What keeps me going? My own curiosity and interests. I’ve had the idea of studying botanical drawing for years. When I was still in New York, I discovered that the NY Botanical Garden offered a certificate program in botanical art & illustration. But, the timing was not right probably because of my work schedule, the trials and tribulations of trying to make a baby, taking classes at Parsons for a fine art certificate program, and who knows what else.
Fast forward to 2017… I was new to Durham and I wanted to explore the educational opportunities here. I researched courses and workshops in the area and bumped into a Certificate in Botanical Art & Illustration program offered at the North Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill. I downloaded the brochure and the handbook and proceeded to map out my course of study for the next 3 years. The new enrollment period did not start for a few months. Thank goodness for that because I had time to ponder, “what the heck am I going to do with a certificate in botanical art?!” Realistically speaking, I wasn’t planning to pursue botanical drawing seriously… Needless to say, I did not enroll.
But, that downloaded brochure and handbook live on my desktop, reminding me that I would love to learn more about flowers while developing my drawing skills. So, I decided to embark on an “independent study” of botanical art. A study very loosely based on the course descriptions in that brochure/handbook I mentioned.
I have a few books on botanical drawings and prints. I have the internet. There are two botanical gardens near me, one with a library that is open to the public. I can do this!
Here’s my plan so far…
Step one: Review courses for year 1 (drawing, botany, plant taxonomy, watercolor).
Step two: Gather my materials (books, a journal, pencils, watercolor, eraser)
Step three: Start reading and sketching!
Are there things you’d like to study or learn? How could you begin your learning? What resources are available? Start making a plan and go for it!
I wish you well on this new learning journey! Sounds interesting. I am always studying new languages and listen to cds in the car.
Thank you, Leslie!
I hope you will update us on your progress! I love botanical illustrations. I have a small collection of 1800’s botanical prints passed down from my grandma that I’ve hung around my house. I wish I had the time to pursue a botanical illustration course!
Thanks for commenting, Rebecca! Yes, I will be documenting this little learning journey here on the blog. I would love to see those old botanical prints, lucky girl 🙂
It’s great to hear you starting this journey. I also wanted to share an amazing (and free!) class that I took on edx last summer. It’s not open right now, but I think it may run again. It was wonderful, highly recommend it!
https://www.edx.org/course/drawing-nature-science-culture-natural-newcastlex-nhi101x-1
Thanks for the encouragement and info, Victoria. I will check it out!