Botanical drawing & art

Entry requirements: None.

Are you fascinated by botanical gardens, unique plants, or even just a single leaf you find on a walk? Do you have a soft spot for botanical imagery? You can learn it yourself! In this course, you will learn how to combine botanical drawing and art, both from observation and from imagination.

We’ll draw inspiration from classical botanical illustrations as well as imaginative gardens, such as the Classical Gardens of Suzhou. You’ll learn how to draw strong shapes, proportions, and line contrasts, and how to translate sensory impressions like scent and color into visual form. This course is all about depicting the botanical world we love to immerse ourselves in.

We’ll experiment with techniques for creating botanical drawings using pencil, fineliner, and technical pen, and we’ll also work with colorful (dried) botanical materials.

Through short exercises, you’ll build drawing confidence. You’ll also work on a finished botanical illustration. You’ll go home with a collection of sketches, experiments, and a unique botanical creation to hang on your wall!

What you will learn

• Botanical drawing from observation and imagination

• Line contrast, proportions, shading, and composition

• Working with color and layering in botanical art

• Experimenting with various materials and techniques

• Using storytelling in your artwork

Course fee includes material costs!

About the teacher

Ying Yi Wu is a visual artist and storyteller, specialized in Botanical Art. She graduated from HKU in 2018. Inspired by nature, she enjoys working with botanical materials and exploring the sensory ways in which nature affects us. She dries flowers, leaves, and seeds herself, and uses them to create stories in the form of animals, portraits, symbols, landscapes, fantasies, and letters. In her classes, she sets stories in motion, immersing participants in a sense of togetherness and the sensory process of making. 

For more information about the teacher, visit https://yingyi.art.