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 may repeat most courses in the program at a 10-percent discount; however, a repeat course cannot apply toward certificate credit.
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.
Pen and Ink I | Melissa Fabian
Saturdays: July 14 and 21; Aug. 4 | 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$220 members | $250 nonmembers
Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park
Objective: To be able to make tonal and semi-schematic drawings with pen and ink
Level: Intermediate
Prerequisite: Botanical Drawing I and II
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 II: Applications | Brenda Jordan
Saturdays: July 14 and 28; Aug. 4 | 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$228 members | $258 nonmembers (price includes specimen fee)
Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park
Objective: To be able to create three-dimensional botanical portrayals using and enhancing practices learned in Watercolor I
Level: Intermediate
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II, and Watercolor I
Build upon your knowledge from Watercolor I to learn additional techniques used in transparent watercolor and practice manipulating watercolor using different brushes and papers. Discover new colors and techniques for mixing colors, as well as rendering blacks and whites in transparent watercolor. Apply your new skills to studies of plant forms, including a final project that demonstrates your control of watercolor techniques for accurate rendering of botanical forms. Botanical Art and Illustration Certificate (Watercolor Concentration) core course
Guided Open Studio: Composition | Weldon Doran
Sunday, July 15 | 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
$15 members | $20 nonmembers (price is per session)
Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park
July 15: Weldon Doran | Composition
Objective: To have improved technique while working on a botanical art project
Level: Beginner to advanced
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II, Watercolor I or Colored Pencil I
Making time to concentrate on your art can be tough! Join fellow botanical artists at these open studio sessions, and find the inspiration and support to start, continue and finish projects. Work on class work, your portfolio or something totally new. Current Flora students may attend as part of their Flora Project fee. Bring your artwork and materials and enjoy the time to create.
Colored Pencil I: Techniques | Amy Lindenberger
Sundays: July 22 and 29; Aug. 5 | 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$220 members | $250 nonmembers
Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park
Objective: To be able to create a gradual transition of tone and color with colored pencils
Level: Intermediate
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II
Using different techniques, you can make colored pencil tones look like a drawing or a painting, providing you 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
Botanical Drawing II: Volume, Texture and Details | Robin Menard
Saturdays: Aug. 11, 18 and 25 | 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$220 members | $250 nonmembers
Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park
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
Prerequisite: Botanical Drawing I
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
Guided Open Studio: General Assistance | Robin Menard
Sunday, Aug. 12 | 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
$15 members | $20 nonmembers (price is per session)
Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park
Aug. 12: Robin Menard | General Assistance
Objective: To have improved technique while working on a botanical art project
Level: Beginner to advanced
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II, Watercolor I or Colored Pencil I
Making time to concentrate on your art can be tough! Join fellow botanical artists at these open studio sessions, and find the inspiration and support to start, continue and finish projects. Work on class work, your portfolio or something totally new. Current Flora students may attend as part of their Flora Project fee. Bring your artwork and materials and enjoy the time to create.
Drawing and Identifying Trees in Mellon Park During Four Seasons | Melissa Fabian
Sunday, Aug. 19 and Saturday, Nov. 3 | 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$145 members | $165 nonmembers
Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park
Objective: To be able to illustrate deciduous trees in four seasons
Level: Intermediate
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II (Foreshortening and Pen & Ink I recommended, but not necessary)
Sharpen your ability to illustrate local deciduous trees throughout 4 seasons, starting with late summer and late fall. Creating the mass of leaves on a sugar maple or the many branches of a river birch in winter can be daunting. Drawing techniques involving shadows, highlights and perspectives and others will be taught. Various mediums will be used; graphite, ink, charcoal/pastel and washes. Keys to tree identification will be presented and practiced to further classroom/field illustration. Choose to illustrate one tree throughout the four seasons or keep a journal of the identified trees during the four season classes. Botanical Art and Illustration Certificate elective
Gorgeous Greens in Watercolor | Amy Lewandowski
Sat., Aug. 25 and Sun., Aug. 26 | 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$152 members | $172 nonmembers (includes specimen fee)
Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park
Objective: To be able to create a variety of greens in watercolor and apply them to plant specimens
Level: Advanced
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II, Watercolor I and II
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
The Illuminated Botanical ABCDerium: Drawing from History | Visiting Artist Kandy Phillips
Sat., Sept. 15 and Sun., Sept.16 | 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
$285 members | $325 nonmembers (includes specialty supply fee)
Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park
Objective: To be able to illuminate a series of four historical plant inspired letterforms
Level: Advanced
Prerequisite: Botanical Drawing I and II, Watercolor I and II or equivalent watercolor experience (check with program registrar)
During this two-day workshop, Kandy Phillips will provide step-by-step instruction, including painting techniques, white work, tooling on gold and flat gilding with composite leaf for you to create a series of four historical plant inspired letterforms. Using the provided templates, copy the samples to begin your own ABCderium in an art form that sees rich colors glow. Creative adaptations are encouraged! Prep work prior to class is expected along with a working knowledge of fine watercolor painting. Botanical Art and Illustration Certificate elective
The Hunt Institute exhibition, Alphabetus Botanicus (Thurs., Sept. 13 – Fri., Dec. 14), features the illuminated letters of Kandis Vermeer Phillips alongside artwork of plants from A to Z from the Institute collection, illuminated manuscripts from special collections at Carnegie Mellon University and materials used in illumination. A public reception will be held on Thurs., Sept. 13 from 5 – 7 p.m. Phillips will give a demonstration on drawing letter forms in silverpoint in the gallery on Fri., Sept. 14 from 10 a.m. – noon and 2 – 4 p.m. She will have sketches available showing the metalpoint process, along with various metals and prepared papers with which visitors may experiment. In addition, she will informally discuss the history of illumination and metalpoint during the demonstration.
Guided Open Studio: Foreshortening, Shadow/Highlights | Melissa Fabian
Sunday, Sept. 23 | 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
$15 members | $20 nonmembers (price is per session)
Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park
Sept. 23: Melissa Fabian | Foreshortening, Shadow/Highlights
Objective: To have improved technique while working on a botanical art project
Level: Beginner to advanced
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II, Watercolor I or Colored Pencil I
Making time to concentrate on your art can be tough! Join fellow botanical artists at these open studio sessions, and find the inspiration and support to start, continue and finish projects. Work on class work, your portfolio or something totally new. Current Flora students may attend as part of their Flora Project fee. Bring your artwork and materials and enjoy the time to create.
Guided Open Studio: General Assistance | Robin Menard
Sunday, Oct. 21 | 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
$15 members | $20 nonmembers (price is per session)
Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park
Oct. 21: Robin Menard | General Assistance
Objective: To have improved technique while working on a botanical art project
Level: Beginner to advanced
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II, Watercolor I or Colored Pencil I
Making time to concentrate on your art can be tough! Join fellow botanical artists at these open studio sessions, and find the inspiration and support to start, continue and finish projects. Work on class work, your portfolio or something totally new. Current Flora students may attend as part of their Flora Project fee. Bring your artwork and materials and enjoy the time to create.
Guided Open Studio: Botanical Textures | Melissa Fabian
Sunday, Nov. 11 | 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
$15 members | $20 nonmembers (price is per session)
Phipps Garden Center in Mellon Park
Nov. 11: Melissa Fabian | Botanical Textures
Objective: To have improved technique while working on a botanical art project
Level: Beginner to advanced
Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing I and II, Watercolor I or Colored Pencil I
Making time to concentrate on your art can be tough! Join fellow botanical artists at these open studio sessions, and find the inspiration and support to start, continue and finish projects. Work on class work, your portfolio or something totally new. Current Flora students may attend as part of their Flora Project fee. Bring your artwork and materials and enjoy the time to create.
Phipps Flora Project: Weeds and Invasive Plants of Southwestern Pennsylvania | Robin Menard
Student orientation | Sun., March 25 | 10 a.m. – noon
Botanical lecture | Sun., March 25 | 1 – 3 p.m. | Jeanne Poremski
Hunt Institute visit | Sun., June 10 | 1 – 3 p.m.
Guided open studios | Sundays: July 15; Aug. 12; Sept. 23; Oct. 21; and Nov. 11
$135 members | $155 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 botanical painting from start to finish. 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
This class is now filled. Please call 412/441-4442 ext. 3925 or e-mail with questions, or to be placed on the waiting list.
