Description
The Art of Artichokes: Botanical Illustration Drawing Workshop
Painting Nature’s Spiral Staircases in Green & Violet
Join us for a two-day workshop!
Sunday, March 8, 2026: 1pm – 5pm ET*
Thursday, March 12, 2026: 6pm – 7:30pm ET*
*Note: Daylight Savings
✏️ Instructors: Pam Thompson & Emet Lipson
✅ Level: All levels
🌱 Botanical Subject(s): Artichokes
Workshop Description
Artichokes are a wonderfully strange and unexpectedly elegant example of how plants build complexity from simple repeating patterns. Part flower bud, part architectural sculpture, and part mathematical marvel, they’re one of nature’s most delightful designs. Perfect for botanical art beginners and experienced plant admirers alike, this workshop will expose the beautiful secrets hiding behind every bract.
Learn how to render a realistic artichoke using a combination of watercolor and colored pencil. Along the way, we’ll strengthen our observational skills, deepen our understanding of plant structures, and practice techniques to use in future botanical illustrations.
Why Artichokes Are a Joy to Draw
Artichokes are a dream subject for botanical artists because they combine nature, science, and beauty in one extraordinary form with:
-Spiral patterns following the Fibonacci sequence
-Overlapping leaves that create natural rhythm and depth
-Soft color shifts from silvery green to blush, red, and violet tips
-A bold 3D shape that feels sculptural and alive
–(Optional) cross-section views that reveal hidden botanical architecture
What We’ll Practice
Over two creative, skill-building days, you’ll practice techniques used by professional botanical artists to create lifelike plant portraits.
Drawing Complex 3D Botanical Forms
-Break down the artichoke’s layered structure into approachable shapes
-Understand how spiral growth patterns guide leaf placement
-Capture volume and depth without overworking your lines
Watercolor Foundations
-Build luminous base layers with watercolor
-Create smooth blends from green into red-purple tones at the leaf tips
-Control edges to suggest softness, sharpness, and curl
Colored Pencil for Realism & Detail
-Add crisp edges and surface texture
-Use tiny, strategic shadows to show overlapping leaves
-Refine highlights to guide the viewer’s eye across complex forms
Seeing Like a Botanical Artist
-Train yourself to recognize repeating patterns
-Learn how to simplify visual information without losing accuracy
-Develop confidence in tackling intricate plant subjects
These techniques translate beautifully to flowers, seed pods, leaves, and other botanical subjects, making this workshop as practical as it is enchanting.
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.
