Botanical Sketchbooking: A Meditative Approach

Slowing down and connecting with nature through botanical illustration is how urban sketcher and illustrator Lapin finds peace in the rush of everyday life. He believes drawing through observation is a great way to develop creativity and mindfulness. In this course, he guides you through his meditative illustration methods to create lush illustrations of the plants and flowers around you.

Discover a new way to relax using a sketchbook, some watercolors, and your favorite plants and flowers. Learn how to observe organic shapes and look at nature from a new perspective to create beautiful botanical compositions that capture the essence of your natural surroundings.

This is Lapin’s second sketching course. In his first course—Urban Sketching: Express Your World in a New Perspective—he teaches you how to depict everyday scenes from your neighborhood by showing you a variety of perspectives and ideas.

Start the course by getting to know Lapin, learn about his work as an urban sketcher and illustrator, and see how he uses drawing as a meditation practice. Discover his artistic influences and get a summary of what Lapin has prepared for you, before delving into the practicals.

To start creating linework sketches, Lapin first teaches you how to observe and identify the geometric shapes of a plant. See how to draw your first plant leaf by leaf, following Lapin’s methodology for the contour work. Then, see some basic color techniques to create a green color chart.

Learn about the importance of drawing from direct observation to enhance your use of color and perspective. Next, add color and texture, create contrasts, and play with cold and warm tones to add strength to your artwork. Use similar techniques to draw a bright flower and finish the unit by sketching a cactus.

Explore compositional techniques by sketching the same flower day by day to observe how its colors and shapes evolve. Draw your flower from different angles to explore a range of perspectives. Finally, learn how to create a pattern with your illustrations in Photoshop and see how to apply it to textiles and other surfaces.

Create botanical sketches using a meditative illustration method.

This course is for sketchers of all levels who would like to find a new way to unwind through botanical illustration.

To take this course you will need some flowers, plants, fineliners, a white gel ink pen, watercolors, and a sketchbook.