ArtPlantae Today

New classes for spring and summer have been announced at The Illustrated Garden!

Alabama artists are invited to join Val Webb and thousands of artists worldwide on Worldwide SketchCrawl Day. Local artists will gather at 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center on the Causeway on April 16 ( 9 AM – 3 PM). This is a free event and open to all artists. If you can’t make this event, stop the Earth Day Mobile Bay event near the Fairhope Pier on April 23 (10 AM – 6 PM). Val Webb will be at The Illustrated Garden’s booth drawing heirloom vegetables and handing out free seeds from Sustainable Seed Company.

Here is what’s new at Classes Near You for Alabama and Louisiana:

• Draw and Paint Six Culinary Herbs – Saturday, April 30;
  10 AM – 4 PM. Learn the basic structure of a leaf, then put that knowledge to work as you create a color rendering of six culinary herbs in layered watercolor and colored pencil. No previous experience necessary, and all supplies are provided. Take home completed botanical art and six potted herb plants. Lunch will be at a nearby cafe in downtown Fairhope. This is a very limited small-group workshop, and it is expected to fill-up quickly.  Your registration fee must be received to reserve your spot. This class will be taught at Val’s studio in Fairhope, AL. Cost: $60 includes refreshments, all art supplies and six potted herb plants to take home. Contact Val Webb if you plan to participate.
• Old and New: The Lost Art of Hand Lettering… and a New Way to Make “Vintage” Photo Transfers – Saturday, May 21; 10 AM – 3 PM.
  This is not calligraphy, but the “drawn letters” used by old-fashioned sign painters and type designers. Learn to adapt this method to label your botanical artwork or write beautifully in your sketchbook or art journal. Learn how to letter on curves, how to use perspective in your lettering, and how to design your own personal lettering style. After lunch in a nearby cafe, learn how to transfer photos. Val will show you how to transfer a vintage-looking image to paper, cloth or wood using butcher’s paper and acrylic medium. The original photo is not affected in any way, and the final product has a hauntingly ephemeral look that is quite beautiful. Plus, you will learn how to tint your transfer with watercolor for a more impressionistic result. This works especially well with old family photos and garden subjects.  Embellish a journal or family album, make truly lovely greeting cards, frame them as keepsakes or gifts — the possibilities go on and on.  Class size is limited. Early registration required. Cost: $60 includes refreshments and all art supplies, plus illustrated tutorial pages to take home. Contact Val Webb if you plan to participate.
• Botanical Drawing in Pencil and Watercolor – Saturday, May 28;
  9 AM – 3 PM. Join Val for an intensive day of botanical drawing and watercolor at the New Orleans Botanical Garden, New Orleans, LA. With more than 2,000 varieties of plants from around the world to choose from, participants will create plant portraits using layers of graphite pencil and watercolor. This class will be held in the historic Garden Studies Center, a charming renovated 1930s potting shed that would look right at home in a Beatrix Potter story.  The day will begin with a detailed demonstration and some guided practice time before heading out into the gardens to draw and paint. This workshop is appropriate for ALL levels of art experience, and there is no supply list — all art supplies and materials (plus admission to the gardens) will be provided. Morning refreshments will be provided. Participants must bring their own lunch. Class size is limited. Early registration required. Cost: $120, includes refreshments and all art supplies. Contact Val Webb if you plan to participate. A detailed itinerary and information about a very reasonable and dog-friendly hotel in New Orleans is available upon request.
• Botanical Drawing: Springtime in the South (daytime class) – Tuesdays, April 5 – May 9, 2011; 2 -5 PM (six weeks). Alabama’s botanical world gets all dressed up with the arrival of spring. Draw and paint Louisiana iris, native wildflowers, flowering bulbs and more, working from live specimens. Participants will use traditional scientific drawing methods to create realistic botanicals in pencil, ink, colored pencil and gouache. Learn in a relaxed, encouraging atmosphere. No experience necessary. Everything you need for this class will be provided. In addition to regular class meetings, participants have the opportunity to attend one optional weekend field sketching trip. Class size is limited. Early registration required. Cost: $140 includes art supplies. Contact Val Webb if you plan to participate. Location: Val’s studio in Fairhope, AL.
• Botanical Drawing: Springtime in the South (evening class) –
  Tuesdays, April 5 – May 23, 2011; 6:30 – 8:30 PM (eight weeks).
  Same course description as the daytime class. This class has been designed for people who need a class with evening hours. Cost: $140.
• Every Picture Tells a Story: Illustrating Children’s Books –
  Wednesdays, May 18 – July 6, 2011; 6:30 – 8:30 PM (eight weeks). 
  This lively, relaxed and encouraging course will cover character design, creative page layouts, how to draw for publication and how to use pictures to move a story forward. Have questions about submissions, copyright or publishing markets? We’ll cover those topics, too. Our drawing work will focus on depicting children and animals in action settings. ALL levels of art experience are welcome.  Class size is limited. Early registration required. Cost: $125 includes art supplies. Contact Val Webb if you plan to participate. Location: Val’s studio in Fairhope, AL.
• Botanical Drawing: Tropical Summer (daytime class) – Thursdays, May 19 – June 23, 2011; 2-5 PM (six weeks).
  It’s the season of brilliant colors and unusual forms! Participants will use watercolor and colored pencil to create realistic renderings of summer plants including palms, succulents and tropical flowers. Butterflies and other insects associated with summer blooms will also be painted. In addition to regular class meetings, participants have the option of sketching one day in the field. No experience necessary. All art supplies are provided. Cost: $140 includes art supplies. Contact Val Webb if you plan to participate. Location: Val’s studio in West Mobile, AL.
• Botanical Drawing: Tropical Summer (evening class) – Thursdays, May 19 – July 7, 2011; 6:30 – 8:30 PM (eight weeks).
  Same course description as the daytime class. This class has been designed for people who need a class with evening hours. Cost: $140.