Nature Journaling Prompt: Shadow Shapes

Hear from Outreach Coordinator Cole Morreale about their entry for our December Nature Journaling Prompts hosted by Wild Wonder.

By Cole Morreale

A vibrant watercolor illustration showing a park scene. On the left, a shadowy figure casts a silhouette on a path labeled "Shadow Shapes" with a date. On the right, a top-down view of black sneakers standing on a colorful, textured pathway bordered by greenery.

December 20th prompt: Shadow shapes. Track and sketch the changing shadows of one object throughout the day. Think of Monet’s Rouen Cathedral studies where he captured the façade of the cathedral at different times of day, in different lightings, throughout the year in more than thirty paintings. How does the light and shifting shadow affect your perception of an object? How does it affect the colors that you see and the emotions that you feel?

Shadow Shapes by Cole Morreale

Light and shadows are some of my favorite things to paint. When I am painting portraits for friends, or taking a quiet moment to observe what’s around me, I find my eyes drawn to the moody shadows of a sunset or, my favorite kind of light, the dappled sunlight through the trees on a sunny day.

Shadows of trees cast on a sunlit dirt path, surrounded by green foliage and grass. — Pretty shadows in Fort Worden State Park!

A shadow of a person standing on a gritty, asphalt surface with a grassy area visible in the background. The shadow appears to be carrying something. — My shadow while walking around Fort Worden State Park.

There is a word for this in Japanese—Komorebi (木漏れ日) doesn’t translate to English, but roughly, it means sunlight filtered through the trees. I love when you can see the rays of light through the leaves, how the ground looks like its sparkling, and I love the patterns the light makes.

So when I saw the shadow prompt, I knew what I wanted to look for, and I even got lucky with a sunny day over the weekend!

An open sketchbook displays a partially painted landscape with a pathway and footsteps at the bottom. Surrounding the sketchbook are various art supplies, including brushes, a color palette, and a glass of water. — Painting in progress with a messy desk!

A digital drawing showing a grid overlay on a photo of a path with green foliage. The area shows a pair of black boots standing on the ground. The grid is outlined in bright pink, marking four sections. Two pink stars are drawn in the top corners. — Playing with composition with a reference photo in Procreate.

I look back on when I first worked with watercolor when I started here at Art Toolkit, and I have learned so much from not only my team and peers, but also from the artists we work with. I would not have attempted something like this a few years ago, and I feel a lot more confident in my brush strokes, color choices, and even in my composition choices.

A sketchbook open to a watercolor painting of a path with shadow shapes, next to an iPad displaying photographs of similar scenes. The background includes art supplies and a potted plant. — Shadow shapes in progress.

A cluttered art desk featuring an open sketchbook with a watercolor painting, a digital tablet displaying a drawing, a palette of watercolors, and various art supplies. — Practice paintings back at home.

Supplies

Hahnemühle 100% Cotton Watercolor Book.
A pencil and kneaded eraser.
Rosemary & Co R19 Pointed Round travel brush, a size 2 round, and sizes 2 and 4 Filberts.
I used the following Daniel Smith watercolors from various travel palettes: Shadow Violet, Moonglow, Sap Green, Phthalo Green, Ultramarine Blue, Permanent Blue Violet, Hansa Yellow Light, Quinacridone Gold, Yellow Ochre, Quinacridone Rose, Quinacridone Coral, Titanium White Gouache.

The prompt was helpful in getting me to pick up a brush again after a busy few months, and I was happy to spend the weekend making something. This makes me want to paint my other references, and to try out watercolor portraits again!

—Cole Morreale

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; we love to see what you create!

Shadow Shapes by Cole Morreale

Supplies

Art Toolkit Newsletter