Category: Wendy’s Wisdom
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Cultivating Connection: The Art of Giving Back Through Botanical Illustration
How art and nature intertwine to inspire, heal, and nurture both artist and environment Nature as a Muse and Partner The natural world offers us abundant gifts—fresh air, vibrant beauty, nourishing food, boundless inspiration, and more. How can we, as botanical artists, give back? This question guides not only our creative practices but … Continued
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Practice Promises Progress
If you learned to ride a bike, you most likely didn’t learn it all at once. You probably struggled to maintain balance and survived a few falls along the way, but after getting back on your bike again and again, you were ultimately able to ride! You may not have *perfected* bike riding; you … Continued
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Turning Passion into Preservation
How can we, as botanical artists, make a difference in the world? We can document what is happening outside, right here, right now! Nature’s only constant is change – what you see outside today could be gone by tomorrow. But drawings last much longer! Botanical illustrations are the perfect way to keep the essence of … 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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Celebrate Your Progress
When we look at our own artwork, it can be hard to quiet our inner critics and easy to get caught up in chasing perfection and comparing ourselves to others. While admiring expert artistry can be inspiring, it can also be discouraging with thoughts like, “They’re way better than I am,” “I could never … Continued
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Verdant Meditations
Thank you to Taliesin Thomas for this lovely feature on dirt-mag.com, aptly titled, “Verdant Meditations.” The piece explores how I became a botanical artist, the philosophy behind the Draw Botanical Method, and a peek into the magic I’ve been making most recently. (See the full feature here.) Plant Partners I work entirely … Continued
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Embrace Your Style
If you have ever drawn, painted, sculpted, designed, built, written, performed, cooked, snapped a pic, hummed a tune, whistled while you worked, created anything in any way, I have news for you… You are an artist! Embrace Your Style Each of us has our own unique style, something special we can’t help but … Continued
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De-stress Naturally: A Path of Meditation and Self-expression
Article by Wendy Hollender, featured by the American Institute of Stress in their magazine, Contentment (Volume 12, Number 1, Spring 2023). View this magazine issue as pages or spreads. I have been taking my cue from plants for 25 years now. Before the advent of cameras, botanical illustrations were the only method to … Continued
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Nature Journaling is Love
Your nature journal is a love letter to the universe. Plants turn sunlight into sugar and magically create the air we breathe. We could literally not exist without them! They deserve our gratitude and love. To show someone that we love them, we give our focused attention. We spend intentional time together, laughing, crying, … Continued
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The Great Book of Nature is Always Open
If you’re ever in need of inspiration, nature is full of fascinating subjects everywhere you look! Each step outside is a wonderful chance to practice listening with our eyes, reading with our hands, and learning with our hearts to enhance our understanding of the universe’s language. Connect with a plant. Observe carefully. What do … Continued
