Purple Flags \ Patersonia umbrosa by Margaret Pieroni

Beauty from the Bush is a celebration of Western Australian botanic art about native flora — in particular its wildflowers. It is intended to spark interest in our special environment and the global renaissance in the old and respected field of botanic art and illustration.

This exhibition complements the Wildflower Society of Western Australia’s 6oth Anniversary and State Conference.

This workshop is a special introduction to bookbinding with artist and professional bookbinder Deanna Hitti. Deanna’s work has won two Artist Book awards and has been acquired by many major institutions including the State Library of Victoria and the National Library of Australia. At present, she is working on a project with cartoonist, artist and poet Michael Leunig.

Because places are very limited, this two-day workshop will be held twice, first on consecutive weekdays and then over the following weekend.

During the two days, Deanna will share her love and knowledge of bookbinding, and the experience she has gained over more than 15 years. The workshop is structured step by step to allow each participant to create their own beautifully finished hard cover journal. A great amount of information will be shared on suitable papers, sewing techniques for securing the spine, through to making a hard cover for the book. The cost of the workshop includes an individual kit of materials put together by Deanna herself. Students will also be asked to provide some very basic items such as sheets of newspaper, rulers and a pencil.

Suitable for the complete beginner or the more experienced craftsperson wanting to create their own archival grade journals, photo albums and artist books.
See Deanna’s books at  www.deannahitti.com

A brief materials list will be provided by the Friends’ office after booking.

During this two-day workshop, students will observe and document the unique and fascinating structures of winter skeletons: buds, stems, seedpods, bulbs and seeds. With John’s guidance, everyone will work towards producing a composition incorporating several elements that is both pleasing and informative.

Suitable for those with some experience of botanical illustration. A materials list will be provided by the Friends’ office after booking.

This three day workshop will cover techniques on how to draw and paint different types of leaves. You will learn about variation in different leaf shapes, veination, and edges and how to paint leaves and understand the range of different types of green that can exist within a single leaf.

This workshop is for students who have completed an introduction to botanical art and would be at an intermediate to advanced level. The class involves a three day painting project and John will help you with composition, painting techniques, colour theory which will be offered in class and assigned for homework.

Includes morning tea and lunch

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