Description
How to Draw Orchids: Realistic Flower Drawing Class
Botanical Illustration Orchid Drawing Workshop Online
Join us for a two-day workshop!
Sunday, January 18, 2026: 1pm – 5pm ET
Thursday, January 22, 2026: 6pm – 7:30pm ET
✏️ Instructors: Pam Thompson & Sam McWilliams
✅ Level: All levels
🌱 Botanical Subject(s): Orchids
We will focus on commonly found “grocery store” orchids (Phalaenopsis / moth orchids), but bring your favorite species to class to draw. It would be good to have more than one specimen so that you can dissect one and still have one to draw.
Workshop Description
Orchids are wonderfully weird in all the best ways! These intricate flowers may feel daunting to draw at first, but once we reveal the mysteries behind these stunning blooms, you’ll see how approachable they really are.
No experience needed to join this delightful workshop and create your own depiction of these plants with dancing petals, brilliant hues, and plenty of personality. We’ll start with a quick study of the flower’s key structures, then slowly build form, color, and detail, layer by layer. Along the way, you’ll gain practical painting skills and the confidence to draw even the most dramatic orchid with ease.
What We’ll Practice
– Orchid Anatomy & Observational Drawing: Simplify complex flowers by understanding their basic shapes and sketching accurate proportions.
– Watercolor Painting Methods: Learn to create smooth washes, subtle gradients, and luminous color to capture the soft translucency of orchid petals.
– Colored Pencil Techniques: Practice slow, continuous toning, and add textures. crisp edges, and final details that will pop your flowers off the page.
– Putting It All Together: Compose a study page or botanical illustration of plant parts and a full flower (or more!) to bring the full illustration to life.
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.
Even if you can’t join the live sessions, you still get unlimited access to:
🎥 Recorded Sessions – Rewatch anytime to refine your technique. (Recordings are sent a few hours after the live session ends.)
📹 Pre-Recorded Videos – Access to pre-recorded videos to supplement your learning and practice at your own pace to help you feel prepared before the class sessions.
📧 Email Support – If you watch the recordings after the live workshop has ended, you can still receive personalized feedback! Just send photos of your progress to info+images@drawbotanical.com, and an instructor will reply with compliments and constructive critiques.
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.
Recommended 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.
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.
