......making learning at a distance easier
Botanical Art Online Dianne Sutherland
Botanical Illustration Course - New dates announced! 14th February 2025
Only one place available for July 31st start 2025
My most popular and comprehensive course continues to grow - When I began writing courses 15 years ago, I wanted to include all of the aspects of botanical art that I wanted to learn myself when I first started out as an artist.
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NEXT COURSE START DATE - July 31st 2025- The updated course includes even more content with a whole new section on colour mixing and even more videos and resources on both the drawing and painting parts of the course. 2023 saw the addition of new sections on dissection and scaling, overlapping leaves and below ground parts. For those interested in taking their botanical art to a professional level, I'm adding more information every year. You can now pay a 50% deposit to secure your place today, the remaining payment due one week before the course start date. The course price is £550 in 2025.
The Course in Brief
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Learn botanical drawing and painting techniques that will enable you to develop as a botanical artist or illustrator
Access the extensive video library and printed materials to support your learning for 30 months, so you can continue to benefit from updates after you complete the course.
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Complete final botanical illustrations in colour and graphite as well as all the preparatory work that leads up to them with sketchbook and study pages.​
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Receive personal written and digitally edited assessment of your work for each of the assignments. Email support is available throughout the course and via the chat facility.
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Use the private student social media group for assignment specific discussion topics (optional)
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Benefit from a flexible time-scale, so if life gets in the way you can still complete the course within a timeframe of up to 30 months
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Create a full graphite illustration and study page
More About the Course: Overview
This course will guide you through the process of producing beautiful botanical illustrations from start to finish, from plant to painting, with advice on materials and the workspace and tuition on the all important techniques.
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During the course you will carry out drawing and painting exercises and techniques filled by study pages and finally creating final works in both graphite and watercolour.
This course is constantly updated with new sections dedicated to dissection and scaling, guidance on techniques such as aerial perspective as well as exploring the below ground parts.
Two new assignments include : flowers and leaf library pages, and a whole new section on colour, including those tricky colours, greens, yellows, white and more.
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I strongly believe that distance learning needs in depth materials to support your learning and so there are printable materials, an extensive video library and a new image library for reference, which also has dissection images.
You will receive written tutor feedback and digital editing of your work (when required) to show you what could be done differently. There is a social media group for student chat, which I input to and answer questions.
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This approach will help you to develop your own style through technique based learning. This is not a course where you paint along or copy me and you will always be encouraged and supported to find and research the subjects that interest you.
Feedback and guidance will be provided at all stages as well as support in specific areas that may be difficult for you.
You will also be given some guidance on exhibiting and marketing you work.
NEW for the Autumn 2024 course, is new section on colour, including all the tricky colours, such as yellow.
The course is delivered in 2 parts, Graphite and Watercolour, you will also be expected to keep a sketchbook as part of your work. Take a look at the student gallery to see examples of some work by students
Part 1. Graphite: This part of the course teaches line and tonal drawing including the graphite techniques: hatching, cross hatching, stipple and continuous tone. Measured line drawings and simple tonal shapes and subjects will enable you to understand form in relation to light. Thereafter, you will draw subjects such as leaves and flowers in, profile and perspective. These techniques are put into practice in a study page exercise exercise before undertaking your final graphite composition and tonal drawing. Above is an example of a tonal drawing of Primula vulgaris, which was prepared in advance of a colour illustration. Note the small compositional changes made in the final painting. You may also complete a tonal painting using one colour.
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Graphite Tutor Assessed Assignments
1. Line and tone drawing, graphite techniques
2. Creating a study page,
3. Final graphite botanical illustration
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Other exercises and activities from the course:
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Setting up workspace, subjects and lighting
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Making the Cut: Dissection and scaling parts
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Create leaf and flower study pages, demonstrating diversity in each
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Below ground, roots bulbs and stems New
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'Rules' of composition and guidance
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Creating depth, separation and distance, aerial perspective
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Trouble shooting - how to repair mistakes
Part 2. Watercolour: The second half of the course focuses on purist watercolour techniques. You will learn the various washes and dry brush techniques, including flat, graded and blended wash, wet-in-wet as well as my own dry brush techniques. You will explore colour mixing using a limited palette to achieve accurate matching and harmonious variations. After completing some exercises with studies of leaves, stems, fruit and flowers ( with new examples for August), you will put these techniques into practice by choosing a subject for a colour study page, this will include colour mixing and colour charts. Thereafter, composition exercises will help you to move on to your final study, a full botanical illustration of a subject of your choice.
Watercolour Tutor Assessed Assignments
1. Watercolour techniques
2. Create a study page of your chosen subject
3. . Composition, tonal painting and botanical illustration
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Includes:
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Many supporting videos, in real time with new material added based on requests from students.
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Downloadable materials, worksheets and documents
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Printable leaf colour chart
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Guidance on botanical terminology
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Access to an online image library for leaves, flowers and dissections and other course images so that you can view up close
A Few Course Highlights
The techniques at the core of botanical Art
At the heart of the course are the techniques in both graphite and watercolour, these are your building blocks for success.
In the first part of the course you will begin with the basics and will learn how to observe, from materials and set up before moving on to measuring and drawing using a variety of methods. Next you will create 3D tonal drawings using continuous tone, stipple and hatching by carrying out a range of exercises. This give you the foundations for the the next part of the course, to create a study page and final botanical drawing, good drawing and understanding of tonal values is essential before moving on to colour
In the second part of the course, colour is most welcome after all of the graphite work! Begin with the foundations of my techniques and colour mixing in the first exercises, it's not just colour swatches but putting colour into practice with small subjects too, next dig deeper with those colours and techniques with a range of diverse flowers and leaves, before moving on to your plant of choice with the study page, this is the part everybody seems to indulge in! then its time for the finale when you will create your composition and the final botanical illustration in watercolour.
Also new for 2025
More on Troubleshooting in both graphite and watercolour, how to avoid mistakes but when they do happen, lean how to repair them.
Study Pages
Learning how to research your subject by creating annotated study pages is an integral part of becoming a botanical illustrator, and for each part of the course you will learn how to do this in graphite and watercolour as preparation for your final illustrations, often students find that they really enjoy this aspect of the research,
Graphite Study Page, Hellebore
Colour Study Page for a final drawing of Ludisia discolor
Making the Cut: Dissect and Illustrate
This new section of the course teaches you to dissect and identify plant parts in a range of different flowers, and gives insights on how to identify and label the parts, so will learn a little more about the botany side of your subject matter. you will also have access advice on botanical terminology and identifying parts as well as an online image library of photographs and illustrations of dissected flowers and plant parts.
You will also learn to use scale bars and will be introduced to understanding and drawing floral diagrams. This supplementary material will enable you to add accurate dissections to your illustrations.
Depth, Separation and Distance
From my years teaching I believe that one of the most challenging areas for botanical art students is the overlapping parts of plants, particularly leaves. You will learn how to deal with such parts in order to create depth, separation and distance in your work.
Trying to decide which areas should be lighter or darker and why can be difficult so. In response I have written a new section of the course addressing aerial perspective and other strategies to deal with this complex area within a composition.
The example shown here is Calotropis gigantea, giant milkweed, it demonstrates using different saturations and values in overlapping leaves.
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Below Ground, Roots and Bulbs etc
We should not forget about the parts of the plant underground, these tell an important part of the story for many plants, and so, I have decided to dedicate a new section to them.
In this new section I shows how to deal with illustrating the complex parts and negative space found in roots and bulbs, corms and tubers,
as well as different bulb, corm and tuber surfaces, which can be challenging to paint.
Here you can see the intricate fine roots that grow from the base of a Cyclamen coum tuber, its important to know how roots emerge from the tuber as other species have roots that grow from the sides as well as from the base.
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Sketchbook
In addition to the course you will be expected to organise work into a sketchbook, some students find this daunting and initially, there is no pressure to make perfect sketch book pages and you will be given guidance about what to include and why but keep in mind that its a more relaxed activity, for your own benefit. your sketchbook can contain your initial studies for coursework or plants drawn and painted for you own interest.
Over time it will become invaluable reference material for you and I guarantee that it will improve you work.
The sketchbook will not be assessed but you will be expected to submit some examples of sketchbooks studies, which support your working practice.
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Shown here: From my personal sketchbook, Ranunculus repens, The creeping buttercup, medium watercolour and graphite
Is this Course Right for You?
There are no prerequisite qualifications or experience required for this course, however, it does require some independent working and decision making and you have to choose appropriate subjects to study and illustrate in depth with a considerable amount of technique exercises to complete. That said you will receive support and guidance throughout. If you are an absolute beginner and want to gain some painting experience first, you may want to consider one of the tutorials in drawing and watercolour or the new Botanical Art for Beginners tutorial or Course, which have specific subjects and watercolour techniques tailored for beginners. Click here to find out more about the Starting Small: Beginners assessed course,
Take a look at a few pages from a supplementary worksheet below to give you an idea of the content in Botanical Illustration. There is a lot of content in this course and this is just a supplementary part of the course with advice on colour mixing and leaves, these supplementary parts are there to support your learning and new videos are bing added on tricky subject areas such as complex flower centres and roots.
Feedback
You will receive comprehensive written feedback for 6 assignments, plus the two new optional assignments on flowers and leaves. I usually edit the work digitally to show students, where changes could be made, this approach provides students with clear guidance on 'what to change and how to do it', work may also be resubmitted with changes to ensure that you have understood and benefitted from the advice. There is also a final overall appraisal and recommended 'next steps' in the final feedback. Email support is available throughout if you need help or advice during the assignments and a student Facebook group provides additional support. You may also take a break if needed as life sometimes gets in the way.
When does the course start and when will I receive access to the materials?
The next course starts 31st July 2025. You will receive access to the website one week before the start date
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How long does this course take?
A period of approximately 48 - 52 weeks but you may take more or less time on particular assignments/parts if you wish. I like to keep this flexible and believe that each student is different. You will have access for up to 2.5 years to complete if you need more time, occasionally this can be extended beyond two and a half years. There is no additional fee unless you need longer than 2.5 years.
How much does it cost?
The course cost is £550, this is payable by direct bank transfer or via Paypal. You may pay in full for the price shown or two instalments, with two payments of £250 and £300, the final payment must be pid at least one week before the course start date.
What previous experience do I need to undertake this course?
Although there is no prerequisite qualification for this course, it is envisaged that students will have some basic experience in painting or drawing which does not need to be botanical. At the start of the course all students will be asked to submit 3 images of recent work and some information regarding your previous experience to assess your level of ability and learning needs. If you are unsure whether or not this course is right for you please email me for advice at info@botanicalart-online.com
What materials do I need to undertake the course?
Here is a general list of suggested materials for prospective students (currently being revised due to changes in availability and quality of materials)
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You don't need all of the items on the list and alternative brands can be used because availability varies from country to country.
IT Specifications
An internet connection and email account, such as a gmail address are required.
You will need to have Adobe Reader to access the PDF documents. The documents can also be saved and printed off if you have a printer.
You will need to take digital photographs or scans of your work and email the images as jpegs for assessment.
Videos on the website are viewed via YouTube and Vimeo.
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All of the above are fairly standard on most computers. But please email me if you have any questions.
To Register:
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Click the 'Buy Now' Paypal button below, 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.
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If someone else paid for you, could also send me an email to confirm who is taking the course.
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If you wish to pay in 2 instalments use the 'Prebook Deposit Button', the course must be paid in full 7 days before the course start date
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if you are in the UK and wish to pay by bank transfer, please email me for information
email: info@botanicalart-online.com
Once registered you will receive an automatic email confirmation of your place, within 24 hours. You will be contacted 1 - 2 week's before the start date with information detailing how to register on the course website. Places are limited so book early! Registration is now available for the next presentation.
Please read the Terms & Conditions before registering for a course
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Prebook by paying a 50% deposit of £250 and the remainder when the course starts using the Pay Balance button or pay in full using the Buy Now option.
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