Denver Botanic Gardens School of Botanical Art & Illustration
Alex is a core faculty member for the Denver Botanic Gardens School of Botanical Art & Illustration, which offers both a botanical illustration certificate program and art exploration courses, in person and online.
For more information about the program and the current classes on offer, you can visit the school’s website.
Examples of classes offered by Alex through the School of Botanical Art & Illustration:
Drawing Animals (5 weeks)
Learn how to draw realistic animals in graphite, pen and ink, and watercolor. Each class we’ll explore a different animal group, including mammals, birds, and reptiles, starting off with a discussion of their basic anatomy, before diving into how to render complex textures such as fur, feathers, and scales.
Watercolor 1 (5 weeks)
Drawing skills and color mixing experience are combined to further explore watercolor paint. From flat and graded washes to highlights and drybrush detail, discover the delight of putting brush and pigment to paper for transparent watercolor. Demonstrations and practical exercises show you how to build washes for depth of tone and shading, and how to create soft and hard edges.
Scratchboard Botanicals (5 weeks)
Learn how to create dramatic black-and-white images using scratchboard. The board itself is a panel covered with a thin layer of white China clay, and then coated with black India ink. Scratching tools are used to scrape away the ink layer, revealing the white underneath. A great experiment for those with experience in pen and ink who wish to expand their toolbox, and those who are interested in the style of antique botanical prints, but without the printing process.
Private Lessons & Workshops
Alex offers private lessons, critiques, and workshops in various topics and media, both in person and via Zoom.
Examples of subjects and media include:
graphite drawing, pen and ink illustration, watercolor, gouache, scratchboard
scientific illustration, botanical illustration, nature sketching
For further questions, please contact Alex.