ArtPlantae Today has been added to the “digital magazine rack” at Alltop.com. The extensive collection of organized feeds from sites across the Internet allows readers to browse current news stories pertaining to hundreds of topics from A to Z. ArtPlantae is excited to have the opportunity to establish a presence on Alltop.com for botany and botanical art education.
Visit us on the Art page at http://art.alltop.com.
Posted in Blog News |
By popular demand, botanical artist Olga Eysymontt has expanded her course offerings at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden. Her new classes will be offered on Tuesdays and are sure to fill-up quickly.
Application and Techniques for Botanical Watercolor
Tuesdays, February 3, 10, 17, 24
9:30am-1pm
Fees: $170 members / $187 for non-members
Rendering 3 dimensional plant forms in transparency is the main characteristic of botanical watercolor. The first class in this series covers the basic application and techniques of watercolor painting. Topics covered are wash techniques, dry brush, color palette and mixing green and neutral tint mixing. This class is for all levels. Please purchase Coral G. Guest’s book Painting Flowers in Watercolour: A Naturalistic Approach, before class begins. We will be following her book. Open to all levels. To register, call 626.821.4623 or email jill.berry@arboretum.org
Leaves in Watercolor
Tuesdays, March 3, 10, 17, 24
4 sessions: 9:30am- 1:00pm
Fees: $170 members / $187 for non-members
This second class in a series of botanical watercolor classes focuses on rendering leaves. The following topics will be addressed: mixing greens, creating highlights on leaves, depicting various surface textures and how to illustration venation. Please purchase Coral G. Guest’s book Painting Flowers in Watercolour: A Naturalistic Approach, before class begins. We will be following her book. Open to all levels. To register, call 626.821.4623 or email jill.berry@arboretum.org
The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden is located in Arcadia, CA.
Posted in Learning Opportunities |
Field Breaks – Special Interest Art Breaks in the Peak District
Short Course in Botanical Painting
www.fieldbreaks.co.uk
Camelot Castle, Tintagel
June 1-3, 2009
A short course in detailed and precise watercolor painting for all ability levels. Small class size ensures one-on-one instruction with instructor Susan Hillier. Beginners will be introduced to the materials and methods of botanical painting. Students work on a subject of their choice at their own pace. Learn in a friendly and relaxed environment.
Field Breaks offers courses in botanical illustration and landscape painting. See the complete 2009 Field Breaks schedule here.
Posted in Learning Opportunities |
Horticulturalist and author, Emily Goodman, introduces children to plant growth stages by focusing on the most observable elements of the growth process – seeds, plants, flowers, and fruit. Goodman leads children through a logical progression of plant growth stages and emphasizes the need for soil, water, sunlight, and air during each stage.
Goodman cleverly links each growth stage to plants with which most children are already familiar. She draws on childrens’ prior knowledge of roses, oaks, peas, and tomatoes to tell her story. Children are presented with the seeds of these plants at the beginning of the book and are encouraged to match each seed to their respective parent plant. Goodman then teaches children how seeds become plants, how plants produce flowers, how flowers become fruit, and how fruit are nature’s seed packets. She then reviews each growth stage and describes how these stages are best observed in roses, oaks, peas, and tomatoes.
Plant Secrets is a wonderful introduction to how plants work and is written for children ages 4-7. Accompanying Goodman’s lessons about plant growth are colorful illustrations of fruit, flowers, leaves, plants, and seeds by illustrator, Phyllis Limbacher Tildes. All illustrations were painted with gouache on 4-ply Strathmore Bristol 500 paper.
Plant Secrets is available at ArtPlantae Books ($7.95).
Posted in ArtPlantae Books, gardening, general botany |
Locating natural areas where you live just became a little bit easier. Click on the Nature Near You tab above and select your state. You will see links to two national databases that will help you locate destinations for your next sketching adventure.
The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is dedicated to creating safe and accessible trails for walkers, hikers and cyclists. The National Park Service website will help you locate more than 400 national parks. It also provides a wealth of information about the management of natural areas and provides educational resources for teachers and parents.
The databases created by these two wonderful organizations help us on a national scale. What we need to do now is focus on resources on a local scale. Is your local nature center or botanical garden on your state list? If not, please submit their name, address and/or website address for inclusion in Nature Near You. Thank you for your help in creating a resource that will enable people just like you to get outside to Observe, Connect, and Create!
Posted in Education |
** Postponed to February 2010 **
A book sure to be of interest to every botanical illustrator, Botany for the Artist will be published in August 2009. Author Sarah Simblet teaches at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, University of Oxford, and at the Royal College of Art in London.
Other titles by Sarah Simblet include: The Sketch Book for the Artist, Anatomy for the Artist, and The Drawing Book: An Innovative Practical Approach to Drawing the World Around You.
Posted in ArtPlantae Books, botanical art books | 2 Comments »
The companion book to Billy Showell’s Watercolour Flower Portraits will be published in the United States in May, instead of in February. Many thanks to those of you who placed your name on the waiting list. Your patience is appreciated.
Interested in this new title? Add your name to our Interest List. Please write SHOWELL in the subject line.
Posted in ArtPlantae Books, botanical art books |
Botanists and illustrators strive to document conifers around the world.
ArtPlantae Today 