Every plant has a fascinating story waiting to be told. Roses and the legend of St. Elizabeth, irises and the survival of King Clovis to become the father of the French nation, angel trumpets and the doomed settlement of Jamestown — turn over any leaf and find a tale hidden just beneath. In my new course, Botanical Sketchbook Paintings, learn to tone and texture your own paper to create a wonderful vintage look that can range from rustic to refined. Then use a surprisingly simple four-step method for layering opaque paint and colored pencil to make botanical images that sing on the page. A lighthearted look at page design will provide ideas for arranging the elements of your botanical tale. We’ll also cover tips for distilling your written narrative down to a few bright, clear sentences and labels that communicate the heart of your story hand-in-hand with the drawn and painted page.
This content-rich course will be posted IN ITS ENTIRE FORM with all video lessons and all printable pdf pages on a password-protected website. This way, each participant is truly free to create multiple pieces, to work at her own pace and focus on each aspect of the process — designing, painting, writing, lettering — whenever it is convenient. Instructor feedback and guidance via email is available at all times. I love to hear from you! This is a lifetime course – your site access will never expire.
Here’s the supply list. If you live where some of the materials aren’t available, live outside the US, or prefer to use something you already have, I can advise on good substitutes. 🙂 Supply List:
- 2B drawing pencil and kneaded eraser
- 12-tube set of Reeves gouache (costs $10.50 from www.dickblick.com)
- Large plastic watercolor palette or old white china plate for mixing paint
- Pigma Micron black waterproof ink pen, size 03 or 05
- Basic set (12 or more) Prismacolor Premiere colored pencils
- Inexpensive synthetic watercolor brushes – #1 round, #4 round, #10 round
- A sheet of heavy watercolor paper (at least 300 lb weight). Cold press. Buy a full 22×30 inch sheet if possible, and you can use it for several paintings.
Questions about the supplies? Email me.
valwebb.com 