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Sketching spring flowers in ink and watercolor

sketching spring flowers yt

Every spring, I’m waiting for the days finally getting brighter and warmer, and for the first small flowers to come out. This year we had quite the warm winter here in Germany, and a few of the spring flowers were already blooming in February. And now finally everything is sprouting and blooming – including the cherry trees and spring flowers. I’ve gone on many walks through the neighborhood recently, and on some I brought some small flora samples with me – for a bit of botanical sketching and for having a few colorful spots on my desk.

I’ve filmed a bit of the process, and I hope it’s enjoyable to watch. I show how I very quickly sketch a yellow forsythia with colored inks and watercolor, a combination I’ve come to enjoy a lot for botanical sketching.

Sketching spring flowers | ink + watercolor

If you’d like to learn more about botanical sketching, on May 15 2023 I’ll start a live version of my Botanical Sketching course with feedback. It’ll have lessons and assignments for 4 weeks, and you’ll have the opportunity to send in your work. Places are limited. I’m really excited about this and plan to do many botanical sketches and field trips now that nature has so much to offer.

If you prefer learning on your own and still want to take the course, you can start right away and choose the self-paced version of the course.

The lessons include:

  • basic and intermediate techniques for sketching different flower types
  • how to add color to your drawings (watercolor, ink, colored pencil)
  • tips for sketching loose but precise florals
  • how to draw leaves
  • how to mix great colors for botanicals and leaves
  • how to add convincing shadows, depth and textures
  • practical tips for field sketching
  • extras like basic botanical terms and how to get great sketches from photos

The lessons will build on each other and in the version with feedback I will lead you through the lessons and assignments with as much feedback and guidance as you like – I’m already looking forward to see all the beautiful flower sketches you create and send in.

Enrollment is now open: Wildflowers in Watercolor: Introduction to Botanical Sketching

P.S. If you’re already enrolled in the basic version and want to be part of the feedback group, send me a short email and I’ll let you know how to upgrade. 🙂

The finished sketch of the forsythia with the notes I added around it

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7 thoughts on “Sketching spring flowers in ink and watercolor”

  1. Dear Julia,
    This is wonderful news as I have been looking forward to taking your botanical sketching course with your feedback. As I had already bought the self-guided course, is there an option for now purchasing your feedback for the four-week run through?
    Best wishes,
    Laura

    1. Dear Laura,
      I’d be happy to have you as a student again!
      I’ll send you a quick email about this. 🙂

  2. Hola, yo compré el curso online para hacer yo a mi ritmo. Hay alguna novedad? Lo volveré a realizar, sobre todo ahora que hay tantas flores. Un abrazo.

    1. Hey Marta,
      there’s no new material right now, maybe after the summer when I’ve had the chance to do more botanical sketching. 🙂

  3. Watching you bring dimensionality to sketchbook flower portraits is exciting! You offer so many tips along the way, with value quickly shaping the actual desired presence of the flower right before my eyes. It’s almost as if the flower is blooming on the paper!!! Wow! Your demonstration of choosing accurate shades of color & applying them to the illustration is guiding me toward a huge metamorphosis in my simple paintings. Your presentation in a simple flow is very inspiring thank you for leading me on this journey

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