Connecting Art and Science - Nature Notes

20180531? 17-24℃ Rain

Summary of Teacher Snail’s Nature Notes Lesson

1. If you can write Chinese characters, you can draw. Chinese characters were born out of hieroglyphics with rich meanings and simple lines like pictures.

2. To reach the broad yet subtle. Human beings are a part of the universe. When you are truly attracted by a small water chestnut flower, "one flower, one world" becomes meaningful.

3. Start taking natural notes: (1) Choose your side to start naturally and keep making observations and records. A blank notebook, a pen, and regular observation. (2) Compile a catalog-like species list and slowly accumulate it. (3) Five elements of text: name of observation object, time, location, weather conditions and temperature.

4. Improve drawing skills: (1) Straight line/curve/dotted line practice. Don't draw slowly, use clean, decisive, smooth lines. Use the eraser as little as possible. (2) Daily painting and punching in, no contribution is wasted.

In class, Teacher Snail led the students to practice basic lines, and then they practiced 4 types of leaves together, namely ginkgo, camphor, osmanthus, and Du Ying. When drawing ginkgo leaves, Teacher Snail asked the students to draw only based on their impressions of the leaves. Students who had no impression of ginkgo wrote honestly, "I don't remember what ginkgo leaves look like." When drawing camphor, everyone saw the real leaves of the camphor tree. Draw only one leaf and focus on observing its veins (three veins from the base) and gland points (the source of the fresh and refreshing smell). Osmanthus requires only one leaf to be drawn. Unlike the leaf edges of camphor, the edges of osmanthus leaves are zigzag, which is a bit difficult. Teacher Snail teaches you how to quickly draw zigzag leaf edges: first use dotted lines to draw the oval outline of the leaves, and then use short lines to quickly fill in each segment point. When drawing Du Ying, the difficulty increased again. Students were asked to draw a branch with at least three leaves. Can you observe and accurately show the way the petiole is attached to the main branch? Teacher Snail demonstrated on the whiteboard how to draw branches on the front, side, and back, and how to express the overlap between branches. The staggered planting of plant branches is conducive to increasing the lighting area and better converting solar energy into the plant's own chemical energy through photosynthesis. In addition, when Mr. Snail chose the objects to observe, he deliberately chose plant leaves that are common but easy to ignore, instead of flowers that are more ornamental and eye-catching. It is also very interesting to appreciate the beauty nearby and discover the extraordinary of common things.

At the end of the course, Teacher Yuan Snail also recommended books such as "Notes on Nature", "Botany Correspondence", "Examination and Interpretation of Plant Names, Facts and Pictures" to the students, and encouraged everyone to read frequently and practice writing. Cultivate the ability to observe carefully and record changes in things over a long period of time through nature notes. The students were also fortunate to appreciate the original manuscript of Teacher Snail's nature notes. The wonderful and beautiful nature was left in the notebook by the magical brush.

Teacher Snail’s May nature notes have been released:

/s/LowEjI8A0ci-pbw18ZxkGg

My view on painting

Chen Danqing said that painting is an outdated thing. In today's world where cameras and photo editing software are so advanced, drawing seems so useless and a waste of energy. But I like painting more and more and regard it as a luxurious enjoyment. I like to fill the room with my favorite music at night, and then sit and draw for an hour as quietly as the air.

For a long time, my painting subjects were only plants. Recently, I also painted insects and birds. The veins, down, and styles of plants, the texture of antennae, joints, and wings of insects, the outline of a bird's body, the color of its feathers, and its eyes—these details fascinate me. Occasionally you will encounter some incredibly beautiful or jaw-droppingly exquisite creatures in nature, but if you take photos too quickly, you won’t have enough time to appreciate them. So much so that I often keep taking photos of the same amazing plant. When I get home and sort out the photos, I realize that I have taken so many identical photos. Painting just makes up for the unsatisfying pleasure of taking pictures. It not only extends the appreciation time for a long time, but also can be enjoyed by one person quietly. Looking from a distance, looking closely, drawing line drawings, looking from the front and side, adjusting colors, comparing the painting with itself, details that were not noticed before are also revealed. It's similar to the joy of finding a certain word in a poem that I particularly like, and the hidden benefits being discovered by myself.

The acquaintance of Snail and Full Moon

Snail is an art teacher with more than 20 years of teaching experience. From teaching in public schools to now setting up an independent studio, he has attracted a group of people who are also deeply attracted by nature. Man Yue is a primary school science teacher born in the 1990s and a newbie in the workplace. Naturally, for her, it is a bright color and a beam of light in her ordinary life.

The first time Snail and Man Yue met was in a bird watching class. During class, Man Yue and Snail were both very serious, watching and drawing birds without saying a word. But Man Yue noticed that the pen in Snail's hand was as dexterous as if it could move on its own, and he quickly and lightly sketched out the posture and temperament of the bird on the notebook. Later, Man Yue participated in the Plant Master training camp and learned that Snail was the previous Plant Master. She turned out to be a senior sister, and the plant family relationship was established. Man Yue, who wanted to learn watercolor, became a friend of Snail on WeChat. Looking at the nature notes that Snail often posted, she couldn't help but pick up a paintbrush and start doing daily paintings and check-ins with Snail. Gradually, she developed the habit of painting before going to bed.

Taking advantage of the school art week, Man Yue, after receiving support from the school, invited Snail to the school to share her experience in nature notes, which led to this tweet.

(Photography & Text/Full Moon)