Every Friday at the same time in the Winter of 2021 (January through to March) my youngest daughter and I went outside and drew the same branch on our Bramley Apple Tree.  Watching the changes not only of the branch, but also of the weather, the acitivity of the birds and the sounds of nature.

 

We called this nature jounraling project #branchpaintingfriday.

 

This was a very grounding and interesting practice, that helped us create a pause in what had become very monotonous weeks.  It was amazing what we noticed, even while the branch stayed the same for weeks, the sound of birds changed and the weather slowly changed around us. The seasons moving from Winter into Spring.  All these interesting things are part of our trees environment and neighbourhood.  We are also part of that, our tree feels like part of our family.   Drawing the same subject over and over is a really valuable way to get better at drawing. I’ve found drawing and painting the same species every year, I get to know it and know how to portray it better each time.