Drawing Nature by Linda Miller Feltner is one of the nature-drawing books I return to because it shows more than finished artwork. It connects field observation, rough sketches, questions, research, and the process of developing those first observations into something more resolved.
I picked it up because I was looking for something beyond a basic beginner drawing guide. I wanted a book that treated close observation as part of the artistic process rather than simply giving me another sequence of steps to copy.
That is where Drawing Nature has been most useful to me. Linda Miller Feltner does not separate drawing from curiosity about the subject. Looking closely, asking questions, sketching in the field, researching later, and developing an image all become parts of the same process.
See Drawing Nature by Linda Miller Feltner
My Quick Take on Drawing Nature
| What the book emphasizes | My take |
|---|---|
| Observation | One of the book’s greatest strengths |
| Field sketching | Important part of the process rather than an afterthought |
| Scientific curiosity | Used to deepen the artwork rather than overwhelm it |
| Finished artwork | Shown alongside the rougher thinking that led to it |
| Step-by-step instruction | Not the book’s main purpose |
| Skill level | Most useful once you have some basic drawing experience |
I would recommend it most strongly to artists who already enjoy drawing natural subjects and want to deepen the way they observe, investigate, and develop those subjects.
What Makes Drawing Nature Different
A lot of drawing books move quickly toward the finished picture.
Drawing Nature spends more time showing what happens before that point.
Feltner includes rough ideas, field observations, unfinished studies, questions, and the kinds of exploratory marks that usually disappear before anyone sees the final artwork.
I appreciate that because those are often the most useful parts for me as another artist.
I can admire a polished nature illustration, but seeing how the artist arrived there gives me something I can apply to my own practice.
That process-oriented approach fits naturally with the way I think about nature drawing: look carefully first, make observations, and let the drawing grow out of what is actually in front of you.
Observation Comes Before Style
One of the things I connected with most was Feltner’s emphasis on looking at the subject rather than immediately imposing a drawing formula on it.
When I am drawing an animal, plant, rock formation, or landscape, I find the result is usually stronger when I begin by asking what is actually distinctive about that particular subject.
What direction is it growing?
Where is its weight?
What shapes dominate?
What details tell me something about how it lives or functions?
Those questions give me more to work with than trying to make the subject conform to a preexisting style.
That same observational approach runs through much of my own animal drawing practice.
The Blend of Drawing and Scientific Curiosity Is the Real Strength
What separates the book from a conventional sketching guide is the amount of curiosity Feltner brings to her subjects.
A flower is not only a collection of petals to reproduce.
It can lead to questions about how the plant grows, why its structure looks the way it does, what interacts with it, and how it fits into the surrounding environment.
I like that approach because I do not need to know every answer before I begin drawing.
A question itself can become part of the sketchbook page.
That is also one of the reasons nature journaling works well beside observational drawing. Writing something down can preserve information that a drawing alone might not capture.
You Do Not Have to Finish Everything in the Field
This was one of the most useful ideas in the book for me.
When I am drawing outside, there is always a temptation to think I should capture everything before I leave.
But light changes. Animals move. Weather changes. Sometimes I simply run out of time.
Feltner’s process makes room for that.
A field sketch can record enough information to begin the idea. Research, reference material, additional studies, and more finished drawing can happen later.
I find that much more useful than treating every outdoor drawing session as a test of whether I can finish something on location.
How I Use Drawing Nature in My Own Practice
I tend to use the book in three different ways rather than simply reading it from beginning to end.
Before I Go Outside
Sometimes I flip through a few pages before a drawing session and choose one thing to pay attention to.
That might be texture, movement, shape, behavior, or the relationship between a subject and its environment.
Giving myself one observational goal makes it easier to begin than trying to capture everything at once.
If I need a more specific starting point, I also use my nature journaling prompts.
While Sketching in the Field
Outside, I try to let the sketches remain exploratory.
I am collecting information rather than forcing every drawing toward a polished result.
That could mean:
- several quick studies of the same subject
- a close-up of one interesting structure
- written notes beside a drawing
- a question to research later
- texture studies
- small composition ideas
- unfinished gestures
The page can stay messy because its job is to help me look.
Later in the Studio
Back home, I can return to those field observations and decide whether any of them deserve more development.
I may research something I noticed, compare additional reference material, refine the composition, or turn part of the original sketch into a more complete drawing.
I enjoy that layered process more than expecting myself to solve everything during the first encounter with the subject.
The Rough Sketches Are as Useful as the Finished Work
One of my favorite things about the book is seeing the less resolved stages of Feltner’s process.
Finished artwork can make the path from observation to illustration look deceptively clean.
It usually is not.
There are false starts, incomplete studies, compositional questions, discoveries, and changes in direction.
Seeing those stages makes the finished pieces more useful to study because I can better understand how they developed.
The Variety of Natural Subjects Keeps the Book Broad
The book is not limited to one category of nature.
Feltner works across plants, animals, geological subjects, landscapes, and larger ecological relationships.
I like that breadth because it keeps the underlying process from becoming tied to one type of subject.
The same habit of observing, questioning, sketching, and researching can carry from a plant study into wildlife or a larger landscape.
What I Think the Book Does Best
- Shows process. You see rough thinking as well as finished artwork.
- Connects art with inquiry. Drawing becomes a way of investigating a subject.
- Encourages real fieldwork. Observation outdoors remains central.
- Covers varied natural subjects. The ideas are not restricted to birds, plants, or landscapes alone.
- Makes unfinished sketches useful. A field drawing can become the beginning of a longer process.
- Encourages deeper observation. The goal is not merely to copy appearances.
Where Drawing Nature May Not Be the Best Fit
This is not the book I would choose if I wanted a rigid sequence of beginner drawing lessons.
Someone completely new to drawing may find some of the material easier to appreciate after gaining a little basic sketching experience.
It is also not built around a “draw this exact line, then add this shape” method.
That is a strength for me, but it may frustrate someone who specifically wants tightly prescribed step-by-step tutorials.
If you are just beginning the broader practice, my sketching nature resources may be an easier place to start.
Drawing Nature vs. The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling
I use both Drawing Nature and John Muir Laws’ The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling, but I do not think they serve exactly the same purpose.
| Book | Where I think it is strongest |
|---|---|
| Drawing Nature | Developing observations through sketching, inquiry, research, and illustration |
| The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling | Broader structured instruction in observation, drawing techniques, journaling, and field practice |
If I wanted a broad instructional guide, I would lean toward Laws.
If I wanted to study how field observation can evolve into deeper artistic work, Drawing Nature is the more interesting companion for me.
Who I Recommend Drawing Nature To
I think the book is best suited to:
- nature artists who want to deepen their observational process
- wildlife artists interested in working from field observations
- nature journalers who want to develop sketches further
- illustrators interested in natural history
- artists who enjoy combining drawing with research
- people who learn by seeing another artist’s process
- intermediate sketchers who want more than beginner exercises
I think it is especially valuable if you have reached the point where you can make a basic sketch but are wondering what to do with your observations next.
Is Drawing Nature by Linda Miller Feltner Worth It?
For me, yes. Its greatest value is showing that nature drawing can continue long after the first field sketch is finished.
I can observe something outside, record only what I have time to notice, ask questions, research it later, and allow that first rough page to become part of a longer artistic process.
That feels much closer to how I actually want to work than treating every sketch as an isolated finished exercise.
See Drawing Nature by Linda Miller Feltner
You can compare it with the other titles I use in my nature journaling books guide.