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The Art of Natural History Online
March 22, 2022 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
$400.00An 8-Week Online Workshop!
Tuesdays, March 22–May 10, 6pm-8pm ET via Zoom
About this Workshop:
Join us for an 8-week introduction to the fascinating world of natural history illustration, combining slide presentations of historical examples with hands-on studio assignments. We will examine the lives and motives of some of the great explorers and discoverers that gathered and illustrated specimens from around the globe. Each week we will immerse ourselves in a different field of study (botany, zoology, ornithology, entomology, and more) and examine the most beautiful or peculiar illustrations from Ancient Greece to 19th century America. Demonstrations on drawing from observation and working in various media to imitate the look of traditional printing techniques will be provided to assist students as they work independently on their specimen illustrations.
Level: Intermediate – Students should have previous drawing experience and be comfortable with their representational drawing skills.
Registration extended until March 18, 2022. With your registration confirmation you’ll receive the full materials list (with helpful links) to purchase your items, any initial handouts about the process, as well as a quick 1-page “how-to” on using the Zoom video app.
All sample illustrations by Kate Samworth
Please Note: The online session will be recorded for Pyramid Atlantic’s private use to better optimize our programming and share as examples for funders. You may mute your microphone or turn off your camera if you do not wish to be recorded.
CLASS MATERIALS LIST:
At registration, students will receive the full materials list (with any helpful links) to purchase supplies. The list includes:
- Sketch pad (size determined by student’s preference) – examples
- HB, 2B, 6B pencils (mechanical pencil recommended but not required)
- Rubber eraser
- Acrylic inks: sepia, cadmium or spectrum red, cadmium or spectrum yellow, ultramarine blue
- Hot press watercolor paper, 90 or 140 pound (size determined by student’s preference)
- Colored Pencils (primary and secondary colors plus black and burnt umber or sepia)
- Bristol paper or student’s choice of nice paper for dry media
YOUR INSTRUCTOR:
Kate Samworth explores the fear and wonder of the natural world in her highly detailed drawings of imaginary places. She explores the spiritual questions raised by observing nature and addresses the existential anxieties expressed in folklore and fairy tales. Her background in printmaking and illustration are evident in her scratchboard engravings, in which each mark is made with precision.
Samworth grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC and was part of a politically active community of artists and musicians. Her work has responded to environmental subjects for decades, evolving to reflect new experiences, like volunteering on organic farms in Turkey and Spain and working as a translator for a hiking guide in Brazil.
Samworth has exhibited across the US and abroad since 1992. She has also illustrated several books, including the Kirkus Prize-winning Aviary Wonders Inc. and New York Times bestseller, Why Fish Don’t Exist. Her work can be found in several public and private collections. She studied observational painting and drawing at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Art and earned a BFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She currently lives in Maryland, teaches online courses through the PA Academy of the Fine Arts, and is preparing for upcoming exhibits. Learn more about her work at katesamworth.com.