Current Classes
Offered by ASBA Individual Members & Member Institutions
Online botanical art course
The course is suitable for everyone wanting to develop and improve their abilities in this field of art. You will;
· Learn to observe botanical detail in plants and know what to look for.
· Learn to put down on paper what you have seen.
· Compose and draw plants in an attractive and informative way.
· Learn about the impact of tonal value and form in painting.
· Gain more understanding of your chosen media - watercolour or coloured pencil, but also graphite and pen and ink.
· Complete by the end of the course at least:
o One botanical picture in graphite.
o A pen and ink drawing in your chosen style.
o A botanical picture incorporating graphie and colour.
o One fruit and vegetable study in colour.
o Two full compositions of a flowering plant and a fruit and vegetable arrangement.
Each of the six modules in the course is sent via a dropbox link with an assignment at the end of each one. High resolution scans or photographs of the assignments are sent to me and a detailed and constructive feedback is then returned with the link to the next module.
Each module contains several tutorials and from the second module onwards there are links to some of my videos demonstrating technique. The course is expected to take no longer than 18 months, but can generally be completed in under this time, depending upon the amount of time given to it. However, botanical art is a slow art form and I don't suggest rushing it.
The course is ongoing, but I limit the numbers enrolled at any one time to ensure each person gets individual attention.
Botanical Basics Online Subscription Program
These 30-minute instructional meditations will support a routine of practice with a minimal time commitment. This course is designed to build confidence in your core drawing skills, increase your set of techniques and encourage a relaxed time to create
Read details here: https://www.drawbotanical.com/botanical-basics-course-overview/
Phone: 917-607-7366
Email: info@drawbotanical.com
The Practice of Botanical Drawing - Online Subscription Program
Step-by-step guidance and visual instruction using colored pencil and watercolor pencil. Study natures forms, patterns and colors throughout the year using seasonal botanical subjects.
View complete syllabus and enrollment details here: http://www.drawbotanical.com/course/complete-course-the-practice-of-botanical-drawing/
Harvest: Botanical Illustration in Colored Pencil
How is your appetite for drawing veggies? Join us to create a botanical portrait of a vegetable that "calls" to you. We'll work in layers to achieve accurate proportions, luminous color, necessary values, and fine detail. Daily demos, tips, and personalized instruction. A list of recommended supplies will be sent to registrants. Intermediate level. (Note: Botanical art students with some experience working in watercolor will be welcome to use that medium instead of colored pencil.)
Fresh Art-Pencil and Paint in the Garden
Recording the beauty and freshness of flora “in situ” is a plein air botanical artist’s greatest desire. In this class, learn to capture the spontaneity of flowers and floral subjects using expressive graphite and watercolor washes. Explore new ways to see and develop perspective with “quick draw” methods. Discover the expansive and harmonious nature of a limited palette when you develop your own Color Palette Exploration Chart. Learn how to enhance and build value-rich form and spatial quality layering transparent color. Experiment with contemporary approaches to composition. With classroom instruction and exercises, and plenty of one-on-one guidance in the field, you will be ready to complete an illuminated chronical of your day in the garden!
Distance Learning
Welcome to Drawing the Beauty of Nature with Mindy Lighthipe. I offer online art classes designed for artists interested in learning the tradition of accurate drawing and painting found in botanical and natural science art.
Each class is carefully developed by Mindy and are progressive to build skills and techniques gradually in the comfort of your own home. The classes average 8 to 12 consecutive weeks, ranging in price from $129 to $179.
I am currently offering 3 classses: Foundation Drawing, Drawing the Beauty of Plants and The Wonderful Watercolor. Classes start on September 20, 2017. For a more detailed description visit: http://www.mindylighthipe.com/online-art-classes/
Botanical art workshop holiday
The botanical art holiday will be a mixture of botanical art teaching every morning, with five local trips planned for the afternoons and experiencing the cuisine of the Dordogne area of France.
The holiday includes airport transfers from either Limoges or Bergerac airports to Le Manoir, a marvellously restored manor house in St Sulpice.
But of course, you will be more interested in the botanical art teaching than you will your surroundings, although they are superb. You will:
- Choose your own subject,
- Design your composition
- Do a clean line drawing of your design
- Create a tonal study as reference
- Paint your picture using the medium you prefer.
I will be there to help you all the way.
You arrive on Saturday and early on Sunday you will start on your artwork. The number of students will be restricted, therefore I will demonstrate as necessary at each stage and in your chosen medium - either watercolour or coloured pencil. Where needed, each person will also have periods of individual tuition.
In the afternoons, although excursions are planned, my time will be divided between those who choose to carry on painting and want my guidance, and the trips.
For more information, please look at my website.
Autumn Leaves in Colored Pencil
Celebrate the colors of fall by drawing a single autumn leaf in all its glory. Instruction will cover a technique of drawing in layers using colored pencil and watercolor pencil to achieve botanical accuracy, rich color, and fine detail.
Larger Than Life
Whilst it's great to have the skills to be able to paint something we have just picked from the garden, as we become more experienced as artists we start to look at the challenge of different ways to portray plants accurately. This three-day course with Martin Allen looks at how to take digital reference photographs and use them to enlarge small parts of plants to create an exciting new image. Martin will cover how to take useful photographs and the practical challenges of translating that photograph into a realistic image on paper using a straight-forward painting technique that can easily be refined with practice.
Master Class to Paint Heritage Apples
Anne-Marie Evans returns to Falls Church, VA, for the 10th consecutive year. We have two spots left in this popular and very-well-attended class. We meet in a large room and each student has a full table.
Anne-Marie will guide us in creating a painting of a heritage/heirloom apple. If you wish you may begin drawings ahead of time so you have more time to concentrate on painting. We will provide apples with leaves and some of the branches to those who need them. Virginia is a great apple-growing state and there are quite a few orchards specializing in heritage fruits.
Anne-Marie concentrates on developing a strong composition and then on creating a three-dimensional painting. She constantly roams the classroom, from student to student, helping them resolve their particular problems. She is truly a hands-on teacher and I always feel as if I have had a private class because of the special attention. Students are rarely able to complete a painting during a one-week class, but everyone learns a lot.
Contact us for more details, including a supply list.
Seedpods and Gourds in Colored Pencil
Back by popular demand! In this workshop, gorgeous gourds and dry seedpods will be your inspiration. Join us to draw in fine detail, using layers of colored pencil and watercolor pencil on white or toned paper. Demos, tips, and personalized instruction. Some drawing experience helpful.
Costa Rica- An Artistic Adventure Tour
Join MIndy Lighthipe for a 10 day Artistic Adventure Tour to Costa Rica. Participants will travel through Costa Rica visiting botanical gardens, research stations, and wildlife rehabilition centers. This is an upclose tour that focuses on learning to take proper field sketching, color notes and research photography to complete paintings during and after the tour. Each location has been carefully hand selected by Mindy Lighthipe to take you behind the scenes to conservation areas that are protected and off the beaten path. Each day there is a guided tour with a local expert as well as demonstration by Mindy. There is ample time to draw, paint and photograph at your leisure as well as take in the fantastic locations visited. Artists, Photographers and anyone interested in going on this trip are welcome. This is an opportunity to travel where the rainforest is your classroom. All levels welcome!