Class Listings

Bring your drawings to life in color! Students learn color theory; explore watercolor; colored pencil on paper, board, film and toned paper; and are invited to include digital media. This class helps students develop advanced compositions and info-graphics. Students complete three portfolio pieces and prepare for internships/independent studies, if desired. Professional practices, handouts, tutorials, live video conferencing and email are included.

Open to students having completed Sessions I and II in the SIDP, or by permission. Contact gretchen.halpert@gmail.com for more information.

The carbon dust technique was developed by medical illustrators in the early 20th century and is characterized by subtle and precise gradations of grey values. Using a combination of carbon pencil lines and carbon dust applied with brushes, this unique medium produces rich total renderings with the value range of charcoal and the precision of watercolor. In this 5-week online class, learn from fellow ASBA member Deborah Shaw about methodical layering and other skills to create luminous greyscale tones and values. This class is offered by the School of Botanical Art and Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens.

https://catalog.botanicgardens.org/Selection.aspx?item=4144&sch=309246

The week will begin with a walk around the grounds of Clos Mirabel, where you will source your subject. Back in the studio the work will commence investigating the plant and you will undertake a study or sketchbook style page by deconstructing the plant into the sum of its parts and identifying the important parts for inclusion.

You will learn how to arrange the plant parts on the page to make best use of space; using overlaps, separation and aerial perspective. The process will include working out colours, including underlying colour, tints and shades, and saturation, as well as the relevant watercolour techniques for the different features of the plant. 

Finally, you will work on fine tuning a final composition towards the creation of a painting using your reference from the previous study page work.

By the end of the week the process from plant to painting will be clear and you will be ready to take your painting to a finished stage with confidence.

https://atelier.clos-mirabel.com/botanical-art/

atelierclosmirabel@gmail.com

An artist's nature journal documents the beauty of nature in a unique and personal format. Nature journals can be filled with scientific observations, pressed leaves or imaginative drawings and notes. Students receive a set of prompts for nature walks that highlight seasonal themes and encourage intimate connection with nature. Discover what plants and animals are at work in our neighborhoods and capture the seasons by using expressive linework and a changing color palette.

This program is offered by the School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens.

https://www.botanicgardens.org/programs/nature-journaling-springs-renewal-online

From daisies to zinnias, Asteraceae is one of the largest flowering plant families in the world. With their often bright and bold floral displays, they appear an easy subject for the artist, but to render them accurately takes a little knowledge about the obscure characteristics that separate one from another.

This program is offered by the School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens.

https://www.botanicgardens.org/programs/botany-spotlight-daisies-online

Join instructor Tara Connaughton to celebrate the early blooms of the season, focusing on the abundance of tulips growing in the Garden at Elm Bank, Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Through observation, sketching, and practicing key color mixing and painting techniques, we will capture these beautiful bulbs in our botanical sketchbooks. Suitable for all experience levels.

An explosion of colour arrives in the pastures and woodlands surrounding Clos Mirabel in late April. Fields of bee orchids, pyramid orchids and early purple orchids on the lower slopes of the Pyrenees lead to alpine plants like gentians, saxifrages and butterworts dotting the upper slopes.

During our workshop we will take time to really look at our locally sourced plant subjects. Simple observational drawing techniques will help us to explore and examine the structure and habit of our subjects. 

Accurate colour mixing and matching comes with practice and experience. I will guide you through some easy exercises to help you grow in confidence in how you use and choose colour. 

The nature of watercolour is that it is fluid, spontaneous and transparent. Exploring and practicing watercolour painting techniques in a simple but systematic way can be applied to painting any subject. Using controlled wet and damp techniques and finishing with dry techniques we will work in layers to create a painting that is both true to science and true to your emotional connection with your plant subject.

https://atelier.clos-mirabel.com/botanical-art/

atelierclosmirabel@gmail.com

Capture the beauty of New England ephemeral plants in their native habitat in this 3-day class with Betsy Rogers-Knox. These special plants bloom early, before the leaf canopy shades their habitat. Starting with line drawings and a quick tonal, we’ll compose a small habitat composition using live subjects native to the area. With step-by-step instruction and demonstrations, we’ll incorporate many watercolor techniques including wet-on-wet, dry brush and everything in between!!

This free online series addresses professional practices and highlights botanical artists, Denver Botanic Gardens staff and speakers from the field. Advanced registration is required to receive the Zoom link.

This program is offered by the School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens.

Register here: https://catalog.botanicgardens.org/DateSelection.aspx?item=4901

One of the prettiest sights of the gardening year is the show provided by spring. In the Garden at Elm Bank, at this time of year, there is plenty to draw and paint throughout, but the stars of the show are the Spring Flowering Trees. The dogwoods, viburnums and magnolias will be flowering as well as many other species. In this four-week class with Sarah Roche, celebrate the beauty of the spring as we take advantage of the garden’s splendor. We will record what we see through sketches and watercolor studies and create detailed studies of the trees’ transient flowers and emerging foliage. 

He’s back! Artist and self-described mad scientist Tyler Thrasher returns to Denver Botanic Gardens to share about recent discoveries in his studio/laboratory and advocacy work. Bring your nerdiest questions – from plant hybridization to Dungeon mastery, creative experimentation to entrepreneurship – and prepare for an evening of wonder and laughs.

This program is offered by the School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens.

https://catalog.botanicgardens.org/Selection.aspx?item=5341&sch=293152

In this class with Tara Connaughton, we will capture the soft greens and colors of the season through studies of deliciously scented spring herbs. Focus will be on observational drawing and mixing accurate color to render the nuances of our chosen plant subjects. Students should have completed at least one Foundations of Botanical Drawing and Painting class, or equivalent.

Hybrid class: May 9 & 23, in-person at the Garden at Elm Bank; Cheney Room, Education Center; May 16, online via Zoom

Experimental Botanical Embroidery in South West France

On this exploratory week-long course with Lora Avedian, you will begin by creating experimental hand embroidery samples with the aim of developing nature-inspired hand embroidery techniques to make a textile artwork or embellish a pre-made item of our own (such as a cushion cover or clothing).

To start the week there will be simple drawing exercises and Lora will guide you in how to best translate your drawings into stitch. Looking at a variety of classic hand embroidery and embellishment techniques, you will learn how to play with scale and materials to create different qualities of line, 3D relief and texture. You will learn how to combine this with three dimensional fabric flowers using Lora’s fabric pleater. This will be an intensive and experimental week where you can learn Lora’s trade tips and tricks to create an original and dynamic mixed-media textile design of your own.

This will be an opportunity for anyone who wants to push their hand embroidery skills in different directions, and explore what can be done with this very traditional craft. It will be a playful week where you can develop ideas, go away with samples to reference for future projects and a finished piece of work.

This week is suitable for all skill levels and designed to be flexible to enable participants to go in the direction they please with what they have learnt. Note that this is a hand embroidery workshop, there will not be any machine embroidery taught.

https://atelier.clos-mirabel.com/makers-retreats/embroidery-workshop-with-lora-avedian-france

https://atelier.clos-mirabel.com + 33 (0) 679 590 491

What says spring more elegantly than a tulip? Join Helen Byers to celebrate spring by painting one...or more than one! Personalized instruction with daily demos and feedback will include close observation, sketching studies of tulip petals, leaves, and other parts, and watercolor painting in layers, using "wet-into-wet" and detailed "dry brush" techniques. Participants will work from live blooms indoors. All skill levels welcome. A Materials List will be provided to registrants.

In this workshop, participants will delve into the fascinating world of color mixing and incorporate the psychology of color. Using watercolor and colored pencils, participants will explore the yellow and red hues, of which yellow is associated with warmth, positivity, and energy, while red is often linked to passion, energy, and intensity. Participants will also explore greens, considering the technical aspects of color mixing, but also the emotional and psychological responses that different shades of green can evoke. In the realm of watercolors, participants will experiment with creating a stunning rainbow grisaille effect. Grisaille involves painting in shades of gray to mimic the appearance of sculpture or drawing. By combining the technical aspects of color mixing with an understanding of color psychology, participants will not only expand artistic skills, but also infuse a deeper layer of meaning and emotion into botanical creations.

The week with Úrsula Romero will begin with a walk around the enchanting grounds of Atelier Clos Mirabel, where you will source your fragrant roses and lushious leaves. Back in the studio, Úrsula will guide you through the process of how to create a large, supersized painting of your chosen flower, petal or leaf. You will learn more about the structure of flowers and how to use different paper types, brushes and paints and how to take risks with your art. As the week unfolds, Úrsula will show you how to paint black backgrounds in watercolour, how to light subjects and how to mix natural greens, browns and greys. How to create textures using dry brushes and how to layer watercolours without them turning muddy. 

You’ll be left to develop your own work under Úrsula’s supervision over the course and will be guided through the technique of burnishing once finished. This course is suitable for all levels because Úrsula gives each student individual attention, guidence and instruction, which means this relaxing week away at Atelier Clos Mirabel is ideal for anyone – from beginners to masters. Úrsula also supports you while you work in your own time and encourages a sense of curiosity in trying out new techniques, so that you feel confident in finding methods that you might prefer to use when back at home. You will finish the course more relaxed, with one or two large paintings underway, a wealth of knowledge on painting, information on how to sell your art and develop your own ideas and have an enormous a sense of empowerment.

https://atelier.clos-mirabel.com/botanical-art/

atelierclosmirabel@gmail.com

In this three-day workshop, we will explore the beauty of the longleaf pine and learn how to paint it using watercolors. We will start with a tour of the garden to get inspired and choose our own subject. During the workshop, we will focus on painting the leaves of the longleaf pine in watercolor and adding details such as cones in sepia or black pen and ink. You will also learn about cross-hatching techniques in watercolor and pen and ink through several demonstrations.

6 nights and 5 days of tuition in a class of just 6 students. For details, please visit www.podart.space.

If you have an interest in plants an da yearning to record what you see on paper, then this class is for you. All experience levels welcome. Explore the world of botanical art over four days in this course designed especially for you - the beginner. Sarah Roche guides your experience through structured exercises, projects and demonstrations, exposing you to the basic techniques and methods of botanical drawing and watercolor painting. This class is our introductions series for botanical art beginners. There will be a break for lunch on the longer days.

This free online series addresses professional practices and highlights botanical artists, Denver Botanic Gardens staff and speakers from the field. Advanced registration is required to receive the Zoom link.

This program is offered by the School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens.

Register here: https://catalog.botanicgardens.org/DateSelection.aspx?item=4901

Join Catherine Watters for one week of drawing and painting the incredibly diverse flora of Atelier Clos Mirabel, using watercolours to capture the colours and textures of the plants.

After our walk in the grounds, we will head to the studio where Catherine will introduce her 10 stages to successfully illustrate a subject. You will carefully observe, measure and draw your subject focusing on form, light and texture. 

After composing your illustration, we will discuss the properties of watercolours and transparent colour mixing. You will apply several layers from the base tea wash to the dry brush finishing touches, using proper lighting to make your subject come to life. 

The course will include a PowerPoint presentation on ‘The History of Botanical Art’, numerous demonstrations and an exhibition on the last day. 

Catherine will also show you how to create a Botanical Journal to document your experience at Clos Mirabel. This is a lovely way to capture a special moment in a magical place.

Students will work with graphite and watercolour, however if you prefer, you can use coloured pencils. All levels of experience are welcome.

https://atelier.clos-mirabel.com/botanical-art/

atelierclosmirabel@gmail.com

Butterflies are a welcome visitor to our gardens in the summer months and play a crucial role in the pollination of many plants. A newly installed butterfly house in May at MHS will be home to Butterflies in Bloom, an immersive exhibit with tropical butterflies and the nectar plants that sustain them. Join Tara Connaughton as we observe, draw, and paint the unique colors and patterns of these beautiful, winged insects as they begin to grace the blossoms in the butterfly house. For artists who have completed at least one beginner botanical art class.

Values do the work and color gets the credit. This double-media method with Susan T. Fisher is a great way to explore the benefits of both graphite pencils and watercolor paints. Graphite is perfect for developing a full range of values without the worry of watercolor application as a single media. Also, the addition of watercolor with graphite can create a variety of interesting opportunities to achieve a unique botanical piece. Participants will practice value application to subjects and add watercolors for a richer effect. The two mediums together will help clarify what can be confusing about the use of watercolor alone and expand the creative expression of mixed media in botanical work. Demonstrations and discussion time will focus on the importance of creating believable values at the start.

Prerequisite: Suitable for artists who have completed at least two Foundations of Botanical Drawing and Painting classes, or equivalent.

Artist and Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design professor Regan Rosburg has traveled to ecologically impactful regions of the world for the past 20 years and has become an advocate for artistic voices joining the conversation on climate change, over-consumption and human impact. In this talk, Rosburg weaves together climate change, the Anthropocene, ecopsychology, ceremony and ecological spirituality.

This program is offered by the School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens.

https://catalog.botanicgardens.org/Selection.aspx?item=5326&sch=293011

Have you ever wanted to make prints of your artwork or wished you had a good digital image of your illustration to post online? Learn how to digitize your artworks with a standard household scanner and how to tidy up your files in Photoshop so that they’re ready to turn into prints or use online. No Photoshop experience required. Students need access to Adobe Photoshop and a scanner for this online course.

This program is offered by the School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens.

https://www.botanicgardens.org/programs/artists-skills-digitizing-your-artwork-online

In this short three session class, led by Lead Instructor Sarah Roche, we will take advantage of the Butterfly House at Elm Bank, and the wide range of flowers in the gardens around it.

Working on a series of studies, we will investigate the relationships between the many different species of insect and the flowers that they pollinate that we find in the gardens. We will record their beauty in graphite, ink and watercolor.

Suitable for artists of all abilities.

6 nights and 5 days of tuition in a class of just 6 students. Led by Sarah Simblet from the John Ruskin School of Fine Art, students will spend the week drawing trees and plants. For more details, please visit www.podart.space

Denver Botanic Gardens is thrilled to host Lyon, France-based botanical artist for a week of in-person programs. Join us in person in August for these upcoming programs. Reach out to sbai@botanicgardens.org for discounted hotel rates:

Evening in the Garden with Vincent Jeannerot

Spend a lovely summer evening at our Chatfield Farms location with watercolorist Vincent Jeannerot. Enjoy light refreshments while you tour the grounds with Chatfield Farms staff to hear about what's growing. Vincent will discuss what he looks for in botanical subjects. Wear your walking shoes and bring your questions for this special opportunity to see the farm and its gardens from multiple perspectives as the sun sets.

Register for event here: https://catalog.botanicgardens.org/default.aspx?q=vincent&tagid=10&from=04%2F09%2F2024&until=04%2F09%2F2025

Denver Botanic Gardens is thrilled to host Lyon, France-based botanical artist for a week of in-person programs. Join us in person in August for these upcoming programs. Reach out to sbai@botanicgardens.org for discounted hotel rates:

Summer Fruit and Vegetables in Watercolor - 3 day workshop

Paint the bounty from the summer garden! Join renowned watercolorist Vincent Jeannerot for this special three-day watercolor workshop. Through all-class demonstrations and personalized feedback, Vincent will guide students to select the perfect fruit or vegetable subject, prepare the composition, set up the palette and show how to build volume using the cross-hatching method. By the end of this three-day intensive workshop, you'll be well on your way to completing a finished watercolor painting!

Register for the event here: https://catalog.botanicgardens.org/default.aspx?q=vincent&tagid=10&from=04%2F09%2F2024&until=04%2F09%2F2025

Get out into the garden and draw amongst the flowers with botanical artist & instructor, Carol Ann Morley. This summer will bring a special garden exhibit of Sunflowers to the Garden at Elm Bank. Capture the beauty of Sunflowers with quick sketches, study the details of the flower’s structure through observation and add color notes of their vibrant colors. In the classroom have fun creating a color pencil palette to work from and discover what combinations work best for portraying greens and the tricky color yellow.

This class is for artists with some graphite experience.

Sarah Roche and Massachusetts Horticultural Society are excited to offer this seven-day painting experience based at Saint-Grégoire, Sarah's house in the Lot-et-Garonne region of south west France, close to the market town of Castillonnès. We will find our painting inspiration in Sarah's gardens and at the local markets, selecting and bringing back the fruits and vegetables of the harvest to study and paint at Saint-Grégoire. Each day you may tackle small studies of your market finds, or spend the week working on a full painting in watercolor. The small group setting (10 artists max.) means that each participant will enjoy plenty of guidance and demonstration. 

In late summer, the jostling crowds are gone, but the countryside is beautiful and the harvest is at its most delicious. Each day there is a market in a different ancient local bastide village. Each one is steeped in history and their narrow winding streets are a maze of beautiful old houses with hidden gardens and courtyards. There will be time to explore the beautiful Dordogne and Lot regions of south west France, enjoy the delicious local French cuisine and sample the wines of the region, as well as explore the local towns, countryside and chateaux.

Accommodations: Haven on the Hill, Lalandusse, Lot et Garonne. Travelers will stay in a shared double room, all en suite.

Some drawing experience required.

Learn my approach to painting on vellum during this five-day workshop at the beautiful Clos Mirabel in the south of France. We will begin by doing some exercises on small bits of vellum to learn technique and to get a feel for painting on this surface. Then, we will explore the grounds of Clos Mirabel to choose painting subjects. Apples, pears, plums, figs, kiwis, and berries will be at their peak this time of the year. You might also choose to do a Hoefnagel-Inspired painting of the treasures you find in the gardens.

​This class is designed for students new to vellum (learn how to successfully paint on vellum) as well as for more experienced vellum painters (learn new tricks and techniques). The workshop combines demonstrations, discussion of materials and techniques, hands-on time for developing skills, and lots of individual attention and feedback. Handouts with step-by-step instructions will be provided.

Experienced vellum painters can use this as a studio class to work on anything they like.

​

Join Ann Swan at Atelier Clos Mirabel for a 5 day botanical art workshop in the French Pyrenees ~ South West France. Enjoy wonderful surroundings, delightful accommodation and delicious meals.

Strong composition is essential to creating memorable works of art and this is particularly so in botanical art. Good composition can lift a work from the mundane to the sublime.

On this course we will be looking at what makes a good composition and ways of improving our own composition. Ann will demonstrate and use exercises to help you to develop a sense of your own style and give you a framework within which to compose your work and create work with ‘wall appeal’!

Ann is happy to include all levels of ability in the group, so complete beginners through to more advanced improvers. Everyone will be encouraged to work at their own pace with support, advice, individual attention and demonstrations from Ann whenever needed.

https://atelier.clos-mirabel.com/botanical-art/

atelierclosmirabel@gmail.com

 Oh My Gourd!!!!

Level: Beginner with drawing knowledge, Intermediate

Description: Learn botanical illustration while learning watercolor techniques. You will learn observation skills, watercolor techniques and a basic understanding of scientific labeling of a plant and measuring. 

Join Ann Swan at Atelier Clos Mirabel for a 5 day botanical art workshop in the French Pyrenees ~ South West France. Enjoy wonderful surroundings, delightful accommodation and delicious meals.

“We see objects because of light and in order to create realistic images of plants we need to fully understand light and observe how it reacts with our subjects to describe their shapes.”

In this workshop Ann will show you how to interpret light and shade and to accurately capture these contrasting tonal values to create a true sense of three-dimensional form and volume in your work.

Ann will demonstrate ways of creating realistic highlights and sheen and help you choose convincing shade colours to create depth in shadows whilst maintaining vibrant colours so that your work will come to life on the page. 

You will be able to put all this into practice on a more finished piece with guidance on composition and full support from Ann.

https://atelier.clos-mirabel.com/botanical-art/

atelierclosmirabel@gmail.com

During this week of Botanical Sketching and Painting in the French Pyrénées with Lara Call Gastinger we will be observing, drawing and painting the local flora of Atelier Clos Mirabel.

We will go through the process of how to create a botanical painting, starting with sketching and learning the important characteristics of plants.

We will seek botanical inspiration from the acreage of Atelier Clos Mirabel and with a trip to the blooming meadows of the Pyrénées.

After the first day of sketching, we will focus on using watercolours to capture the colours and textures of the plants. In the end, we will work on composition and how to create a finished botanical painting.

Enjoy wonderful surroundings, delightful accommodation and delicious meals.

https://atelier.clos-mirabel.com/botanical-art/

atelierclosmirabel@gmail.com

Join Laura Silburn at Atelier Clos Mirabel for a 5 day botanical art workshop in the French Pyrenees ~ South West France. Enjoy wonderful surroundings, delightful accommodation and delicious meals.

Explore the botanical delights of this flora-rich part of the world in the Autumn. Laura will help you examine a chosen plant or vegetable through careful observation and sketchbook work. You will then compose an image that reflects its natural character whilst observing botanical truth. You will be guided on how to take your planned drawings through to a completed botanical watercolour and then the techniques to take your picture to the ‘next level’ using dry-brush finishing.

Laura teaches extensively in her home county of Cornwall in the UK and online. Laura has work in the RHS Lindley Library and the Shirley Sherwood collection, which shows at the gallery in Kew Gardens, The Hunt Institute, the Florilegium of the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, and the Eden Project Cornwall.

https://atelier.clos-mirabel.com/botanical-art/

atelierclosmirabel@gmail.com