Description

Draw, Discover, and Delight in Nature

📅 Date: Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday, July 18, 19, & 20 (10am-4pm EDT)

📍Location: Hollengold Farm in Accord, NY

✏️Instructors: Vern Fannin, Pam Thompson, & Wendy Hollender

Note from Wendy Hollender: My focus for this workshop will be composition and telling plant stories through botanical illustration. Vern Fannin and Pam Thompson have been teaching with me for years, and they are excellent instructors. They do daily drawing demonstrations and work closely with beginners to help with fundamental techniques. I am always in the room working on my compositions, and I may do a few demonstrations of more advanced techniques. We are all available to work individually with anyone that wants our attention.

✅Level: All Levels

🌼Botanical Subject(s):  Farm fresh finds like sun-ripened blueberries, freshly picked peaches, and other stunning summer veggies

🎨 Materials: See our list of Recommended Art Supplies

Workshop Description 

Join us this July at Hollengold Farm in Accord, NY, for a relaxed, hands-on drawing workshop inspired by the season’s freshest fruits, flowers, and veggies. From beginners dipping their toes in, to experienced artists diving deeper, all skill levels will explore essential botanical illustration techniques while sketching farm-fresh peaches, blueberries, and vibrant summer produce.

What You’ll Learn

🍑 Light & Shadow Techniques – Understand how to capture form and depth in your sketches.

🫐 Texture & Detail – Learn how to flesh out the fuzzy skin of a peach, the smooth surface of a blueberry, and other botanical intricacies.

🥕 Cross-Sections & Composition – Slice into fresh produce to study its interior structure, and arrange elements into a balanced composition.

Why You’ll Love This Workshop

🌿 A Farm-Fresh Experience – Wander Hollengold Farm to pick fruits from their trees, and return to the pavilion to select fresh veggies from nearby Tributary Farm.

🎨 Supportive Instruction – Enjoy a combo of live demonstrations (so you can “watch and learn”) and one-on-one guidance from experienced instructors throughout your drawing process.

✨ A Relaxing, Meditative Practice – Slow down, connect with nature, and find joy in the art of observational drawing.

🌞 Open-Air Pavilion Studio – Work comfortably in a solar-powered pavilion surrounded by nature.

👩‍🎨 For All Skill Levels – Whether you’re new to drawing or looking to refine your technique, this workshop will meet you where you are.

A Day at Hollengold Farm

Your day begins with a stroll through the farm, gathering inspiration from the field, fruit trees, and vegetable garden. Select your subjects—perhaps a handful of sun-ripened blueberries or a freshly picked peach—and bring them back to the pavilion for live demonstrations in botanical drawing. (We may also have some fresh veggies delivered from Tributary Farm if you don’t want to gather subjects yourself.)

With colored pencils and watercolor pencils, you’ll practice techniques that bring your subjects to life, capturing the textures and tones of summer’s harvest. Ask questions as they arise, and receive positive and helpful feedback throughout your entire drawing process.

Class will begin at 10am in the solar-powered pavilion near the Hollengold Farm Stand, which is a covered outdoor space with a pleasant breeze in hot weather, and could be chilly in cooler weather. Class will wrap up around 4pm. There is an indoor bathroom nearby, as well as our store and store gallery.

Bring Your Own…

… food (lunch and snacks).

… water bottle. We will have water to refill your bottle.

… art supplies. ​Find all of the supplies we recommend here​. Feel free to follow along with any supplies you have (your result may just end up looking a little different). 

… (optional) swimsuit and towel, if you ‘d like to take a dip in our natural swimming pool.

… (optional) cushion or pillow, if you require softer seating, as we will be sitting on sturdy metal chairs with good back support for most of this workshop.

… (optional) lamp to light your subject.

Prerequisites are not required for this workshop, but if you want to gain confidence and build some foundational skills before attending, we recommend completing the Botanical Basics online program.

Need a place to stay? Check out our lodging info for the Accord area.

Classes are held at:
Hollengold Farm
222 Lower Whitfield Rd
Accord, NY 12404

Reserve Your Spot Today!

🍅SPACE IS LIMITED—secure your place in this wondrous botanical art workshop before it fills up!