Updated: 14 March 2008


Certificate Programs in Botanical Art


The Academy of Botanical Art
2068 Sunnyside Lane
Sarasota, FL 34239
941-953-9999
www.omartdesigns.com/education3.html

Brookside Gardens School of Botanical Art & Illustration
6910 Greentree Road
Bethesda, MD 20817
301.962.1471
www.mc-mncppc.org/Parks/brookside/Sch_Bot_Art/School_BotanicalArt.shtm

Denver Botanic Gardens
909 York Street
Denver, CO 80206-3799
303.865.3580
www.botanicgardens.org/pageinpage/botanicalillustration.cfm


The Desert Botanical Garden
1201 North Galvin Parkway
Phoenix, Arizona 85008
480.941.1225
www.dbg.org

New York Botanical Garden
200th Street and Southern Blvd.
Bronx, NY 10458-5126
718.817.8747
www.nybg.org/edu/conted

Filoli
Filoli Botanical Art Certificate Program
86 Canada Road
Woodside, CA 94062
650.364.8300 x233
www.filoli.org

Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Garden
One Schenley Park
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412.622.6914
www.phipps.conservatory.org/botanical.htm

The Minnesota School of Botanical Art
3537 Zenith Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55416
612.920.2013
www.minnesotaschoolofbotanicalart.com

Ringling School of Art and Design
2700 North Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34234-5895
941.955.8866
www.ringling.edu

Morton Arboretum
Route 53
Lisle, IL 60532-1293
630.719.2460
www.mortonarb.org

Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture
109 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481
781.283.3094
www.wellesley.edu/WCFH/Home/foh_home.html




Workshops



Individuals:

June 30-July 7, 2008

Botanical Illustration Workshop

Shoals Marine Laboratory, G-14 Stimson Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14853

Instructors: Marjorie Leggitt and Patricia Savage

Fee: For room, board, and course: $1,700.

Guided instruction in basic drawing and painting of plants, emphasizing plants in their natural surroundings on beautiful Appledore Island. Outside study and sketch plants in tidal zone, wetland, rocky island habitats, and Celia Thaxter’s Garden. Inside, instruction in basic botany, microscopy and dissection, accurate drawing, watercolor, and composition. (Elective credit given with Denver Botanical Gardens’ School of Botanical Art and Illustration and North Carolina Botanical Garden Botanical Illustration Program.

July 7-12, 2008

Botanical Drawing and Painting

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 128 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19102

Instructor: Linda Gist

Fee: Non-credit- $425, credit- $525. Additional materials fee $5.

Begin with line and value drawing and progress to full-color rendering in watercolor and/or mixed media. Topics will include sighting techniques, varieties of line, tone and value, creation of depth, composition, texture and color.

Contact: Continuing Education, PH: 215.972.7632, e-mail at continuinged@pafa.edu

 

July 12-13, 2008

The Zen of Seeing - Sketching in the Colorado Montane

Evergreen, Colorado
Instructor: Marjorie Leggitt

Fee: $180 (with add-ons for food and lodging available)
Celebrating its ninth year and set in one of the most beautiful locations in Colorado, this class is a non-competitive, step-by-step course in field sketching and capturing a vast landscape in a little sketchbook. New areas of focus this year include skies, clouds, and trees.
Contact: Marjorie Leggitt, mcl@leggittdesign.com, 303.394.0566,

 

July 17-19, 2008

Rocky Mountain Society of Botanical Artists Mt. Evans Artists' Retreat

Mt. Evans High Altitude Study Lodge, Denver, CO

Instructor: Kate Nessler

Fee: RMSBA Member fee: $435 Non-RMSBA Member fee: $495, includes vellum, 2 nights lodging, 3 days meals, linens are provided.

Held the third week each July, this is the best weekend for seeing wildflowers in full bloom. Classes are held in the Lab, with full-spectrum lighting and drawing boards provided. Class includes demonstration, individual support and critique, and lots of time to paint, paint, paint!

Contact: PH: 303.438.9565; for full information, reservation form and payment options including credit card go to website: www.pigs-fly.com; FAX: 303.438.1244; e-mail: pigsflyworkshops@aol.com.

 

July 25-27, 2008

Plant Portraits

The South Shore Art Center, 119 Ripley Road, Cohasset, MA

Instructor: Rose Pellicano

Fee: $295-$320

Through demonstration and lecture, Pellicano will focus on methods to achieve a realistic portrayal of a specimen. Special attention will be given to composition and light and shade in order to achieve exciting three-dimensional qualities as well as accurate color mixing. Rose will work individually with students.

Contact: Sarah Hannan, PH: 781.383.2787 ext. #10

 

Aug. 31-Sept. 6, 2008

Botanical Illustration on Vellum - Plant Portraiture and Microlandscapes

Humboldt Field Research Institute, 59 Eagle Hill Road, Steuben, Maine

Instructor: Carol Woodin

Fee: Varies according to lodging arrangements

This class will combine the special techniques of painting in watercolor on vellum with collecting field studies to create

beautiful and accurate botanical groupings of wild plants.

Contact: Anne Faloise, PH: 207. 546.2821, e-mail: office@eaglehill.us, website: www.eaglehill.us

 

Sept 25-28, 2008

Postcards from...Ghost Ranch

Abiquiu New Mexico

Instructor: Marjorie Leggitt and Linda Lowry
Fee: $800.00 (with add-ons available)
Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico is the home of many  spectacular landscapes made famous in Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings. 
Contact: Marjorie Leggitt, mcl@leggittdesign.com, PH: 303.394.0566




October 25-29, 2008

Botanical Art with Anne-Marie Evans

Southern California location to be announced (Location of ASBA Conference)

Instructor: Anne-Marie EvansFee: $525 ASBA/BAGSC members, $550 all others
Regardless of your skill level, this workshop provides a unique opportunity to study botanical watercolor painting with one of the most influential international botanical art instructors. Mrs. Evans is best known for taking students from any stage of artistic ability and teaching them to advance to a more refined level.Contact: For questions, reservation information, etc. go to www.bagscblog.com



October 27-29, 2008

Divine Detail – Watercolor with Lizzie Sanders

Hilton Pasadena, (Location of ASBA Conference) 168 South Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, California.

Instructor: Lizzie Sanders

Fee: $495, includes instruction. Lodging available at Pigs Fly rate of $149/night. $300 deposit accepted to July 1;  payment in full only after July 1.

Starting with the selection of plant material, master watercolorist Sanders guides you through placing your specimen on the page, creating a detailed drawing, to learning the fine, precise brush strokes, building color carefully and seamlessly that she uses. Includes demonstration, informative exercises and the opportunity to complete a small illustration.

Contact: For workshop questions, PH: 303.438.9565; for full information, reservation form and payment options including credit card go to www.pigs-fly.com, contact us at pigsflyworkshops@aol.com; Fax: 303.438.1244. Lodging questions at: www1.Hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/PASPHHF-Hilton-Pasadena-California/index.do. You must mention Pigs Fly Workshops to receive the discounted lodging rate.  

 

November 2-4, 2008,

Painting Mushrooms with Alexander “Sasha” Viazmensky

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (Location of ASBA Conference)
Instructor: Alexander Viazmensky

Fee: $325 BAGSC/ASBA members, $350 all others, mushrooms included. Hilton Pasadena rate is $149/night. Specify ASBA/BAGSC rate when registering.

An opportunity to learn with Alexander Viazmensky! Sasha’s paintings are gems and widely collected. Class will include demonstration and individual support. Enjoy this opportunity to learn his unique watercolor techniques.
Contact: For questions, reservation information, etc. go to www.bagscblog.com

 

November 2-4, 2008,

 Detailed Form and Composition in Botanical Art with Pandora Sellars

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (Location of ASBA Conference)
Instructor: Pandora Sellars

Fee: $525 BAGSC/ASBA members, $550 all others. Hilton Pasadena rate is $149/night. Specify ASBA/BAGSC rate when registering.

Pandora has the distinction of creating the first artwork purchased by Dr. Shirley Sherwood for her collection. Known for her incredible fine detail and striking contemporary compositions, Pandora will share her techniques with students.
Contact: For questions, reservation information, etc. go to www.bagscblog.com



November 2-6, 2008,

Creating Beautiful Botanical Art with Jenny Phillips

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (Location of ASBA Conference)
Fee: $525 BAGSC/ASBA members, $550 all others. Hilton Pasadena rate is $149/night. Specify ASBA/BAGSC rate when registering.

In this five-day in-depth workshop, Jenny will guide you to achieve form, surface detail and texture through drawing and then painting in watercolor. Demonstration and individual support is part and parcel of learning Jenny’s techniques.
Contact: For questions, reservation information, etc. go to www.bagscblog.com

 

Institutions:

June – July, 2008

Brookside Gardens School of Botanical Art & Illustration Certificate Program McCrillis Gardens, Bethesda, Maryland

School Director: Margaret Saul

Fee: Electives (E) = 12 hours, $174; Regular workshops (W), $14.50/hr. Step-by-step instruction, handouts, demonstrations and individual tuition. Drawing ability is required unless noted as “open to all” (O).

June 14 & 28

Botany for Botanical Artists

Instructor: Doreen Bolnick

Become fascinated and inspired as you make detailed observational studies of many different plants.

June 22- August 15

Annual school exhibition

Brookside Gardens

July 25 - 27

Butterflies & Passiflora

Instructor:  Kandy Phillips

Fee: $210

Draw and paint Passion Flowers & Heliconius butterflies to produce an illustrated life cycle for a classical butterfly/host plant painting. Record findings in a journal - natural history, morphology, mimicry, and more! 

Contact: School information & registration online - www.BrooksideGardens.org, to receive a handbook and schedule of classes and fees PH: 301.962.1474 or 301.962.1470. E-mail: MargaretSaul@BotanicArtist.com

 

July-August 2008

Botanical Art Classes Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture

106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA

Certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration available.

June 30– July 2, 2008

WCBG Florilegium

Instructor: Sarah Roche and Carol Govan

Fee: WCFH members $ 225/ non-members $ 275

Observe botany in action in Wellesley College’s meadows, and then record what you see with pencil sketches and dry brush watercolor techniques.

 

July 8-9, August 12-13, September 9-10

New England Flora

Instructor: Carol Govan

Fee: WCFH members $360/ non-members $ 450

Study natural regional botanical communities and by illustrating several families of woody and herbaceous plants.  Observing both their similarities and differences as they are subdivided into genera and species, learn basic formulas for plant family identification. Focus on basic skills in field ecology research and techniques, ecological interpretation, and field-based taxonomy and identification.

 

July 10, August 14, September 11

Second Thursday Studios

Instructor: Sarah Roche

Fee: each studio day: Members $ 50 / Non-Members $ 65

Stay focused and working on your botanical art with monthly studio days. No matter where in the process you need help—defining and developing a composition, preparing layout sketches, rendering color samples—Sarah can assist you.

 

July 11-13

Composition by Design

Instructor: Susan Fisher

Fee: WCFH members $300/ non-members $ 350

Placing elements in a painting for top aesthetic and functional value can seem daunting. Beginning with a study of the compositional techniques of masters through the ages, Susan’s carefully constructed exercises allow you to experience composition techniques using the principles of direction, proportion, balance and flow. Create an original composition that will cement your new techniques and give you advanced compositional tools for future work.

 

July 15-17

Exploring Light on Form

Instructor: Susan Fisher

Fee: WCFH members $ 300/ non-members $ 350

Starting with black and white basics and correctly used values and moving on to color fundamentals, discovery exercises are designed to heighten realistic appearances in your artwork. A study of techniques used by the masters will bring focus to how color was used to create form.

 

July 21-25

Foundations in a Week

Instructor: Sarah Roche

Fee: WCFH members $ 225/ non-members $ 275

Render botanical forms in pencil and dry brush. Instructional focus will include observational skills, drawing development, composition, design, and watercolor technique through demonstrations and tutorials.

 

July 28- July 31

The Art of Botanicals: Advanced Dry Brush Techniques

Instructor: Linda Funk

Fee: WCFH members $ 500/ non-members $ 600

Bring your prepared sketches, tonal pencil drawings, and live plant material. will work with you to compose these prepared studies into a completed watercolor drawing. Then over the next days, hone your traditional botanical watercolor drybrush techniques to finish the work.

 

August 5-7

Attention to Leaves

Instructor: Constance Sayas

Fee: WCFH members $ 350/ non-members $ 425

From broad washes to detailed dry brush, use the appropriate watercolor techniques to create a variety of leaf types. Students will accurately create form, handle venation, and depict texture while painting a series of leaf studies.

Contact: WCFH at PH: 781.283.3094 or e-mail: horticulture@wellesley.edu, or website: www.wellesley.edu/WCFH

 

July-October 2008

The New York Botanical Garden

Bronx River Parkway at Fordham Road, Bronx, NY

July 9-30

Ink Wash in Black & White: Techniques and Applications

Instructor: Laura Vogel

Fee: $280 non-members, $252 members

Learn the basic techniques of water based, liquid mediums using diluted ink washes. Focus on layering washes to build form/values as well as drybrush technique to build details in various botanical subjects.

 

July 21-24

Bird Painting: Songbirds

Instructor: Katie Lee

Fee: $415 non-members, $385 members

Birds do not sit still posing for long periods of time, so quick sketches, collecting observational field notes, and taking good research photographs are an essential part of a good bird painting and as the basis for creating a rendered image.

 

July 30-August 1

How to Critique Art Work (Especially Your Own)

Instructor: Lauretta Jones

Fee: $145 non-members, $131 members

Learn a simple method to objectively apply botanical art standards to your own work as well as to work that inspires you. The full breadth of botanical art is discussed – from solo exhibitions and juried shows to scientific and popular work.

 

September 6-7

Collecting and Drawing Butterflies and Moths

Instructor: April Flaherty

Fee: $235 non-members, $212 members

Students will have the opportunity to fine-tune their drawing skills, apply color and pencil techniques, and learn new perspectives.

 

September 4-October 16

Drawing Plant Morphology in Detail

Instructor: Dick Rauh

Fee: $353 non-members, $323 members

Take a closer and more leisurely look at the features that distinguish families. Measure and learn how to scale smaller parts up, and how to indicate the enlargements.

 

September 10-October 1

Drawing Summer’s Bounty: Selections from the Farmers Market

Instructor: Kathie Miranda

Fee: $280 non-members, $252 members

Select and purchase the day’s drawing subjects from the Botanical Garden’s Farmers Market. Resolve a different drawing challenge each week.

 

September 13-14

Drawing Trees

Instructor: Dick Rauh

Fee: $235 non-members, $212 members

This two-day field sketching experience focuses on the rendering of trees. Emphasis is on the immediate eye-to-hand type of rendering using technical pens on watercolor blocks.

Contact: For additional information, please call PH: 718.817.8747 or visit www.nybg.org/edu

 

June-August, 2008

J Paul Getty Museum Adult Studio Courses

The Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90049

June 10 & 17

Repeats: July 15 & 22

Collection Connection: Drawn to Flowers
Instructor: Tania Marien and Deborah Shaw

Fee: $45

The first session will include studio exercises and in-gallery sketching at the Getty Center. The second session meets at the Huntington Library where participants will study and sketch plants.

 

June 19

The Art of Transformation: The Life and Work of Maria Sibylla Merian

Instructor: Kim Todd and Richard Price

Fee: Free

Even as a girl in 17th-century Frankfurt, Germany, Maria Sibylla Merian was fascinated by butterflies. Her investigations eventually lead her to South America, where she spent two years conducting pioneering field studies and making watercolors for her masterwork The Metamorphosis of the Insects of Surinam. Kim Todd, author of a new Merian biography, will detail her adventures and contributions to art and science. Anthropologist Richard Price, an expert on the culture of Surinam, will describe the world Merian encountered in this new land.

 

June 20

Point of View: Artist Talk

Instructor: Jenny Phillips

Fee: Free

Jenny Phillips, one of Australia's most influential botanical artists, will explore the flower and insect drawings produced by the pioneering women of the Merian family.

 

June 21

Artist-at-Work Demonstration: Botanical Art

Instructor: Jenny Phillips

Fee: Free

Celebrate the start of summer with Jenny Phillips, one of Australia's most influential botanical artists, during this special one-day demonstration on the art and practice of botanical drawing. 1–2 PM Botanical Drawing; 2–3 PM Botanical Painting.

 

Thursdays and Sundays, July 3-31

Artist-at-Work: Central Garden

Fee: Free

Visit with botanical artists in the Central Garden as they demonstrate the materials and techniques for rendering plants and flowers.

 

July 11 & 18

Beetles, Birds, and Butterflies: The Art and Science of Drawing From Nature

Instructor: Stephanie Schrader and Keri Jhaveri

Fee: $30; $20 seniors/students

Join Stephanie Schrader, assistant curator of drawings, and Museum educator Keri Jhaveri for a two-part course exploring the traditions of natural history illustration. Learn how the drawings of flora and fauna by artists Albert Dürer, Martin Schongauer, and Maria Sibylla Merian contributed to discoveries in art and science.

 

July 18 and August 1 & 15

Getty Drawing Hour: Central Garden

Instructor: Kathy Dunham

Fee: Free

Enjoy the tradition of plein air sketching and botanical drawing in the Getty Garden. Artist Kathy Dunham provides general guidance; all you need to bring are drawing pads and pencils.

 

July 25

Point of View: Artist Talk

Instructor: Daniel Marlos

Fee: Free

Artist and What's that Bug? Creator Daniel Marlos explores the intersection of art, science and insects in the natural history illustrations of Maria Sibylla Merian.

 

July 27

Merian Documentary Film and Discussion with Filmmakers

Instructor: John Feugi and Jo Francis

Fee: Free

Peek behind the scenes of a new documentary film being made about Maria Sibylla Merian. John Feugi and Jo Francis, who have made documentaries about Virginia Woolf and Hildegard von Bingen, will discuss their current work-in-progress focusing on Merian, and show excerpts from the film.

Contact: For more information about any of the courses, films or lectures, call PH: 310.440.7300, visit www.getty.edu or e-mail ccarpenter@getty.edu.

 

 

July-September

Denver Botanic Gardens Certificate Program in Botanical Art and Illustration

909 York Street, Denver, CO

Classes meet once a week for 5 weeks unless otherwise noted.

Fee: $183 member, $220 non-member, unless otherwise noted.

Intro Courses

July 9

Art Materials for the Botanical Illustrator – Orientation to the Program

Instructor: Renee Jorgensen

 

Required Courses

July 28-30 or

September 30-October 28

Botany for the Botanical Illustrator

Instructor: Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski

 

July 28-August 1, Instructor: Karla Beatty

Sept. 22-Oct 20, Instructor: Libby Kyer

Botanical Illustration in Pencil I

 

August 26-September. 23

Botanical Illustration in Pencil II

Instructor: Karla Beatty

 

August 7-September. 15

Composition for Botanical Illustration

Instructor: Marjorie Leggitt

 

August 8 -10

September 30-October 28

Perfecting Perspective

Instructor: Marjorie Leggitt

 

July 30-August 27

Botanical Illustration in Pen and Ink I

Instructor: Marjorie Leggitt

 

September. 11-October 2

Botanical Illustration in Pen and Ink II

Instructor: Libby Kyer

 

August 5, 12, and 19

Color Layering for Colored Pencil

Instructor: Susan Rubin

 

September. 22-October 20

Botanical Illustration in Colored Pencil I

Instructor: Libby Kyer

 

September. 24-October 22.

Botanical Illustration in Colored Pencil II

Instructor: Susan Rubin

 

September. 22-October 20

Color Mixing for Artists

Instructor: Connie Sayas

 

August 7- Septembe. 4

Botanical Illustration in Watercolor II

Instructor: Karla Beatty

Electives

July 19

Labeling, Botanical Latin, Common names

Instructor: Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski

Fee: $39 member, $44 nonmember.

This 3-hour workshop covers everything you need to know about labeling your beautiful plate correctly and getting it ready to go for the show.

 

August 2

Framing Botanical Illustration

Instructor: Susan Rubin

Fee: $63 member, $69 non-member

This 1-day workshop covers the options that will help you to present your art to its best advantage, including framing materials, styles and embellishments, and frame a small piece to practice.

 

August 26-September. 23.

Creative Hand Lettering II

Instructor: Renee Jorgensen

Learn new methods and exercise to refine your skills for both scientific labeling and other creative uses.

 

September 26-28

Sketching: Art at 75 MPH

Instructor: Libby Kyer

Learn to trust your intuition, see in new ways, and develop a personal language of pencil strokes, to capture shape and movement on the fly and quickly translate the information onto paper.

 

September 5-7

Chinese Flower Painting

Fee: $220 member, $264 non-member.

Instructor: Sally Yu Leung, San Francisco, CA

 

September 30-October 28

Using Photo References Wisely

Instructor: Marjorie Leggitt

Learn how to locate photographic resources, create your own composite from multiple images and alter visual information creatively to come up with a fresh illustration that retains accuracy without infringing copyrights.

 

September 3-October 1

Light on Form

Instructor: Susan Rubin

Beginning with basic geometric shapes, refine your skills in showing light and volume on any subject.

 

August 14- September 18

Up Close and Personal: Plant Portraits in Graphite Pencil

Instructor: Susan Rubin

Enjoy a contemporary take on botanical art as you move in close to your subject. Learn techniques to draw at actual size and then crop and enlarge your drawing to emphasize form and drama.

 

August 6, 13, 20

Pencil III: Dazzling Dahlias

Instructor: Marjorie Leggitt

Refining techniques learned in Perfecting Perspective, select a live specimen and work step-by-step from line studies, through value mapping, and on to a complete botanical plate in graphite.

 

September. 4-October 2

Urban Nature: Weeds in Mixed Media

Instructor: Libby Kyer

Choose your weedy subject, analyze its best points, and work in mixed media create a beautiful portrait of a garden nemesis.

 

August 4, 11, 18

Bright and Bold: Colored Pencil for the Uninhibited

Instructor: Susan Rubin

Choose the brightest of blooms to compose a pleasing plate reflecting the colors of the season. Learn special techniques with solvent and under-painting to create vibrant color and depth befitting the subject.

 

September. 3, 10, 17

Native Earth: Plants of the Americas in Colored Pencil

Instructor: Libby Kyer

Pay homage to the bounty of summer. Start with field journaling to capture the delicate tendrils of beans, the shaggy elegance of cornhusks, and the wonderful colors of squash.

 

August 15, 22, 29

Composite Blooms in Watercolor

Instructor: Connie Sayas

These flowers are actually combinations of multiple blossoms. Learn composite anatomy and study the bloom’s structure in terms of perspective, ellipses, and the Fibonacci sequence, to create a colorful watercolor portrait .

 

August. 26-September. 23

Ancient Herbs in Graphite and/or Watercolor

Instructor: Karla Beatty

Learn about ancient practices and many varied uses of herbs in Greek and Roman kitchen gardens. Special attention to composition and careful rendering will guide you to create an herbal portrait in your choice graphite and/or watercolor.

Contact: PH: 720.865.3580; FAX: 720.865.3685; www.botanicgardens.org, e-mail: registrar@botanicgardens.org.