Botanical Art & Illustration Classes

Contemporary botanical art captures the beauty of the natural world with precision, and our extraordinary instructors share their expertise in this nurturing yet rigorous program. NYBG offered North America's first formal botanical art certificate program and remains a leader in the discipline after more than three decades. This program offers a well-rounded array of courses that can be enjoyed singly, just for fun, or lead to a Certificate.

Click here for an overview of the Certificate Program.


January

This comprehensive class covers the basic techniques of botanical watercolor. Learn how to use your brushes to make smooth, underlying washes, as well as to create fine detail. Color theory will teach you how paints interact, and how to select more...
263BIL331BO 01/05 Mo 5:30pm-8:30pm Vogel
ONLINE

This intro class teaches you basic botanical illustration techniques to help you make realistic drawings of branches, stems, leaves, and flowers using graphite.
263BIL145CO 01/06 Tu 6:00pm-9:00pm Lyness
ONLINE

Accurate observation translates into sensitive, realistic drawings and is an essential skill for botanical artists. Using basic shapes, fruit, and leaves, learn contour drawing with an emphasis on proportion, and explore techniques such as foreshortening, perspective, and line weight.
263BIL301CO 01/08 Th 11:00am-2:00pm Grossman
ONLINE

Building on Botanical Drawing I skills, learn to tone fruit, vegetables, leaves, and branches. Focus on concepts of light source, value, and shading to create form. Learn to translate color into black and white, and create the illusion of depth more...
263BIL302BO 01/08 Th 5:30pm-8:30pm Vogel
ONLINE

Apply your understanding of contours, perspective, and tone to drawing three distinct types of flowers. The object is to accurately draw a fully toned flowering plant. Explore compositional possibilities, textures, and details.
263BIL303BO 01/13 Tu 6:00pm-9:00pm Rawlins
ONLINE

Whether or not you decide to pursue botanical art as a business, knowing standard practices will be useful. Over the course of this class, you'll learn the basics of dealing with galleries and artists' reps, including; pricing, contracts and sales more...
263BIL392O 01/24 Sa 10:30am-2:00pm Woodin
ONLINE

Get up close and personal on plant buds in winter. Learn how to identify and illustrate the bite-size beginnings of native trees, vines, and flowers. You'll use plant specimens and colored pencil to bring these buds to life on paper.
263BIL119 01/26 Mo 11:00am-1:00pm Yount
NYBG

Designed for both inexperienced students and those who wish to improve their skills, this class will allow you to work at your own pace on a variety of pieces. Lectures and demonstrations are enhanced by individual instruction.
263BIL140BO 01/28 We 11:00am-2:00pm Vogel
ONLINE

Accurate observation translates into sensitive, realistic drawings and is an essential skill for botanical artists. Using basic shapes, fruit, and leaves, learn contour drawing with an emphasis on proportion, and explore techniques such as foreshortening, perspective, and line weight.
263BIL301DO 01/28 We 11:00am-2:00pm Rawlins
ONLINE
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