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.
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...
Featuring
a
myriad
of
colors
ranging
from
green
to
red,
blue,
pink
and
purple,
tomatoes—a
kitchen
staple—are
fascinating
subjects
for
botanical
illustration.
Learn
how
to
observe
the
subtle
underlying
tones
as
you
prepare
to
draw
an
heirloom
tomato
using
colored
more...
This intro class teaches you basic botanical illustration techniques to help you make realistic drawings of branches, stems, leaves, and flowers using graphite.
Gain
an
understanding
of
how
light
interacts
with
multiple
botanical
subjects
in
a
single
composition.
Light
on
form
is
critical
to
creating
dimension
in
a
botanical
illustration;
when
a
composition
contains
several
botanical
specimens,
additional
attention
to
the
placement
of
more...
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...
This intro class teaches you basic botanical illustration techniques to help you make realistic drawings of branches, stems, leaves, and flowers using graphite.
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.
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...
Forethought
and
an
understanding
of
basic
composition
principles
are
the
foundation
of
any
balanced
work
of
art.
Through
group
critiques,
discussions
and
a
variety
of
exercises,
we'll
experiment
with
a
wide
range
of
principles,
including
focal
point,
the
rule
of
more...
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...
Replicate
the
colors,
luminosity,
form,
and
texture
of
autumn
squash
using
watercolor.
You'll
begin
by
learning
the
importance
of
selecting
interesting
specimens
from
the
Cucurbita
family
to
illustrate.
From
there,
you'll
practice
creating
fluid
line
drawings,
transferring
them
to
hot
more...
This intro class teaches you basic botanical illustration techniques to help you make realistic drawings of branches, stems, leaves, and flowers using graphite.
Late
summer
brings
an
abundance
of
composites—flower
types
that
are
composed
of
multiple
disc
and
ray
flowers
—reminiscent
of
sunny
days.
In
this
class,
you'll
use
ellipses
and
spirals
to
lay
out
your
drawings
before
transferring
them
to
vellum.
After
more...
Receive
an
introduction
to
the
fundamentals
of
plein
air
landscape
painting
using
the
wealth
of
picturesque
subjects
and
vistas
at
NYBG.
You'll
begin
in
the
classroom
to
practice
basic
watercolor
techniques,
brushwork,
and
color
mixing.
Then,
you'll
apply
what
you've
more...
Combine
your
love
of
nature
walks
with
the
pursuit
of
building
your
botanical
art
skillset.
With
found
pieces
of
nature
as
your
subject—such
as
leaves
and
seedpods—you'll
concentrate
on
building
simple
compositions
as
you
develop
a
broad
tonal
range,
adding
more...
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.
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...
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...
Learn
how
to
create
autumn-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
autumn
leaves
and
other
botanical
subjects
onto
a
horizontal
more...
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.
Pen and ink, among the most versatile and useful media, can be used to create high quality, easily reproducible drawings. Learn how to produce different strokes and how to create tone by using stipple, line, and crosshatch techniques.
The
focus
of
this
course
is
on
color
theory
and
application.
Colored
pencil
line
and
tone
can
be
applied
to
look
like
either
drawing
or
painting,
making
it
a
versatile
medium
for
creating
botanical
artwork.
Learn
a
variety
of
techniques,
more...