Enjoy a gentle, creative walk through the Botanic Gardens while developing your sketching skills in a supportive group. This course introduces a range of materials and approaches, including pen and ink, pastel and other expressive techniques for capturing plants, landscapes, birds and garden scenes. Along the way, you’ll also learn a little about the gardens’ history, plant life and ecosystems. This is not scientific botanical illustration, but a relaxed and imaginative course focused on observation, experimentation and finding your own visual style.

Participants must bring their own sketch pad and pencils.

Please ensure your mobile phone number is up-to-date with WEA before enrolling and ensure that you have it with you on the day in case the tutor needs to contact you. Meet at The Visitor Centre which is attached to the Garden Shop in the centre of the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. The closest gate to get to the Visitor Centre is the Woolloomooloo gate on Mrs Macquaries Rd. Please be at the Visitor Centre 10 minutes before the class starts so it can commence on time. Please check the Transport NSW website for further travel information.

DELIVERY MODE

• Face-to-Face

COURSE OUTLINE

• Learn how to focus on a subject, show detail and distance, tone and light
• Understand how to develop and bring your style into your picture
• Learn about the stories about plants and how they function within the forest and where they originated
• Learn a little about the lives of early and present-day scientists and botanical artists who have worked in the Botanic Gardens
• Learn tips to use drawing to help slow down your mind and feel at peace in this hectic world.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Understand drawing techniques
• Learn about how to add colour to a picture
• Learn about the difference between a sketch and a study for a later painting
• Learn about materials and understand how to fix a drawing or painting, to develop your technique
• Learn about tone and colour.

COURSE RESOURCES

Must bring a sketch book (for drawing and/or a pastel paper sketch book) and a range of pencils (B1, 2, 4), some soft coloured pencils (or pastel pencils) and a sharpener and eraser. 

If you want to use other materials, it is suggested to bring a few inks (green, blue, brown or more), an Artline (or similar) black or dark blue pen, some acrylic paints, inks and/or chalk pastels if you want to.

Optional: pastel, inks and acrylic/gouache if you wish to use them as well. Make sure you can carry what you bring as we will be walking short distances.