Boston Flora

Tag: Graphite

  • Monday, January 5, Wednesday, January 7, Friday, January 9, & Monday, January 12, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Eastern – A Graphite Adventure: How to Solve Botanical Drawing Problems, Online

    Drawing plants isn’t always easy, especially when you’re faced with foreshortened petals, tricky tonal values, or overlapping shapes. In this four-session Massachusetts Horticultural Society online class in January, 2026, Carol Ann Morley will explore numerous ways to approach these visual problems and how to solve them with confidence. Learn how to build spatial depth and show space using techniques like atmospheric perspective. With step-by-step guidance, you’ll gain skills to simplify what you see and conquer the curves of a curled leaf, the surface pattern of a gourd, or the layered shapes of a flower.. Register at https://www.masshort.org/upcoming-classes

  • 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, August 8 – Friday, August 10, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Drawing Daylilies in the Garden

    Capture the beauty of daylilies and other flowers that grow at Berkshire Botanical Garden. Sit amongst the daylilies and bring their beauty to life on the page of your sketchbook. Bring along a camera to document what you draw and see. In the classroom explore ways to enhance your field studies, bring more depth to petals and leaves and record their vibrant colors applying a variety of graphite and colored pencil techniques. Create a final page of garden flowers.

    This class meets for 3 days: Wednesday, August 8 – Friday, August 10, 10am – 4pm. All levels, beginners encouraged. Bring a bag lunch. $315 for BBG members, $350 for nonmembers. Materials list at www.berkshirebotanical.org

    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.

    Image result for Carol Ann Morley daylilies

  • Tuesday, April 24 – Wednesday, April 25, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Spring Blooms in Graphite and Watercolor

    Join botanical artist Helen Byers in this two-day workshop at Tower Hill Botanic Garden on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 24 and 25 from 10 – 4, to draw and/or paint anemones, daffodils, early tulips, or another spring blossom of your choice. Helen’s demos and personalized instruction will cover step-by-step processes of detailed botanical art techniques using graphite in combination with watercolor. (Returning students may substitute colored pencil for graphite, if they wish.) To see examples of Helen’s work and slideshows from her courses, go to http://helenbyers.com

    A supplies list will be sent to registrants. THBG members $150, nonmembers $165. Register at https://towerhillbg.thankyou4caring.org/pages/event-registration-form—spring-blooms-in-graphite-and-watercolor

    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).

    Image result for helen byers artist

  • Sunday, February 18, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm – Botanical Studies in Graphite

    Join Tower Hill Botanic Garden and Helen Byers in this one-day workshop on Sunday, February 18 from 10 – 4 to refine your drawing skills. Choose a subject from Helen’s collection of “treasures”-maybe a bit of bark or lichen, a dry leaf or seedpod, a small cone-and draw it in detail. We’ll explore the exciting possibilities of using graphite to render a full range of neutral tones and textures. Individualized instruction will include demos and helpful tips. A list of recommended supplies will be sent to registrants. To see galleries of Helen’s work and slideshows from her courses, visit helenbyers.com.

    Helen Byers is an artist, writer, editor, and educator with a background in literary and educational publishing. Her drawings and paintings have been exhibited in solo and group shows in the West and East and are held in various private collections. Her illustration credits include six children’s books and six literary book covers. Her teaching of art has included courses and workshops in botanical drawing and painting, watercolor painting, figure sketching, still-life drawing, and field sketching / journaling.

    Helen’s work is included in 2 prestigious recent exhibitions: The19th Annual International Juried Exhibition of the American Society of Botanical Artists & the New York Horticultural Society, Nov. 1 – Dec. 30, 2016 in NYC; and “Woody Plants of New England,” an exhibit of the New England Society of Botanical Artists at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, July 8 – Sept 11, 2016.  $80 for THGB members, $90 for nonmembers. Register online at https://towerhillbg.thankyou4caring.org/pages/event-registration-form—botanical-studies-in-graphite

  • Friday, January 5 – Sunday, January 7, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Leaves and Grasses in Graphite: The Beauty of Dried Forms

    Capture the beauty of nature’s dried plants with Carol Ann Morley at the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens in a three day session January 5 – 7 from 9:30 – 3:30 (snow date Monday, January 8). Make a compelling composition of the dried leaves and grasses left in winter’s fields, and work in graphite to lend drama and depth to your subject. Contrast slender flowing grass with the curvature of pods and angles of leaves, building a visual narrative of these beautiful forms. Carol includes daily drawing exercises and demonstrations. She breaks down the process of drawing, starting with observation and quick sketches, then developing a compositional idea. You will practice drawing to scale using structural lines to build form, and study the perpective of plant shapes and angles and the balance of tonal values in depth and design. Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens $250, nonmembers $300. Register at 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu. Drawing copyright Carol Ann Morley.

  • July and August, 2017 – Berkshire Botanical Garden Art in the Garden Summer Program

    Berkshire Botanical Garden has opened registration for its Art in the Garden Summer Program, a lineup of five workshops ranging from watercolor painting to drawing nature and the art of cut paper.

    The Garden in Watercolors Session I: En Plein Air Watercolor Painting in the Summer Garden, will be offered four consecutive Wednesdays beginning July 5, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Each class will begin with an introduction and demonstration by instructor Ann Kremers, followed by study of forms, composition, and simple, direct color schemes. Participants are welcome to attend all four classes or individual classes, but all are encouraged to attend the first session, when the basics of watercolor, paint brushes and paper will be explained. Students of all levels are welcome; no previous experience is necessary. This four-session workshop will be repeated beginning August 2, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., and will follow the same curriculum. Fees for the classes are: four sessions $185 / $155 members; individual classes, $50. A materials list is available at berkshirebotanical.org.

    A workshop on the Art of Cut Paper — Scherenschnitte, is offered on Thursday, July 20, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Taught by Pamela Dalton (pictured below,) this hands-on program includes instruction on the simple techniques of cut paper. Students will create multiple Scherenschnitte, executed in the style of the Pennsylvania German tradition drawing on farming and gardening themes from the 19th century. The instructor will also share paper cutting from a variety of cultures and historic periods. Fees for the class are $85 / $75 members. View a materials list at berkshirebotanical.org. A materials fee of $10 is paid directly to the instructor.

    Basic Drawing: Observing Nature with Graphite Pencil, a workshop taught by Carol Ann Morley, is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, August 14 and 15, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Students will learn how to look at the natural world and give shape and definition to their subject through graphite shading techniques. This workshop is open to any level of student from beginner to those with drawing skills. Fees for the workshop are $250 / $225 members.

    Carol Ann Morley will also instruct the workshop, Drawing in Nature: A Visual Narrative. This consecutive three-day program begins Wednesday, August 16, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and focuses on how to present an image of nature to achieve an interesting drawing that engages the attention. Students are encouraged to bring several natural subjects to choose from as the focus of their drawing, and will work in graphite during design stages, but can select a color medium for a final rendering. Open to students of all levels. Fees for the workshop are $315 / $290 members

    Berkshire Botanical Garden is located at 5 West Stockbridge Road, (Routes 102/183) Stockbridge, Ma. For additional information on these classes, bios of the instructors, or to register, visit berkshirebotanical.org or call 413 320-4794.

  • Monday, April 4, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm – Ranunculus (or Roses) in Spring

    Shake off the winter cold with a Friends of Wellesley College Botanic Gardens art class on five successive Mondays, April 4 – May 9, from 9:30 – 12:30 in the greenhouses. Carrie Megan will teach you how to capture the delicate folds of a ranunculus with the use of a mid-range of graphite leads. Then, add a little spring color. With the use of pale “tea washes” you’ll learn how to enhance your finished drawing with a pop of soft color. Intermediate level and above. Friends price $225, nonmembers $275. Register by calling 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu.  Photo from www.flowermuse.com.

  • Mondays, March 9 – April 13, 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Botanical Illustration with Graphite

    Botanical illustration has been a practiced art for hundreds of years. This Boston Center for Adult Education course will give you a brief overview of the history of this art form and will show you the basics of how to draw flowers and plants with shading, perspective and form in graphite. We will begin with basic graphite techniques and move on to simple flower and plant structure. Students will learn about composition, light and methods to make your artwork “alive.” Each week will focus on a different flower provided by the instructor. Medium used will be graphite pencils.

    Materials List:
    11×14 pad Strathmore drawing paper – 400 series (brown or green cover; NOT yellow 300 series)
    11×14 pad tracing paper (Canson preferred)
    Set of graphite pencils (at least 2B, HB and 2H; you do not need more than that) – Faber- Castill or Prismacolor best brands
    Kneaded grey erasers (2)
    Battery operated pencil sharpener (Panasonic KP-4A is BEST; available online but lesser models should be okay)

    The instructor is Nancy Bentivegna. Nancy Bentivegna was born and raised in Ithaca, NY. Art was always her favorite subject in school and she pursued this passion in the art program at Penn State University where she earned her B.A. After college, she worked in marketing and advertising with several large firms in New York. In 1999, she started her own design firm, Kester House, and began creating custom home décor for clients throughout the New York metropolitan area. Her works include furniture, murals, decorative accent pieces and soft goods (pillows, linens, etc.). In 2008 she began the Botanical Art and Illustration Program at the New York Botanical Garden. Ms. Bentivegna completed all course work in June 2011 and then relocated to Boston. She primarily works in watercolor combined with colored pencil for depth and detail. Her works have been displayed in specialty shops in Connecticut and her original botanical artwork is part of private collections from New York to Florida.

    Classes will meet Mondays, March 9 – April 13, from 7:30 – 9:30 at the BCAE, 122 Arlington Street in Boston. The fee is $204 ($173 for BCAE members) with a materials cost of $15. Register online at http://www.bcae.org/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&int_class_id=12403&int_category_id=1&int_sub_category_id=1&int_catalog_id=0, or call 617-267-4430.

  • Tuesday, January 6 – Thursday, January 8, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm – Drawing the Market: Fruits and Veggies in Graphite

    Explore creative ways to arrange the abundance of produce contained in grocery store aisles to make intriguing compositions of fruit, berries, and foliage.  Focus on graphite techniques under the guidance of Carol Ann Morley at the Wellesley College Botanic Garden in a three day class to be held Tuesday, January 6 – Thursday, January 8, from 9:30 – 3:30 (snow date Friday, January 9.)  Discover how to analyze shapes and negative spaces to create three dimensional forms and bring your art to life.  This is a workshop suitable for all levels.  WCBG members $250, nonmembers $300.  Register by calling 781-283-3094, or email wcbgfriends@wellesley.edu. Image below by Evan Lovejoy.