Description
How to Create a Realistic Apple Botanical Drawing
Botanical Illustration Workshop Online in Colored Pencil & Watercolor
Sunday, September 27, 2026: 2pm – 6pm ET
Thursday, October 1, 2026: 6pm – 7:30pm ET
✏️ Instructors: Vern Fannin & Sam McWilliams
✅ Level: All levels
🌱 Botanical Subject(s): Apples (all varieties welcome!)
Advanced: For an extra dose of whimsy, try to cut the peel off the apple without breaking it, and draw the curly, cut skin! Remember to bring lemon juice if you’re planning to draw the inside of your apple to keep the color fresh a little longer.
Workshop Description
Come to class with a blank slate and leave with an original botanical drawing that has details so realistic, the apple practically pops off the page. Illustrate a single apple all by itself, or challenge yourself to create a composition with an apple attached to a branch with leaves, maybe adding a cross-section, seeds, or cut apple slices.
Join live and/or watch the recordings. Either way, you’ll get the very same lessons, the same guidance, and the same warm, welcoming approach to botanical drawing.
Why Illustrate Apples?
Apples are the botanical art world’s best teaching tool in disguise. They’re round, they’re shiny, and they hold their shape while we work—no wilting, no rushing. That makes them perfect for practicing the fundamentals of botanical illustration: dimensional form, believable highlights, and the subtle color mixing that brings reds and greens to life. Best of all, apples are forgiving. Even a first attempt tends to look impressive, which makes this one of the most confidence-building sessions we offer.
What We’ll Practice
For beginners and seasoned artists alike, we will practice the foundations of botanical illustration, including:
•Rendering three-dimensional form on a round fruit
•Creating shiny, believable highlights
•Applying pattern along the cross-contour of a variegated apple
•Studying the stem and well for realistic form
•Color mixing convincing reds and greens in watercolor and colored pencil
However you like to draw and whatever stage you’re at, you’ll feel right at home in our virtual classroom.
How the Workshop Flows
This class is designed to be flexible, supportive, and easy to fit into your week, whether you join live or learn from the recording later.
Pre-Class Practice (optional): Access to pre-recorded videos to supplement your learning and help you feel prepared before the workshop sessions.
Class Day 1 (4 hours) Sunday: Step-by-step drawing demonstrations, foundational techniques, and live Q&A
Inter-Class Practice (~3 days) Monday-Wednesday: Rewatch the recording and work at your own pace
Class Day 2 (1.5 hours) Thursday: Student work sharing, personalized feedback, and additional demos as needed
Post-Class Practice: Rewatch recordings anytime to refine your technique. No expiration date! You can even receive personal, positive, and helpful feedback from an instructor by sending photos of your work to info+images@drawbotanical.com.
Take your time to absorb the process, practice on your own, and return with fresh eyes for deeper learning.
Why Join?
Our workshops are not just about learning but also about community and collaboration. Here’s what makes our Zoom Workshops special:
✨ Step-by-Step Live Demos – Follow along with clear, approachable guidance from friendly instructors.
🌱 Supportive Learning Environment – Engage with instructors and fellow participants, ask questions, and share your progress in a supportive and encouraging space.
🖼️ Constructive Feedback – Receive personalized feedback from experienced educators to help you improve and gain confidence in your artistic abilities.
Recommended Art Supplies:
Find all of the supplies that we recommend here. Feel free to follow along with any supplies you have (your result may just end up looking a little different). Our lessons are about a combination of fundamental 3D art concepts and colored pencil and watercolor technique, so you can skip the supplies-specific tips and still learn a lot about art basics including perspective, light source, composition, etc. One of the main points we teach is colored pencil and watercolor technique for slow, continuous toning, but as long as you are able to achieve the same blending result with your chosen materials, you can still benefit from our course lessons.
IMPORTANT: Add info@drawbotanical.com to your email contacts! All workshop details will arrive in your inbox, including links to the Zoom meetings, pre-recorded videos, and slideshow.
After purchasing this workshop, you will receive an email with Registration Details. If you don’t see this email in your inbox a few hours after purchasing, search your inbox for our email address and check your spam/junk/quarantine folders. If you still can’t find it, email info@drawbotanical.com, and we will assist you.
Cancellation Policy: Due to the virtual nature of this product, we cannot issue a refund. You will still receive all recordings from the workshop, and you can watch them at your convenience.
By purchasing this workshop, you agree to the following Media Release: I hereby give permission to Draw Botanical LLC to use photographs, videos, and/or audio recordings in which my picture or image appears for all purposes and in all media and formats now known or later created including, without limitation, all promotional materials. I hereby waive any right that I may have to inspect or approve the finished product or products or advertising or printed matter that may be used in connection with this video, audio or photographs or the use to which it may be applied.
I hereby irrevocably release and discharge Draw Botanical LLC and personnel from all claims, demands, and causes of action that I now have or in the future may have relating to the permitted use of my likeness.
I agree that Draw Botanical LLC will be the sole owner of all rights in the above-mentioned recordings. (Note: I maintain all rights to the work I create. Draw Botanical maintains all rights to the recorded content.) This release is governed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
