Observe, gather & illustrate - Led by Hannah Lasseter

Thursdays 10:00am–12:00pm | Oct 22, 29, Nov 5 & 12 | $175

This course is built on one deceptively simple practice: look at one thing for a very long time. You'll start with a single flower and a magnifying glass, and by the end of four weeks you'll have produced a classical botanical plate — the kind of drawing that documents a plant's roots, stems, blooms, and seeds the way naturalists have for centuries — finished with a stamped SFA specimen label.

Colored pencil rewards patience, which makes it the perfect match for this subject. You'll learn to build color slowly in layers and to find the color inside the color: the violet in a petal's shadow, the yellow near its center, the green reflected underneath. In Week 2 you'll go outside and gather your own specimens — leaves, seed pods, grasses, pinecones — and compose them into a naturalist's study spread, complete with handwritten field notes.

The four weeks: Week 1, one flower, drawn slowly and closely. Week 2, gather specimens and compose a botanical collection page. Week 3, study the tradition of scientific botanical illustration and plan your plate. Week 4, complete your finished botanical plate and stamp it.

You'll take home: your single-flower study, your gathered collection spread, and a finished, labeled botanical plate.

Good to know: No drawing experience needed. All materials included, magnifying glasses and a table of botanical reference books provided. Limited to 12 participants.

*Photo credit: İclal Çapoğlu Cinal