Learn how to use colored pencils to portray plant subjects!

This course is offered virtually via zoom, with plenty of opportunity for personal review and instruction. 

In this 7-week fundamentals botanical drawing in colored pencil course, you will learn basics of the medium, color theories, and a variety of colored pencils techniques including layering, blending, building saturation with luminosity while incorporating the observation techniques and elements of botanical illustrations.

Each week will include discussion and instruction, Crystal’s live demos and drawing time of your own. We will work from live plant materials such as green leaf, buds, flowers, and fruits that are seasonally available in the season, practicing observation and drawing skills. This course will not only help you to draw better, but to understand plants better by observing them closely and from all different aspects.

Colored pencils are fun, forgiving, and versatile medium that are easy for the beginner artist, and a refreshing change for watercolor painters or graphite artists. Some experience in art is helpful, but beginners are welcome as well. For returning students, you can choose your own subjects that you would like to work on, and plenty of guidance and feedback will be provided.

To prepare for the class, please download the supply list in the table. It will also be emailed to you when you register.

Link for registration:
https://www.wnps.org/events/fundamentals-botanical-drawing-2-1700015400

In this 5-week course, you will learn how to achieve realistic surface textures of fruits. Fruits are an ideal subject on which to practice achieving texture, as they offer a variety of surfaces. It could be smooth and shiny as found in tomatoes; smooth, but rather dull and dotted or streaky, as found in apples and pears, or waxy and silvery as can be found in plums or grapes. Further examples are the thick, dimpled skin of an orange or lime, the dried surfaces found in a seedpod of poppies or the shell of a walnut.

Each week we will focus on drawing a different fruit and will showcase their surface texture. We will practice the different colored pencil techniques, including how to layer colors and how to use different pencil strokes. We will also learn how to use drawing tools effectively, such as embossing tools, craft knives, graphite pencils, and erasers, through Crystal’s thorough instruction and demonstration.

This course is offered online through Zoom. Each session is recorded and provided for students to make up or review course content. Recordings remain available throughout the course, and 3 weeks after the last course date for viewing.

Join Crystal Shin, botanical illustrator for a unique class at the University of Washington biology building, Hitchcock Hall. This is an introductory class for drawing a scientific botanical illustration, using a microscope to view the details of a subject.

Crystal will introduce the nature of the work, and the process for creating a scientific botanical illustration, using herbarium specimens. While examining morphology and the minute details of the specimens through a microscope, you will practice close observation, and how to draw from the dried and pressed herbarium specimens, reconstructing them to their more natural appearance.

The goal is to clearly show the morphological aspects of the subject, capturing the characteristics of a species, while experimenting with line drawings and the accurate representation of botanical forms in black and white medium. Graphite pencils and/or pen and ink will be used in this class. We will borrow the herbarium specimens from the UW Herbarium at Burke Museum.

All ability levels are welcome. This will be a one-of-a-kind experience, drawing herbarium specimens through a microscope.

Have you ever wanted to draw beautiful alpine wildflowers? They are a true wonder of nature and learning to draw them can be a very satisfying experience. Wildflowers can be challenging to document in the field, but working from photos is a good alternative to removing them from their natural habitat.

For this class, we will draw from photographs used in a poster of the “Alpine Wildflowers of Washington by Burke Museum”, graciously provided by Photographer Donovan Tracy, or draw similar species from your own photographs. This is a great way to spend evenings, reviewing your species photographs. This class is a repeat however, it will include new flowers from the prior classes, so it is okay to repeat this course and receive new content.

You will learn how to accurately translate a photo into a drawing by observing form, highlights, and subtle changes of tone, shade, and color to create dimensionality. With the use of colored pencil techniques, you will learn and practice how to blend colors smoothly while learning to see the intricacies of beautiful alpine flowers.

*For those who are in other states or countries, please feel free to draw the native plants to your region.

Register here: https://www.wnps.org/wnps-annual-events/workshops/18-wildflowers-from-photographs-shin

There is nothing more joyful than flowers in the spring! Enhance your drawing skills and learn how to capture the luminosity and delicacy of spring flowers with botanical artist, Crystal Shin.

In this 5-week course, you will learn how to draw flowers, what to observe, and a variety of

colored pencils techniques through Crystal’s clear instruction, demonstrations, and thorough feedback and guidance on your work. Each session will have a different flower subject and will focus on different techniques. You will practice observation and drawing skills, while learning to understand structures, shapes, textures, and the colors of spring flowers.

If you are an absolute beginner or an intermediate student in colored pencil drawings, you will gain knowledge around how to render flower subjects, while building more confidence with colors and botanical drawing skills. It is encouraged to work in any style you prefer – in a realistic style with high details, or an expressive loose sketch style. Art is truly a creative expression of who you are!

Classes will be recorded and a link to the video will be provided in case you miss a class.
Registration: https://www.wnps.org/wnps-annual-events/workshops/12-workshop-drawing-spring-flowers-in-colored-pencil,-with-crystal-shin

While not a native plant, the camellia is a colorful flower amongst the first to appear in the urban spring habitat. This colorful shrub offers wonderful opportunities to draw the flower structure and practice with color to obtain the texture and color form of interest. This shrub, with evergreen leaves, also provides a strong education on how to draw leaves and obtain that evergreen shine. This workshop allows students to observe and draw live specimens. Join Botanical Illustrator, Crystal Shin for a weekend workshop to draw camellia of your choice. Some drawing experiences will be helpful, but beginners are welcome as well. 

Registration: https://www.wnps.org/calendar/1794