Workshops & Courses
WORKSHOPS & COURSES 2025
Cambridge University Botanic Gardens
ILLUSTRATING A HELLEBORE
Online – 10am - 1pm
Date: 4th, 5th & 6th March 2025
BOOKING: Please call +44 (0) 1223 331875 or email education@botanic.cam.ac.uk
During this workshop Janie will show you how to colour a Hellebore from a photo. Although this won’t teach you how to draw, it will teach you how to use coloured pencils to get the very best out of them, enabling you to create more of your own art using this wonderful, but very forgiving medium. Janie will demonstrate how to tackle the detailed centres of these beautiful flowers, as well as how to colour their lovely petals and markings.
PLEASE NOTE: The illustration shown will not be the one used for the course because it is too complicated.
LOOKING INSIDE: ILLUSTRATING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Classroom
Date: 18th, 19th & 20th March 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
BOOKING: Please call +44 (0) 1223 331875 or email education@botanic.cam.ac.uk
Fruit and vegetables have long been a favourite of the botanical illustrator, but taking a look at them from the inside is possibly even more exciting. We’re not talking about two or three tiny pips inside an apple but more the glorious formation of pips inside a bell pepper or a melon, or even the juicy inside an orange or grapefruit. There are endless subjects just waiting for us to open them up and record the bits we don’t see. There will be lots of demonstrations as well as individual tuition from your RHS gold medal ward winning tutor.
BEGINNERS' BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION IN COLOURED PENCIL
Classroom
Date: 7th, 8th & 9th October 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
BOOKING: Please call +44 (0) 1223 331875 or email education@botanic.cam.ac.uk
It’s not often beginners get the chance to learn the absolute basics of coloured pencil art. On this course Janie will take you through all the fundamentals to start your journey into the wonderful world of coloured pencils. Simple subjects will be available for you to draw, before transferring your drawing to good quality art paper. You will then begin learning how to lay down colour so it looks like a brush stroke of paint, how to blend colours seamlessly and how to create veins and contours on leaves to make them look amazingly three-dimensional.
ILLUSTRATING ROSA MUNDI
Online
Date: 12th, 13th & 14th November 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
BOOKING: Please call +44 (0) 1223 331875 or email education@botanic.cam.ac.uk
Another chance to learn about using coloured pencils without the worry of having to draw something first! You will be supplied with a photograph taken by Janie, your tutor, together with a line drawing for you to trace and transfer. Instructions will be sent before the course. You will see demonstrations throughout the course to help you go through the process in the right order, helping you to end up with a beautiful rose illustration of your own.
PLEASE NOTE: The illustration shown will not be the one used for the course because it is too complicated.
Tindalls Art Shop – Cambridge
SPRING BLOSSOM – working from photographs – Coloured Pencils
March 29th 2025
BOOKING: Call us: 03302 233 390
Email us: customerservice@tindalls.co.uk
Spring Blossom is delicate and pretty, but doesn’t like being picked, so for this workshop you will work from a photograph provided by your tutor, unless you have one of your own that you would particularly like to re-produce. This is a double workshop in many ways because you will learn how to work from photographs as well as how to work with coloured pencils to produce gentle and realistic pieces of illustration with fine detail.
Students will need:
A copy of the photograph I will send you
63gs Tracing Paper
An HB Pencil – Propelling if they have one
Erasers – plastic and kneadable
300gsm HP art paper (any make)
Coloured pencils
FLOWERS (any kind) – Mixed media (watercolour and Coloured Pencils)
May 17th 2025
BOOKING: Call us: 03302 233 390
Email us: customerservice@tindalls.co.uk
As a botanical artist I work with flowers all the time and they can be very easy or very tricky! A Calla Lily is relatively easy, whereas a Rose is quite difficult. You will learn how to draw accurately before colouring your subject using watercolours and coloured pencils. Please bring your own subject, but don’t choose something that is too challenging otherwise you’ll be drawing all day instead of painting and colouring.
Students will need:
A flower or flowers (plus receptacle to place it in)
63gs Tracing Paper
An HB Pencil – Propelling if they have one
Erasers – plastic and kneadable
300gsm HP art paper (any make)
Coloured pencils
Watercolours
Paint brushes
Watercolour pallettes
FRUIT – Coloured Pencils
July 19th 2025
BOOKING: Call us: 03302 233 390
Email us: customerservice@tindalls.co.uk
Fruit is one of my favourite subjects because it stays the same for hours. Using coloured pencils I will show you how to draw and colour fruit to make it look realistic, juicy and so round you could pick it off the page. Fruit will be provided but you are welcome to bring your own if you wish.
Students will need:
63gs Tracing Paper
An HB Pencil – Propelling if they have one
Erasers – plastic and kneadable
300gsm HP art paper (any make)
Coloured pencils
ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT LETTERS (Gold Leaf, watercolours and/or Coloured Pencils)
September 27th 2025
BOOKING: Call us: 03302 233 390
Email us: customerservice@tindalls.co.uk
Medieval Illuminated Lettering is an art form that goes back centuries. The opening letter of a chapter in an ancient book was always something beautiful to behold. Using real gold and strong pigment paints these letters were painstakingly created by monks hundreds of years ago. Using more modern materials, but still with real 24ct gold leaf, you will be able to create a small letter of your choice in just one day. Some letters to copy will be provided but if you have a favourite initial you would like to work with please Google ‘Royalty Free Medieval Letters’ and you are bound to find something that appeals to you. Most materials for this workshop will be provided.
Students will need:
63gs Tracing Paper
An HB Pencil – Propelling if they have one
Erasers – plastic and kneadable
300gsm HP art paper (any make)
A piece of glassine paper
Coloured pencils
Watercolours
Paint brushes
A fine paint brush for applying mordant (glue)
Glue for use with gold leaf
Gold leaf (not Pebeo) - I can provide gold leaf but would have to make a charge*
An agate burnisher if they have one but it’s not imperative
Flatford Mill, Dedham, Essex
BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION IN WATERCOLOUR FOR BEGINNERS
4th – 6th April 2025
BOOKING: http://www.field-studies-council-org
(Subject will depend on what is available at the time, but participants are welcome to bring something of their own.)
Course description:
Come and join an RHS gold medal winning tutor and learn the basics of watercolour techniques to create a piece of botanical illustration. You will learn how to lay down simple glazes, merge colours, create good gradations, add fine details and so much more.
ILLUSTRATION SUMMER FRUITS USING COLOURED PENCILS
28th - 30th July 2025
BOOKING: http://www.field-studies-council-org
Course description:
Good quality coloured pencils are ideally suited to botanical art. Far superior to the ‘crayons’ we used at school, modern coloured pencils designed for professionals enable the user to create the most intricate and vibrant illustrations. The course will begin by covering the basic techniques so that beginners can become acquainted with the pencils. Composition and observation of plant materials will also be covered at the beginning of the course. |
Subject matter for this course will depend on what is available at the time. Students may bring their own plant material if they wish.
BOTANICAL SKETCHING AND DRAWING
15th, 16th & 17th August 2025
BOOKING: http://www.field-studies-council-org
Course Description:
Botanical illustration is extremely detailed and precise, but before a finished piece of work can be produced initial observational sketches and drawings have to be produced. This two-day course will help you to sketch your subjects quickly and then hone them into a drawing good enough to turn into a finished piece of art. Some of this course will be ‘en plein air’ so you will have the chance to draw lots of different subjects. All you will need is a few graphite drawing pencils and some pigment pens if you want to complete your work in ink.
What to bring
Sketching paper or a sketchbook
A few graphite pencil
Eraser
Subject matter will be provided depending on what is available at the time. This may include flowers, shrubs, fruit or vegetables.
ILLUSTRATING AUTUMN’S GARDEN TREASURES
USING COLOURED PENCILS
24th – 26th October 2025
BOOKING: http://www.field-studies-council-org
Course Details:
The autumn garden is a cornucopia of interesting bits and bobs! There is always an abundance of seed heads, dead heads and leaves and autumnal fruits to draw and illustrate. Come and join enthusiastic botanical illustrators, and an award-winning tutor, and learn how to capture the beauty of these subjects using coloured pencils. You will be given expert guidance throughout and will be amazed at what you can create with a little help. All materials will be available to purchase, or you can bring your own.
What to Bring
An HB pencil – a propelling pencil is best. 0.3 lead is recommended but anything up to a 0.5 is fine
Pencil sharpener
Plastic rubber
Putty eraser
Pencil Sharpener (a desktop sharpener is best)
Cartridge or sketching paper
Tracing paper - 63gsm or less
Good quality HP (hot Pressed) art paper
A few coloured pencils *
The tutor recommends Faber-Castell Polychromos, Derwent Lightfast or Caran d’Ache Pablo or Luminance. There are amny other makes but cheap pencils from craft stores are much harder to work with because they don’t have enough pigment in them.
*Don’t buy a small tin of coloured pencils as these will only give you the primary colours. It’s best to buy a few to suit the subject you choose on the day. These can be purchased from the tutor. Of course, if you have, or would like to buy a complete set then that is always best because you will have all the colours available from that manufacturer. Most items on the list can also be purchased from the tutor, other than an HB pencil.
HIGHAM HALL, Bassenthwaite Lake, Cumbria
BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION
HERBS & SPICES using Coloured Pencils
2nd – 6th June 2025
BOOKING: Office Hours 09:00 to 17:00
017687 76276
admin@highamhall.com
Herbs are the forgotten ‘poor relations’ of the botanical painting world. They may not be as ‘showy’ as some of our native and incredibly flamboyant flowers, but they are, nevertheless, beautiful – and very interesting. On this three-day course take the opportunity to study a few herbs in detail and record them in coloured pencils and graphite. We will also add some ‘spice’ to the course with the introduction of items such as chillies, peppers, ginger, lemon grass, star anise etc. The plants available will be dependent on the weather, what is available in our gardens and what grocery stores have to offer at the time. If you have herbs in your garden please bring them along.
This course will be a great way to explore a multitude of green shades as well as learning how to cope with tiny detail.
Group demonstrations and individual tuition will be given throughout.
ILLUSTRATING SHELLS, FOSSILS & INSECTS
using Coloured Pencils
6th – 9th June 2025
BOOKING: Office Hours 09:00 to 17:00
017687 76276
admin@highamhall.com
You walk past them, on them or swat them, but perhaps, after this three-day course, you will think again about some of the everyday things we ignore on a daily basis or, at the very least, when we are on a beach holiday. Shells offer up the most amazing colours and patterns, fossils give us the chance to think about the past and record some of their wonders on paper, whilst insects have the most intricate shapes and colours that will be a joy to illustrate.
Insects, obviously, cannot be drawn from life so very good photographs will be required. There are many glossy magazines available monthly, with amazing photographs taken by professionals. There are also many ‘royalty free’ photographs online, or you can take your own. Bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, caterpillars, snails, ladybirds – the list is endless.
Working in both graphite and coloured pencils you will be shown how to draw and colour accurately and make your subjects look incredibly three-dimensional.
Group demonstrations and individual tuition will be given throughout.
TRANSYLVANIA SCHOOL OF BOTANICAL ART
2nd – 8th November 2025
Copsa Mare, Romania
I'm delighted to tell you that I will be teaching in Transylvania in November. The school only run eight courses a year so I feel very honoured to be one of the tutors for 2025. If you're looking for an exciting art experience in a beautiful country why not join me next November at Copsa Mare in Romania where we can illustrate the autumn flora from the surrounding meadows and mountains. Of course, there will be great food and wine too - after all, this is an art holiday! There’s only room for five or six students so book early to secure your place on this exciting adventure of drawing, colouring & exploring.
Contact details are:
Tel: +40 768 994 224
Instagram @podartspace
Established by Rachel & James de Candole in 2018, the Transylvania school of botanic art & illustration in Romania is a private, residential school dedicated to the observation, illustration and conservation of the grassland flora.
The school sits in the grounds of the family's home in Copsa Mare, a small village surrounded by this farmed grassland, wood pasture and tens of thousands of hectares of oak, beech & hornbeam forest.
The de Candole family is a founding subscriber to the Transylvania Florilegium, a valuable part of the school's botanical library.
Private one-to-one or group tuition
If you would like private tuition at any time throughout the year in the UK please email Janie at art@janiepirie.co.uk
Demonstrations/Tuition to Groups and Art Clubs
The exact title/choice of topic can be discussed.
£200.00 for a full day (10.00am - 4.00pm)
£125.00 for a half-day or evening. (3 hours)
Travel is charged at 45p per mile.
For bookings and further information please phone 01473 311970 or email art@janiepirie.co.uk
NEW - Learn in your own home, at your own pace by joining my Patreon group. I'm posting regular real-time videos for all my patrons so you can work when you want, were you want. Each video shows you in a step-by-step manner, how to colour some beautiful images to create your own pieces of artwork. It's all very exciting, both for me and my patrons because it means you can still learn how to start, or improve your coloured pencil techniques at a pace to suit you. Check it out - you've got nothing to lose!
This has now been running for three years and I have posted over 240 videos in real-time for you to follow. There are line drawings for you to download, photographic reference where required and a materials list so you can gather everything you need before you start.
https://www.patreon.com/janiepirie
https://youtu.be/GX2AWzKvCKw Part of a video for you to watch in time-lapse mode.