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New at Classes Near You > New York:

Lasdon Park and Arboretum
Lasdon Park Brochure
Located in Somers, NY, the 234-acre Lasdon Arboretum is home to the botanical art program directed by botanical artist Laura Gould. Laura is a botanical artist whose primary medium is colored pencil, graphite, and watercolor. Course descriptions, registration information, and Laura’s online gallery can be viewed at Barking Dog Studio. Additional workshops will be offered throughout the year by visiting instructors. Please check back for updates.

• Watercolor Color Pencil Workshop – Saturday, January 9; 9:30-12:30. Snow day January 10. Learn how to mix watercolor washes with colored pencils. Watercolor colored pencils dissolve into lovely watercolor washes. Colored pencils are used to enhance the details. These two media complement each other and are fun to mix! All levels welcome. Cost: $250
• Colored Pencil for Experienced Students – Wednesdays, January 27 – March 10; 9:30-12:30. Prerequisite: Graphite Drawing (The graphite class is a foundation course taught on Thursday mornings. See below.) Cost: $250
• Graphite and Colored Pencil – Saturdays, Jan. 30 – March 13; 9:30-12:30. Students of all levels are welcome to join the class. Learn at your own pace while enjoying the company of fellow artists. Cost: $250
• Graphite Drawing (All Levels) – Thursdays, Jan. 28 – Mar. 11; 9:30 – 12:30. For beginners and experienced students who love the beauty of graphite. This class prepares students for other courses in the program. Please join us. Cost: $250

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Updates at Classes Near You > California:

Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Gardens
www.arboretum.org
Courses in introductory botanical drawing, beginning and intermediate watercolor, colored pencil, and sketching are taught by Olga Eysymontt throughout the year (excluding summer). Go to the Events & Classes for more information. The Arboretum is located in Arcadia, CA. To register, contact Jill Berry or call (626) 821-4624.

Graphite Drawing I – Tuesdays, January 5, 12, 19, 26; 9:30am-1pm. Learn to observe and draw plants with accuracy. This drawing class helps students develop perceptual acuity, analyze the role of light on form and produce tone value skills that are essential to drawing any subject. Suitable for beginners as well as those with extensive drawing experience, this class is a prerequisite for Basic Watercolor I. Cost: $180 members/$195 non-members

Advanced Watercolor for Botanical Illustration – An Ongoing Monthly Series with Olga Eysymontt for advanced students. $180 members/$195 for non-members / Oak Room
• Wednesdays – January 6, 13, 20, 27; 9:30am-1pm
• Wednesdays – February 3, 10, 17, 24; 9:30am-1pm
• Wednesdays – March 3, 10, 17, 24; 9:30am-1pm

Graphite Drawing II – Tuesdays, February 2, 9, 16, 23; 9:30am-1pm. This class is a continuation of Graphite Drawing I. Accurate rendering of plant and leaf subject matter is the focus of this course. Areas that are studied are leaves, stems, flowers and roots. Open to both beginners and advanced students. Pencil techniques are demonstrated. This class is a prerequisite for Basic Watercolor I. $180 members/$195 non-members

Basic Watercolor I – Tuesdays, March 2, 9, 16, 23; 9:30am-1pm. Rendering three dimensional plant forms in transparency is the main characteristic of botanical watercolor. This class will cover the basic application and techniques of watercolor painting. Basic Drawing is required. $180 members/$195 non-members

What Julie and Julia Have To Do With You: A One-Day Writing Workshop
January 23, 2010
10 AM – 2:30 PM
Cost: $60 members / $65 non-members (includes a copy of Paula Panich’s book, Cultivating Words: The Guide to Writing about the Plants and Gardens You Love)

Journalist and writing coach, Paula Panich, will teach a one-day writing workshop that promises to energize writers and help them write about their passion, be it gardening, plants, food, etc. Paula Panich has taught writing at the New York Botanical Garden, the Massachusetts Horticulture Society and Boston University to the Getty Center, the Huntington Library, and the Japanese American National Museum. She has contributed to the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Gastronomica, and to other publications. She is coauthor of The Desert Southwest and Desert Southwest Gardens (Bantam Books), and is the author of a book about writing.

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When Virginia Robinson passed away in 1977, she left her six-acre estate to Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation so it would be available to the public. Robinson Gardens is listed on the Register of National Historic Places and is open for guided walking tours. It is also the latest garden venue to host botanical art classes and focus on the creation of a florilegium. The Garden has started to print cards of paintings created on the grounds as a way to document and share information about the plants growing in the estate’s gardens.

New programing for 2010 will feature Anne Marie Evans and her five-step approach to botanical painting, as well as classes by award-winning artist, Margaret Best. A room at the Garden has been reserved for The Friends of Robinson Gardens Botanical Art Group so they can draw and paint whenever the Garden is open. Questions regarding the florilegium, botanical art classes, and the Friends of Robinson Garden Botanical Art Group should be submitted to Tania Norris.

The following information has been been added to Classes Near You > California:

Virginia Robinson Gardens, Beverly Hills
www.robinsongardens.org

• How to Show Form on a Botanical Subject – January 19-20, 2010. 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Understand the importance of value and learn how to give plants three-dimensional form using graphite or watercolor. This class is for beginners or those who want to prepare for the five-day class with Anne-Marie Evans. Cost: $175. Download course flyer

Related:
Here’s to You Mrs. Robinson!

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The following information has been listed under Canada at Classes Near You > International > Canada.

Calgary Zoo and Botanical Gardens
www.calgaryzoo.com

Botanical Illustration Revealed (lectures) – Tuesdays, January 26 and February 2. 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Botanical artist, Margaret Best, will tell the story of botanical art from the early days of explorers and herbals to today’s botanical art renaissance highlighting the work of contemporary botanical artists.

Basic Botanical Drawing – Tuesdays, February 9 &16; March 2 & 9. 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Artist and Master Gardener, Carol Huggler, will use drawing and sketching techniques to teach plant morphology.

Introduction to Observation and Drawing Skills (Botanical Art ONE) – Tuesday to Thursday, February 23 – 25, 2010; 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM. The first of a four-part series. The first class in a four-part series taught by award-winning artist, Margaret Best. In this class, participants will learn how to observe plants and how to draw what they see.

Introduction to Watercolor Techniques (Botanical Art TWO) – Tuesday to Thursday, March 16-18, 2010; 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM. Learn how to select watercolor paper, paints, and brushes. Practice the application of color and water in preparation for the three-day watercolor class later in this series.

Forms of Nature (Botanical Art THREE) – Tuesday to Thursday, April 27-29, 2010; 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM. Understand the importance of value and learn how to create form in any medium. Participants will work in graphite and watercolor.

Botanical Watercolor (Botanical Art FOUR) – Monday to Wednesday, May 17-19, 2010; 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM. Learn how to create plant portraits conforming to traditional requirements. Margaret Best will guide students through the painting process.

Print color brochure above (2 pages)
View a one-page PDF on our Facebook page (download not necessary)

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Genesee Community College in Batavia, NY will offer a botanical drawing class to the residents of Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming counties in New York. This class will be funded in part by the President’s Innovation Award Program whose objective is to fund activities encouraging community involvement at Genesee Community College.

Now at Classes Near You > New York:

Genesee Community College, Batavia
Alfred C. O’Connell Library
www.genesee.edu

• Botanical Drawing and Painting Workshop – February 6 & 13, 2010. February 6 (9 AM – 4PM). February 13 (10 AM – 5 PM). Hands-on workshops open to area residents interested in painting botanical subjects. Participants will learn basic plant morphology, sketching and drawing techniques, and learn how to work in pen & ink and other media. Watercolor instruction will be under the guidance of botanical artist Camille Doucet. View Doucet’s work at The Corners Gallery in Ithaca, NY. Cost: $20. Limit: 15. Course schedule and registration information are available here.

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