Best Botanical Drawing Classes Near Me
As you might guess, botanical drawing is the practice of sketching, drawing, or painting accurate depictions of various species of plant life. It can be a relaxing hobby or a career and also aids in preservation. By learning this skill, individuals can contribute to the preservation of botanical knowledge and help document the diversity of plant life for future generations.
If botanical drawing appeals to you, you’ll be happy to know that plenty of classes are available to help you learn. Below, we’ll dive into some of the best virtual and in-person botanical drawing programs across the United States.
Why You Should Learn Botanical Drawing
Learning a creative skill like botanical drawing can have numerous benefits for someone in their professional and personal lives. Professionally, botanical drawing plays a crucial role in scientific illustration, aiding botanists, researchers, and educators in accurately depicting and communicating botanical information. Learning this skill can open up opportunities to work in scientific or educational fields, contributing to research, publications, or teaching materials.
Learning botanical drawing can also have therapeutic effects on a person’s mental well-being. It provides a calming and immersive experience that reduces stress, anxiety, and improves focus. The act of drawing can be a form of self-expression and a way to explore emotions and develop a deeper appreciation for the outdoors. Improving your skills and persevering through challenges can also foster personal growth and a sense of accomplishment.
5 Ways to Learn Botanical Drawing
There are plenty of ways that someone can go about learning botanical drawing. All methods have pros and cons, and you might find that combining multiple techniques works best. Here are a few of the most common ways to learn botanical drawing:
- In-Person Workshops and Classes: Attend botanical drawing workshops or join local art classes that focus on botanical topics. Check community centers, art studios, botanical gardens, or universities in your area for available classes. These hands-on experiences provide opportunities to learn from skilled instructors and interact with fellow artists. Beginners may benefit from looking into general drawing classes to learn skills they can apply to botanical drawing.
- Online Courses: Enroll in online courses designed explicitly for botanical drawing. Many platforms offer affordable courses taught by experienced artists and botanists. You can find courses that cover topics like plant anatomy, observational drawing techniques, shading, and color theory. Many of these courses are short and teach specific skills to use as you explore botanical art in more detail.
- Botanical Art Books: You can purchase botanical drawing books written by experts in the field. One recently published option was created by the American Society of Botanical Artists. It is called Botanical Art Techniques: A Comprehensive Guide to Pen and Ink, Watercolor, Colored Pencils, Etching, Egg Tempera, Oils, Casein, and More, and it contains over 900 images. If you’re looking for a tremendous amount of content, this selection will keep you busy for quite a while.
- Free Online Video Tutorials: With diverse platforms and resources available, you can access a wide range of tutorials from accomplished artists. These tutorials provide step-by-step demonstrations, teaching aspiring botanical artists various techniques such as shading, capturing intricate details, and understanding plant anatomy. Online videos offer flexibility, allowing learners to pause, rewind, and rewatch demonstrations to grasp each aspect thoroughly.
- Botanical Gardens, Museums, and Community Events: If you have the means, you can invest in memberships to local botanical gardens and museums that showcase botanical art collections. Some of these institutions may also offer guided tours or workshops related to botanical art. You can also use websites like Facebook and Meetup to connect with fellow botanical artists. These communities provide opportunities to share knowledge, receive feedback on your work, and participate in group events. Networking with other artists can also lead to discovering additional learning resources and workshops.
In-Person Botanical Drawing Classes
There are multiple options for in-person botanical drawing classes in major cities nationwide. In-person drawing classes often involve live demonstrations by the instructor. It provides a visual reference and helps you grasp concepts that might be challenging to comprehend through written or online resources alone. Additionally, live instructors can offer immediate feedback, correct techniques, and provide personalized advice tailored to your specific needs.
ArtClassBklyn offers a low-pressure Painting in the Park class in Prospect Park for New York residents. With an average class size of only three students, attendees can receive plenty of individual support as they create their paintings. Prospect Park is known for its many water features and is home to over 200 species of trees, making it an ideal spot in the city to learn more about botanical drawing. As an added bonus, all materials (including paint smocks) are provided.
New Yorkers can also attend a Botanical Drawing class at the 92nd Street Y. At the beginning of the class, students will select a plant, flower, or vegetable they wish to sketch in pencil. They will complete their whole project in the course so that each student will walk away with a completed drawing. A list of recommended supplies is also available on the course website so students can be adequately prepared.
In Los Angeles, there is a Botanical Art class hosted monthly at the LA County Arboretum and Botanic Garden. This unique course allows students to explore botanical drawing using diverse mediums, such as colored pencils, graphite, pen and ink, and watercolor. This course focuses on the importance of plant observation and is held in collaboration with the Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California. With their classmates, participants will study numerous plants that have been donated to the Arboretum in the last fifty years.
Chicago students have plenty of classes to choose from as well. The Chicago Botanic Garden hosts a Watercolor 1 class. Composed of six three-hour sessions, students will enhance their botanical drawing skills through multiple color mixing and paint-handling exercises. They will also explore paint-layering techniques to add depth and dimension to their artwork. A thorough supply list will be sent to students before class, ensuring they have everything they need.
Following the Watercolor 1 class, more advanced students can attend the English Watercolor Techniques course with the same instructor. In this program, students will be able to work with live plant materials, focusing on creating realistic portrayals of botanical subjects using traditional methods of dry-brush watercolor painting. Throughout the course, participants will benefit from both demonstrations and personalized instruction, allowing them to refine their skills further.
There is also an Essentials of Perspective Drawing course available at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Mastering the art of arranging objects in space is a fundamental aspect of drawing. Students will learn more about shadows, reflections, and linear perspective by sketching the architectural features found in gardens and classrooms. A lot of this course takes place outside, so students should be aware of the weather forecast and dress appropriately.
Denver residents can check out a workshop called Find Your Creative Flow with Neurographic Art in Lakewood, a suburb southwest of the capital city. Neurographic art is a relatively new therapeutic technique that allows people to explore their innermost emotions through drawing in a meditative state. This course is an excellent opportunity for students who want to learn botanical art for relaxation or mental health purposes. With materials like markers, pencils, charcoal, oil pastels, and watercolors, each student will create at least three neurographic art pieces.
Digital Photography Live In-the-Field at Red Rocks is offered by the Digital Photo Academy.
While this is not a course targeted at botanical drawing specifically, there are many similar skills across botanical drawing and landscape photography. In botanical drawing, artists arrange and balance the elements of a plant on paper, considering factors like symmetry, balance, and negative space. Similarly, landscape photographers strive to compose their shots by considering the placement of foreground, middle ground, and background elements to create a harmonious image. Plus, Red Rocks is a world-famous landmark that can give any artist a fair amount of inspiration.
Virtual Botanical Drawing Classes
Live online botanical drawing classes connect you with a global community of aspiring artists. Through virtual classrooms and discussion forums, you can interact, share ideas, and collaborate with fellow students from around the world. This diverse network provides opportunities for cultural exchange, learning from different artistic perspectives, and establishing valuable connections within the art community. Virtual classes tend to require students to purchase their own materials and may be less interactive, but they also allow people to access quality education regardless of their geographic location.
There are two virtual classes available from the Chicago Botanic Garden. In Botanical Drawing 1, students will work in pencil to sketch live botanical specimens like seeds, flowers, and fruit. This course covers many fundamental drawing skills like tone and proportions. It is one of the longer virtual courses available, with sessions taking place every Saturday for eight weeks, three hours a day. Botanical Drawing 2 lasts for five sessions and covers more advanced botanical drawing skills. Graphite is the primary medium used in this program, and students will also learn to balance light and dark tones and work with carbon dust.
There is also a Botanical Drawing class through the 92nd Street Y. This class lasts for six two-hour sessions on consecutive Fridays. Students will focus on observing the natural patterns that occur in plants and learn to recreate them in pencil. All participants will come away with a completed, realistic sketch of a plant, flower, or vegetable of their choice. A complete supply list and virtual login instructions will be sent before class.
Private Group Botanical Drawing Classes
Are you looking for a unique activity to help bond with friends or coworkers? Engaging in a private botanical drawing class as a group allows everyone to escape the demands of everyday life and focus on the soothing process of observing and drawing plants. It can serve as a therapeutic outlet and promote mindfulness, helping teammates recharge after a stressful day at the office. It can also be a pleasant activity for friends to share a creative experience or celebrate an important event.
CourseHorse offers a Virtual Group Drawing & Sketching Class that covers botanical drawing but is also available for topics like landscapes and human subjects. Participants will learn to incorporate cross-hatching techniques into their images, which helps add dimension through various tones. Students will also learn how to break down their subjects into simple shapes. This course also discusses strategies for creating dynamic and balanced compositions.
There is also a Virtual Watercolor Workshop available for small groups. This course is able to be highly personalized. Students can bring their own photo to recreate in watercolors if they wish, but an image will be provided if not. The primary focus of this workshop is the timeless “wet-on-wet” technique, which involves creating layers of wet paint on top of each other and allowing them to blend naturally. In the event that CourseHorse does not have a drawing class available, feel free to contact them via their website to inquire about alternatives.
Booking a private course with CourseHorse is a hassle-free process. You don't need to worry about knowing the precise size of your group when making the reservation. As long as you meet the minimum participant requirement, you can adjust the number of attendees up or down until a week before the event. CourseHorse doesn't charge any booking fees, and you can expect to receive a confirmation within 24 hours of making your reservation. While Zoom is the recommended platform for classes, CourseHorse can also arrange classes using Google Meets, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx.
What Will I Need to Learn Botanical Drawing?
If you’re just getting started with botanical drawing, there are some essential materials you’ll want to purchase. You can build your collection of supplies slowly as you learn more, but these are a few things you’ll want on hand in the beginning:
- Pencils and erasers: You’ll want a variety of pencils with different hardness levels for different shading and line thicknesses. A kneaded eraser is also recommended for botanical drawing since it is best for lifting graphite. A vinyl eraser is best for precise erasing.
- Sketchbook: Many professional artists suggest acid-free paper since it is sturdy and can withstand a lot of erasing without breaking down or tearing.
- Botanical reference materials: You can build upon these gradually as you progress, but you’ll need botanical reference books or field guides to learn about plant anatomy, species, and details, and high-quality botanical prints or photographs to study and draw from.
- Other drawing tools: You may want to pick up watercolors or colored pencils as well since botanical drawing comes alive when you add color to it. You can decide which medium speaks to your artistic style as you learn and practice more.
- Miscellaneous items: To round out your drawing kit, you may want additional tools. These might include a magnifying glass to study intricate details of plants and enhance your observation skills, a ruler to create accurate measurements and straight lines in your botanical drawings, tracing paper to transfer sketches and create multiple versions of your drawings, and fixative spray to protect your finished drawings from smudging and preserve them.
Is it Difficult to Learn Botanical Drawing?
Learning botanical drawing can be both challenging and rewarding. While it may initially seem intimidating, with patience, practice, and the right approach, anyone can develop their skills in this art form. Here are a few factors to consider when evaluating the difficulty of learning botanical drawing:
- Observation Skills: Botanical drawing requires a keen eye for detail and the ability to observe the intricate features of plants accurately. This level of observation can be challenging to develop initially, as it requires training your eye to notice subtle variations in shape, texture, and color.
- Patience and Perseverance: Like any artistic endeavor, botanical drawing also requires patience and perseverance. Achieving a high level of precision and realism takes time and practice. It's essential to embrace mistakes as part of the learning process and view them as opportunities for growth.
- Understanding Botanical Anatomy: To create realistic botanical drawings, it's essential to have a basic understanding of plant anatomy. This includes knowledge of plant structures like leaves, petals, stamens, and pistils. Studying botanical reference books, attending workshops, or taking professional courses can help you gain a deeper understanding of plant anatomy.
- Techniques and Mediums: Botanical drawing can be accomplished with various techniques and mediums, such as graphite pencils, colored pencils, ink pens, and watercolors. Experimenting with different tools and mediums will help you discover your preferred style and develop your skills.
Despite the challenges, learning botanical drawing can be a gratifying experience. It allows you to connect with nature, develop a deeper appreciation for plants, and create beautiful artwork. Remember that everyone progresses at their own pace, but a professional instructor can help you steadily move along and continue improving your skills so you don’t lose momentum.
