One day I noticed the sun filtering in through the window of our little front room creating a warm, cozy space and lighting up the Christmas cactus which was in full bloom. I couldn’t resist the invitation and quickly grabbed my journaling supplies and settled down in front of it. Initially drawn to the dazzling pink flowers, my attention quickly shifted to the cast shadows on the surface below. Light coming in from multiple sources was creating all sorts of intriguing patterns and colors, so I snapped some photos and began to sketch. I drew the flowers as well, but in the end, it was the shadows I most enjoyed capturing.
Another day I was out in the vegetable garden journaling about some peas and radishes that were just coming up, but once again it was the frilly-edged shadows from nearby kale plants teasing at the corners of my notebook that really caught my eye. When I finished with the peas and radishes, I found the ideal position for my notebook and traced the kale shadows to fill out the bottom of my page. Sitting back to see what these shapes looked like, they immediately transformed into flowers in my mind. Adding some additional lines and color, they became the highlight of the page.
Autumn leaves make great shadows too. They are one of my favorite things to draw, but it can be difficult to get them to stay in one position if you are sitting on the couch. My solution? I stuck the stems into the spiral holes of my notebook. Once again, my attention was diverted from my subject to its shadows. I ended up drawing these instead but colored them in as if they were the leaves.
One of the things I love most about nature journaling is that it almost always takes you some place unexpected. I hope you are inspired to find some magical shadows of your own.