Course description
Botanic Drawing & Painting (Beginners / Intermediate)
For beginners, the course will start with basic principles of drawing using graphite pencils. It will be the foundation for when we move on to pen and ink and then to water colour painting. Continuing students will benefit from picking up where we left off last semester.
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Suitability - Who should attend?
This is a course in Botanical Illustration is for the beginner to intermediate Botanical illustrator and continuing students of botanical art and illustration.
Outcome / Qualification etc.
By the end of the course you will:
- Understand line and shading in drawing.
- Compose a drawing to illustrate a botanical specimen to desired outcome.
- Become familiar with graphite as a medium as used in botanical illustration
- Become familiar with pen and ink as a medium as used in botanical illustration
- he continuing students can progress to water colours as a medium as used in botanical illustration
- Can use the course to explore botanical illustration further in their own time
Training Course Content
We will cover:
- The botanical world through line, form and shading
- Look at the basic forms that makes up plants, bulbs, flowers and seed heads
- We will explore these forms through the way light and shade wraps the surface and help define them
- We will look at and practice skills with graphite based pencils to add texture to these shapes and forms in order to better illustrate the specific flower species you will work on.
- We will cover basic but necessary botany to empower the student to draw with confidence
- 6. We will also look at layout and composition in the making of an illustration
- 7. We will also do line drawings and diagrams supporting botanical illustration
- 8. will progress to pen and ink drawing and where there is interest explore it more fully
- 9. And finally, we will progress to water colour illustration of botanical subjects
Course delivery details
Materials Required: What to bring to the first session? Graphite pencils(2H, H, HB, B1 & B2, and B4). Traditional pencil + a sharpener OR a Technical drawing pencil. Get the very best you can afford. The quality of the material makes a difference. Putty Rubber/Eraser (best is grey coloured Faber Castel Art rubber & standard/plastic rubber) A small soft brush or clean feather (to brush your paper/drawing) to remove impurities. A sketchbook for notes and practice and plant studies (A5 or A4 will suffice) Paper for graphite and Pen & Ink: A3 Bristol board - 250g/m2 minimum weight or heavier Other: A magnifying glass – preferably an Adjustable Hands-Free gooseneck magnifier as used by embroiders OR a watchmaker “Head fitted Magnifier” as used by jewelers, watchmakers Prices start at around £5.00 – we will discuss in lesson 1 to allow you to buy for week 2 or 3. Some stores also sell handheld £1.00 magnifiers which are a very accessible and cost-effective beginner’s item. NOTE: You can draw without magnification, but you will find finer detail more difficult without a strain on your eyes and comes with a health and Safety warning Mapac plastic carrying portfolio for your work - say A3 or A2 size. OR suitable alternative.