Introduction to botanical illustration

About

Join botanical artists from The Eden Project Florilegium Society for a special three days at the Eden Project, where they will guide you through the techniques of graphite drawing and shading and how to turn this into a finished illustration. You may also be interested in our Botanical painting course.

What you'll learn
Botanical illustration is all about looking at plants in a traditional but exciting way. Here's what you'll be doing…
Introduction to botany: you will be given a half-day introduction to/refresher of the basic botany useful to the botanical illustrator, delivered by a member of the Eden Horticulture Team.
An introduction to the history of botanical illustration: how the traditional methods of watercolour, pen and ink and graphite have been used for centuries and cannot be replaced by photography alone.
Accurate drawing techniques: we'll introduce you to accurate line-drawing and tonal shading to make your subject appear three-dimensional, as well as helping you arrange your subject on the paper.
In a nutshell, you will have three days to concentrate on drawing and tonal shading, focusing on accuracy – the key to a beautiful illustration. Whilst attention to detail is important, botanical illustration is a very relaxing and enjoyable art form.

Who it's for
The course is suitable for both beginners and improvers. There will be a maximum of 10 people in this group.
What's included
Three days of expert tuition (10am – 4pm)
Materials*
Lunch and refreshments on each day
Entrance to the Eden Project
*We will provide drawing papers, plus tracing paper, 2H and HB pencils of professional quality, and a plastic eraser. We will have dividers and rulers to borrow on the day. A notebook may be useful.

How to book your place
Book your place online at https://www.edenproject.com/visit/whats-on/introduction-to-botanical-illustration
https://www.edenproject.com/visit/whats-on/botanical-painting-course

Booking for Members
To claim your 10% discount as an Eden Project Member, please log in to your account on our booking site before selecting Botanical Illustration from the 'Courses' menu. Alternatively, you can book your discounted place by calling the Membership team on 01726 811932.