Come and join me in a beginners’ class in botanical illustration at Netherby Hall, just outside Carlisle, 13 July 2024
I will be teaching in the splendid Walled Garden at Netherby Hall, a lovely destination where you can stay in various self-catering accommodations. So come and stay the weekend, and spend Saturday learning some of the basics of botanical art in the splendid Victorian Walled Garden.
Booking details are online at www.netherbyhall.co.uk by calling 01228 792732 or email bookings@netherbyhall.co.uk.
Netherby Hall, Longtown, Carlisle, United Kingdom
July 13 at 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Netherby Hall has an amazing Victorian Walled Garden
The Victorian Walled Garden has gone through recent refurbishments under the leadership of Head Gardener, Lorraine Pearson. The team at Netherby Hall are reinstating some of the original features and creating cutting beds and they supply The Penton Bridge Inn Michelin-starred restaurant with greens throughout the year.
I will talk about the history of botanical illustration, and give you some insights into my artistic practice, and will take you through some basic steps to get started with your own botanical art piece, with watercolour paints and equipment provided.
We will start the day with a brief introduction to botanical illustration in the Summer House*, and then take a stroll with Head Gardener Lorraine through the walled garden. There you can choose and pick your specimen from a selection of plants in our own cutting beds. I will then show you how to make preparatory sketches, you will discover how to closely observe your specimen to learn about its structure and botany, and how to transfer your refined sketches onto watercolour paper.
Lunch will be served in the Orangery at Netherby Hall, located within the main building.
Draw in the morning, paint in the afternoon
In the afternoon, I will show you how to colour-match to your specimen, working with watercolour to match shades and tones, and then you will begin to paint.
The day’s activities will be accompanied by examples of my botanical artworks, along with a display of pictures of Netherby Hall, including the walled garden, Summer House and last year’s cutting beds in full bloom.
We expect the full day to last about six hours. Accurate botanical illustration is a slow, careful and meditative process, so expect to take your painting home to finish. Please note you will be able to purchase some materials to take home to finish your artwork.
*Note that this is weather dependent, and we may move part of the sessions to indoor accommodation in the Orangery.
