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.


March

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...
263BIL302CO 03/03 Tu 11:00am-2:00pm Grossman
ONLINE

This intro class teaches you basic botanical illustration techniques to help you make realistic drawings of branches, stems, leaves, and flowers using graphite.
263BIL145D 03/04 We 11:00am-2:00pm Wry
NYBG

Examine the enormous variety of forms and structural adaptations of flowering plants—the world's dominant plant group. Through lectures, demonstrations, and laboratory studies, learn to recognize and draw the many plant parts and growth stages of the most common plant families. more...
263BIL300BO 03/04 We 10:00am-12:30pm Bijkerk
ONLINE

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...
263BIL331CO 03/05 Th 10:00am-1:00pm James
ONLINE

This intro class teaches you basic botanical illustration techniques to help you make realistic drawings of branches, stems, leaves, and flowers using graphite.
263BIL145EO 03/08 Su 10:00am-1:00pm DeCicco
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.
263BIL303CO 03/10 Tu 10:30am-1:30pm Rawlins
ONLINE

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.
263BIL140CO 03/14 Sa 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.
263BIL301F 03/14 Sa 10:00am-1:00pm Wry
NYBG

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...
263BIL302DO 03/14 Sa 2:00pm-5:00pm Rawlins
ONLINE

A professional website can be a great way to market and archive your work. In this hands-on class, you will build a simple website (no coding required!) to showcase your portfolio using squarespace.com, a free and easy-to-use platform, which allows more...
263BIL395O 03/14 Sa 11:00am-1:30pm Marcheschi
ONLINE

Black and white stipple technique can produce smooth gradated tones, add texture and value, and suggest color. Learn the skills and procedures to master the method of using sized pens and ink or fine point markers such as Copic multiliners more...
263BIL458O 03/16 Mo 11:00am-2:30pm Jess
ONLINE

Bring the unique texture and subtle colors of an artichoke to life on paper using specific watercolor techniques. In this class, you'll explore the Fibonacci Sequence-how it influences the positioning of the artichoke blades-and practice layering washes to build up more...
263BIL309 03/24 Tu 11:00am-4:30pm Wry
NYBG

April

Explore the fascinating lives of birds of the Northeast as you learn to document their nesting, breeding, and migrating habits via a sketchbook journal.
264BIL412O 04/10 Fr 11:00am-1:30pm Petrochko
Sirch
ONLINE

This workshop will impart the instructor's method of using dry brush watercolor to replicate the colors, form, and texture of tulips. The demonstration will include color mixing, working light to dark, layering colors, adding fine detail, using dry brush, and more...
264BIL142O 04/11 Sa 10:30am-4:00pm Kluglein
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...
264BIL392O 04/11 Sa 10:30am-1:00pm Yu
ONLINE

This intro class teaches you basic botanical illustration techniques to help you make realistic drawings of branches, stems, leaves, and flowers using graphite.
264BIL145AO 04/13 Mo 6:00pm-9:00pm DeCicco
ONLINE

Learn how to create spring-inspired compositions across a two-page spread. Using ink, watercolor, and a provided template on paper vellum, you'll be able to illustrate and easily transfer your sketches of spring blooms and other botanical subjects onto a horizontal more...
264BIL275 04/13 Mo 11:00am-1:00pm Yount
NYBG

Capture the fleeting beauty of northeastern spring ephemerals that bloom from late April to May. In this class, you'll apply your watercolor skills to fascinating and colorful specimens such as bloodroot, trilium, trout lilies, dutchman's breeches, hepatica and mayapple—to name more...
264BIL345O 04/15 We 6:00pm-9:00pm Petrochko
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.
264BIL301DO 04/21 Tu 6:00pm-9:00pm Rawlins
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...
264BIL302AO 04/21 Tu 6:00pm-9:00pm Vogel
ONLINE
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