Join us for a modern take on Botanical Art for beginners hosted at Southlands Arts Centre Walled Garden where you will begin to sketch plants with a focus on organic forms and vibrant patterns. Led by our Lead Gardener, Sue Williams, take a step into our beautiful and tranquil walled garden and discover your potential – using pencil, charcoal, soft and oil pastels, you’ll explore sketching, layering, gradation, stippling, and line work – on a big scale!
This beginner friendly workshop is designed to allow you to be introduced to the tools, materials and techniques and to wander around the garden taking your pick of plants. Learn to see through negative space and highlights, blending careful observation with expressive creativity in a relaxed, inspiring adult workshop. You may find using a mobile phone or ipad to capture an image and for closer observation may be helpful.
This art workshop is suitable for all levels and is especially ideal for beginners looking for a supported introduction to botanical observation. The site offers a calming, hands-on experience that encourages you to notice the beauty of nature while picking out details in a relaxed setting. This session is priced lower as it’s designed as an introductory two‑hour workshop, a gentle, supported first step into botanical art that lets you try the techniques without committing to a longer studio session.
At the end of this workshop and after observing various plant structures in detail, your final piece will encompass elements of techniques used and you will create a structured composition.
You will be able to take home all your finished artwork created from nature with calm guidance.
All materials are provided, including tools, paper and botanicals but you may want to bring your own baby wipes/hand soap and towel, an apron and wear clothes suitable for working with messy materials as we will be using charcoals.
We await your keen observation skills and an openness to allow yourself to create on a big scale and be thoroughly absorbed into the beautiful wonders of nature.