Nature Journaling Prompt: Sketch with Natural Objects

Hear from Marketing Manager Nakaia Macomber-Millman about her entry for our December Nature Journaling Prompts hosted by Wild Wonder.

By Nakaia Macomber-Millman

A top-down view of a wooden table featuring an open sketchbook with brown coffee stains, a small bowl of whole coffee beans, a cup of brewed coffee, and various natural items like dried flowers and a twig scattered around.

December 10th prompt: Sketch with natural objects. On a walk, collect three different objects from the ground. Dip them in ink and explore what marks you can make in your journal. Add notes about your experience! Artist Jenny Jing Zhang also sketched in a recent live demo with a reed stick she found on an Edmonds beach.

Today Marketing Manager Nakaia Macomber-Millman shares her response to the nature journaling prompt above.

Sketch with Natural Objects by Nakaia Macomber-Millman

On a brisk February afternoon between the rains, I ventured out on a walk around the neighborhood in search of some natural sketching tools. I carried a little basket for gathering and, in retrospect, as a reminder of my mission. No sooner had I turned onto the main road, I was already distracted from the purpose of my walk by the lush scenery of late winter in the forest.

Fuzzy willow catkins brimming with pollen.

A small, intricately woven basket sits on the forest floor among moss and fallen leaves, surrounded by trees in the background. — A gathering basket, perfect for a little nature walk.

Sun-bleached ferns, sagging with winter moisture, pockets of vibrant moss snaking along the madrona’s north-facing trunks, and the crisp outlines of hibernating branches and twigs high above me, silhouetted against a blanket of white clouds.

Returning to the task at hand, I slipped a twig covered in usnea (Old Man’s Beard), a pinecone, wild strawberry leaf, and salal twig into my basket. Two willow catkins, one silky smooth and the other trembling with soft yellow pollen, were the a final additions to my basket: nature’s brushes! Ground score!

Coffee grounds and water as a natural ink alternative.

An open sketchbook with a coffee stain on one page sits on a wooden table. Nearby are a small bowl of coffee beans, a cup, a pine cone, and a hand holding a piece of dried plant matter. — I started my sketch by blocking in a light wash of sky using a catkin.

I diverged from the specifics of the prompt and created a 100% eco-friendly paste from my morning coffee grounds to use in lieu of ink. It worked fairly well, once I accepted the range of value was quite limited. The dry usnea was perfect for blocking in bushes; catkins for adding a light wash to the sky, and the salal twig quickly became my most versatile tool. I scratched in trunks and spindly alder branches, added tufts of grass to define the road from the forest’s edge, and layered shadow to the undersides of fir boughs.

A dirt path diverges into two directions, flanked by tall, dense trees with varying shades of green. The sky above is overcast, creating a moody atmosphere. — My reference image for the sketch I made back at home. The rain was off and on that day, so I saved the sketching to do indoors.

A sketchbook opened to a watercolor painting of a tree and landscape, created with brown and tan tones. Surrounding the sketch are coffee beans in a small glass bowl, a cup of coffee, a pinecone, dried plant materials, and a small dish of used coffee grounds, all on a wooden surface. — Finished driveway sketch, made with coffee grounds for ink and painted with a twig, catkin, and usnea from a walk.

While sketching, I found myself missing my watercolors and the punchy darks of black waterproof pens. By the end, I realized this longing was just my comfort zone talking, and that nature journaling prompts are about trying new techniques and exploring nature through art, which is exactly what I’d done! My favorite part of the exercise was the way it drew elements of my day together: my morning coffee, a midday walk, and time with my sketchbook.

—Nakaia Macomber-Millman

To read more about last December’s 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 the Art Toolkit Blog and on Instagram!

Sketch with Natural Objects by Nakaia Macomber-Millman

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