In response to the popularity of the Margaret Flockton Award, Lesley Elkan and Catherine Wardrop, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust illustrators, will be conducting a two-day workshop in black and white scientific botanical illustration. With tuition on plant research and identification, pencil sketching, microscope dissections, scale and composition, students will then render their drawings with ink techniques suitable for reproduction. Suitable for beginners and experienced students. Includes morning tea and lunch

Through a series of exercises, Catherine and Lesley, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust illustrators, will take you through the fundamentals of producing the perfect tonal drawing. Covering proportion, perspective, foreshortening, composition and tone, students will learn all the skills required for realistic, precise drawing – essential techniques for all botanical artists.

Includes Morning tea and lunch

Join us to paint an exotic avocado – at large scale.  You will be challenged as you make the skin look reptilian, the flesh look creamy and the seed marbled.

You will need to have medium level experience in watercolour, but the results will be amazing! Imagine this on your wall.

Includes Morning tea and lunch

Papaver somniferum by Vicki Philipson

Many works have been purchased from The Art of Botanical Illustration exhibitions for inclusion in the State Botanical Collection. The State Botanical Collection belongs to the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and is located in the Herbarium. It is made up of two sections: the first section contains over 1.2 million dried plant specimens which are used in scientific research; and the second section is located in the library and is made up of books, periodicals, collections of maps, letters, manuscripts, photographs and artworks. This material is an invaluable resource to staff and researchers working in areas such as biodiversity, classification, evolution, geography, molecular systematics, conservation and horticulture.

It is important that the works exhibited in The Art of Botanical Illustration are scientifically accurate. Each artwork is carefully selected by a panel which includes a botanist, an artist and the head librarian at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne to ensure that the highest standards are met. The work must adhere to the following criteria: it must provide an accurate representation of the form and botany of the chosen subject; the characteristics of the species or variety must be adequately conveyed; the representation should be an artistically pleasing, balanced and a considered work of art; it must be identified and named accurately according to standard botanical practices; and must have been completed within the previous two years.

In response to the popularity of the Margaret Flockton Award, Lesley Elkan and Catherine Wardrop, Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust illustrators, will be conducting a two-day workshop in black and white scientific botanical illustration. With tuition on plant research and identification, pencil sketching, microscope dissections, scale and composition, students will then render their drawings with ink techniques suitable for reproduction. Suitable for beginners and experienced students. Includes morning tea and lunch