Description
Learn How to Draw Nuts: Walnuts, Almonds, Chestnuts, & More
Botanical Illustration Drawing Workshop Online
Join us for a two-day workshop!
Sunday, February 8, 2026: 1pm – 5pm ET
Thursday, February 12, 2026: 6pm – 7:30pm ET
✏️ Instructors: Pam Thompson & Emet Lipson
✅ Level: All levels
🌱 Botanical Subject(s): Nuts! (Walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, chestnuts…)
Consider bringing nuts that have not been shelled/cracked and a nutcracker to class. It is fun to draw them in-shell! Bring extras to snack on during class!
Workshop Description
Crack open a world of texture, shape, and delicious detail! In this cozy, curiosity-driven workshop, we’ll explore the surprisingly enchanting world of mixed nuts—walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, chestnuts, and more—and learn how to draw them with watercolor and colored pencil.
Nuts may seem like simple snacks, but as botanical drawing subjects, they’re full of artistic delights: smooth chestnut shine, the knobby ridges of walnuts, sharp shell edges, cracked openings, and the pale, sculptural “meat” tucked inside. Bring a mix of shelled and unshelled nuts (and yes, a nutcracker!), and we’ll draw while snacking our way through this nutty still life.
🥜 Let’s Get Crackin’
Whether you grab a handful from the pantry or pick up a fresh mix from the store, you’ll end this workshop with new confidence in drawing natural textures, understanding form, and using watercolor + colored pencil together. (We’ll try not to go nuts with the puns, but they really crack us up! 😂)
What We’ll Practice
– Seeing and Sketching Form: Learn how to block in nut shapes, capture sharp edges, and design a balanced composition with scattered shells and whole nuts.
– Shell + Surface Textures: Use watercolor washes to establish base color, then build depth and tactile detail with colored pencil, perfect for gnarly walnut grooves or the soft sheen of a chestnut.
– Cracked Shells & Inner “Meat”: Study contrasts between the rich outer shell and pale, sculptural interior. Practice creating the 3D illusion of a nut tucked inside the shell using deep shadows and carefully placed highlights.
– Lights & Shadows: Learn how to anchor your nuts to the page with realistic cast shadows and subtle tonal shifts that add weight and dimension.
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:
NOTE: In addition to our usual supplies, you will need pencil colors Bistre #179 and Cream #102
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.
