Boston Flora

Tag: drawing class

  • Saturdays, January 24 – February 14, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm – Drawing Basics: Fantastic Flowers in Pen & Ink

    In this New England Botanical Garden class you will begin by doing tracing from photos onto inking film, explore several inking techniques, including hatching, crosshatching and stippling. Being able to see your photo through the Dura-lar, a polyester film with a matte finish, there is no need to worry about getting the drawing correct.


    This online workshop is 4 weeks long, January 24 – February 14. You will meet every Saturday morning for instruction with the teacher. After the morning session you will be given time to continue working on your artwork. In the afternoon each person will schedule a 15 minute one-on-one time with the instructor to talk about your artwork and get personal input.
    The material is not provided for the course. A material list is available on the registration page, HERE.

  • Friday, October 27, 10:00 am – Setting Up a Seasonal Nature Journal

    Come learn how to set up and be inspired to continue your own ongoing Seasonal Nature Journal. Record in simple drawing and writing the weather, habitat, plants, and animals of here and where you live. As our climate is changing, your own Nature Journal can be a useful way to track the changes you see. Veteran Journal keeper, artist, and author Clare Walker Leslie will lead you both outdoors and indoors in ways to excite you to keep your own Journal going. The class is suitable for beginners. No previous drawing or writing skills are needed.  The class will take place Friday, October 27 at 10 at The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley, and is $50 – $70. Register at www.masshort.org

  • Mondays, October 16 – November 27 (excluding November 20), 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Eastern – Pen and Ink, Online

    Pen and ink, among the most versatile and useful media, can be used to create high quality, easily reproducible drawings. Learn how to produce different strokes and how to create tone by using stipple, line, and crosshatch techniques. Carol Ann Morley will present a six part class, online, for the New York Botanic Garden Prerequisite: Botanical Drawing II or equivalent. Please note, this course requires the purchase of materials. Please refer to the materials list on the registration page for more information. NYBG members $460, nonmembers $505. Click HERE for complete schedule and information.

  • Wednesday, October 19, 9:30 am – 11:30 pm – Drawing Butterflies and Moths in Colored Pencil, Online

    On Wednesday, October 19 from 9:30 – 11:30, explore the beauty of butterflies and moths. This two-hour online workshop will introduce observational drawing techniques with pencil and then dive into colored pencil techniques used to create a rich, vibrant image. All skill levels are welcome.   Fees: $30 HMNH members/$35 nonmembers. Advanced registration is required at https://reservations.hmsc.harvard.edu/Info.aspx?EventID=11

  • Thursday, February 24, 9:30 am – 11:30 am – Drawing Trees, Online

    Explore the variety and elegance of tree forms using pencil and paper. In this Harvard Museums of Science and Culture webinar, we will focus on capturing the shapes and volume of trunks and branches as well as techniques for drawing foliage in this online workshop. Groups will be limited to twelve, allowing ample time for individual feedback. All skill levels are welcome.

     $30 members/ $35 nonmembers. Register HERE.

  • Friday, September 17, 12:30 pm – Drawing Basics: Flowers & Leaves in Perspective

    Drawing basics classes at Tower Hill Botanic Garden are focused on building botanical illustration skills for all levels of learners. In this September 17 workshop with Carol Schwartz, using only pencil, learn about drawing flowers and leaves from a variety of angles, such as side view, pointing at or away from you, and how to draw the 3-dimension curvature of shape in 2-dimensions.

    Required Materials (Not Provided with Registration):

    1. 3H, B, 4B, and Prismacolor Ebony pencils
    2. Kneaded eraser
    3. Drawing paper pad, 9″ x 12″

    Carol graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute, attending her senior year at Rhode Island School of Design. She earned her MFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford, Connecticut in 2014. Her education equipped her to be diverse and adaptable, with work appearing in 60 picture books and countless magazines, newspapers and advertisements.

    $30 Member Adult; $40 Adult (Registration includes admission to the Garden). Register at www.towerhillbg.org

  • Monday, August 3 – Wednesday, August 5, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Sketching the Beauty of Trees

    Celebrate the Beauty of Trees by capturing their summer loveliness, guided by botanical illustrator Carol Ann Morley. This three-day class. August 3 – 5, begins with a delightful stroll through Berkshire Botanical Garden to visit the many wonderful trees that grow there. Bring along a camera as you wander, photographing those trees that most appeal to you. Learn how to observe trees and create, en plein air, gestural graphite sketches to map out their main features. In the Center House classroom, select a tree that most inspires you and create small studies that combine both photos and sketches, followed by creating a rendering of a favorite tree, either in graphite or a drawing medium that best expresses the unique character of your chosen tree. Open to students with some drawing experience.

    Carol Ann Morley is an illustrator and dedicated teacher of botanical illustration working in Dover, NH. She founded the Botanical Art Illustration Certificate Program at the New York Botanical Garden and teaches illustration there and at other botanical gardens. 

    Bring a bag lunch. Materials list will be provided. $340 for BBG members, $375 for nonmembers. Masks are required. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/sketching-beauty-trees

  • Wednesday, March 18 – Friday, March 20, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Bird Nests: Rendering Their Unique Beauty

    How many times have you looked in wonder at a bird’s nest and marveled at its construction?  Drawing a bird’s nest will invite you to look even closer and discover what nest materials the bird chose to create their unique design and shape. In this three session Berkshire Botanical class with botanical illustrator Carol Ann Morley, you will learn how to ‘map out’ the nest construction to keep track of where you are. Through close observation you will discover the pattern of the weave as you identify horse hair, grass, twigs and other plant materials. Have fun bringing to life one of nature’s wonders, in your choice of mixed media with colored  pencils, pen and ink, and gold paint on toned papers. Instructor will supply the bird nests to draw. Some drawing experience suggested. Class will take place at Berkshire Botanical Garden March 18 – 20 from 10 – 4, and is $340 for BBG members, $375 for nonmembers. Registration and supply list may be found at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/bird-nests-rendering-their-unique-beauty

  • Sunday, March 15, 10:30 am – 4:30 pm – Drawing Plants and Flowers

    Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston will hold a Drawing Plants and Flowers Class with Carolyn Todd on March 15 from 10:30 – 4:30. Students will be encouraged to develop observation skills to assist in the discovery of the anatomy of selected plants and flowers. Drawing and capturing the rhythm and shapes of live plants is superior to drawing from photographs or publications. Students will learn about drawing tools and specific drawing techniques to enhance drawing skills and critical thinking. Along with building technical skill, students will also be encouraged to promote a creative, unique, and personal drawing style. A materials list will be sent upon registration. $78 for THBG members, $88 for nonmembers. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.

    Carolyn earned her BFA and MA in studio Fine Arts and Fine Arts education from the University of Texas and the University of Houston. She was selected as the “Artist in Residence” for the National Park Service, Amistad National Recreation Area. She enjoys helping students of all ages discover their personal expression by enabling critical thinking. Carolyn teaches drawing, and watercolor, oil, acrylic, gouache, and encaustic painting. She is currently teaching in the ALFA program at Fitchburg State University, and the Creative Minds program (Seven Hills Foundation) at the Worcester and Fitchburg Art Museums.

    copyright Carolyn Todd, Blue Landscape

  • Saturday, August 31, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Summer Harvest: Botanical Drawing

    It can happen in summer. You find yourself lingering over fruits and veggies in the market, examining the “amazing” ones, rearranging the displays. If this sounds familiar, you may need help. Time for a botanical art session at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on August 31 from 9:30 – 3:30 with Helen Byers. Choose a subject that “calls” to you, and join us to draw its portrait in colored pencil. Helen’s instructional tips and demos will help you achieve accurate colors, proportions, and textures. A materials list will be sent to registrants. This is an intermediate level class.

    Helen Byers is an award-winning artist and educator whose botanical drawings and paintings have been internationally exhibited, published, and held in private collections. In recent years she has taught often at Tower Hill, as well as at Concord Center for the Visual Arts, Fruitlands Museums, Tin Mountain Conservation Center (NH), and Ghost Ranch Education & Retreat Center (NM).

    Tower Hill Botanic Garden member price $84, nonmembers $94. Register at www.towerhillbg.org.