Category: Online Courses
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4 Steps to Start Your Seasonal Sketchbook: Winter
In winter, the exposed twigs and branches on a tree offer important information about a tree’s structure and identifying characteristics. Leaf arrangement and leaf scars are studied easily on these exposed branches, and often dormant buds, dried bracts, seed pods, nuts, dried berries, and capsules are present too. Observing these details can help you understand … Continued
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5 Warm-Up Exercises to Stretch your Drawing Muscles
5 Warm-Up Exercises to Stretch your Drawing Muscles What do artists and athletes have in common? They both use their bodies as instruments to perform enjoyable activities. To keep their instruments in tip-top shape, they often stretch their muscles before they begin. Botanical drawing can take a loooong time, and you may not … Continued
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Practicing Color Theory
Want to know more about the fascinating world of color? If colorful plants inspire you to learn how to mix any and every shade under the sun, we hope you’ll join our expedition – a deep dive into color theory, color mixing, color blending, and color matching. Watch instructor demonstrations, ask questions via email, … Continued
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Practicing Watercolor Techniques
If patience were an art supply, we think it would be watercolor! Why? Because in order to produce the watercolor painting of your dreams, you need to wait for it to dry completely between layers. Keep reading for more helpful watercolor tips from our instructors. Go with the flow “Working in watercolor requires … Continued
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The Practice of Botanical Drawing: Ideas for Expanding Lessons
The Practice of Botanical Drawing Lessons are a guide to build on. Expand each lesson with new and different subjects! Watch this video to get advice from Wendy. We know that masters aren’t made overnight, and that consistent practice is the key to success. Think of my books as a template. I show you … Continued
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Understanding Flowers
Check out some of the helpful drawing tips taught in our course, The Practice of Botanical Drawing! If you’ve ever been fascinated by a flower, this post is for YOU! A flower is the reproductive part of a plant. Its primary purpose? To attract! How do these alluring seed-bearing wonders do it? Let’s examine the … Continued
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Sketching Summer: Ideas & Botanical Definitions
The Practice of Botanical Drawing started as a year-long Challenge, prompting students to track a tree or woody shrub of their choice through all its stages for a year. The final product becomes a “Sketchbook of the Seasons,” with + color and tonal drawings + herbarium components, and + journal documentation from 1-2 trees … Continued
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10 Questions Every Artist Should Ask While Drawing
Whether you’re just getting started with botanical drawing or you’re a seasoned illustrator, make sure you are set for success and ask yourself these 10 questions to produce realistic botanical illustrations. Beginner Artists, Don’t Miss! Join us for a fun lesson in how to combine whimsical watercolor with compelling colored pencil to transform flat … Continued
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Here to Help!
Do you ever look at your page and think, “hmm… something’s not quite right, but I don’t know what…”? You are far from alone, friend. And we are here to help! If you’re reading this, thank you for being a member of our Draw Botanical family. If you subscribe to one our online courses, … Continued
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Perspective & Measuring: Illusions Revealed
What is the “secret” to realistic botanical illustrations? Accurate measuring from your unique viewpoint! As something tilts away from us, its physical form does not change, but our perception of it does. Botanical illustrations convey depth through the illusion we create based on our perception of the subject. If you were doing a technical drawing, … Continued