Botanical Basics

A series of instructional meditations designed to build confidence in your core drawing skills, increase your set of techniques and encourage a relaxed time to create, plus access to our motivational community.

NOTE: ALL Botanical Basics Course lessons ARE INCLUDED in the Practice of Botanical Drawing Course, so there is NO NEED TO PURCHASE BOTH.

40

Videos
6 hrs

of Content
Beginner

Skill Level

Learn More

This course is perfect for

Students with a limited time commitment, students who have always wanted to learn to draw but didn’t think they could, students who want to study nature, or are looking for a way to slow down and meditate with drawing. Includes 40 instructional videos and our motivational community Art Feed.

Colored pencil and watercolor beginners
Experienced illustrators in need of a refresher
Artists with limited free time
Learners of all ages
Students who need motivation

Examples of Student Work

Want to take your practice further?

What do I get access to?

After your purchase the program, you’ll receive immediate access to:

Lessons

Develop a botanical drawing practice 30 minutes at a time, with the help of renowned botanical illustrator Wendy Hollender. Our popular self-paced course has 40 lessons that build hand-eye coordination and muscle control through practice and repetition.

Topics Covered

Foundational concepts
Rendering tonal layers
Light source and shadows
Adding color to drawings
Draw a tomato, branch, apple, onion, and petal
Cross-contour lines to apply patterns to forms

List of Lessons

Art Supplies
Light Source
Three Tone Values
Create a Value Scale of 9 Tones
Create a Value Scale Tool
Continuous Toning
Toning an Arc Tone Bar
Toning a Cylinder
Cylinder Becomes a Branch
Toning a Sphere
Drawing a Sphere with Cast Shadow and Reflective Highlight
Sphere Becomes a Tomato
Color Tone Bars for Branch and Tomato
Adding Color to a Branch
Adding Color to a Tomato
Feathering Technique
Drawing a Cherry Tomato in Color
Plaid
Small Fruits
Roots
Complex Overlaps
Feather
Apple
Onion
Petal
Cross-Contour
Applying Pattern to Apple
Applying Pattern to Petal
Methods of Applying Watercolor
Combining Watercolor and Colored Pencil
Using Watercolor from a Tube
Drawing a Petal with Watercolor
Adding Colored Pencil to Your Petal
Ribbon
Parallel Vein Leaf
Net Vein Leaf
Petal
Advanced Ribbon
Complex Bark

Watch a Sample Lesson!

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Community

An image-focused forum (Art Feed) to receive feedback, motivation, connect with students, and build a botanical drawing portfolio. Join our vibrant, supportive community to make friends, share ideas, and get feedback from artists around the globe.

Live Interactive Webinars

The live monthly webinar is a great place to receive feedback on your work posted to the Art Feed, learn from suggestions, and participate in our global community in real time. Come to the live meeting or watch it later in the archive. You do not have to submit drawings to participate and learn from the critique.

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Testimonials

"I always feel I can send in my work without being self conscious, and that you will bring my skill level higher with your comments. Your classes are great for people who need to learn the basics, no matter the subject. Your classes are very informative: color values, shading objects and how to blend color. You cover all the basics to get started no matter what the subject."

Camille M.
"Low pressure, high encouragement. You guys celebrate the progress and process. You seem to take delight in everyone's wholehearted attempts."

Sara S.
"I love the absorption and intense focus of botanical drawing - it is like meditation. Hours can pass and it is very satisfying. I also like the fact that the more one draws, progress is evident."

Ishbel G.