During this RHS Garden Rosemoor three-day workshop, you will learn drawing and watercolour painting techniques to produce your own piece of botanical art. Laura will demonstrate and explain the step-by-step process used by botanical artists to record and showcase a specimen, with particular emphasis on celebrating autumnal harvests – fruit and vegetables harvested from the productive gardens at RHS Rosemoor at this time of year.
As part of the workshop, we will pay a visit to the Fruit and Vegetable Garden to see our subjects in situ. There will also be a great display of apples to see following the Europom event the previous weekend.
Laura Silburn, a regular tutor at RHS Rosemoor, will guide you through the process of botanical painting, sharing her knowledge and experience of accurately recording the flower or foliage in front of you. You will make an initial drawing in black and white to focus on light and shade, then move onto watercolours, developing your skills with colour and tone to accurately record your chosen botanical subject.
Tutor: Laura Silburn is an RHS Gold Medal winner with both Best Exhibit and Best Botanical Painting awards. She has taken part in Botanical Art projects around the world including the Transylvania Florilegium and the Grootbos Florilegium project in South Africa, and is in several international collections such as the Shirley Sherwood collection shown at Kew. Laura teaches extensively in the South West and works mainly from private studios in Heligan Gardens in Cornwall, as well as teaching across the UK and abroad.
Location and arrival information: The workshop will take place mostly in the Peter Buckley Learning Centre, with some time also spent visiting the Fruit and Vegetable Garden to inspire your painting. Please allow 15 minutes to park in the main visitor car park, enter the garden and get to the Learning Centre.
Catering: Tea / coffee and biscuits will be available in the classroom at the start of each session and again in the afternoon. As part of the booking process, you will choose a picnic lunch option for each day which is included in the workshop price.
For this workshop you will need:
- Your booking reference number to show to the team at the Garden Entrance.
- A notebook and pencil to make notes.
- Bring a coat or suitable outer later to get to and from the Learning Centre and for spending some time in The Cool Garden.
- Your own drawing and painting kit if you have it. Alternatively, if you are new to watercolours, basic kit will be available to borrow, and a set of 6 paints can be purchased for £10 on the day (pre-ordered) if you need them. You will need to bring brushes as per guidance sheet and a sketch book
Please email
[email protected] to request a paint kit and brush guidance if needed, no later than 2 weeks before your workshop.
Skill Level: Upskiller – I have mastered the basics of botanical painting, and would like to build my knowledge and skills.
