OK, I am interested but I want to start now and your event is 3 weeks away!
Good news! Nature is literally everywhere. From a crack in the sidewalk flower to backwoods hiking you can start journaling anywhere. My first suggestion if you are not a hiker, is to go to a local park. At these parks you can find plenty of trees, flowers, small birds, squirrels and insects. Does that seem a little over whelming? Pick one tree. Now grab a leaf and really look at it. What shape is it? Is it soft or hard? Does it have little hairs on it or is it shiny and leathery? Do you see the veins of the leaf? Follow them around the leaf. Most of the time we never really notice how intricate and beautiful leaves actually are. Draw one from a few different angles.Have fun, make notes. Remember this is not about pretty pictures. Here is a simple worksheet for leaf types.
Here are some websites for local parks:
Hillsborough County: http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/residents/recreation-and-culture/parks/find-a-park
Pinellas:
Polk:
Next step will be hiking in preserves and sketching! Stay tuned!