Sketchplanations
Big Ideas Little Pictures
Get the book!
Sketchplanations podcast photo of Rob Bell, Tom Pellereau and Jono Hey
Prefer to listen?
🎉 Help keep Sketchplanations ad-free by supporting me

Nature sketches

Explore sketches, drawings, and illustrations that simplify ideas related to Nature.

Quote and advice from Jane Goodall's mother: If there's something you really want, you're going to have to work really hard, take advantage of opportunity and, above all, never give up.And, above all, never give upPace Layers diagram by Stewart Brand explained: fashion, commerce, infrastructure, governance,culture, nature. Fast layers innovate, slow layers stabilise.Pace Layers: Six layers of robust and adaptable civilisationsJohn Muir quote illustration: I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in — John Muir quoteGoing Out Was Really Going In — John Muir QuoteHow to Instantly Feel Better — a visual guide pairing common feelings like anger, anxiety, or burnout with simple actions like singing, walking, or breathing to feel better, boost happiness, and improve wellbeing.How to Instantly Feel BetterBASE jumping is an acronym for Building, Antenna (like a radio or communication tower), Span (such as a bridge), and Earth (a cliff or natural formation)—the four types of fixed objects people jump fromBASE Jumping — Building, Antenna, Span, EarthWhat is Rückenfigur example: a person looking out at a mountain sceneRückenfigurWhat is Naismith's Rule for calculating walking time in the mountains example explained with a mountain ridge with hikers and lines for the horizontal distance and time and ascent and timeNaismith's Rule for mountain hiking timeKitchen table survival skills — skills that keep you out of a scrape in the wild that you can practice at your kitchen tableKitchen table survival skillsThe automation paradox explanation, or paradox of automation, summary with a hiker choosing their phone in place of a physical map and then getting lost in a landscape when there's no signalThe Automation ParadoxA map showing where Point Nemo lies - the furthest point from land with distances to the nearest land. This would be a long swimPoint Nemo: The Most Remote Place on Earth and the Spacecraft GraveyardIceberg floating orientation explained: Icebergs are usually drawn floating vertically, while a stable iceberg orientation is usually on its sideIceberg orientationPoint positive illustration: Rafters pointing towards the safe way down a rapids for a swimmer in the water rather than pointing towards the dangersPoint positiveMangroves illustration: showing the coastal habitat and their benefits in protecting, stabilising, nurturing and sequesteringMangrovesTwo people are loving soaking up the low winter rays of sun in a parkApricityA spider constructing a common orb spider webA common orb spider webTwo people on a desert island trying to find some privacyIt's easier to give privacy than to find itPonderosa pine and its bark listing out some of the fire protections it hasPonderosa pine fire protectionsAn urban area next to a more natural rural area showing how the urban area gets hotter than the surrounding landHeat islandsOnly dead fish go with the flow quote. Two fish in a stream. One is dead and floating with the current. The other is swimming against it and jumping out of the water.Only dead fish go with the flowWhat is a time Hierarchy example explained: a lush, verdant, coniferous alpine forest is depicted as a means of explaining the range of layers within any durable system that develop at different speeds. From the individual needles on the trees that develop over a year, to the surrounding biome, 10,000 years in the making. Time hierarchyPrints and Performances illustration: a black and white artistic representation of the Half Dome rock formation in Yosemite National Park, California. The peak is named for its distinct shape; one side is a sheer face while the other three sides are smooth and round, making it appear like a dome cut in half. The image is accompanied by a quote from celebrated American photographer, Ansel Adams. Prints and performancesWhat is a microadventureMicroadventureWhat is Flow: the psychology of optimal experience illustrated with climbing, clear goals, feedback and matched challengeFlowJohn Muir quote illustration with a Sierra Nevada lake and distant mountains with a mountain chickadee bird on a branch in the foreground and the quote "As soon as we take one thing by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."Hitched to everything else in the universeNotice when you're happy: advice from Kurt Vonnegut's Uncle Alex to stop and say "If this isn't nice, I don't know what is."Notice when you're happy: If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what isWhat is a nurse log - a fallen giant tree providing a linear nursery for young treesNurse logThe Law of Unintended Consequences example explained - when a simple system regulates a complex systemThe law of unintended consequencesWhy do leaves change colour in fall and Autumn and what compounds make the colours?Autumn leaves and the compounds that cause their coloursApophenia example: two hikers look up into the sky with surprise to see a cloud in the form of Godzilla!ApopheniaWhat are the 5 Ways to Wellbeing poster: in a busy park scene the 5 ways to wellbeing are depicted as families and friends come together to socialise and interact with their surroundings to Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give. 5 Ways to WellbeingThe Finger-dip Test illustration: a finger is pushed into the soil of a healthy, green houseplant down to around the first knuckle. Where the soil is found to be dry, the owner of said finger tops it up with water. Where the soil is found to be moist, they sit back and enjoy a good book in an armchair next to the plant. The finger-dip test to not overwater houseplantsThe 3 day effect: A hiker sets off up a mountain, as each day goes by, thinking less about the work they were doing before they cameThe 3-day effectTwit-twoo illustration: showing how the classic owl sound is actually a duet with a female and male tawny owl doing a "kewick" and "whoo"The classic twit-twoo is actually a duetWhat is the Fun scale explained showing Type 1 fun as skiing, Type 2 fun as mountaineering and Type 3 fun as surviving a bear encounter (the best story)The fun scale: understanding the types of funForest bathing illustration — shinrin-yokuForest bathingKayak vs Canoe: what's the differenceKayak vs Canoe: What's the difference?The 10 Essentials illustration: a list of essential bits of kit for camping and being out in wilderness is laid out; compass & map, hat and sun cream, a warm jacket, head-torch, first-aid kit, lit match, tape & knife, food and snacks, full water bottles, a tent or tarpaulin. The 10 EssentialsBrowse line illustration with a deer reaching up to eat the leaves off a tree and creating a tidy line at the height they can reachThe browse lineWhat is ghost fishing showing a discarded fishing net catching fish and other predatorsGhost fishingwhat is a Phoenix tree explained with a toppled tree shown pencil-sketch style with its roots still connected at one end, side branches along the trunk becoming trees in their own right, and one putting down rootsPhoenix treesPace Layers drawing showing the layers of Nature, Culture, Governance, Infrastructure, Commerce and Fashion/Art changing at different speedsPace layers original sketchI bet this'll get a lot of likesI bet this’ll get a lot of likesVenomous vs Poisonous the difference explained: Venomous animals inject venom through bites, stings and the like. Poisonous animals poison you if you absorb, consume, or inhale.Venomous, poisonous - what’s the difference?Animals that regenerate - flatworm head, axolotl legs, lizard tail, sea star, moose, deer...Animals that regenerateHomo sapiens. Our place in the order of thingsBycatch: a sea turtle caught in a net as bycatchBycatchHow do barnacles moveHow do barnacles move anyway?Camel identification: 1 hump dromedary, 2 humps bactrianHow to tell a centipede from a millipedeCounter-shadingHow to find the North Star in the northern hemisphere and find north using the stars and the night skyHow to Find the North Star to Find North (Northern Hemisphere)Vultures have bald heads to…What’s the difference between a crocodile and an alligatorKnow your polesWhat’s the difference between a tortoise and a turtleIdentify a douglas fir: showing a douglas fir cone with it's 3 pointed mini-leaves named Dougie, Douglas and DougIdentify a Douglas firThunder cloudsThe different types of surfing breaks: beach break, reef break, and point breakThe 3 Main Types of Surf Breaks ExplainedRain shadowA chilly camper circled by mosquitoes disturbing an animal come to drinkWhy camp 50 yards from waterLenticular cloudsShapes of ValleysWhy beaches are amazing for play showing a parent and child at the beach and listing out many aspects of what make beaches amazingBeaches: amazing for playUnlike most plants, grass grows from the baseWhy do birds migrate sooooo far?
Buy Me A Coffee