Botanical Color Pencil Workshop
with Clair Gaston
Friday, March 5th & Saturday, March 6th, 2027 - 10:30AM-3:30PM
(With Lunch Break)
204 S Austin St Rockport, TX
$280 for Members | $350 for Non-members
Class Description:
Discover the vibrant world of botanical and natural history illustration in this immersive weekend workshop. Designed for both beginners looking to learn core techniques and intermediate artists seeking to refine their skills, this course uses nature's rich textures, forms, and colors as direct inspiration.
Through live demonstrations and hands-on practice, you will learn step-by-step methods to bring flora, fauna, and natural objects to life on paper.
What You'll Learn
● Core Fundamentals: Master essential colored pencil techniques including layering, burnishing, blending, and building rich, deep color values.
● Form & Texture: Render dynamic surfaces such as smooth leaves, colorful fruits, weathered bark, and textured seed pods.
● Color Theory in Practice: Learn to observe, match, and mix colors accurately using natural specimens.
● Composition & Form: Use light, shadow, and contouring to create convincing three-dimensional depth and realism.
Whether you want to build a foundational skill set or take your nature journal entries to the next level, you will leave with completed sketches, new confidence, and a renewed perspective on the beauty of the natural world.
Supply List:
Colored Pencils - set of 36 or 48, or individual colors, Prismacolor or Polychromos
Graphite Pencils - HB or #2 pencils
Paper - Bristol board or Mixed media, 9” x 12” or similar. Strathmore 300 bristol is good, vellum surface (not plate or smooth), also Stonehenge multi media is good
Erasers - white plastic, any brand. Optional: pen style erasers, for detail, like Tombow Mono Zero
Sharpeners - Electric, or hand held. Such as this Helix hand held, or Prismacolor hand held
Optional: clip light, for lighting the subject, and seeing values
Subjects: Leaves, fruit, vegetables, simple flowers, shells, seed pods, acorns, feathers, etc
About the Instructor:
Based in Central Texas, Clair Gaston is an artist, naturalist, and educator who translates her reverence of nature into detailed colored pencil or oil works, often inspired by the rhythms of her own garden. She holds a BFA and an MFA in Painting and Drawing, and has enjoyed teaching for over 20 years. Influences on her work include historical and contemporary botanical art, gardening, native plants, and daily life. She works in her studio near Austin, where she teaches private classes, and serves on faculty of The Art School of The Contemporary Austin and The Denver School of Botanical Art and Illustration.
IG: @clairgastonfineart
Friday, March 5th & Saturday, March 6th, 2027
10:30AM-3:30PM
(with Lunch Break)
$280 Members | $350 Non-Members