Tutor: Karin Eklund
Date: Saturday 26th April 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £85
Location: Classroom

Keeping a sketchbook is the best habit an artist can have. The more you draw from reality the easier it will be to develop your own style and compositions. Using the Garden and Glasshouse Range as your starting points, Karin will give creative prompts to introduce new materials and techniques throughout the course: looking carefully at plants, drawing from observation and gradually introducing elements of imagination, memory and found materials. The day will start with a short introductory talk introducing examples of botanical drawings from art history and by contemporary artists. Through these examples, we will gain inspiration and be given a focus and theme for the session before heading out in the Garden. It is up to you how you interpret and develop your ideas. You can expect a joyful, creative and explorative approach set in a friendly and informative atmosphere.

Tutor: Nabil Ali
Date: Tuesday 03rd June 2025 - Thursday 05th June 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £210
Location: Classroom

During this course you will explore the Botanic Garden to gather materials to develop a plant colour palette. This hands-on experience will provide you with the knowledge and tools to create your paint systems using plants as a medium for artistic expression. You will learn about colour compositions, paint layering, natural binders, organic fillers, preservatives and coloured egg glazes. Each day will be dedicated to exploring specific plants related to different colours, such as blue, red, yellow, orange, purple, green and black. Additionally, you will have exclusive access to an 'organic paint recipe archive' and the Botanic Dyes Colour Research, offering detailed insights into the practical foundations of paint-making using a variety of common and unusual plants. During the course Nabil will guide you around the Botanic Garden following the 'Dyes from Plants' garden trail.

Tutor: John Wiltshire
Date: Tuesday 10th June 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £85
Location: Classroom

This course is designed to build on your existing experience with watercolour and provide you with tools which will help you to continue to grow as a watercolour painter. Over the session you will be introduced to various approaches and methods to apply your own painterly vision to your practice. We will look at the Botanic Garden and how to approach this exciting and vibrant subject for yourself ‘en plein air’. You will be briefly revisiting the basics of watercolour technique and introduced to practical applications of a limited palette technique. Materials will be provided, but you are welcome to bring any materials that you would prefer to use.

Tutor: Karin Eklund
Date: Saturday 21st June 2025 - Sunday 22nd June 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £155
Location: Classroom

Join illustrator Karin Eklund for an immersive weekend exploring drawing techniques, tailored for all levels. Both sessions will start with time in the Garden, where we'll engage in short observational drawing sessions, followed by time in our on-site Classroom where we will delve into various aspects of illustration, including composition, character design and creating captivating environments. Karin will offer creative prompts and share a selection of picture books to inspire your artistic endeavours and encourage you to mix your imagination and memories to create visual stories with the Garden as your backdrop. By the end of the weekend, you will have developed multiple sketches and a few finalised illustrations and might even come away with the seeds of a new book idea. It is up to you how you interpret and develop your ideas. You can expect a joyful, creative and explorative approach set in a friendly and informative atmosphere.

Tutor: John Wiltshire
Date: Tuesday 8th July 2025 - Wednesday 9th July 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £155
Location: Classroom

On this two-day course in oil painting technique, professional artist John Wiltshire will demonstrate techniques and approaches to oil painting in the open air. With enough time to create your own painting this is a rare opportunity to work in the beautiful, historic setting of the Botanic Garden and explore oil painting over an extended period. Use the techniques of ‘il primatura’ and ‘a la prima’ painting and expect to learn some of the ‘tricks of the trade’ that will enhance and accelerate your own painting so that you will come away with practical insight into how to develop as a painter. Materials will be provided, but you are welcome to bring any materials that you would prefer to use. This course is suitable for beginners or those looking to improve their painting technique.

Tutor: Nabil Ali
Date: Tuesday 21st October 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £85
Location: Classroom

Learn about the dye processing techniques that date back hundreds of years with an insight into the Herbarium digital collections of lichen research by past lichen explorers. You will have the opportunity to use lichen dyes and paint to create lichen images and dye samples.