) such as Micron, Faber Castell, Artline, etc.
• Drinks and snacks (optional).

*N.B. I'll have additional sketching paper and resources on hand

Info: I’m an artist, nature journalist, and educator working with drawing, journaling, and observation as tools for connection. Inspired by the Australian bush, my workshops and learning resources invite people to slow down, notice more, and engage creatively with birds, plants, and the landscapes around them. My teaching style is gentle and reflective, prioritising presence over perfection and curiosity over technique. I believe that learning to truly see nature is a vital step toward caring for it. I encourage closer attention to place and a deeper relationship with the natural world through creativity.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Kerry Warnholtz