Description

So You Think You Can’t Draw?

An Introduction to Botanical Drawing for Absolute Beginners

Saturday, January 9, 2027: 2pm – 4pm ET

Wednesday, January 13, 2027: 6pm – 7pm ET

✏️ Instructors: Pam Thompson & Sam McWilliams
✅ Level: Beginners
🌱 Botanical Subject(s): Round red cherry tomato & a small branch/twig

Workshop Description

Have you always wanted to draw but thought you just weren’t artistic? This workshop is for you!

Drawing is a skill that anyone can learn, and we’ll show you how, one simple step at a time. We’ll start with basic shapes, learning how to use light and shadow to make a flat circle look like a round ball and a rectangle look like a cylinder. Then we’ll put those same skills to work drawing a red cherry tomato and a small branch.

Using colored pencil, we’ll add color and bring our drawings to life. Along the way, you’ll discover that drawing isn’t about having a special talent. It’s about learning to look, practicing a few simple techniques, and enjoying the process.

Absolutely no drawing experience necessary. Just bring your curiosity, a few supplies, and a willingness to give it a try!

Recommended Supplies:

Feel free to follow along with any supplies you have (your result may just end up looking a little different). In this lesson, you will learn fundamental 3D art concepts and colored pencil techniques, so you can skip the supplies-specific tips and still learn a lot about art basics including perspective, light source, how to tone, etc. 

One of the main points we teach is the  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 the course lessons.

Paper: Mixed Media Pad (Strathmore 400 Series Mixed Media Pad 6” x 8”) (approx $6 USD)

Shapes: Find a small ball that is just one color without a pattern, such as a ping-pong ball. Find a cylindrical shaped object in your home, like a piece of paper-towel tube, or even just a small piece of paper rolled up into the shape of a tube.

Pencil: H or HB Graphite Pencil (not necessary, but nice. I’ll be using a Tombow brand H pencil. You can use any graphite pencil you have)

Pencil Sharpener: Any pencil sharpener that you have. (We really like the hand crank pencil sharpener by Muji)

Erasers: A white plastic eraser & a small Prismacolor or Faber-Castell kneaded eraser

Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils: Please don’t buy one of the sets. Just buy these individual colors.

• Dark Sepia
• Red Violet
• Pale Geranium Lake
• Cadmium Orange
• Cadmium Yellow
• Burnt Sienna
• Bister
• Warm Grey IV
• White

What We’ll Practice

We will practice how to create smooth gradients by building up tone & color by layering light layers of colored pencil. Students will practice shading a sphere and cylinder using one colored pencil, then begin applying those same principles to a cherry tomato and a twig. They will then build color on their tomato and twig using colored pencils, refining highlights, shadows, and details. We will practice how to create smooth gradients by bui

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 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.

How the Workshop Flows

This class is designed to be flexible, supportive, and easy to fit into your week, whether you join live or learn from the recording later.

Pre-Class Practice (optional): Access to pre-recorded videos to supplement your learning and help you feel prepared before the workshop sessions.
Class Day 1 (2 hours) Saturday: Step-by-step drawing demonstrations, foundational techniques, and live Q&A
Inter-Class Practice (~3 days) Sunday-Wednesday: Rewatch the recording and work at your own pace
Class Day 2 (1.5 hours) Wednesday: Student work sharing, personalized feedback, and additional demos as needed
Post-Class Practice: Rewatch recordings anytime to refine your technique. No expiration date! You can even receive personal, positive, and helpful feedback from an instructor by sending photos of your work to info+images@drawbotanical.com.

Take your time to absorb the process, practice on your own, and return with fresh eyes for deeper learning.

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.

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.