Subscribe to the newsletter to receive the latest class schedule.
Botanical Watercolor Composition Workshop
Artist-instructor: Mira O’Brien
Format: Online Live (livestreaming with class recordings and instructor feedback).
March 7-28, 2023
– 4x Tuesdays
– 6:00-8:00pm CET Online
(6:00pm in Berlin, 12:00pm in New York, 9:00am in San Francisco, 5:00pm in London)
Cost: 130 Euros
(includes 19%VAT)
What to Expect:
Create a finished botanical watercolor composition. Learn step by step, from preparatory drawings, tracing, composition, how to arrive at a finished painting. You will choose one plant species to focus on during this workshop and end up with a multifaceted composition. One class meeting will also be dedicated to painting an insect companion for our specimen, completing the composition.
We will work primarily from photographs; however the techniques can be applied to live specimens. A selection of photos showing different stages and different parts (flowers, seed pods, eventually pollinators, etc…) of specimens will be provided. You can also undertake your own research if you have something specific in mind.
Botanical illustration was first required in order to keep track of medicinal plants and share knowledge about them. Today botanical painting does not fulfill the same utilitarian purposes, in most cases, but it is still a useful way to learn about nature and share our observations. Botanical paintings can also be created purely for their own beauty and the feeling of wonder they inspire.
Topics covered:
- Preparatory drawings.
- Tracing your drawings (or photos) and organizing them into a single composition.
- Ideas for botanical composition from art history.
- Introducing a pollinator, pest or other protagonist into your composition.
- Watercolor layering techniques.
- Watercolor effects specific to your subject, individual consultation.
- Feedback on your finished work.
- Ideas for reproduction, prints.
Our Online Workshop Format:
- Livestreaming classes take place via online video conference (using Zoom). The instructor conducts live demos with step-by-step instruction so that you can work together in real time. You also have the opportunity to ask questions and get feedback during class time.
- We keep class sizes small and the atmosphere is interactive and supportive.
- Finish exercises or practice at your own pace, at home, outside of class time.
- Receive individual feedback on your completed work and exchange comments and questions with the instructor and your fellow workshop participants in an encouraging environment.
- Find supplemental material and watch the progress of other participants by visiting the workshop Dropbox folder in between classes.
- Recordings from each week’s livestreaming session are available in case you miss a class or want to review a demo.
