Classes listed on ArtPlantae Today are for the benefit of members of our creative community. Their inclusion is not an endorsement by ArtPlantae LLC. As with anything, please investigate your choices thoroughly. Then get outside and be inspired!
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Birmingham Society of Botanical Artists
www.birmingham-botanical-artists.org.uk
Established in 1999 by graduates of the University of Birmingham’s Certificate of Higher Education in Botanical Illustration, the Birmingham Society of Botanical Artists (BSBA) offers two one-year programs in botanical art. For information about the 2012/2013 program, contact the BSBA.
- 1 Yr Certificate Course in Botanical Illustration. A methodical study of botanical illustration techniques. Students are encouraged to complete studies leading to a Certificate of Achievement from the BSBA.
- 1 Yr Aspects of Botanical Illustration Course – A leisurely approach to botanical art, complete with seasonal themes. Students will learn botanical illustration techniques while learning about different media. Homework is not assigned in this program.
Also see:
Meet the Birmingham Society of Botanical Artists
Cambridge University Botanic Garden
www.botanic.cam.ac.uk
The botanical garden at Cambridge University offers classes in botanical art and illustration. The classes are taught in a well-lit classroom designed specifically to provide botanical art students with a quiet environment in which to work.
View 2012 Botanical Art Schedule
- Intro to Botanical Illustration Using Pen and Ink with Valerie Oxley, April 25-27
- Illustrating Blossom and Flowers with Reinhild Raistrick, May 8-9
- Designing and Painting an Illuminated Letter with Georita Harriott, May 14-16
- Botanical Illustration for Beginners with Valerie Oxley, June 13-15
- Illustrating Summer Fruits in Colored Pencil with Janie Pirie, June 26-28
- Illustrating Sunflowers in Watercolor with Petula Stone, July 23-24
- Illustrating Exotic Fruits & Vegetables with Ian Loe, September 4-6
- Illustrating Autumn Color with Gael Sellwood, October 16-18
- Illustrating Mushrooms & Toadstools with Reinhild Raistrick, October 23-25
- Leaf Studies with Ian Loe, November 6-8
Farncombe Estate, Cotswolds
www.farncombeestate.co.uk
A 300-acre privately-owned parkland in the Cotswolds. Host to weekend classes in a variety of subjects. There is even a bed-and-breakfast option! Follow their blog or become a fan of their Facebook page to learn more about this unique learning opportunity. Farncombe Estates’ current course schedule can be viewed online. The current schedule includes:
- Botanical Illustration for Improvers with Valerie Oxley
Friday, June 8, 2012 - Outdoor Sketching in Line & Wash with Paul Weaver
Friday, July 8, 2012 - Botanical Basics Painting with Simon Williams
Friday, July 13, 2012 - Drawing for the Terrified with Richard Box
Friday, July 14, 2012 - Sketching with Pen & Wash with Paul Weaver
Monday, August 27, 2012 - Drawing and Painting from Nature with Simon Williams
Friday, October 12, 2012 - Botanical Illustration: Drawing and Painting Autumn Fruits & Fungi with Valerie Oxley
Friday, October 19, 2012
View all painting and drawing classes at Farncombe Estate here.
Field Breaks – Special Interest Art Breaks Derbyshire, England
www.fieldbreaks.co.uk
Enjoy like-minded company in a relaxing and friendly environment with experienced and approachable tutors. Details and pricing for all 2012 courses can be viewed here.
- The Freshness of Spring Flowers in Coloured Pencil, Watercolour or Graphite with Gaynor Dickeson – April 23-24, 2012. Two non-residential days at Goodnestone Gardens, SE Kent, (£175 including lunches & refreshments)
- Hedgerows in Spring in Watercolour with Deborah Devauden
April 23-25, 2012. Create studies of spring flowers! Cwrt Bleddyn, Monmouthshire (£366 residential £229 non-residential). - Painting Fritillaria Flowers in Watercolour with Sharon Bradley
May 9-11, 2012. New Lanark Mill Hotel, Lanark (£398 residential £249 non-residential). - Perfect Pencil Drawings in Graphite with Jane Nicholas Barne
May 16-18, 2012. The Bear Hotel, Hungerford (£459 residential £249 non-residential). - Bloom on Fruit in Coloured Pencil with Sue Vize – May 14-16, 2012. Learn how to layer colors to portray the bloom seen on plums, blueberries and grapes. Losehill House Hotel, Derbyshire (£398 residential £249 non-residential).
- Seasonal Vegetables in Graphite Pencil with Julie Small
May 21-23, 2012. Losehill House Hotel, Derbyshire (£398 residential £249 non-residential). - Grasses and Meadow Flowers in Coloured Pencil, Watercolour or Graphite with Sue Vize May 23-25, 2012. The Nightingale Centre, Derbyshire (£298 residential £198 non-residential includes eve meals & wine).
- Delights for the June Garden in Coloured Pencil with Susan Christopher-Coulson – June 11-13, 2012. Ripon Spa, Ripon (£398 residential £249 non-residential).
- Summer Flowers and Foliage in Watercolour with Sandra Wall Armitage – June 11-13, 2012. Knuston Hall, Northampton (£385 residential £275 non-residential includes evening meals).
- Herbaceous Summer Flowers in any media with Jennie Hinton
June 11-13, 2012. Lady Ann Middleton, York (£425 residential £245 non-residential). - Smell English Roses! In Watercolour, Coloured Pencil or Graphite with Gaynor Dickeson – June 25-26, 2012. Two non-residential days at Goodnestone Gardens, SE Kent (£175 including lunches & refreshments).
Field Studies Council
www.field-studies-council.org
Founded in 1943, the Field Studies Council provides learning opportunities about the environment for all ages and abilities. Visit their website to learn more about interdisciplinary fieldwork opportunities, classes for individuals and families, publications and profession development courses.
- Botany Courses at FSC – Courses include studies of flowers, trees, grasses and grasslike plants, ferns, freshwater and wetland plants, lichens, fungi, general plants, mosses and liverworts.
View Details/Register - Drawing and Painting the Flora at Malham Tarn with Kate Houghton – May 18-21, 2012. This class is for anyone with an interest in documenting and painting native plants. Students will participate in exercises designed to increase speed and accuracy while working in the field. View course details and a description of the landscape at Malham Tarn here.
- Botanical Illustration Using Colored Pencils with Janie Pirie
June 22-24, 2012. Create rich, colorful botanical paintings without water! Students will learn how to use wax and oil-based colored pencils to created botanical drawings from one of the UKs leading colored pencil artists. View Details/Register - Introduction to Botanical Illustration with Lesley Smith
July 6-8, 2012. Designed for experienced watercolor painters, this class is for painters who would like to learn about the techniques used by botanical illustrators. Drawing, composition, color mixing and color matching will be discussed. View Details/Register - Botanical Illustration and Painting with Kay Rees-Davies
August 3-5, 2012. Beginners and more experienced artists will learn the botanical illustration and painting techniques necessary to create detailed studies of the plants of Snowdonia. View Details/Register - An Approach to Botanical Illustration: Drawing and Basic Watercolor Techniques with Rosie Martin – August 5-10, 2012. In this introductory course, students will study the stages of drawing and painting that result in a three-dimensional detailed plant portrait.
View Details/Register - Botanical Illustration for More Experienced Painters with Jenny Jowett – August 13-20, 2012. The focus of this week-long class is to provide an environment for the exchange of ideas and techniques. Emphasis is on individual studies instead of formal group instruction.
View Details/Register
Ros Franklin Botanical Art
Ros Franklin studied botanical illustration at the Chelsea Physic Garden and received her Diploma after studying with the renowned Anne-Marie Evans. Most of Ros’s work is created for The Eden Project Florilegium and private commissions. Roz teaches botanical illustration to small groups in her studio and loves teaching beginners. Her beautifully equipped studio is located in a cottage in the tranquil countryside of Dorset, England. Students studying with Ros can forget the world and enjoy creating beautiful works of art. Accommodations at a local B&B are available.
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Botanical Illustration / Botanical Painting – Small weekly classes for both beginners and experienced artists. Class meets from 10 AM – 4 PM. Class size is limited to eight people to ensure personalized instruction. A structured one-year course is offered for beginners and those with limited experience. Class breaks for one hour at lunch. Please bring your own lunch. Lunch is included with the 3-day course.
Classes are taught over three terms a year, each with 10 or 12 classes per term. Read more about the format of Ros’s courses here.
Please contact Ros Franklin for more information and to obtain a registration form.
Greystoke Cycle Café & Tea Garden
www.greystokecyclecafe.co.uk
You may remember learning about the Greystoke Cycle Café & Tea Garden during an interview with Billy Showell. This rest stop for cyclists not only provides everything a cyclist needs, it also provides a full schedule of workshops taught by artists and other professionals. The 2012 schedule includes botanical art classes and wildlife painting classes such as:
- Botanical Illustration in Watercolor – June 14
- NEW Painting on Vellum – Studies from Nature
Monday, July 16, 2012. Details/Register - Painting in the Botanical Style of Charles Rennie Macintosh – July 18
- NEW Botanical Painting Workshop with Reinhild Raistrick
Monday & Tuesday, September 10-11, 2012; 9:30 AM – 3:45 PM.
View these classes and the entire 2012 course schedule here.
Also see the Greystoke Cycle Cafe’s Art Courses page.
Anna Knights
www.annaknights.co.uk
A self-taught artist, Anna’s botanical art is full of life and features captivating detail and lifelike movement. Learn more about Anna and read her Ask The Artist exchange with readers.
View Anna’s 2012 Workshops
Lewisham Arthouse, London
www.lewishamarthouse.co.uk
The Lewisham Arthouse once served as the central library of Deptford. Designed by architect Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas (1868-1948) and funded by Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), this former library is now features a public gallery and studio space for professional artists. Artist studios are open to the public once per year. Exhibitions in the gallery are open to the public year-round, free of charge. Ten-week botanical illustration classes are taught by Alison Day. Watch for information about her next class.
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Drawing From Plant Life
Dates TBA. Taught by artist and botanist, Alison Day, this ten-week workshop provides an opportunity to learn about the art and science of plant drawing at a theoretical and practical level. The course covers both graphic & paint techniques and theory. Students will learn about plants and examine the historical context of the discipline. This course is aimed at beginners and people who would like to update existing knowledge. To participate, please bring a sketch book and basic materials. Space is limited. Early registration is required. For more information and to register, contact instructor Alison Day.
Valerie Littlewood
www.pencilandleaf.blogspot.com
Valerie Littlewood has been a commercial illustrator, designer for industry, artist and art lecturer for many years. Most recently she has been drawing plants and insects, becoming more and more interested in their relationships and their conservation. Currently she is drawing bees and other pollinators and has a traveling show “BUZZ” A Celebration of British Bees and their Flowers that showcases 24 of Britain’s bees. Valerie was awarded a bursary from The Society for All Artists in 2012 to help encourage creative people of all abilities to take inspiration from the natural world, from insects, bees and flowers and to understand more about their important relationship to us. When not painting drawing or designing, reading or writing, she is battling with a new muddy patch of garden in Grafham, Cambs UK. For more info about the courses please contact the individual venues or contact Val directly.
- Sketching from Nature – April 19, 2012; 10 AM – 1 PM.
Easton Walled Gardens, Easton Grantham Lincolnshire. - Bugs, Beasts and Botanicals – April 26, 2012; all-day course.
Easton Walled Gardens, Easton Grantham Lincolnshire. - Bugs, Beasts and Botanicals – June 7-8, 2012. Contact Val for details.
London Art College: Distance Learning Art Courses
www.londonartcollege.co.uk
Distance learning is this school’s specialty. In this program, students have the opportunity to engage in many types of art. Students are required to complete regular exercises and assignments. Homework is scanned and uploaded for critique or sent to tutors through traditional mail.
- Botanical Illustration 1 – An introduction to botanical illustration, painting, and plant morphology. Students will learn about the history of botanical illustration, as well as how to collect and use reference material. Instructor: Lynette Conway. For more information, including sample pages from this course, click here.
- Botanical Illustration 2 – Watercolor techniques are the focus of this course. Detailed step-by-step demonstrations are included in this course taught by Sandrine Maugy. Details and sample pages can be viewed here.
Other courses include drawing, painting, sketching landscapes, oil, colored pencil, cartooning, portraits, and children’s book illustration. There are even long distance courses for kids!
Marianne McPhie, Nottinghamshire
www.botanicalpaintingtoday.com
A full-time botanical artist and instructor, Marianne teaches throughout the UK and abroad. Both current and past issues of her newsletter are now available online.
Valerie Oxley
Valerie Oxley is a qualified teacher, Fellow of The Higher Education Academy, Member of the Society of Botanical Artists, and Vice-President of the Northern Society for Botanical Art. She developed the Diploma in Botanical Illustration at the University of Sheffield’s Department of Adult Continuing Education. Her own artwork has been exhibited widely and the Royal Horticultural Society has awarded her medals for her illustrations. Valerie is Chairman of the Florilegium Society at Sheffield Botanical Gardens whose aim is to record the planting in the Gardens for an historical archive. Valerie enjoys meeting and teaching students on residential courses throughout the country, she is the art editor of ‘Wild Flowers of the Peak District’ published by the Hallamshire Press and author of ‘Botanical Illustration’ published by the Crowood Press.
University of Cambridge, Madingley Hall
www.ice.cam.ac.uk
- Illustrating Insects: Butterflies, Bees, Moths and Exotic Beetles
May 11-13, 2012. Illustrate native and exotic insects. Details - The Glory of the Garden – Painting Plant Portraits
July 13-15, 2012. Draw and paint herbaceous borders, meadows and lakeside plants using watercolor and colored pencil. Details - Drawing & Painting Autumn Flowers, Fruits and Fungi
October 26-28, 2012. Learn how to create the tints and hues of autumn colors. Details
Higham Hall College
www.highamhall.com
- Cumbrian Wildflowers & Their Pollinators – July 21-27, 2012. Contact: admin@highamhall.com
- Illustrating Autumn Fruits & Fungi – September 23-28, 2012. Contact: admin@highamhall.com
West Dean College
www.westdean.org.uk
- Illustrating Wildflowers & Butterflies – June 25-29, 2012. Explore a variety of watercolor techniques as you learn to illustrate flowers and butterflies. Details
Cambridge University Botanic Garden
www.botanic.cam.ac.uk
- Botanical Illustration in Pen and Ink – April 25-27, 2012. A relaxing three-day course for anyone interested in learning how to draw plants using pen and ink techniques. Details
- Botanical Illustration in Watercolor – June 13-15, 2012. Introductory course for beginners. Open to anyone who enjoys flowers and gardens and desires to record them in detail. Details
Farncombe Estate Centre
www.FarncombeEstate.co.uk
- Botanical Illustration for Beginners and Improvers
June 8-10, 2012. A fun class for enthusiastic beginners. No experience necessary. Details
Denman College
National Federation of Women’s Institutes
www.denmancollege.org.uk
- Exotic Fruits & Flowers in Colored Pencil – July 4-6, 2012. Learn how to create interesting textures and surface finishes in colored pencil. Details
Mike Sibley Fine Art
www.sibleyfineart.com
Mike Sibley is the author of Drawing from Line to Life, an inspiring instructional book about creating realistic drawings in graphite. Mike teaches classes in England, the US and Canada. He is currently looking into teaching a class in Australia in 2013. He also teaches an online course and is currently creating instructional DVDs. Mike’s website is a rich resource for the graphite artist. If graphite is your preferred medium, be sure to visit!
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Drawing from Line to Life – Begins April 11, 2012. An eight-week online course based on Mike Sibley’s book of the same name. Beginners will learn fundamental drawing techniques, shading techniques and how to break a drawing down into manageable parts. Weekly homework will be assigned. Students may work towards certification or take this class as an auditing student. For additional information, including a class outline, go to the Drawing from Line to Life course page. Cost: $228 (certification), $114 (audit)
The English Gardening School at Chelsea Wharf, London
www.englishgardeningschool.co.uk
Located in London, England, the English Garden School offers professional and amateur courses in garden design, practical horticulture, plants and planstmanship, and botanical painting.
The Botanical Painting Diploma course is comprised of three 10-week terms and one independent study project. Students meet once per week on Mondays from 10:30 AM – 3:15 PM. Homework is assigned weekly. Students are expected to allocate two days per week for homework. During the Spring Term, students are work on observation and drawing skills. Color mixing and watercolor washes are the focus of the Summer Term. In the Fall, students learn about composition, learn troubleshooting techniques, and refine their drawing skills. After completing all three terms, students work on a themed project and create five paintings around this theme. Students must complete their project within the year following the course in order to qualify for their diploma. View all program details
Short Courses are offered as an alternative to the Diploma program. Short courses are one- to ten-day classes scheduled from 10:30 AM – 3:30 PM. All courses include lunch.
The Wagon House
Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall
www.thewagonhouse.com
A bed-and-breakfast in the English countryside where you can eat breakfast at a time that is convenient for you, visit the gardens in Cornwall, and take botanical art classes too! Classes are taught by botanical artist and teacher, Mally Francis. The 2012 schedule includes four- and five-day classes.
- April 20-23, 2012 (4 days)
- May 18-21, 2012 (4 days)
- July 10-14, 2012 (4 days)
- September 6-9, 2012 (5 days)
- September 26-30, 2012 (4 days)
- October 26-29, 2012 (4 days)
Accommodation for 4 & 5 Day Courses: Please indicate if you wish to stay here for B&B. Two twin rooms with a shared bathroom are available on a first-come first-served basis. Alternatively there are various local B&Bs and details can be provided if required. Gift Vouchers are available for Botanical Painting Courses, either for the full course or per day. Further details on request.
University of Leicester Botanic Garden
http://www2.le.ac.uk/projects/botanic-gardens
Sixteen acres of landscaped grounds and greenhouses centered around an Edwardian garden. The Attenborough Arboretum is a satellite facility of the Garden. The Arboretum features an example of a medieval ridge-and-furrow field.
West Suffolk College
www.westsuffolk.ac.uk
West Suffolk College serves the rural communities of Haverhill, Ipswich, Mildenhall, Stowmarket and Sudbury.
- Botanical Illustration with Christine Grey-Wilson
April 19 – June 28, 2012; 6-8 PM. Learn traditional botanical illustration techniques using pencil, pen and ink and watercolor. Cost: £90.
View Details/Register - Botanical Illustration with Christine Grey-Wilson
April 20- June 29, 2012; 10 AM – 12 PM. Learn traditional botanical illustration techniques using pencil, pen and ink and watercolor.
Cost: £90. View Details/Register
