Painting

Botanical Arts Certificate Program

Botanical Arts Certificate Program

Engage your senses, discover hidden talents, and explore a more personal relationship with plants and the environment in this studio art program. Courses in drawing, painting, and color theory will help you develop your technical skills and further your understanding of art and the creative process.

Who should participate? People wanting to nurture their creativity, improve their artistic skill, and experience plants, nature, and our shared environment in new ways. No prior art experience is needed. Sign up for a Botanical Arts Certificate class today.

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Student Resources

Course Overview
Program Policies
FAQ Brochure
Graduation
Questions?

Contact Stana, student advisor:   
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Program Design

The Botanical Arts program has two tracks of concentration:

Botanical Arts Traditional Track

The Traditional Track

The Traditional Track provides training for a student wishing to improve their work in a technically detailed manner. This program of study incorporates traditional methods and materials that will enhance the skills of an artist accurately portraying artistic and scientific images.

Botanical Arts Traditional Track

Expressive Track

The Expressive Track allows a student to explore art outside of the traditional media and techniques. After satisfying core courses, students in the Expressive track will complete their coursework by a combination of their choosing in oil, pastel, or expressive watercolor to expand their artistic palette.

 

Program Requirements

The Botanical Arts Certificate (ART) program consists of seven foundational required courses, designated required courses within your selected track; your choice of 60 instructional hours of elective courses; and a portfolio review.

You may select any combination of elective courses, tailoring the program to your personal learning objectives and interests. ART elective courses are designated as such in the course description.

To earn a certificate, a passing grade and at least one portfolio-quality finished piece is required to pass each course. All requirements for the certificate must be completed within five years of the start date of your first course in the program.

Portfolio Review

After completing all required Botanical Arts Certificate Program coursework, certificate students will prepare and present a portfolio of finished botanical artwork for the review committee. The final juried portfolio review required to achieve a certificate will consist of a comprehensive portfolio of finished art pieces in a variety of media that represent your work during the program. Please reference the Portfolio Review Requirements for more information.

Certificate Programs – Botanical Arts

 

Ready to get started? Begin your journey with Botanical Drawing 1 and you’ll be on your way!

Art Required Courses

Prerequisites

Botanical Drawing 1 
Botanical Drawing 2Botanical Drawing 1
Botany for Botanical Artists 
Outdoor Sketching 
Color Mixing 
CompositionBotanical Drawing 1
Watercolor 1Botanical Drawing 1 & Color Mixing

Traditional Track

Prerequisites

English Watercolor TechniquesBotanical Drawing 1, Color Mixing & Watercolor 1
Pen and Ink 1Botanical Drawing 1
Pen and Ink 2Pen and Ink 1

Expressive Track

Prerequisites

Choose Three of the Following Courses
Advanced PastelBotanical Drawing 1 & a pastel course
Close Focus PastelBotanical Drawing 1
Color and Design in PastelBotanical Drawing 1
Expressive Color in PastelBotanical Drawing 1
Expressive WatercolorWatercolor 1
The Landscape in PastelBotanical Drawing 1
The Landscape in Pastel 2Botanical Drawing 1 & The Landscape in Pastel

Art Elective Courses

60 hours of ART elective credit required       
Select from a variety of course topics    
Classes are formatted with CEUs.    
Example: 0.3 CEUs = 3 elective hours.

Available Classes

If a class is sold out, please contact us at (847) 835-6801 to be placed on the waitlist. The Garden will contact you if a space becomes available.

Adult Ed Botanical Arts Painting Drama

Create Drama with Value in Painting: Online

Botanical Arts Certificate

5 Tuesdays:
April 1 – 29
6 – 9 p.m.

Adult Ed Horticultutre Succulents

Botanical Art: Succulents

Botanical Arts Certificate

5 Thursdays:
April 10 – May 8
6 – 9 p.m.

Adult Ed Botanical Arts Botanical Drawing

Botanical Drawing 2: Online

Botanical Arts Certificate

5 Saturdays:
April 26 – May 24
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Adult Ed Botanical Arts Loosen up your Watercolors

How to Loosen up your Watercolors

Botanical Arts Certificate

5 Saturdays:
May 10 – June 14
1 – 4 p.m.
No class May 24

Adult Ed Botanical Arts Spring Blooms in Colored Pencil artwork by Claudia Lane

Spring Blooms in Colored Pencil

Botanical Arts Certificate

6 Wednesdays:
May 14 – June 25
No class June 4
6 – 9 p.m.

Botanical Composition

Composition: Online

Botanical Arts Certificate

6 Saturdays:
May 31 – July 12 
No class July 5 
9 a.m. – noon

Adult Ed Botanical Arts Fern

Enhance Nature's Patterns in Watercolor

Botanical Arts Certificate

4 Tuesdays:
June 10 – July 8
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
No class July 1

Botanical Artist – Rory McEwen

Rory McEwen’s Botanical Influences

Botanical Arts Certificate

Thursday, June 12
6 – 7 p.m.

Botanical Artist – Rory McEwen

The Life of Botanical Artist Rory McEwen

Botanical Arts Certificate

Wednesday, July 16
6 – 8 p.m.

Outdoor Sketching

Botanical Arts Certificate

6 Saturdays:
July 19 – August 30
9 a.m. – noon
No class August 23

Adult Ed Botanic Watercolor

Watercolor 1

Botanical Arts Certificate

6 Thursdays:
July 11 – August 15 or
July 22 – August 26 or
July 22 – August 26
6 – 9 p.m.

Patterned Gardens

Paintings Inspired by Patterned Gardens

Botanical Arts Certificate

3 Wednesdays:
July 23 – August 6
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Adult Ed Botanic Arts Climbing Plants in Colored Pencil

Climbing Plants in Colored Pencil

Botanical Arts Certificate

5 Thursdays:
July 24 – August 21
6 – 9 p.m.

Adult Ed Botanical Arts Painting Opposites Nature

Yin-Yang: Painting Opposites in Nature

Botanical Arts Certificate

3 Wednesdays:
August 13 – 27
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Adult Ed Botanical Arts Botanical Drawing

Botanical Drawing 1: Online

Botanical Arts Certificate

8 Saturdays:
September 6 – October 25
9 a.m. – noon

Adult Ed Botanic Arts Botany for Botanical Artists

Botany for Botanical Artists

Botanical Arts Certificate

6 Thursdays:
September 11 – October 23
6 – 8:30 p.m.

Pen and Ink 1: Online

Botanical Arts Certificate

6 Tuesdays: 
September 30 – November 4
6 – 9 p.m.