From Leaves to Layers: How to Use Collage to Record Your Nature Walks (With Free Printables)

We always find nature walks to be the perfect way to reconnect with the world around us. The sights, sounds, and smells offer a moment of respite from daily life, and they provide endless inspiration for creativity. One of the most enjoyable and tactile ways that I find to document our outdoor adventures is through the art of collage. Collage allows us to capture the essence of our surroundings using a variety of materials, from pressed leaves and flowers to snippets of text, fabric, and even photographs.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how you can use collage to record your nature walks, creating meaningful pieces of art that reflect your personal journey through nature. And if you scroll right to the bottom, you will find my “Enchanted Garden” printable collage sheets that I created in Procreate and that I’m giving away for free for you to use in your nature journal 🙂

Why Use Collage for Nature Walks?

Collage is an incredibly versatile medium, perfect for recording the sensory experience of a nature walk. While photography captures a single moment, and journalling can be deeply introspective, collage offers a dynamic blend of textures, colours, and forms that can convey the multi-dimensional experience of being outdoors. Collage is also a process of discovery. It’s about layering, arranging, and finding meaning in the materials you collect along the way. Plus, it’s a fun and low-pressure way to create art. Whether you’re an experienced artist or a beginner, collage is accessible, intuitive, and deeply personal.

Here are a few reasons why you should consider using collage in your nature journal:

Adds Tactile Texture – Nature is full of textures—rough bark, smooth stones, delicate petals—and collage lets you incorporate those textures directly into your journal. This adds a sensory dimension that drawings or written words alone can’t convey.
Embraces Creativity – Collage allows you to express the richness of the natural world in creative, abstract ways. You can layer colours, papers, and natural elements to symbolise the beauty and complexity of your outdoor adventures.
Enhances Memory and Reflection – Collage invites you to interact more deeply with your environment. The act of selecting materials and placing them in your journal helps solidify the memories of your walk and the emotions you felt while immersed in nature.
Bridges Art and Observation – Collage is an ideal medium for combining artistic expression with scientific observation. You can document what you see (a bird’s feather, the shape of a leaf, a flower petal) while also capturing how those things make you feel.

Essential Materials for Collaging in Your Nature Journal

Before you head out on your nature walk, gather the necessary materials. You don’t need a lot of fancy supplies—just some basics that will allow you to collect, preserve, and add textures to your journal.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Natural Materials – Leaves, flowers, seeds, twigs, feathers, bark, and other items you might encounter during your walk. (Pro tip: If you plan on using real leaves or flowers, it’s a good idea to press them beforehand so they’re flat and easy to work with.)
Paper and Glue – A sturdy journal or sketchbook with thick, acid-free paper is ideal for collage. Use archival-quality glue or Mod Podge to attach your materials securely.
Collage Elements – You can also bring along scrap paper, fabric, magazines, or textured paper. Old maps, old book pages, and vintage postcards make excellent additions for layering.
Cutting Tools – Scissors, craft knives, or paper punches will help you shape and trim elements for your collage.
Optional Extras – Coloured pencils, watercolour paints, or ink pens can be used to add finishing touches after you’ve glued down your collage elements. These tools allow you to add highlights, shadows, or even sketches that complement the collage.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Nature Walk Collage

1. Collecting Materials on Your Walk

The first step is to immerse yourself in nature. While walking, pay close attention to your surroundings. Look for interesting textures, colours, and shapes. When you find something that speaks to you, carefully collect it. Make sure to press leaves and flowers if you want to preserve their shape and texture for your collage later.

Also, take note of the feelings or thoughts that arise during your walk. Were you enchanted by the rustling of leaves? Did a bird’s song fill the air? These personal reflections can be woven into your collage through written words or the way you arrange your elements.

2. Sorting and Preparing Your Materials

Once you return home, take a moment to sort through the materials you’ve gathered. Press any leaves or flowers you may have collected by placing them between pieces of parchment paper or in a heavy book. This will help preserve their shape and allow them to be more easily glued onto your collage.

Next, sort your materials by size, colour, and texture. This will help you envision how they might fit together on your canvas.

3. Arranging the Collage Elements

Begin by laying out your materials loosely on your base. Experiment with different arrangements—don’t worry if they aren’t perfect. At this stage, it’s about discovering how the pieces interact. You may want to layer leaves to create depth, or place a delicate feather in the centre to draw the eye.

If you’ve collected text or other paper elements (like a map or a small drawing), consider how they might complement your natural materials. Sometimes a scrap of an old book or a bold word can evoke a particular feeling or idea that ties the collage together.

4. Gluing and Layering

Once you’ve found an arrangement that feels right, begin gluing your pieces down. Be mindful of layering—collage thrives on depth. Layering materials adds richness to the piece and mimics the complexity of nature itself.

Start with the larger elements and work your way to the smaller ones. Don’t be afraid to let elements overlap—this creates a sense of fluidity and movement. If you want to add texture, consider using more than one adhesive, such as gluing down some elements and using Mod Podge over others for a shiny, raised finish.

5. Final Touches

Once your collage is fully assembled, take a step back and observe the piece. Do you want to add any finishing touches? This is the time to enhance the overall composition with details like watercolour accents, hand-written text, or even a border.

If you feel that something is missing, consider adding a small drawing or painting. A few brushstrokes of blue can evoke the sky, while a touch of yellow can suggest sunlight filtering through trees.

6. Preserving Your Collage

When your collage is finished and the glue is dry, it’s time to preserve it. If you used natural materials like leaves or flowers, you may want to cover the piece with a protective layer of Mod Podge or spray it with a fixative to keep it intact for longer.

Techniques for Incorporating Collage into Your Nature Journal

Once you’ve gathered your materials, it’s time to dive into the creative process! Collage is incredibly versatile, and there are many different ways to use it to record your nature walks.

1. The Basic Collage Technique
The simplest approach is to start by gluing natural materials directly onto your journal page. If you’re using leaves, flowers, or bark, arrange them thoughtfully, paying attention to the composition. You can overlap pieces, layering them for a textured effect. Don’t be afraid to let the natural materials lead the way—let the shape or pattern of the items dictate the layout.

2. Playing with Texture
Nature is full of textures, and collage offers a wonderful way to capture these elements. For example, you could use rough paper to mimic tree bark, soft fabric to represent the petals of a flower, or shiny paper to suggest the reflective surface of a pond. Experiment with different types of paper, fabrics, or even items like sand or seeds to bring an added dimension to your pages.

3. Colour and Pattern
Use colour to convey the season or mood of your nature walk. Bright greens, yellows, and floral hues work well for spring, while deep reds, oranges, and browns evoke autumn. You can also use patterned paper or magazine clippings to replicate the intricate patterns you see in nature—like the veins in a leaf, the spots on a mushroom, or the speckled feathers of a bird.

4. Mixed Media Collage
Combine your collage elements with other forms of art! After you’ve glued down your natural materials, you can add sketches, watercolours, or ink drawings to your page. Perhaps you draw a bird perched next to a pressed leaf, or sketch the outline of a tree next to a piece of bark. Mixed media collage allows you to combine different mediums to enhance your narrative and create a truly unique page.

Integrating Collage with Traditional Nature Journal Entries

Collage doesn’t have to replace your writing and sketching—it can enhance it. Consider how you might combine collage with your traditional nature journal entries to create a rich, layered page.

Writing and Collage: Use your journal to document your thoughts and observations. For example, you might write a short description of a flower and add a pressed petal next to the text. Or, if you observe an animal, you could add a small collage of its footprints or feathers along with a short note about its behaviour.
Reflective Journalling: After your walk, use collage to reflect on how you felt in nature. What did the walk mean to you? Did you feel calm, energised, or curious? Create a collage that mirrors those emotions—perhaps using colours or textures that evoke the feelings you experienced.
Storytelling: Let your collage tell a story. For example, you could create a collage that illustrates the lifecycle of a butterfly—showing stages from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly—using natural materials to represent each stage. This can make your journal a rich, evolving narrative of your nature walks.

How to draw a butterfly butterflies nature journal

Creative Ideas for Collaging Your Nature Walks

Looking for some fun and inspiring ways to approach your nature journalling with collage? Here are a few creative ideas to get you started:

Seasonal Collages: Create a page that showcases the colours, textures, and elements of the current season. For instance, in autumn, you could collect leaves in different shades, use brown paper for the earth, and add tiny acorns or seeds.
Nature Postcards: Create a page that looks like a postcard from your walk, complete with pressed flowers or leaves around the edges, and a written note describing the sights you saw.
Focus on Small Details: Instead of recording everything, focus on small, interesting details—a single leaf, a bird’s footprint, or a small patch of moss—and create a mini-collage dedicated to that element.

Reflecting on Your Walks

Collage isn’t just about the finished piece—it’s also about the process. As you create, you’ll reflect on your walk: the colours you saw, the sounds you heard, the smells you inhaled. Collage is an invitation to slow down and appreciate the subtle details of the world around you.

Each collage you create becomes a visual diary of your nature walks. Over time, you’ll build a collection of pieces that tell the story of the seasons, the places you’ve visited, and the emotions you’ve experienced. The tactile process of arranging and layering also deepens your connection to the materials you’ve collected.

Conclusion

Using collage to document your nature walks is a powerful way to merge creativity with mindfulness. The process allows you to capture the intricate beauty of the natural world in a way that’s personal, imaginative, and unique. Whether you’re collecting leaves, stones, or thoughts, collage invites you to explore the richness of the world around you, one layer at a time.

Free Printable Collage Sheets to Cut & Stick In Your Nature Journal

Here are some collage sheets that I created in Procreate. Simply click on any one to open a new tab with the high quality file, then print, cut out and create!

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