Classes

2023/2024 Summer/Fall Semester Classes
Yale Peabody Museum
Natural Science Illustration Program
https://peabody.yale.edu/education/adult-programs/nsi

100 level: The Naturalist’s Palette: How to Mix Colors in Watercolor
August 20
Fridays, 9:30-3:30
(In person at the Peabody Community Ed Center)
Artists often struggle with reproducing the perfect “mixture of color” that one sees in nature. In this workshop, we will discuss how we perceive color and light, and how colors interact with one another in nature. With basic exercises in color mixing, focusing on color families and tonal relationships, we will create simplistic nature studies, using a minimal palette.

200 level: Colored Pencil II (Pre req: Draw 1 and Col Pencil 1)
September 8- October27 (8 weeks)
Fridays, 5-8 pm
Using both traditional and experimental methods, students will master the techniques of colored pencil needed to create detailed and accurate illustrations for portfolio presentation or publication. Course concentration will be focused on refining techniques learned in Colored Pencil I, increasing pigment intensity, creating textural effects and working closely from found objects, and museum specimens to create dynamic scientific studies.

200 level: Watercolor II: Botanical Studies (Pre req: Draw 1 and WC 1)
October 29-Dec 17 ( 8 weeks)
Sundays, 2-5 pm
In this eight-week class, artists will explore and de-mystify the specific techniques, characteristic of traditional botanical illustration, and how to accurately represent plant portraits in watercolor. Using graded washes, drybrush, charging, masking, and detailing, we will create a series of four botanical portraits, focusing on Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer in the traditional botanical format on hot press watercolor paper.

100 level: How to Draw a Barred Owl
November 4
Saturday, 2-5 pm
Drawing owls is challenging and fun! Using graphite and colored pencil, we will capture the essence of this raptor’s personality by using specific measurements of head and body and adding realistic detail of feathers and barring in the final process. This class is open to beginners as well as experienced artists.

100 level: Drawing Birds from the Peabody Museum Collection (Draw 1 recommended) ( six weeks)
November 21-Jan 2
Tuesdays 5-7 pm
(In person at the Peabody Community Ed Center)
This six-week class will introduce artists to the fascinating world of drawing birds. To better understand the structure of birds, a basic foundation of avian anatomy will be introduced, using taxidermy mounts and skins from the Peabody Museum’s collection. We will learn how to intuitively recognize the form of various bird species by observing and drawing birds from live bird cams. A small field painting kit with pencils, watercolor pencils and water brushes is all you will need to render successful bird studies. A knowledge of drawing is recommended.