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Tuesday and Thursday, June 22 and 24 | This two-day workshop focuses on the monarch butterfly's life cycle in symbiotic relationship to its host plant, milkweed. Depict flight by learning basic butterfly anatomy and wing positioning. Understand basic metamorphosis and how the butterfly interacts in the pollination process. Color application can be in watercolor and/or colored pencil. All levels welcome!
Bees play a vital role in our environment, especially when it comes to pollination. Honey bees and native bees are all abuzz this time of year. Learn to capture their behavior and create a composition featuring your favorite native flower! Color application can be in watercolor and or colored pencil. All levels are welcome!
Thursdays, April 7 and 14 | Delve deeply into depicting botanical subjects with graphite. Using fruits and vegetables, gain an in-depth understanding of how light affects individual shapes in nature including highlights, midtones, shadow areas, reflected highlights, and cast shadows. Great for ages 14-adult, beginners, or those looking to refine their drawing and observation skills.
Thursdays, April 21 and 28, May 5 and 12 | Delve deeply into depicting botanical subjects with graphite. Using fruits and vegetables, gain an in-depth understanding of how light affects individual shapes in nature including highlights, midtones, shadow areas, reflected highlights, and cast shadows. Great for beginners and those looking to refine their drawing and observation skills.
Thursdays, June 2 and 9 | This introductory course is designed for both beginner and advanced artists interested in a thorough exploration of painting with watercolor. Emphasis will be on understanding the proper handling of the paint in order to achieve certain desired effects, and concise recipes for consistent color-mixing will be provided. Each lesson is broken down into a concise live format with demonstrations. The subject matter is based on nature, but can be applied to any realistic subject matter.
Monday-Wednesday, September 26-28
Spend three full days exploring the wonderful world of watercolor, in-person with artist Mindy Lighthipe. Learn valuable techniques to help you create nature-inspired sketches and formal watercolor paintings. Emphasis will be on accurate details, color mixing, and application—all helping you gain confidence in your watercolor journey. Each day, a series of techniques will be demonstrated as students work on a variety of subjects from leaves to butterflies to flowers, and so much more.
Please note this class requires participants to show proof of having received all eligible Covid-19 vaccinations, as recommended for their age by the CDC, in order to participate. Because of the dynamic nature of this situation, we ask that you agree to abide by potential future changes in CMBG’s Covid-19 policy designed to address evolving public health recommendations.
Thursdays, March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 & April 6, 9:30-11:30 a.m. | Learn to paint and draw birds! In this thorough, engaging, and inspiring five-week class, students will work from photographs and online resources to learn the anatomy of eggs, nests, feathers, wings, and the whole bird anatomy. Class meets online via Zoom. Each week a new topic will be introduced through slide lectures and demonstrations of various techniques. Students may work in watercolor and/or colored pencil. After the class is over, there will be a final review bonus class where students can receive feedback from the instructor. While this class is a part of our adult education offerings, it is open to advanced younger students, ages 14 and older.
Thursdays, April 13 & 20, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
In this two day class, delve deeply into the art of graphite drawing. Using simple botanical subjects, this virtual class will give students confidence in accurately depicting various fruits and vegetables. Using a light source and three-dimensional armature and an emphasis on highlights, mid-tones, and shadow areas, artists will develop an understanding of concave and convex shapes. Students will complete a three-part series of drawings, line, armature, and full tonal graphite drawing. While this class is a part of our adult education offerings, it is open to advanced younger students, ages 14 and older.
Thursdays, May 4, 11, 18, & 25, 9:30-11:30 a.m.
In a continuation of Form & Texture with Graphite Part I, students will further develop understanding and application of graphite to more complex natural subjects. By using pineapples, pine cones, the interior of a pepper, and so on, students will develop their skills, including working on rendering different pigments in greyscale. Explore the tonal quality and textural differences between the papery skin of a garlic and the deep, dark shine of an eggplant. Learn to translate multi-colored subjects into tonal values, all while maintaining form and perspective. This class will meet via Zoom from 9:30-11:30 on May 4, 11, 18, and 25. Pre-requisite: Suggested as a continuation of Form and Texture with Graphite Part I. While this class is a part of our adult education offerings, it is open to advanced younger students, ages 14 and older.
Monday-Friday, August 21-25,10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Explore the fascinating world of insects and the vital role they play in pollination. In this five-day workshop, students will learn the anatomy of insects like beetles, butterflies, and dragonflies by using a small variety of insect models, photos, and online resources. We’ll also focus on creating compositions where the insects interact with plants. Lectures and demonstrations will provide students with an opportunity to draw and paint insects in flight, capture iridescence, and more. Insects are included in the course fee, and students will be able to keep their models.
Meet the Beetles! (No, not those Beatles, but these are just as compelling—we promise.) With over 400,000 different types, explore the largest group of insects on the planet through form and shading, creating a beetle line drawing prepared for color. Coleoptera models, photos, and online resources will be a source of endless creativity and inspiration.
Through an artistic lens, explore the fascinating world of insects and their vital role in pollination. In these drawing and painting workshops, students will learn the anatomy of insects like beetles, butterflies, and dragonflies by using a small variety of insect models, photos, and online resources. Lectures and demonstrations will allow students to draw and paint insects in flight, capture iridescence, and more. Get a special rate when you sign up for all five days here.
Working in watercolor or colored pencil, bring those intricate beetles to life as you learn to create iridescence, shimmer, and beautiful shine along with those tricky translucent wings.
Through an artistic lens, explore the fascinating world of insects and their vital role in pollination. In these drawing and painting workshops, students will learn the anatomy of insects like beetles, butterflies, and dragonflies by using a small variety of insect models, photos, and online resources. Lectures and demonstrations will allow students to draw and paint insects in flight, capture iridescence, and more. Get a special rate when you sign up for all five days here.
Butterflies, moths, and skippers? Oh, my! Members of the Lepidoptera family are rich in texture and pattern, making excellent models for line drawings. We’ll focus on anatomy and creating a natural positioning of a butterfly or moth from pinned specimens and photos. Students will end the day with line drawings prepared for color.
Through an artistic lens, explore the fascinating world of insects and their vital role in pollination. In these drawing and painting workshops, students will learn the anatomy of insects like beetles, butterflies, and dragonflies by using a small variety of insect models, photos, and online resources. Lectures and demonstrations will allow students to draw and paint insects in flight, capture iridescence, and more. Get a special rate when you sign up for all five days here.
In watercolor or colored pencil, students will work from their own line drawings and explore color-applying techniques that create form, texture, and patterns in those kaleidoscopic Lepidopteran wings.
Through an artistic lens, explore the fascinating world of insects and their vital role in pollination. In these drawing and painting workshops, students will learn the anatomy of insects like beetles, butterflies, and dragonflies by using a small variety of insect models, photos, and online resources. Lectures and demonstrations will allow students to draw and paint insects in flight, capture iridescence, and more. Get a special rate when you sign up for all five days here.
We know insects play a vital role in pollination, and in this class, we’ll apply that knowledge to our compositions. Create a piece featuring a specific plant and insect of choice, and learn tips about researching plants, pollinators, and creating a visual life cycle.
Through an artistic lens, explore the fascinating world of insects and their vital role in pollination. In these drawing and painting workshops, students will learn the anatomy of insects like beetles, butterflies, and dragonflies by using a small variety of insect models, photos, and online resources. Lectures and demonstrations will allow students to draw and paint insects in flight, capture iridescence, and more. Get a special rate when you sign up for all five days here.
Delve deeply into the art of graphite drawing. Using simple botanical subjects, this online class will give students confidence in accurately depicting various fruits and vegetables. Using a light source and three-dimensional armature and an emphasis on highlights, mid-tones, and shadow areas, artists will develop an understanding of concave and convex shapes. Students will complete a three-part series of drawings, line, armature, and full tonal graphite drawing. This is a two-day online Zoom class on Thursdays, March 7 and 14. The classes are recorded and available for future viewing.
In a continuation of Form & Texture with Graphite Part I, students will further develop their understanding and application of graphite to more complex natural subjects. By using pineapples, pine cones, the interior of a pepper, and so on, students will develop their skills, including working on rendering different pigments in greyscale. Explore the tonal quality and textural differences between the papery skin of garlic and the deep, dark shine of an eggplant. Learn to translate multi-colored subjects into tonal values, all while maintaining form and perspective. This class will meet via Zoom from 9:30-11:30 a.m. on March 21 & 28 and April 4 & 11. Pre-requisite: Suggested as a continuation of Form and Texture with Graphite Part I. These classes are recorded and available for future viewing.
Join us as we celebrate the Maine state bird, the Black-capped Chickadee, and the unique state flower, the White Pine Cone and Tassel (Pinus strobus, linnaeus). Learn about this tiny bird from egg to feather and its deciduous habitat as we explore anatomy and composition. By the end of the four-week online class, students will create an original painting of a Black-capped Chickadee on a White Pine tree branch with a pine cone! All levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+. Students can work in watercolor or colored pencil.
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is filled with natural treasures waiting to be drawn and painted! Join Mindy Lighthipe for this fun five-day workshop as we focus on capturing wild Maine. From the beach to the woodlands, learn to draw forms and figures like shells, seaweed, woodland creatures, mushrooms and more in graphite, and then transpose into full-color illustration. On the last day, we will take all our sketches and drawings and create a coastal Maine original composition. All levels are welcome. Suitable for teens 14+. Get the best value by signing up for all five classes. For those who can't attend all five, you may sign up for individual days.
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+.
The mission of Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is to inspire meaningful connections between people and nature and promote plant conservation through horticulture, education, and plant science.
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