Botanical Art: Apples in Watercolor

Class Overview: 

Fall is a time of beautiful and delicious fruits, and apples take center stage at the Arboretum. Led by Botanical Artist Jane Hancock, we will work with specimens from the University’s renowned fruit breeding program and follow step-by-step instructions to create our own apple images. After documenting them through drawings and photos, we’ll use botanical watercolor techniques—layered washes to build rich, varied color and moist and dry brush methods to add surface texture and detail. Some drawing and watercolor experience will be helpful.

In this class you will:

• Practice posing and lighting your specimen for photographs.
• Draw your own composition and transfer it to watercolor paper.
• Use the techniques of the English watercolor method to develop a realistic and detailed painting of apples.

Instructor: 

Jane Hancock creates botanical art in watercolor, graphite and other media. The challenge of rendering plants accurately and beautifully is fascinating and endless. She enjoys sharing the structured processes of botanical watercolor. Jane exhibits in national and regional botanical art exhibits and her artwork is included in the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden Florilegium and the Arboretum’s Flora and Fauna Illustrata. 

Supplies - Each student is expected to bring their own supplies. 

Preferred Materials List - If you already have watercolors, bring them and we will try to make them work.

Please Note: Paints made with cadmium are not sold in Minnesota due to toxicity. The Daniel Smith brand yellow and red listed below that have "hue" at the end of their name do not use cadmium, they just match the cadmium colors: https://danielsmith.com/product-updates/whats-special-about-cadmium-with-cadmium-hues/ . The equivalent colors from Winsor Newton are called Cadmium-Free Red and Cadmium-Free Yellow Deep.

Watercolors:  Daniel Smith or Winsor Newton brands

• Lemon Yellow (cool)
• Cadmium Yellow Deep Hue (warm)
• Ultramarine Blue (cool)
• Cerulean Blue – NOT Cerulean Blue Chromium (warm)
• Permanent Alizarin Crimson (cool)
• Cadmium Red Medium Hue (warm)

Brushes: 

• Sable: Winsor Newton Series 7, round, size 2 or 3
  OR
  Synthetic: Raphael Stradivarius Synthetic Sable, round, size 2 or 3 
  OR
  Synthetic: Princeton Velvet Touch, round, Size 3 or 4 
  
•  Inexpensive brush (for mixing colors), Princeton Velvet Touch, Flat Shader, Size 10 or similar works well
   

Papers:

• Drawing paper
• Tracing paper
• 1 sheet 22 x 30” 140 lb. hot press Arches watercolor paper, cut in quarters 
  (Note: Individually sold sheets of this paper are recommended as they have a better surface than those sold in pads or blocs).We will not use cold press paper.
• Scrap watercolor paper or hot press bloc for testing colors and practicing brush strokes

Other:  

• A few pencils: (for example 2H, HB, 2B)
• Clean kneaded eraser, white plastic eraser
• Small white plastic palette with plastic lid for washes, 10 wells
• Flat white ceramic palette. A 6” dinner plate or appetizer plate works well.
• Zip bags to protect ceramic palette
• Artist’s low-tack tape
• Paper Towels (Viva is best)
• 2 small containers for water (single serve yogurt containers work)