Drawing Lilies - Botanical Illustration at the Society of Decorative Painters Conference 2013

SDP Conference in St Charles - Part of the Lily Study class - ©CindyRippe2013

I taught my Intro to Botanical Illustration class today in St. Charles, IL for the Society of Decorative Painters Conference and Expo.  We squeezed a 6 week class into 6 hours and had a great time!  The students ranged from beginners to advanced students and they all did a great job with the Lily Study.

They had a crash course in drawing basics, learned the difference between Botanical Illustration and Botanical Art, tested different surfaces and tools, studied live specimens and completed a finished design on YUPO paper.  They left the classroom armed with an extensive workbook, a color day-lily print to use as a photo reference and, later, a background mat for framing their design.

I'm sure I exhausted them with too much information in a short amount of time but, mostly, I hope I inspired them to learn to draw "what they see - not what they think they see".  They impressed me with their skills and I look forward to seeing their original designs some day!

Many thanks to the students and for the Society of Decorative Painters for the opportunity, once again, to share my passion for drawing and flowers and photography and research ....  and talking   ... with a great class of eager students!


It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else. Erma Bombeck

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