Combining botany, design, and illustration, students will have the opportunity to create an artful botanical dissection plate during this two-day workshop. Botanical dissection plates have been around since the invention of the microscope and are realistic educational illustrations of plant anatomy. Participants will learn valuable techniques used by science illustrators, such as field sketching, plant dissection, and drawing from magnified plant specimens. Students will also learn how to use color and design to create eye-catching compositions. The workshop will take place both in the gardens and the classroom, where students will learn how to translate their knowledge into creative and visually appealing illustrations. This workshop will take a loose and artful approach to this typically technical and time-consuming process. All experience levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+.

This two-day workshop will focus on how to create monoprints, which are one-of-a-kind prints where an image made with ink is transferred onto various papers. Unlike most printmaking techniques, which allow for multiple originals, monoprinting creates a single, unique image at a time. The beauty of this technique lies in its spontaneity and its allowance for combinations of printmaking, painting, and various mark-making methods that can be printed multiple times in a variety of ways. Open to all artistic and printmaking skill levels. Suitable for teens 14+.

Make your own small sparkling mosaic wall piece (or two) in this two-day workshop. You will be provided with a variety of pre-cut shapes. Experiment with various types of glass, ceramic tile, beads, and shells. Add dyes and glitter to your grout for added sparkly, colorful texture. All levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+.

Bring your beach-combed treasures or borrow from our collection as we investigate shells, seaweed, crab claws, horseshoe crabs, and more through form and shading. On day one, we will draw with graphite. Suitable for teens 14+.

Bring your beach-combed treasures or borrow from our collection as we investigate shells, seaweed, crab claws, horseshoe crabs, and more! For day two, we will draw and paint in color using colored pencils, watercolor, and gauche! Students choose their medium. All experience levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+.

From woodland creatures to forest floor treasures of Maine, students will study specimens and photographs and render them in graphite. We'll explore the fur textures of the red squirrel, mushrooms in leaf litter, twigs, acorns, and more! All experience levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+.

From woodland creatures to forest floor treasures of Maine, students will study specimens and photographs and render them in the color medium of their choice. Starting with graphite drawings and learning to transfer to full-color illustrations, we'll explore the fur textures of the red squirrel, mushrooms in leaf litter, twigs, acorns, and more! All experience levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+.

Day five is the culmination of five days of exploration through Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. Combining shells, leaves, and forest friends, we'll create an original composition. Students can use the medium of their choice, either in graphite or color. All experience levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+.

This is a unique opportunity to work with wood and the ancient medium of encaustic in creating a "critter" in the form of a relief wall piece! Whether a chipmunk, baby barred owl, or hedgehog is your critter of choice, we'll explore forms on board and then learn to cut with a jigsaw to establish wings, feet, and other creative design elements. Students will be introduced to the molten beeswax paint to create a rich surface for their critter.