Botany & Botanical Drawing

Are you interested in plants and art but not sure if you have the aptitude for botanical art? Everyone can draw, given a little bit of time and guidance. Come spend a few hours over 8 weeks with botanist and artist, Dr Tanya Scharaschkin, for an introduction to both botany and botanical art.

The first half of the course will focus on the process of observing details and drawing plants accurately. Individual parts will be drawn separately and labelled with botanical terms. Participants will develop a greater understanding of plant structure, learn techniques for dissecting and examining flowers and become familiar with the steps involved in observing and documenting botanical specimens. The second half of the course will involve drawing more complex shapes, understanding perspective, use of shading to create a 3-dimensional appearance and basic guidelines on composition and presentation of botanical drawings.

Expectations: No previous drawing experience required. Tanya will assume you are completely new to drawing. Class size is deliberately small to give participants time for questions and to work with Tanya individually.

Materials: Participants will need to bring the following items supplies:
Sketch book or pad, with artist quality paper (150 gsm or higher)

Pencils (2H, HB, 2B)

Kneadable (putty) eraser

Small transparent plastic ruler with clearly marked measurements

Clipboard or drawing board or desktop easel

A small cutting board for dissecting specimens

Stanley knife, razor blade or scalpel

Reading glasses if you need to use them!

Optional—please do not feel you have to buy any of the following items, but if you already possess them, please bring them:

Magnifying glass or jewellers loop/hand lens, magnification x10 or more

Dissecting kit with forceps, scalpel, dissecting needles

Dates: 8-week course (3 hrs/session)
February (7th, 14th, 21st, 28th)

March (7th, 14th, 21st, 28th)

Time: 2pm to 5pm

Venue: Apple Blossom Farm is an inspiring location for botanical classes. This amazing garden was featured in Gardening Australia Magazine April 2023 edition. We will have access to the garden during our classes and will be able to examine and draw plants from the garden. You can find out more about Apple Blossom Farm and can subscribe to their gardening newsletter here:
https://www.goodgardeningways.com/about
Parking: Street parking on Hellessey Road and Glenlusk Road, outside Collinsvale Primary School.

Conditions: A minimum of 6 participants are required for this class to go ahead. No refunds after the 21-day minimum notice period has expired or for missing classes once the course has started. Please do not attend if you are unwell.
Payment: Payment in full is required to secure your place. If you would prefer paying by direct bank transfer to avoid fees, please contact Tanya to make arrangements.