Botanical Drawing and Illustration
I recently completed a botanical illustration course at Nottingham Trent University, and it was an incredibly rewarding experience. Although it’s quite different from my usual abstract painting, I thoroughly enjoyed learning something new. It felt great returning to NTU, where I not only completed my undergraduate degree, but where it all started for my abstract pantings too. The short courses are brilliant and I really do recommend them to anyone looking to explore something new.
The botanical drawing and illustration course allowed me to refine my drawing skills, which is something I’ve been eager to do. I also learned how to work with watercolors—a medium that I hadn’t fully explored before. The precision and delicacy required in botanical illustration was a refreshing change from the expressive nature of abstract art. It pushed me to approach my work with a different mindset, focusing on details and subtleties that I might otherwise overlook.
As I move forward, I’m excited to see how the techniques and discipline I developed in this course will influence my abstract paintings. The gentle, detailed nature of botanical illustration has already sparked new ideas, and I’m hopeful that this experience will inspire my work in unexpected ways in the coming months.