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.
Botanical painting – Late summer fruit and flowers at West Dean with Sandrine Maugy
Ref: S2D40677
About this course
Inspired by the late summer West Dean Gardens, learn essential watercolour painting techniques and gain the confidence to produce beautiful plant portraits. Study colour mixing, the depiction of shadows, and the use of wet-on-wet as well as dry brush techniques.
Course Description
The beautiful gardens of West Dean and the array of summer colours provide the inspiration for this course. Flowers, leaves and fruit will be freshly picked from the walled garden and the rest of the grounds, and will be displayed in the studio for you to choose.
The sessions include morning lectures, as well as many demonstrations and personal tuition throughout the day. These will help you improve your understanding of colour-mixing theory and practice, learning how to identify colours and reproduce them. Time is dedicated to mixing green and painting leaves, an essential yet particularly tricky part of botanical painting.
The issue of shadows is also addressed: how to mix the right colour without using black or white and how and where to put the shadows for a three-dimensional effect without intruding on the subjects colour, especially on light or luminous colours such as yellow. The aim is to portray the stunning and glowing colours of plants while rendering the depth produced by a large range of tonal values.
There is an extensive use of the wet-on-wet technique; by the end of the course, you will be more familiar with the watercolour painting process. You should be able to use watercolours with more confidence and paint better, stunning plant portraits.
Course Materials
Included
The course fee includes the cost of providing additional flowers and fruit.
What students need to bring
- A piece of cotton cloth (face towel, cotton tea towel or cotton handkerchief)
- Cartridge paper or sketchbook
- Drawing materials (pencil, rubber, ruler and a compass might be useful)
- Watercolour paints (anything you have, but no Cadmiums please, as they are opaque)
- Watercolour paper, at least 300gsm (425gsm is better and 640gsm even better), Hot Pressed or Cold Pressed, Fabriano Artistico works better than Arches for wet-on-wet techniques.
- Paintbrushes (preferably synthetics) in a range of sizes from 0 to 8
- Palette(s)
- Tracing paper and TraceDown transfer paper
Available to buy
Available from shop: A good variety of art materials are available to buy, including cartridge paper and sketchbooks, drawing materials, watercolour paints (pans and tubes), watercolour paper (300gsm/ 425gsm) Hot Pressed and Cold Pressed, Fabriano Artistico or Saunders Waterford, paintbrushes (synthetics) in a range of sizes from 0 to 8, palettes and tracing paper.
Available from tutor: Paints and paint sets, heavy watercolour paper, washi tape
Additional information
Please wear appropriate clothing/aprons for the workshop or studio, this includes stout covered footwear, i.e. no open-toes or sandals.
Timetable
Arrival day - first date of course
Residential students can arrive from 4pm, non-residential students to arrive by 6.45pm for registration
Student welcome, followed by dinner: 6.45pm (dinner included)
Teaching session: 8pm-9pm (attendance is essential)
Daily timetable
Course teaching: 9.15am-5pm
Morning session: 9.15am-12.45pm including coffee/tea break
Lunch break: 12.45pm-2pm (lunch included)
Afternoon session: 2pm-5pm including coffee/tea break
Teaching finishes: 5pm
Evening working: students may have access to workshops until 9pm, but only with permission from the tutor and provided any health and safety guidelines are observed.
Departure day - last date of course
Course teaching: 9.15am-3pm (lunch included)
Teaching finishes: 3pm
Residential students will need to check out of rooms by 10am.
Please note, the tutor may make slight variations to the daily timetable as required.
General Information
Tutors
Accommodation
Residential option available. Find out accommodation costs and how to book here.
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.