ArtPlantae Today

Updates at CLASSES NEAR YOU > MINNESOTA:

Minnesota School of Botanical Art at the Bakken Museum
www.minnesotaschoolofbotanicalart.com

• Art for Reproduction – Mondays, Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Dec. 7;
  9:30 AM – 12:00 PM. Work on sample projects for reproduction. Students will learn about scanning, printing, the file types with which designers and illustrators must work, how to retouch images and more.
• Greens & Leaves – Thursdays, Nov. 5, 12, 19 (skip Nov. 26), Dec. 3, 10, 17; 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM. Learn about the many shades of green found in nature. Students will learn leaf morphology and practice drawing leaves with accurate veins. Students will work in watercolor.
• Memories of Summer (Winter 2010) – Monday, January 11, 18, 25, February 1, 8, 15; 9 AM – 12 PM. Dig out all those plant photos you took at gardens and plant sales this summer. In this class you will learn how to work from reference photos. Students will create a composition and complete a watercolor painting.
• Black & White Media (Winter 2010) – Thursday, January 14, 21, 28, February 4, 11, 18; 9 AM – 12 PM. Learn the techniques used by illustrators who work in graphite, pen and ink, scratchboard, and carbon dust. Instructor Bruce Wilson will demonstrate how to work with each medium. Students will create a final drawing in the medium of their choice.

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New updates at CLASSES NEAR YOU > ILLINOIS:

The Morton Arboretum Botanical Art Certificate Program
http://www.mortonarb.org/
The Morton Arboretum is located in Lisle, Illinois and is dedicated to the conservation of trees. Its 1,700-acre garden contains 4,000 kinds of trees, shrubs, and plants. The current course schedule can be viewed here. Below is a sample of upcoming classes:

• Water Soluble Colored Pencil – October 21 – November 18, 2009. Wednesday evenings. Learn how to create botanical illustrations and watercolor effects using watersoluble pencils.
• Autumn Gourds in Pastel – October 24 & October 31, 2009. Learn how to create the colors and textures of gourds using pastels. Experience using soft pastels and charcoal helpful, but not required.
• The History of Botanical Art & Illustration – January 9-30, 2010. Saturdays. Learn how illustrations were used in herbals and how contemporary botanical art is used today. View artwork from rare book collection.

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The state of Arkansas has been added to Classes Near You. A botanical illustration class for beginners will be taught at the new Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. According to the Garden’s website, they have just completed Phase I of its development. Phase II will include the construction of a visitor’s center, interactive exhibits and a research library. The Botanical Garden of the Ozarks exists because of the hard work of its dedicated volunteers. The garden may be “new”, but it has taken 15 years to get where they are now. Take a moment to read about this fantastic grassroots effort!

Botanical Garden of the Ozarks
www.bgozarks.org

• Beginning Botanical Illustration Class – October 6th; 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM. Illustrator Katlin Jones will teach workshop participants drawing techniques used by botanical illustrators. This is the first of two sessions. The second class meeting will be on October 13, 2009. Registration includes supplies. Cost: $40 members, $45 nonmembers. View course details

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Now at CLASSES NEAR YOU > NEW JERSEY:

Studio 16, Mindy Lighthipe
www.studio16online.com

• The Art of Perspective – Mindy Lighthipe; Wednesday October 14, 2009; 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM. Cost: $100 (includes FREE Prospek Tool, Plexi-glas & Marker). The key to a good painting starts with a good drawing. How many times have you heard that? Learn the fundamentals of good drawing in this class. Learn how to use a picture plane, take measurements, think about perspective, and visualize spatial relationships.
• Animals in Their Natural Habitat – Patricia Wynne; Thursdays October 15 & 29, November 12, December 3, 2009; 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Cost: $300. Join Patricia Wynne at Studio 16 for four fantastic sessions of drawing animals in their natural habitats. Each session is chock full of exercises, demonstrations and lectures on how to accurately research and place your animal in its proper environment. You may work with the animal of your choice. Please let Mindy know the animal(s) on which you would like to work. NOTE: If you cannot attend all four classes, you may enroll at the rate of $90 per class.
• Scan, Tweek, Print! – Mindy Lighthipe; Saturday, October 17, 2009; 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM. Cost: $60. Baffled, overwhelmed, or confused about Photoshop? Join Mindy for an overview that shows how to work with Adobe Photoshop Elements. Photoshop Elements is a smaller, less expensive ($99 versus $999), user-friendly photo manipulation program. Learn how to scan your paintings and prepare files to go to print. Learn how to correct color and create type. Mindy starts by scanning a painting, color correcting it, adding text and formatting it into a business card, greeting card, or postcard. Discussion includes printing at a local print shop, printing it off your own printer, and sending files electronically. Bring a notebook!
• Birds of a Feather, Let’s Draw Together – Patricia Wynne; Saturday & Sunday November 14 & 15, 2009; 10:00 PM – 4:00 PM. Working from preserved specimens, wings, and feathers, Patricia will guide students through the anatomy of the bird. If you have a particular bird in mind, please let Mindy know. Mindy and Patricia might be able to obtain a specimen from the American Museum of Natural History! In this class you will learn about skull and beak structure, skeletal structure, wing proportion, feather types, how to make your bird fly in your painting, and how to work from reference photos. Download a registration form at the Studio 16 website.

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Now at CLASSES NEAR YOU > CALIFORNIA:

Kathy Dunham Studios.

• Beginning & Intermediate Watercolor – La Quinta Senior Center. Information: 760-564-0096. Thursdays (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM); 5 weeks. Cost: $75.
• Oct 1 – Nov 5, 2009 5 weeks $75
• Nov 12 – Dec 17, 2009 5 weeks $75
• Jan 7 – Feb 11, 2010 5 weeks $75
• Mar 4 – Apr 15. 2010 5 weeks $75
• Apr 29 – Jun 3, 2010 5 weeks $75

• Sketching and Drawing – La Quinta Senior Center.
  Information: 760-564-0096. Wednesdays (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
• Oct 7 – Nov 4, 2009 5 weeks $75
• Nov 18 – Dec 16, 2009 5 weeks $75
• Jan 6 – Jan 27, 2010 4 weeks $60
• Feb 3 – Feb 24, 2010 4 weeks $60
• Mar 3 – Apr 7, 2010 5 weeks $75
• Apr 14 – May 12, 2010 5 weeks $75
• May 19 – Jun 16, 2010 5 weeks $75

• Creative Photography – La Quinta Senior Center.
  Information: 760-564-0096. Thursdays (1:00 PM -2:30 PM)
• Nov 5 – Nov 19, 2009 3 weeks $24
• Feb 4 – Feb 18, 2010 3 weeks $24

• Illustrated Journal – Palm Springs Art Museum.
  Mar 15, Apr 5 & Apr 19, 2010 (Mondays 9:00 AM. – 4:00 PM)

• A Painter’s Travels into Tuscany & The Cinque Terra, Italy
  San Francisco Art Seminars. August 27 – Sept 8, 2010
  A painting/sketching/travel workshop for all levels of artists. We’ll spend a week in Chianti country and five days in Cinque Terra enjoying the hospitality and sights while improving our artistic and photographic skills. Sponsored by San Francisco Art Seminars, we’ll stay in the Tuscan countryside and venture to the beautiful Italian towns of Sienna, Lucca, Volterra, San Gimignano, Pisa and the colorful villages of the Cinque Terra. Additional information at www/rousset-perigord.org.

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