Zoom Workshop 140: Sunflowers, Fun Flowers

Drawing Sunflowers, Fun Flowers

A Botanical Illustration Workshop to Celebrate Summer’s Boldest Blooms

Join us for a two-day workshop!

Sunday, August 16, 2026: 2pm – 6pm ET

Wednesday, August 19, 2026: 6pm – 7:30pm ET

✏️ Instructors: Pam Thompson & Sam McWilliams
✅ Level: Intermediate & Advanced
🌱 Botanical Subject(s): Sunflowers

How to Draw Sunflowers Workshop Description:

There’s something almost magnetic about sunflowers. Maybe it’s the way they tilt toward the light, or the quiet geometry hidden in their spiraling centers, or simply the way their warm golden petals seem to hold all the brightness of summer in a single bloom. Whatever draws you to them, sunflowers are endlessly fascinating to observe and even more satisfying to draw. In this workshop, we’re celebrating their beauty through botanical illustration, using watercolor and colored pencil together to capture the bold shapes, vibrant color, and rich surface textures that make these flowers so captivating.

Whether you’re joining the live session or working through the recordings at your own pace, everything you need is included from the very beginning. Come ready to look closely, layer color thoughtfully, and enjoy the pleasure of learning together.

Why Illustrate Sunflowers?

The real question is… how can you not?!

Sunflowers may look simple at first glance, but close observation reveals a remarkable world of complexity waiting to be drawn. Their ray petals vary in shape, curl, and shadow from one to the next. Their seed heads follow a stunning Fibonacci spiral that rewards careful study. Their leaves introduce a whole new range of texture and form. And the color story alone is a gift: warm golden yellows shifting through burnt orange and deepening into the rich, velvety browns of the center disc. All of that layered detail makes sunflowers one of the most engaging subjects in botanical drawing. There is always something new to discover, and that is a big part of what makes them so much fun to illustrate again and again.

What We’ll Practice

This workshop is designed to take you through the full experience of creating a detailed botanical-style sunflower study, and the process is just as rewarding as the finished piece. Here is a look at what we will be exploring and practicing together:

• Combining watercolor and colored pencil, using the luminous transparency of watercolor as a foundation and building depth, detail, and dimension with colored pencil layering on top
• Developing form and volume through light and shadow, creating the kind of three-dimensional quality that makes realistic botanical illustration feel alive on the page
  •Techniques for rendering different textures that give sunflowers their visual richness, from the smooth sweep of ray petals to the intricate patterning of the seed head and the varied surface of the leaves.
  •Botanical accuracy and composition, so that the thinking behind your mark-making feels grounded and intentional throughout

This is a space for more experienced artists who love the meditative, detail-oriented nature of botanical art. Whether you are deepening your colored pencil technique, refining your approach to watercolor, or excited to explore how these two mediums complement each other so beautifully, this workshop is designed to… Learn more