Botanical painting – pen and watercolour wash with Sandrine Maugy

Botanical art

Ref: S2D13374

Location: West Dean
£298
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About this course

With an emphasis on drawing and painting botanical sketches and studies, develop your skills using pens of various sizes and wet-in-wet watercolour washes.

Course Description

This course puts emphasis on drawing and painting botanical sketches and studies. For this, you will use pens of various types and sizes and wet-in-wet watercolour washes. The resulting work can be kept as finished colour studies or can be used as references for more elaborate paintings. This technique is also very useful if you like to work in the field.

During the course, you will develop your skills in wet-in-wet watercolour techniques, learn about composition, botanical drawing, tone and shadows, planning a painting, colours and colour mixing. You will also learn how to combine the accuracy of a pen line with the looseness of wet-in-wet washes, and how to paint colour sketches for future reference. You will start working on cartridge paper, drawing and painting ink and wash studies. As the course progresses, you will have the choice between continuing to work on studies or moving on to work on heavy watercolour paper, producing finished ink and watercolour pieces. You will work on your paintings, supported by demonstrations of techniques and materials advice from your tutor. You will also have individual tutorials and group reviews.

By the end of the course you will:

- Understand the different characteristics of working studies and finished pieces

- Gain theoretical knowledge as well as practice

- Be able to apply the skills learned to produce better paintings

- Improve the identification of colours and be able to reproduce them

- Produce several finished colour sketches

Timetable

Arrival Day - this is the first date listed above

Courses start early evening. Residential students to arrive from 4pm, non-residential students to arrive by 6.45pm.

6.45pm: Welcome, followed by dinner (included).

8 - 9pm: First teaching session, attendance is essential.

Daily timetable

Classes 9.15 - 5pm, lunch is included.

From 6.30pm: Dinner (included for residential students).

Evening working - students may have access to workshops until 9pm, but only with their tutor's permission and provided any health and safety guidelines are observed.

Last day

Classes 9.15am - 3pm, lunch is included.

Residential students are to vacate their rooms by 10am please.

(This timetable is for courses of more than one day in length. The tutor may make slight variations)

Course Materials

Included

  • Subjects to paint

What students need to bring

  • Cotton cloth for dabbing brushes and any materials you may have from the list below:
  • Pens of various widths (pens with nibs and a bottle of ink and/or felt tips) – waterproof
  • Cartridge paper or sketchbook
  • Tracing paper
  • Watercolour paints (anything you have as your tutor will talk about colour during the course, but please no cadmiums as they are opaque and can be toxic)
  • Watercolour brushes, preferably synthetics, in a range of sizes from 0 - 8
  • Palette(s)
  • Rubber, putty rubber and pencils

Available to buy

  • Available from shop:
  • A good variety of art materials including: pens of various widths, pens with nibs, bottle of ink, waterproof felt tips pens, cartridge paper, sketchbooks, tracing paper, watercolour paints
  • Watercolour brushes, preferably synthetics, in a range of sizes from 0 – 8, palettes, rubber, putty rubbers and pencils
  • Available from tutor:
  • Tracedown transfer paper, heavy watercolour paper, some paints and some pens

Additional information

Please wear appropriate clothing/aprons for the workshop or studio. This includes stout covered footwear, i.e. no open-toes or sandals.

Tutors

Sandrine Maugy: Lilly

Sandrine Maugy

Sandrine Maugy is a member of the Society of Floral Painters and the Society of Botanical Artists. She writes articles for Artists & Illustrators and her book Colours of Nature was published in 2013.

Accommodation

Residential option available. Find out accommodation costs and how to book here.

Courses of interest

Further study options

Take the next step in your creative practice, with foundation level to Masters in Fine Art study. 

Depending on your experience, start with an Online Foundation Certificate in Art and Design (one year, part-time), a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design made up of 10 short courses taken over two years (part-time) or advance your learning with our BA (Hons) Art and Contemporary Craft: Materials, Making, and Place (six years part-time). All will help you develop core skills, find direction in your practice and build an impressive portfolio in preparation for artist opportunities or higher-level study. See all degree and diploma courses.