ArtPlantae Today

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

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.

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.

This exciting class begins next week so make sure you claim the last seat in the classroom!

Butterflies in Watercolor:
Combining Butterflies within Botanical Art
Saturday, October 3, 2009

Sharon Belkin, Illustrator
9:00am – 3:30pm / Oak Room
$95 members/$105 non-members; pre-registration required
$10 supply fee due to the instructor in class
Supply list available upon registration

How do you make choices about which butterfly to include in a flower painting?

Scientific illustrator Sharon Belkin will address the many issues of combining butterflies with plant material as well as how to compose with flowers and insects. Topics that will be covered include:

• Butterfly anatomy and the importance of wing position
• Handling insect specimens and how to obtain them
• Using reference materials to extract the details most useful to the artist (such as size of wingspan and season of activity)
• Host plants
• How to use photographs

Sharon will also discuss the many interesting insect-plant relationships found not only in California native plants but also insect-plant relationships found in the Tropics. For example, passionflower vines are host to a whole family of colorful butterflies. She was trained at UCLA and has been a member of The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators since 1976 and is a former member of the American Society of Botanical Artists. Throughout her career, Sharon has specialized in insect illustration, collaborating with museum and university scientists. Recently, she illustrated a series of 10 habitat studies of plants, animals and insects found in the various plant communities of the Ballona wetlands, located in Southern California. In 2009, she completed a series of 13 watercolor studies of native Guatemalan orchids. Because of her travels in the Amazon and in Central America, Sharon has developed a particular interest in rainforest ecology.

To register, please call 626.821.4624 or email jill.berry@arboretum.org

Now at CLASSES NEAR YOU > DELAWARE:

Joan Frain Studio
www.joanfrain.com
Joan Frain is a professional botanical illustrator and instructor. For over 30 years, Joan has taught in Pennsylvania and in Delaware. Her work can be viewed in galleries and online. Private instruction and pay-as-you-go classes are available. Upcoming classes include:

• Native Plant Botanical Illustration Workshop – Mt. Cuba Center, Delaware
• Botanical Illustration Course
  Wednesdays, September 23 – December 2, 2009 (10 sessions)
  Center for the Creative Arts, Yorklyn, DE
  
  Wednesday, 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
  Cost: $265
  A ten-week studio class stressing botanical accuracy, as well as the development of each artist’s unique style. Limited enrollment to allow for individual attention. All levels welcome, although a solid drawing background is recommended. Emphasis is on watercolor. This 10-week session is followed by a winter session beginning in mid-January. Students need not complete one session to attend the other. For more information, please contact art@joanfrain.com.