Botanical Art Online with Dianne Sutherland

NEW! Botanical Art Beginners: Starting Small 
......Mighty oaks from little acorns grow

Open for booking now: Join anytime, learn at your own pace and with tutor feedback. Cost £420. Places will be limited to 15 students. There are currently 5 available places remaining 

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NOTE: This is a NEW beginners course which shows you from start to finish how to create a simple painting, it includes the basic in drawing and painting small botanical subjects. But it also shows you all the other parts, such as setting up the subjects, lighting and photography. Unlike many beginners courses it's not all about simple subjects and you will learn how to paint a single subject and then to develop it into a small composition or sketch page study. The subjects for each module are optional so you can pick and choose the ones that you want. New subjects will be added over time so you can go back and try more.

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We all have to begin somewhere and the old proverb 'Mighty oaks from little acorns grow' inspires us to begin in a small way, to never give up and believe that we will get there in the end. So if you want to learn to paint botanicals but don't know where to start this course could be for you?

I've learned that beginners can sometimes feel overwhelmed by trying to learn too much at once, I believe that the best approach is to start small and build knowledge gradually rather than trying to do too much at once. With this in mind I've written this course focusing on small manageable manageable subjects, which will all be available as video tutorials. Some of these tutorials begin with a simple single subject but can be developed into small collections or study pages and I''l show you how I do that.  In my experience beginners need time to get started so new subjects will be added every few weeks to provide fresh material through the year. Then at intervals I assess your work after each part of the course and provide feedback and suggestions for improvement. 

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Is this Course Right for You?

​This course assumes no knowledge whatsoever, the simple aim is to to get you drawing and painting and to build your confidence by providing tutor support and constructive feedback. It also aims to demystify some of the 'rules' surrounding botanical art. It builds from basic subject step-by-steps towards creating your own small compositions at the end of the course. 

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What is Covered in this Course?

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• You will learn the basics in understanding and using materials and about the work environment

• Fundamentals of drawing: how to measure and about perspective

• How to transfer a drawing

• Lighting and set up and how

• Understanding the tonal values 

• How to photograph a subject

• Colour mixing: with a limited palette and identifying the colours in a subject. Painting colour swatches

• Learn the watercolour techniques, wet-in-wet, washes, glazes, dry brush and detail

• Maintaining highlights, about form shadows

• Texture and detail

• Troubleshooting: such as, ragged edges, over painting, how to avoid flat heavy paint  and repairing mistakes etc.

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Course Materials and Assignments

In addition to the materials already mentioned and the videos which you can follow at your leisure, there are 4  tutor assessed assignments and tutor support via email throughout. 

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There are 4 assessed Parts, as Follows:

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Part 1. Draw and paint simple fruits and seed capsules, you can choose from a selection including:  blackberry, cherry, blueberry, small apples etc. or seed pods, acorns, maples etc. and you can try your own.  

Part 2. Drawing and painting simples flowers

Part 3. Making a small  leaf drawings and paintings 

drawings   

Part 4 Final Composition. Learn how to put together a simple collection painting. 

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You will also be encouraged to keep a small sketchbook.

Upon completion of each part of the course you will submit the work via emai

Feedback

You will receive a written personal critique, with edited images to show you how to improve your work. Turn-a-round time is approximate 3 - 4 weeks after submission.

Your work will be digitally edited and annotated to show you where and how you can make improvements.​ You may also resubmit the amended work following feedback.

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How much time will you need to spend per week on this course?

Around 5-6 hours per week to keep momentum but you can take the time you need. The more time dedicated the better  the outcome.

What materials will you need for this course?

Download a general suggested materials list here. These are fairly standard materials and an exact (smaller)  list will be provided in advance of the course start date.

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What happens after registration?

Passwords and introductory information will be emailed to students who have paid in full by return. So you can start immediately. Please check your spam folder if you don't  not receive details within 24hours and contact me directly at info@botanicalart-online.com

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You will have access to materials for up to 4 years! So there's no rush, work in your own time and rework if you want to. I believe that it's important to be able to reflect and revisit work. New videos will be added during this time so you can revisit each section of the course.Tutor feedback will be available for 2 years.

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To Register:

Click the Paypal button, you will be redirected to Paypal, the account is in the name Picturehouse. You will have the option of paying via a Paypal account or by credit /debit card.

If someone else paid for you, could also send me an email to confirm who is taking the course.

You may pay a deposit to secure your place for the October 2022 course.

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email: info@botanicalart-online.com

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Please read the Terms & Conditions before registering for a course

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What happens after payment / registration?

Passwords and introductory information will be emailed to students who have paid in full by return, so that you can start immediately.

Please check your spam folder first but in the rare occurrence that you do not receive log n details within 24 hours contact me directly at info@botanicalart-online.com, occasionally email settings can block the auto reply emails. In this case I will send the log in details via email directly and you can add me to your contacts. 

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Above: This acorn composition began with one little acorn and grew into a whole page. This concept is developed throughout the course, to grow your skills.

But you can decide on how much you wan to do, maybe one acorn is sufficient challenge, but if you painted one maybe you can paint more, then add some simple leaf outlines to create a whole composition. maybe you can add colour swatches... or not. I'll show you how to do all of this things from drawing, transferring, painting and even signing the finished painting. 
 

OR save £10 by paying in full 

Work in Progress from Part 1 Videos

Learn how to light your subjects

Learn how to set up the workspace and about the materials needed