Learn Botany Through Art: Creating an Annotated Botanical Sketchbook Workshop with Ruth Clayton and Beth Kidd

Focusing on a single plant family/group, carefully chosen according to seasonal availability, you’ll explore its structure, beauty, and story in depth, learning how to truly see and understand what’s in front of you.

Beth will guide you through the fundamentals of botanical observation, teaching you what to look for in particular plant species and how to carefully dissect it to reveal its key structures. You’ll learn correct plant anatomy, discover intriguing historical insights into taxonomy, and gain the confidence to annotate your drawings accurately and informatively. You will also go out into the field to identify your plant in the wild. Alongside this, Ruth will show you how to translate your observations into clear, elegant illustrations, from detailed studies of individual parts to a full watercolour study. By the end of the day, you’ll have completed a beautiful and informative double-page study in your provided sketchbook, a carefully observed botanical illustration that marks the beginning of your own botanical journey.

Ruth Clayton is a trained illustrator and artist whose work ranges from large, expressive watercolours to highly detailed illustrations. She specialises in watercolour and works from her studio at Farfield Mill in Sedbergh.

To learn more about her work, visit: www.ruthclaytonartist.com.

Beth Kidd is a doctoral researcher in the history of science at UCL, specialising in the history of botany in the seventeenth century. Outside her studies, she has a particular passion for botanical education and field identification, as well as a keen interest in drawing and painting as tools for learning.

Book online https://www.farfieldmill.org/events/learn-botany-through-art/