Isn’t just so fascinating how mother nature always has something growing and thriving in our midst? That’s why whenever Jo Brown explores the great outdoors, she always finds something interesting to add in her Nature Journal! The professional illustrator based in South Devon, United Kingdom has been filling her journal with incredibly detailed illustrations of various flora and fauna she encounters – “from the ‘weeds’ in the garden to the wilds of Dartmoor” – for several years now. Her nature illustration-filled journal has had a moderately large following in the beginning. But when she shared a quick clip showcasing her journal’s contents in 2019, the internet fell in love!
According to Brown, she “started the journal because she wanted to record the things she was discovering, as she found them, because nature is one of the most important things in her life”. And while many other artists have also taken to botanical illustrations, Brown’s Nature Journal stands out for several interesting reasons. For starters, instead of just featuring whimsical blossoms, Brown’s illustrative portfolio offers a highly diverse range. The illustrator has managed to identify and sketch a variety of plants. In addition to this, she has also captured the distinct features of various tiny insects and flighty birds!
View this post on InstagramBuff-tailed Bumblebee – Bombus terrestris #naturejournal #bumblebee #bombusterrestris #bombus
Jo Brown draws and writes about the various flora and fauna she encounters in her excursions in her Nature Journal
Brown’s motivation for creating her nature journal is simple: she just believes that all the wonderful things nature puts out for us to appreciate deserve to be remembered. After all, every thing she has drawn and will draw have been here long before everyone, and will remain long after we leave. She is simply making a chronological record of the things she sees along the way. And when asked why she loves nature so much, she said that:
“It’s consistent, it’s ubiquitous, it never lets her down, and it’s all free.”
The illustrator’s talent shines clearly through every highly detailed and masterfully colored illustration. Then, after she finishes her full-bleed illustration, Brown goes on to write various information about the flora or fauna on the blank space around the subject. She jots down not only the flora or fauna’s common name but also its Latin name and other informative descriptions. With all these details included in the wonderfully quirky journal is definitely a joy to both create and read!
Aside from brilliant illustrations, interesting information can be found in Brown’s Nature Journal
View this post on InstagramRound-leaved Sundew – Drosera rotundifolia #naturejournal #droserarotundifolia #sundew
After catching the attention of the internet, Brown has made several appearances in mainstream media
After catching the collective eye of the internet, mainstream media networks soon took an interest to Brown and her Nature Journal. She’s taken BBC Inside Out South West along with her for a walk in the woods, chatted with De’Graft Mensah about her work for Newsround, and was interviewed by David FitzGerald for BBC Radio Devon. CNN also reached out to her for an interview that they included in a segment they did about climate change! Most recently, she also joined Mike Hendley’s ‘Drawing Inspiration’ podcast that he held in the middle of the 2020 Inktober Challenge.
View this post on InstagramChanterelle – Cantharellus cibarius #naturejournal #chanterelle #fungi #cantharelluscibarius
View this post on InstagramAmanita muscaria – Fly Agaric. #naturejournal #flyagaric #amanitamuscaria #fungi #mushrooms
View this post on Instagram
You can now own a copy of Brown’s journal
Brown has published the contents of her first Moleskin journal for her fans to pore over. ‘The Secrets of Devon Wood’ contains all her illustrations of flora and amazingly accurate anatomical sketches of various fauna like the buff-tailed bumble bee. You can get a copy of her book here. For a time, Brown’s work was also available in Society 6, however, the artist seems to have stopped offering it on the platform. Nevertheless, a copy of her book will surely make a wonderful present for any nature lover!
Source: Jo Brown Instagram | Twitter | Website | Youtube