Botanical Art Tutorials ~ Whats New?! Plenty is afoot… it is Spring after all! (well almost)
Its not quiiiiite Spring yet its true, but for a botanical artist in Australia, late winter, or even mid winter… is near enough to declare the arrival of the new season. The bulbs are well and truly up, the first flush of the early season Magnolias I wait for every year have come, and some have even gone already. Its hardly fair that they are such a fleeting thing, but humans being humans, if we were to be blessed by such wonder all year round wed only become complacent about how wondrous they really are. Magnolias remind us that the new season is afoot, it comforts us with the incredible renewal it brings, and reminds us once more that time is such a fleeting thing. ‘Seize the day with enthusiasm’ is surely the message of spring!
With the very last of the autumn colours fading here now, I have completed and launched the Chasing Autumn painting tutorial, our wonderful ode to the Fall. This painting tutorial follows the Studio Basics course, and is our first real hands-on watercolour painting course. As many of you know, the Chasing Autumn painting tutorial explores the gorgeous shapes, colour and texture of 7 beautiful autumn leaf subjects, and explores the watercolour painting techniques needed to render these into finished paintings. The course is a wonderful ice breaker into the beautiful watercolour medium, and a perfect opportunity to explore the simpler end of botanical illustration… Most of all, its just a lot of botanical art fun!
The Autumn leaf painting tutorial was launched a week ago and has received such a positive response, which floods into my world every day now. Some of the most amazing results of this has been to gain the fabulous backing and endorsement from Eckersley’s Art Supplies here in Australia (Australias largest art supplies store) wanting to get behind anything I do – and an incredible average review rating of 4.9/5 stars for the Chasing Autumn Tutorial. What makes me happiest of all is the messages of jubilation, thanks and enthusiasm Ive received from so many of you having light bulb moments in my courses, and to see people finding their way forwards through my efforts.
With Autumn over now, its time to explore the glorious new season of Spring, and my first stop is to investigate the remarkable Magnolia Centre. The new Tutorial is called ‘Magnolia Centre ~ The Heart of the Matter’, and is the first in a new line of tutorials ~ The NutShell Series. I will announce more about the NutShell series soon, but The NutShell painting tutorials takes single elements within a larger subject and places it under the spotlight for an even closer look. Its the nitty-gritties! This focused approach will help us refine our techniques in specific areas of botanical art even further, and expand our knowledge and skill within the medium greatly. It also helps you to explore areas of difficulty with more clarity and depth, giving you a far more intricate sense of the pathway forwards. It is botanical painting in a Nutshell.
And so it is time to get to ‘The Heart of the Matter’ and explore the intricate centre of the glorious Magnolia. With so much diversity, the magnolia is a playground for botanical artists, and a perfect subject to explore on so many levels. Painting the centre is about focussing on detailed work, fine linework and of course dry brushing techniques. These techniques are so critical to the watercolour painting medium and couldn’t be more essential to creating successful Botanical Art.
So there you have it folks, currently on the botanical painting tutorials drawing board is ‘Magnolia Centre ~ The Heart of the Matter’ Im so excited. You can always check in on my Classroom to see and access whats available in the world of botanical painting tutorials, and there will be plenty more news on this in the coming weeks… But for now, back to work i go!!!