The Botanical Notebook
A comprehensive online class featuring 3 hours of video containing instructional lessons and time-lapsed demonstrations plus 3 color-mixing tutorials and reference photos for everything ... all with personal written feedback sessions with the instructor, Christine Herron. Click here for a video preview of the course.
Finding inspiration from a variety of nature artists, students will create their own botanical notebook page filled the living beauty that surrounds them. Students will collect and observe a plant found in their own backyards and photograph, sketch and paint them in this low key and creative format. This course will allow students to further their drawing and watercolor skills while learning how to mix color intuitively, create an interesting page layout and hone their watercolor skills.
Participants take this class at their own pace with a weekly Zoom meeting with the instructor. If students want feedback they must be willing to take good photographs of their work and upload them to the classes pages.
Students will come away with a better understanding of...
- watercolor materials and tools
- keys to setting up an efficient up a work space
- how to pack a kit for painting in the field
- types of botanical notebooks or nature journals
- tips for photographing botanical specimens
- how to dissect flowers
- sketching your specimen
- mixing color intuitively
- how to make a color “cheat sheet” for your painting
- various watercolor techniques
- the process of layering color
- ways to add notations and observations to their notebooks
This is a six week online course for intermediate students who have some understanding of drawing and painting with watercolor. Click here for Materials List.
Instructor: Christine Herron
Members $150 / Non-Members $180
Online Course - Six Weeks
Dates TBD
Zoom meetings weekly
Week One: Materials & Inspiration
Materials Overview
Setting up Your Work Space
Out in the field
Week Two: Specimens & Sketching
Types of Notebooks
Collecting Your Specimen
Dissecting Your Specimen
Photographing Your Specimen
Sketching the Leaves
Week Three: Mixing Color & First Layers
Mixing Color Intuitively
Beginning Color
Mixing Greens
Week Four: More Layers & Mixing Browns
More Layers
Mixing Browns
Week Five: Sketching & Painting the Rhododendron Bud
First Sketch
Correcting the Sketch
Mixing Flower Colors
Painting the Bud and Flowers
Adding More Layers to the Bud
Turn Your Painting Upside Down
Finishing The Painting
Week Six: Labeling the Specimen
Parts of the Flower
Personalizing Your Page
Photographing Your Work
