Nature Journaling Prompt: Dormant Trees

December 24th’s prompt: Dormant Tree Silhouettes. Today you’ll be taking a closer look at deciduous trees. Practice capturing the unique branching patterns of bare, dormant trees. What directions do the branches take, and what techniques can you experiment with to capture them on paper?

Today’s post is a guest post from Lisa Work. Lisa is an active member in both our Circle and Instagram community—we loved following her responses to the #NatureJournaling2026 prompts and invited her to share her reflections and process with us!

My husband and I spent a week at our cabin in Black Moshannon State Park between Christmas and New Year’s. It was snowy and blustery the entire time, and every day we headed out onto the trails. Winter hiking there has its own kind of intimacy—the hush of snow, the wind moving through bare branches. I always return from that place with inspiration to draw and paint.

After only a week back home and into my regular work routine, I found myself missing the snowy forest deeply. One afternoon, I set aside some time to paint my way back to those trees.

Reflecting on the Prompt

Nature journaling has become, for me, a practice of returning—both to places I love and to a slower way of seeing. This week’s Wild Wonder prompt, Dormant tree silhouettes, felt especially fitting. In the fall, I love looking up into canopies of yellow, orange, and burgundy. In the winter, I find myself enjoying that upward gaze just as much. Even without leaves, the forest is full of movement and quiet energy.

Dormancy, I’m learning, is not the absence of life, but life at rest.

Process and Technique

Because I’m still relatively new to drawing and watercolor, this piece was very much an experiment. I explored several pigment combinations across the trees—Indigo with Burnt Umber for some, Payne’s Gray with Burnt Umber for others, and Neutral Tint layered with Burnt Umber where I wanted deeper weight. I also intentionally worked with value, something I’ve been practicing, using shifts between lighter and darker tones to create depth and emphasize the branching patterns of individual trees within the forest.

Supplies Used

• Sketchbook: Moleskine Watercolor Album (cold press watercolor paper).

• Brushes: Escoda Round Brushes (size 8 and size 4), Rosemary & Co R22 Rigger Brush.

• Watercolors: Daniel Smith colors in my Black Pocket Palette.

• Additional media: White Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Pastel, Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleed Proof White.

For the snow, I layered the Neocolor II Pastel with Bleed Proof White, allowing softness and opacity to coexist. The final splatters felt playful—falling snow, memory, and motion held together on the page.

Nature journaling continues to remind me that the practice isn’t about getting it “right or perfect,” but about slowing down, paying attention, and letting curiosity lead.

Thank you so much, Lisa, for sharing your art, process, and reflections on nature journaling with us! To read more about the month of nature journaling prompts, and to see the full list of prompts, click here. Be sure to tag your art with #NatureJournaling2026 and #ArtToolkitFridayPrompt for a chance to be featured on our blog and Instagram!