Everything Botanical Bringing you the best of Botanical Art

Workshops

Classes are held at the Crosbie Morrison Building, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Black Mountain, Canberra.

Bookings are required for all workshops.
A $25 deposit for each workshop is required to book a place. Payment for balance of tuition fees should be received prior to class date.

Following are the workshops on offer for 2012:

Botanical art for beginners

Nilavan Adams
February 25 and 26 ($215)

Nilavan was born in Bangkok, Thailand, and came to Australia in 1974. She graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Management at the University of Canberra and worked in the Australian Public Service between 1977 and 2000. Between 2000 and 2003 Nilavan studied watercolour techniques at the ANU’s School of Art. She then developed a passion for painting flowers and fruits and decided to focus on botanical painting. Since that time, Nilavan has studied under numerous influential botanical artists. She has received awards for her work from the Wildlife and Botanical Artists Inc and the Orchid Society of Canberra. Nilavan’s style of painting focusses on the application of dry brush techniques which render finely detailed paintings that display a velvety appearance. She regularly teaches in Canberra and exhibits in both Canberra and Sydney. During ths Introductory workshop students will be guided through the first steps of the fascinating world of botanical art. They will observe, sketch, mix colours and render a painting.

Composition and drawing

Please note that this workshop will now be taken by Barbara Duckworth
March 24 and 25 ($215)

This workshop with open the door to preparatory line drawing and the basic tenets of applied composition - the hidden core of successful botanical art. Barbara will provide individual application and give students the confidence to know when their composition and drawing is ready for painting. Barbara is very experienced, both as a botanical artist and scientific illustrator and teacher. She lives and works in the Blue Mountains. This workshop is recommended for those students new to botanical art as it promises to teach the tools necessary for all successful botanical art creations and will be a great refresher class for more experienced artists.

Advanced coloured pencils

Rita Parkinson
April 14 and 15 ($215)

Rita is a contemporary botanical illustrator based in Melbourne. She graduated in Fine Arts from Central St Martins School of Art, London and in Art History from the Courthauld Institute, London University. She has exhibited widely in Australia and overseas. Her chosen media is gouache, tempera, watercolour and coloured pencil. This class follows Rita’s introductory coloured pencil workshop in 2010 and is a chance for Rita to demonstrate to students even more tips and techniques in the effective use of coloured pencil in botanical art. Also being offered in Beechworth on April 21 and 22. www.illustrita.com

New techniques for realistic leaves

David Mackay
June 2 and 3 ($240)

The focus of David’s workshop will be on painting with acrylics but in a watercolour style so the final painting looks very much like a watercolour. David will be demonstrating a number of advantages that acrylics give us over watercolours. Of significance is the fact that he will be using a technique with acrylics that makes possible the task of painting veins in leaves that even look realistic! David is one of Australia’s most respected botanical artists and teachers. He worked as an illustrator for over 16 years with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney and has been a guest artist at Kew Gardens in London; the University of California, Berkeley and the Linnean Herbarium, London. A combination of art and science is intrinsic to David’s work and is essential to his many successful creations. David will supply the acrylic paints needed for this CIBA workshop. www.davidmackay.com.au.

Amazing scraperboard

Dianne Emery
July 7 and 8 ($240)

Dianne was born in the UK and attended the National Gallery Art School in Melbourne before becoming involved in teaching art. She currently works for the Friends of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, where she has been running workshops and classes since 1996. Dianne has exhibited widely in Australia and is an award-winning artist, having won the Celia Rosser medal twice in her painting career. Dianne will show students how to use scraperboard to great effect. This technique of using tools to scratch a thin layer from specially coated board can produce amazingly fine and detailed paintings. Various techniques will be used, such as hatching or stippling to add texture and detail to the painting and to render a specimen in a remarkably lifelike manner. For CIBA students,scraperboard offers yet another wonderful technique to add to their botanical art experience.

Creating a collections sampler

Tanya Hoolihan
October 13 and 14 ($215)

Many botanical artists are now including insects, seeds and other items into their paintings in order to ‘tell a story’ about the specimen being showcased. This is particularly relevant as a plant does not exist in isolation but is reliant on other flora and fauna in their ecosystem. Creating a botanical or natural history collections ‘plate’ will give students an opportunity to observe and capture in detail the very essence of a selected habitat while also creating a beautiful painting with watercolours under Tanya’s skilled instruction. Tanya is currently undertaking a Degree in Natural History Illustration at Newcastle University. She has exhibited widely and won numerous prizes for her paintings and illustrations. Her goal and that of this workshop is to produce an artwork that is not only characterised by technical accuracy but that captures the spirit and essence of a collection of related items found in a certain place and at a certain time.

Onions and garlic

Annie Hughes
November 10 and 11 ($215)

Originally from Santiago; Chile, Annie Hughes has become a popular Botanical artist in Australia. Her paintings have been exhibited at the BASA annual exhibition twice, at Canberra Botanical and have also been seen at the BASA Wildflowers exhibition at Parliament House in 2006 and Botanica 2005, 2007, 2008. Her keen eye and sensitivity to texture has resulted in her being awarded the 1st Prize for Australian Natives and 1st Prize Peoples Prize both at BASA 2005. Her work is enjoyed in private collections in Australia, the USA and the UK. Annie will teach CIBA students how to paint onions and garlic in exquisite detail. An opportunity not to be missed!