Botanical Art & Illustration
Botanical art and illustration have played a crucial role in human and natural history and cultural development, whether as exploration record, scientific artifact, or commercial and artistic endeavor.
Join in a fascinating field of discovery, and learn to sharpen your artistic skill, attention to fine detail, and technical botanical knowledge.
Pen & Ink II
| Dates: | Saturdays, September 4, 11, 18 |
| Time: | 1 - 5 p.m. |
| Instructor: | Jane Hyland |
| Objective: | To be able to create more complex plant drawings, using refined basic pen and ink drawing skills and more difficult strokes to create shading. |
| Level: | N/A |
| Prerequisites: | Botanical Drawing I and II, Pen & Ink I |
| Fee: | $ 130 members; $175 non-members |
| Location: | Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park (Sept. 4, 11); Botany Hall at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens (Sept. 18) |
Pen and Ink II will focus on the completion of a botanical pen and ink illustration that is both botanically accurate and aesthetically pleasing. Students will learn the process of creating an illustration, from plant observation to making an accurate graphite sketch and inking the final illustration.
This class has been canceled.
To register, call the Garden Center at (412) 441-4442 ext. 3925 or download our registration form.
This is a core course in the Botanical Art & Illustration certificate program.
Colored Pencil II: Applications
| Dates: | Tues., Aug. 24, 31, Sept. 7 |
| Time: | 6 - 9 p.m. |
| Instructor: | Amy Lindenberger |
| Objective: | To use a methodical approach to botanical painting with colored pencils, building on experience gained in Colored Pencil I. |
| Level: | N/A |
| Prerequisites: | Botanical Drawing I, Colored Pencil I |
| Fee: | $ 140 members; $180 non-members |
| Location: | Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park |
Building on the foundation of colored pencil techniques and layering principles begun in Colored Pencil I, this course focuses on more advanced layering and blending techniques to create a variety of surface textures, exercises to continue to improve color perception skills, and more advanced color theory, including understanding hue, value, intensity and temperature.
To register, call the Garden Center at (412) 441-4442 ext. 3925 or download our registration form.
This is a core course in the colored pencil concentration of the Botanical Art & Illustration certificate program.
Botanical Drawing I: Foundation Techniques
| Dates: | Sat., October 2, 23, 30, November 20 |
| Time: | 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Oct. 2 and 23); 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (Oct. 30, Nov. 20) |
| Instructor: | Ann Payne |
| Objective: | To accurately draw three-dimensional shapes and textures using line and tone, geometric and aerial perspective, measurement and the conventions of botanical drawing. |
| Level: | N/A |
| Prerequisites: | None |
| Fee: | $ 235 members; $280 non-members |
| Location: | Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park |
In this beginning drawing class, you will learn to accurately observe and record what you see, render it clearly, and create the illusion of depth through light, shadow and perspective. Unlike traditional drawing courses, botanical illustration is an exacting method of rendering precise form and detail. Students will perform creativity exercises and learn some “tricks” that are used by professionals. Please bring a bag lunch to the all-day sessions.
To register, call the Garden Center at (412) 441-4442 ext. 3925 or download our registration form.
This is a core course in the Botanical Art & Illustration certificate program.
Watercolor I: Techniques and Color Theory
| Dates: | Saturdays, October 23, 30, November 6, 13 |
| Time: | Oct. 23, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Oct. 30 and Nov. 13, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; Nov. 6, 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. |
| Instructor: | Donna Edmonds and Sue Wyble |
| Objective: | To gain control of the brush, pigment and paper while learning to combine a limited number of paints to create a rich and varied palette. |
| Level: | N/A |
| Prerequisites: | Botanical Drawing I and II |
| Fee: | $ 215 members; $260 non-members |
| Location: | Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park |
Students will learn a systematic approach to painting plants in the classical botanical tradition. Participants will review materials selection and gain an understanding of which brushes, paper and paint will best serve their needs. In addition, the class will explore controlled brush techniques while testing the interaction of a limited palette of only six primary colors. Through a series of demonstrations and exercises, students will refine their brush skills and create a full range of complex hues by overlaying thin glazes of primary colors. As the class progresses, students will apply newly acquired brush and color understanding to paint basic plant forms. Knowledge gained in this class will serve as the foundation for controlled, consistent watercolor application. Please bring a bag lunch.
Please note time changes - Watercolor I and History of Botanical Art can now be taken at the same time.
To register, call the Garden Center at (412) 441-4442 ext. 3925 or download our registration form.
This is a core course in the Watercolor concentration of the Botanical Art & Illustration certificate program.
Colored Pencil Explorations; Drawing Leaves and Seasonal Foliage in Colored Pencil
| Dates: | Saturdays, October 30 and November 6 |
| Time: | 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. |
| Instructor: | Amy Lindenberger |
| Objective: | To be able to draw a variety of leaves with traditional colored pencils. |
| Level: | N/A |
| Prerequisites: | Colored Pencil I |
| Fee: | $ 140 members; $185 non-members |
| Location: | Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park |
Explore the many characteristics of leaves through colored pencil. Learn advanced colored pencil techniques to accurately render hues and surface textures of leaves and seasonal foliage. Please bring a bag lunch.
To register, call the Garden Center at (412) 441-4442 ext. 3925 or download our registration form.
This is an elective in the Botanical Art & Illustration certificate course.
History of Botanical Art
| Dates: | Saturdays, October 30, November 20; Field Trip: Saturday, November 13 |
| Time: | 1 - 4 p.m., classes and field trip |
| Instructor: | Ann Payne |
| Objective: | To understand how botanical art has developed and changed to serve the needs of different generations and cultures. |
| Level: | N/A |
| Prerequisites: | None |
| Fee: | $ 105 members; $150 non-members |
| Location: | Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park; field trip to Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation |
Explore the history of botanical art from its earliest beginnings in herbals through present-day contemporary works. The class includes a private session at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, which houses one of the world’s largest collections of botanical art and illustration. Students will have the opportunity to study some of the rare books, original paintings and drawings from the artists such as Pierre-Joseph Redouté, Georg Ehret, and Anne Ophelia Todd Dowden. Students are responsible for a research report on a selected botanical artist.
To register, call the Garden Center at (412) 441-4442 ext. 3925 or download our registration form.
This is a core course in the Botanical Art & Illustration certificate program.
