Botanical Art and Illustration
Students enrolled in the Botanical Art and Illustration Certificate program will learn how to draw botanical subjects with scientific accuracy, artistry and mastery of technical methods. Using a basic knowledge of plant morphology, participants will develop the skills needed to document plants in intricate detail, including the root system, upper and lower leaf surfaces, flowers, fruits and seed heads. This program is designed for students who are interested in pursuing art for pleasure and self-satisfaction, and they can choose between two concentrations: watercolor or colored pencil. Beginners, as well as those with art experience, are welcome. Students ay repeat most courses in the program at a 10-percent discount; however, a repeat course cannot apply toward certificate credit.
Receiving Class Credit: For both core and elective classes, students must attend all class sessions and complete and submit all the work required to earn class credit. Class credit is important if a student is pursuing the Basic or Advanced Botanical Art and Illustration certificate. Even if a student is not sure about pursuing the certificate, it is recommended that they earn credit for each class because this is difficult to do retroactively. If a student has to miss class (e.g. health reasons or a death in the family), they must contact the instructor at their earliest convenience to see if it’s possible to still earn class credit.
A note on recordings: The class recordings posted on Google Classroom are meant to aid students in completing their work between classes but are not a substitute for attending class. Students are required to attend all classes and are not allowed to miss class and watch the recordings for credit.
About the Program
Learn more about our certificate requirements, browse work from our students, meet our instructors and more.
For more details about our programs, or to receive personalized class recommendations from our helpful staff, please feel free to contact us at edu@phipps.conservatory.org.
Confirmations will be emailed the day before each class, including a Zoom link. Please check your spam/junk mail folder, and if you have not received the link, email edu@phipps.conservatory.org.
Relevant demos from virtual classes are recorded and made available to all registered participants for one month after the program.
Cancellation policy:
Contact edu@phipps.conservatory.org or 412-441-4442 ext. 3925 to cancel a class registration.
- Up to two weeks before the class (or the first class date, for a multi-session class), you may receive a full refund minus a non-refundable $10 adminstrative fee.
- Up to 72 hours (3 days) before the class or the first class date, you may receive a 50% refund.
- Less than 72 hours (3 days) before the class or the first class date, there are no refunds.
- Special events like conferences will have a separate cancellation policy and refund deadline.
All times are Eastern Time Zone.
Want to sign up with a gift certificate?
Contact Phipps at edu@phipps.conservatory.org or 412-441-4442 ext. 3925 with your choice of class to sign up with a gift certificate. If there is a remaining balance for the class or a remaining balance on the gift certificate, we will discuss those details.
Current Classes
Click titles for full details
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Painting Your Backyard Birds in Watercolor | Visiting Artist Kelly Radding | Saturdays: June 3, 17, 24 | 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
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Pen and Ink I | Lisa Rasmussen | Tuesdays: June 6, 13, 20, 27, July 11, 18 | 6 - 9 p.m. | After-class meeting: Tues., July 25, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
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Watercolor Drybrush/Limning Techniques | Christine Hutson | Wednesdays: June 7, 14, 21, 28, July 5, 12 | 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | After-class meeting: Wed., July 26, 9:30 - 11 a.m.
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Botanical Drawing III: Volume and Texture | Melissa Fabian | Wednesdays: June 7, 14, 21, 28, July 5, 12 | 6 - 9 p.m. | After-class meeting: Wed., July 26, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
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Botanical Drawing I: Foundations | Robin Menard | Saturdays: June 17, 24, July 8 | 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. | After-class meeting: Mon., July 17, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
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Colored Pencil I: Techniques | Amy Lindenberger | Saturdays: July 8, 15, Sunday, July 30 | 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. | After-class meeting: Tues., Aug. 8, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
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Discover Luminosity Techniques Using Colored Pencils | Visiting Artist David Morrison | Friday, Saturday, Sunday: July 21, 22 and 23 | 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. [In-person] | This class is now filled. Sign up for the waiting list here.
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Reduction Block Printing with Botanical Imagery | Lisa Rasmussen | Mondays: July 24, 31, Aug. 7, 14, 21, 28 | 6 - 9 p.m. | After-class meeting: Mon., Sept. 11, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
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Drawing Owls of Pennsylvania and Their Native Habitats | Melissa Fabian | Tuesdays: Aug. 1, 8, 15, 22 | 6 - 9 p.m. | After-class meeting: Tues., Aug. 29, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
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Watercolor I: Techniques and Color Theory | Brenda Gail Jordan | Sundays: Aug. 6, 20, 27 | 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. | After-class meeting: Tues., Sept. 5, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
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Botanical Drawing II: Volume, Texture and Details | Robin Menard | Saturdays: Aug. 12, 19, 26 | 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. | After-class meeting: Sept. 11, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
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Colored Pencil Florals on Black Paper I-V | Amy Lindenberger | Saturdays: Aug. 12, 19, 26 | 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. | After-class meeting: Tues., Sept. 5, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
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Greens in Watercolor | Amy Lewandowski | Thursdays: Aug. 24, 31, Sept. 7, 14, 21, 28 | 6 - 9 p.m. | After-class meeting: Thurs., Oct. 19, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Classes Currently in Progress
- 2023 Phipps’ Allegheny Highlands Flora Project: Exhibition of Foraged Plants in Southwestern PA (with an emphasis on the edible parts of each plant) | Plant Selection | Monday Feb. 20 | 6 - 8 p.m. on the Zoom platform | Robin Menard and Stephanie Lind | Student orientation | Monday Feb. 27 | 6 – 8 p.m. on the Zoom platform | Robin Menard | Hunt Institute will be emailing digital images to participants in June 2023 | In Person Guided open studios | Sundays: July 16; Aug. 13; Sept. 17; Oct.15; and Nov. 12 | 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
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Botanical Drawing III: Volume and Texture | Robin Menard | Sundays: May 14, 21, June 10 | 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. | After-class meeting: Tuesday, June 20, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Detailed Listings
Painting Your Backyard Birds in Watercolor | Visiting Artist Kelly Radding
Saturdays: June 3, 17, 24 | 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
$230 members | $260 nonmembers
Presented as a live webinar through Zoom
Objective: To be able to observe, record and paint your backyard birds in watercolor from loose washes to fine details.
Level: Beginner to Advanced
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II and Watercolor I
Relevant demos are recorded and made available to pre-registered students within 1 week of each class session. Videos will be viewable for one month from receipt.
Observing your backyard birds is a rewarding way to connect to Nature. Watercolor is a versatile medium to preserve those connections. Techniques include: loose washes that add color notes to informal sketches, wet pigment into wet washes to create spontaneous, creative colors and patterns, wet transparent washes over dried layers to build depth, color and form, and dry brush strokes to achieve fine details. In this workshop, we’ll begin with how to observe and record your favorite backyard birds; learning techniques for live observation, ‘live’ sketching from videos, and how to work from photographs that will enable you to draw the basic form of your birds. We will then learn and practice basic watercolor techniques that will bring your birds to life with color through pre-recorded videos, demonstrations and working live in class.
From there we will learn more advanced watercolor techniques to build up the skills to create more detailed depictions of birds that includes dry brush and adding a suggestion of habitat. In our last session, the instructor will do a quick demonstration of several other ways to add color to your birds in combination with watercolor. These materials, such as gouache & colored pencils, will be listed as optional on the materials list. Whether your interest is in keeping a watercolor journal of the birds in your backyard, or you have a goal of creating realistic bird paintings in watercolor, this workshop will help you learn valuable watercolor techniques and gain the confidence to attain your goals.
Botanical Art and Illustration certificate elective
Pen and Ink I | Lisa Rasmussen
Tuesdays: June 6, 13, 20, 27, July 11, 18 | 6 - 9 p.m.
After-class meeting: Tues., July 25, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
$245 members | $275 nonmembers
Presented as a live webinar through Zoom
Objective: To be able to make tonal and semi-schematic drawing with pen and ink.
Level: Intermediate
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II
Relevant demos are recorded and made available to pre-registered students within 1 week of each class session. Videos will be viewable for one month from receipt.
Beginning with the fundamentals of pen and ink techniques, learn how to use different strokes to create a compositional balance of black and white tones.
Botanical Art and Illustration certificate core course
Watercolor Drybrush/Limning Techniques | Christine Hutson
Wednesdays: June 7, 14, 21, 28, July 5, 12 | 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
After-class meeting: Wed., July 26, 9:30 - 11 a.m.
$220 members | $250 nonmembers
Presented as a live webinar through Zoom
Objective: To be able to build on or improve drybrush limning style techniques and create details illustrations
Level: Intermediate
Prerequisites: Watercolor I
Relevant demos are recorded and made available to pre-registered students within 1 week of each class session. Videos will be viewable for one month from receipt.
Limning, a traditional painting method dating back to the Renaissance, has been used by botanical artists and illustrators for centuries and is still favored by those who need to portray their subjects with great precision. For this technique, tiny brushstrokes are used to build up a highly detailed image. Receive online step-by-step instruction on this watercolor technique and practice it using high-quality photos of plants and flowers that you select as references.
Botanical Art and Illustration certificate elective
Botanical Drawing III: Volume and Texture | Melissa Fabian
Wednesdays: June 7, 14, 21, 28, July 5, 12, 19 | 6 - 9 p.m.
After-class meeting: Wed., July 26, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
$265 members | $295 nonmembers
Presented as a live webinar through Zoom
Objective: To be able to develop and apply drawing skills to create accurate illustrations using form, perspective and texture.
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II
Relevant demos are recorded and made available to pre-registered students within 1 week of each class session. Videos will be viewable for one month from receipt.
Building on skills acquired in Botanical Drawing I and II, use a variety of pencils, paper, tone and line to create full botanical portraits, accurately capturing details such as texture, growth patterns, roots, flowers and leaves.
Botanical Art and Illustration certificate core course
Botanical Drawing I: Foundations | Robin Menard
Saturdays: June 17, 24, July 8 | 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
After-class meeting: Mon. July 17, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
$265 members | $295 nonmembers
Presented as a live webinar through Zoom
Objective: To be able to accurately draw three-dimensional shapes using line and tone and to employ geometric and aerial perspective in drawing botanical subjects.
Level: Beginner
Prerequisites: None
Relevant demos are recorded and made available to pre-registered students within 1 week of each class session. Videos will be viewable for one month from receipt.
Botanical illustration differs from traditional drawing because it captures a subject with scientific accuracy through observation, form and detail. Learn to identify basic shapes in nature and use a step-by-step process to create the illusion of depth through light, shadow and perspective.
Botanical Art and Illustration certificate core course
Colored Pencil I: Techniques | Amy Lindenberger
Saturdays: July 8, 15, Sun. July 30 | 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
After-class meeting: Tues. Aug. 8, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
$245 members | $275 nonmembers
Presented as a live webinar through Zoom
Registration for this class will close on June 26.
Objective: To be able to create a gradual transition of tone and color with colored pencils.
Level: Intermediate
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II
Relevant demos are recorded and made available to pre-registered students within 1 week of each class session. Videos will be viewable for one month from receipt.
Using different techniques, you can make colored pencil tones look like a drawing or painting, providing you work with the versatility to create a wide variety of surface textures. Develop your color perception and become familiar with colored pencil tools, color applications and color theory fundamentals. Learn to layer colors to achieve different hues and densities and master a variety of techniques, including burnishing, impressed line and sgraffito.
Botanical Art and Illustration certificate core course (Colored Pencil concentration)
Discover Luminosity Techniques Using Colored Pencils | Visiting Artist David Morrison
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: July 21, 22 and 23 | 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. (with lunch break)
$295 members | $325 nonmembers
Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park (in-person)
Objective: To be able to develop illumination techniques with color pencils
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II (Possibly Colored Pencil I and II)
The focus of this three-day workshop will be on developing illumination techniques with colored pencils using lichen-covered twigs as the subject matter. There will be demonstrations and discussions of the under-painting with watercolor pencils, layering with colored pencils, and ways to blend and develop rich depths of color. The goal is to inspire observation and drawing skills with colored pencils.
Botanical Art and Illustration certificate elective
This class is now filled. Click below to sign up for the waiting list.
Reduction Block Printing with Botanical Imagery | Lisa Rasmussen
Mondays: July 24, 31, Aug. 7, 14, 21, 28 | 6 - 9 p.m.
After-class meeting: Mon., Sept. 11, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
$285 members | $315 nonmembers
Kits containing materials for printmaking will be mailed out to students prior to class. Kit prices are part of the tuition.
Presented as a live webinar through Zoom
Objective: To be able to apply the skills learned in Introduction to Printmaking with botanical imagery for reduction block printing
Level: Beginner to Advanced
Prerequisites: Introduction to Printmaking with Botanical Imagery (or equivalent experience)
Relevant demos are recorded and made available to pre-registered students within 1 week of each class session. Videos will be viewable for one month from receipt.
In this course, you will create a three-color block print of a botanical subject using a linoleum type plate. This course will take you through the process of creating a print using the reduction block printing method in which part of the plate is carved away then printed, more of the plate is carved away and printed and so on working from the lightest color to the darkest. You will also learn how registration works when using multiple colors.
Botanical Art and Illustration certificate elective
Drawing Owls of Pennsylvania and Their Native Habitats | Melissa Fabian
Tuesdays: Aug. 1, 8, 15, 22 | 6 - 9 p.m.
After-class meeting: Tues., Aug. 29, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
$175 members | $195 nonmembers
Presented as a live webinar through Zoom
Objective: To be able to illustrate an owl in its natural habitat with accuracy and artistic appeal.
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and at least one of the following; Colored Pencil I, Pen and Ink I or Watercolor I
Relevant demos are recorded and made available to pre-registered students within 1 week of each class session. Videos will be viewable for one month from receipt.
As part of our series of drawing birds and their habitats we will continue with Owls of Pennsylvania. Students will use various resources to study and observe the unique characteristics and behaviors of the state’s 8 owl species. Sketching study pages of the owl’s body and movements along with sketches of their nesting preferences and surrounding habitat will be used to create a final illustration of the chosen Owl. In this drawing birds class the various types of paper and medium will be sampled to give an option of night or day on the final illustration.
The drawing birds series of classes has developed into a wonderful mix of art and ecology, many students find the information researched and illustrated creates a personal desire to help birds thrive in an often challenging environment.
Botanical Art and Illustration certificate elective
Watercolor I: Techniques and Color Theory | Brenda Gail Jordan
Sundays: Aug. 6, 20, 27 | 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
After-class meeting: Tues., Sept. 5, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
$250 members | $280 nonmembers
Presented as a live webinar through Zoom
Objective: To be able to control the brush, pigment and paper while learning to combine watercolor paints to create a rich and varied palette.
Level: Beginner to intermediate
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II
Relevant demos are recorded and made available to pre-registered students within 1 week of each class session. Videos will be viewable for one month from receipt.
Students will learn the basics of transparent watercolor as a medium, and gain a foundational understanding of the brushes, paper, and paints suitable for botanical watercolor. Using a limited palette, students will explore techniques such as washes and glazes, and practice creating a full range of hues, shades and tones using the limited palette. Through demonstrations and exercises, students will produce a series of studies that demonstrate the foundational techniques of transparent watercolor and application of those techniques to rendering plant forms.
Assignments for the day will be due by Friday at 5 p.m. of the following week, so that the instructor can put together a power point of all assignments for an in-class critique the next morning. All assignments for the class will be due one month from the date of the last class.
Botanical Art and Illustration certificate core course (Watercolor concentration)
Botanical Drawing II: Volume, Texture and Details | Robin Menard
Saturdays: Aug. 12, 19, 26 | 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
After-class meeting: Mon., Sept. 11, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
$265 members | $295 nonmembers
Presented as a live webinar through Zoom
Objective: To be able to apply skills gained in Botanical Drawing I to accurately capture various plant forms, details and textures that are unique to the subject.
Level: Intermediate
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I
Relevant demos are recorded and made available to pre-registered students within 1 week of each class session. Videos will be viewable for one month from receipt.
Continue to develop your observation and drawing skills to accurately render leaves, stems, roots and flowers in varying positions, capturing details and textures unique to the botanical subject.
Botanical Art and Illustration certificate core course
Colored Pencil Florals on Black Paper I-V | Amy Lindenberger
Saturdays: Aug. 12, 19, 26 | 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
After-class meeting: Tues., Sept 5, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
$225 members | $255 nonmembers
Presented as a live webinar through Zoom
Objective: To be able to create colored pencil botanical drawings on black background.
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II, Colored Pencil I (or equivalent experience)
Relevant demos are recorded and made available to pre-registered students within 1 week of each class session. Videos will be viewable for one month from receipt.
Colored pencil drawings are traditionally applied to white or light, neutral colored papers. But some subjects – such as night blooming flowers – can be much more effective against very dark backgrounds and those backgrounds can be difficult (and labor intensive) to achieve with colored pencil. Discuss colored pencil opacity and explore key techniques for using colored pencil on black and very dark-colored surfaces to keep colors true and luminous.
Botanical Art and Illustration certificate elective
Greens in Watercolor | Amy Lewandowski
Thursdays: Aug. 24, 31, Sept. 7, 14, 21, 28 | 6 - 9 p.m.
After-class meeting: Thurs. Oct. 19, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
$250 members | $280 nonmembers
Presented as a live webinar through Zoom
Objective: To be able to create a variety of greens in watercolor and apply them to plant specimens.
Level: Advanced
Prerequisites: Watercolor I
Relevant demos are recorded and made available to pre-registered students within 1 week of each class session. Videos will be viewable for one month from receipt.
Plants often have a wide variety of beautiful greens, and it can be challenging to represent these different colors accurately. Learn how to assess the differences in the greens of plants by observing their subtle variations in hue, value, and intensity. Practice painting different greens through a series of watercolor mixing exercises and then apply this information to an illustration of a single leaf or of multiple specimens.
Botanical Art and Illustration certificate elective
2023 Phipps’ Allegheny Highlands Flora Project: Exhibition of Foraged Plants in Southwestern PA (with an emphasis on the edible parts of each plant)
Plant Selection | Monday Feb. 20 | 6 - 8 p.m. on the Zoom platform | Robin Menard and Stephanie Lind
Student orientation | Monday Feb. 27 | 6 – 8 p.m. on the Zoom platform | Robin Menard
Hunt Institute will be emailing digital images to participants in June 2023
In Person Guided open studios | Sundays: July 16; Aug. 13; Sept. 17; Oct.15; and Nov. 12 | 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. |
$180 members | $200 nonmembers
Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park
Objective: To be able to create a botanical illustration from the beginning to end
Level: Intermediate to advanced
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II, Watercolor I or Colored Pencil I
Learn how to research and produce a beautiful and accurate painting of a foraged plant. In this long-term collaborative project, create a watercolor or colored pencil painting, a copy of which will be catalogued into the Phipps’ Allegheny Highlands Flora Project for future educational or marketing uses. Botanical Art and Illustration Certificate elective
Botanical Drawing III: Volume and Texture | Robin Menard
Sundays: May 14, 21 and Saturday, June 10 | 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
After-class meeting: Tues., June 20, 6 - 7:30 p.m.
$265 members | $295 nonmembers
Presented as a live webinar through Zoom
Objective: To be able to develop and apply drawing skills to create accurate illustrations using form, perspective and texture
Level: Intermediate to advanced
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II
Relevant demos are recorded and made available to pre-registered students within 1 week of each class session. Videos will be viewable for one month from receipt.
Building on skills acquired in Botanical Drawing I and II, use a variety of pencils, paper, tone and line to create full botanical portraits, accurately capturing details such as texture, growth patterns, roots, flowers and leaves.
Botanical Art and Illustration certificate core class
About the Program
Learn more about our certificate requirements, browse work from our students, meet our instructors and more.
