Wild Botanicals: A Sampler of Watercolor, Drawing & Design Techniques


General Description:

Native summer flora will inspire a lively sampling of drawing, painting and design studies with watercolor, gouache, ink and pencil. We'll dance between controlled and wilder projects using different brushes and drawing tools to capture plant form and detail; explore watercolor techniques including wet into wet, dry brush and glazing; work in layers to build complexity; generate repeating designs; mix accurate color; combine word and image; and create templates for page design and thumbnails. We’ll also consider botanical imagery past and present, and make forays each day into the field. You'll head home with a diverse sampling of inspiration and techniques for future reference. Color mixing experience is helpful, though not required.

The work will be encouraging and stimulating for all experience levels, including beginners.

Instructor

Andie Thrams is a painter and book artist with a lifelong devotion to creative work in wilderness locations. Her work is widely exhibited and is held in both private and public collections including those at Yale University and the University of Washington. She earned a BA in art practice from the University of California at Berkeley and, in addition to Field Camp, she teaches for San Francisco Center for the Book, Sitka Center for Art & Ecology and many more. She is currently creating a series of unique artist's books called In Forests. The In Forests books, which record her experiences during treks on foot and by kayak into wild forests from California to Alaska, are a contemporary hybrid of the illuminated manuscript and the field journal.

Class Schedule

Plan to arrive at the Sierra Nevada Field Campus on June 17, 2010. We can get acquainted that evening, but the class will begin at 8:30 AM on June 18. The class will end on the afternoon of June 21.

Supplies and Other Useful Items

Supply List

Instructor will provide handouts and other materials for which there will be an additional $20 fee. Students should bring the following:

Camping gear

Helpful Reading