Join Wendy to learn the techniques outlined in her book “The Joy of Botanical Drawing” including how to use a grisaille method for creating undertones in a neutral color allowing for three dimensional accurate drawing and clear structure of plants. Students will explore layering techniques that utilize watercolor pencil washes in combination with dry colored pencils creating a painting that has realistic vibrant color and rich depth. Colored pencils allow for more control in adding details. This method delivers quicker results than traditional watercolor or colored pencil techniques, and since the materials used are quite portable, it allows the artist to work in the field or in a variety of settings. We’ll be leveraging the peak of blooms by drawing flowers, fruits, and seed pods found on and nearby to the campus of Davis and Elkins College in the gardens, fields,and woods.
Or something taken from this specific description of Draw Botanical’s Method of teaching Botanical Illustration.
Botanical Illustration is the art of depicting the form, color, and details of plant species. Studying nature’s forms and colors is a great way to learn about drawing and color to make beautiful realistic colos in drawings. Traditionally a technique that was done in watercolor, Wendy Hollender has developed a method of teaching using a combination of colored pencil and watercolor pencils. Colored pencil isn’t just a medium to use, it is also a learning tool. It allows you to teach drawing skills and teach about color at the same time. Understanding form and structure is crucial to this technique.
Students will learn how to use a grisaille technique for undertones in a neutral color and then how to layer color on top to create depth, using watercolor pencils in combination with dry colored pencils. This technique is very immediate and materials are simple, allowing the artist to work easily in multiple locations and it is especially useful for work in the field.
Botanical Drawing starts with an understanding of using a single light source toning technique. Students will become familiar with this basic technique and practice on simple forms. Once an understanding of using this light source combined with toning form in a gradual consistent rendering, color layering will be introduced.
Drawing at actual scale, students will be introduced to basic perspective and measuring to create precise drawings of flowers. Color matching and blending will show students how to create nature’s subtle color variations. These techniques are relaxing and meditative and give students an opportunity to be intimate with nature and see up close the beauty, complexity and repetition of nature’s structures and patterns. Students will draw spring flowers, combining watercolor pencils and colored pencils. All levels from beginner to advanced are fine as everyone works at their own level with plenty of guidance from Wendy.
Instructor Bio
Wendy Hollender is a botanical artist, illustrator, instructor, and author whose internationally-recognized career has spanned decades. She is a leading expert in using colored pencils and watercolor pencils to create detailed botanical drawings and paintings. Her illustrations have been published in the New York Times; O, The Oprah Magazine; Real Simple; Good Housekeeping; and Martha Stewart Living magazine. She is currently an instructor at the New York Botanical Garden and leads workshops at her farm in Accord, New York, at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawaii, and Greece.
– BFA in Textile Design from the Rhode Island School of Design
– Certified by the New York Botanical Garden in Botanical Art and Illustration
– Featured in the 13th International Exhibition at Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation
– Exhibited by Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, the Smithsonian National Museum for Natural History and the US Botanic Garden
– Author of The Joy of Botanical Drawing, Botanical Drawing in Color and the self-published Botanical Drawing, A Beginner’s Guide, she is the illustrator of Foraging and Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi.
– Member of the National Tropical Botanical Garden Florilegium of Artists