Course description
Botanical Drawings & Illustration (Absolute Beginners)
What is the course about and how will I learn? The course is about botanical art and scientific illustration using different media, such as graphite-based pencil, ink and watercolour. You will learn about the properties of different media and materials. You will learn how to work with them, to produce morphologically accurate and aesthetically pleasing illustrations, including simple line drawings, three-dimensional black and white illustrations in pencil and ink and finally coloured pencil drawings as well as watercolour paintings. You will get a basic knowledge about botany and learn what to look out for, in order to produce scientifically accurate illustrations and realistic botanical art work.
As 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 ink and then to coloured pencil and water colour painting. We will cover: The botanical world through line, form and shading. We will look at plant morphology and how to capture it accurately. We will look at and practice skills with graphite-based pencils to add texture to these shapes and forms in order to produce the illusion of a three-dimensional object on paper. We will cover botany to empower the student to draw with confidence We will progress to coloured pencil and water colour, learning basic techniques such as colour mixing, colour matching, blending and layering.
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Suitability - Who should attend?
This is a course in botanical illustration for the beginner to intermediate botanical illustrator as well as continuing students of botanical art and illustration, everyone is welcome.
Outcome / Qualification etc.
What will I achieve?
- know the properties of media and materials used in botanical art and scientific illustration and master the techniques how to use them accordingly.
- know how to plan, compose and produce a drawing/painting and how to illustrate a botanical specimen to desired outcome
- scientifically accurate and aesthetically pleasing.
- have a basic knowledge about plant morphology.
Training Course Content
First week: Theory: Introduction into media and materials used in botanical art Practise: black and white – ink and pencil Understand line and shading in drawing, becoming familiar with graphite and ink as a medium as used in botanical illustration. Creating the illusion of a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional surface using blending, shading and stippling.
The continuing students can use the course to explore botanical illustration further in their own time. The first week they have the option to learn more about scientific illustration in ink or watercolour. They will produce three-dimensional drawings/paintings including scaled magnifications of certain details. They will work with magnifying glasses and cut cross-sections of flowers. They will choose a subject for their final work, which they will study in detail in the following courses. The final work can either be a scientific illustration or a large-scale botanical artwork of their subject.
Second week: Theory: introduction into plant morphology Practise: training observational skills working with specimens provided or chosen by students. Capturing and translating what you see, proportions and scaling, capturing shape, light and shade using pencil and ink.
The continuing students will make sketches and produce composition ideas for either a scientific illustration or a large-scale botanical artwork of their subject of choice. This will include an accurate line drawing and a three-dimensional sketch concentrating on light and shade. The line drawing will then be transferred to high quality paper. They will learn about the morphology of their botanical subject and will be able to name and label it correctly. They will take pictures of their subject and take notes of their observations for later use. When comfortable they can start with colour mixing and matching.
Third week: Theory: Colour theory, colours in the plant kingdom Practise: Becoming familiar with coloured media by producing 3D shapes, producing soft colour gradients and strong contrasts. Colour mixing and matching, layering and blending using specimens provided or chosen by students.
The continuing students will study their subject in detail: colour matching and mixing, focusing on different surface structures and patterns, colour gradients. They will capture highlights, midtones and shadows in colour. When comfortable they can start with layering their final work.
Fourth week: Theory: Composition - scientific illustration and botanical art, rules and aesthetics. Practise: students will combine their skills acquired over the previous weeks to work on a composition idea of a chosen specimen. They will produce an accurate and correctly scaled line drawing of the subject of their choice. This drawing has to include all characteristics necessary to identify the botanical subject correctly. This will be the sketch for their final work, which can be either in pencil, ink or colour. According to the student's choice they will practice, shading, inking or colour matching for their final work. The line drawing will then be transferred to high quality paper using transferring paper.
The continuing students will have the opportunity to discuss the progress on their final work
Fifth week:
Discussing progress, tips and tricks, working on final composition
The continuing students will have the opportunity to learn about the basics of digitalising their artwork for printing.
Course delivery details
Materials Required: graphite-based pencils, watercolour paints, drawing ink
Expenses
- Tue 14:00 - 17:00
- Price: £249.00
- Tue 18:45 - 21:45
- Price: £246.00