Rain, Rain, Come and Stay! Drawing Rain, Weather, and Dew

Lafayette Library and Learning Center 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. , Lafayette, CA, United States

To help call in the rain to drought stricken California, we offer a special workshop on drawing weather. Learn how to suggest a downpour in graphite pencil and watercolor. We will also draw fog, snow fields, and a blizzard. After the storm clears we will learn how to draw raindrops or dew on plants and Read More

The Five Principles of Better Drawing

Lafayette Library and Learning Center 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. , Lafayette, CA, United States

You can learn to draw. Representative drawing is a skill, not a gift. There are five principles that I wish I knew when I started. Practicing these with exercises, and keeping them in mind as you sketch or paint will improve the accuracy, speed, and clarity of your work. Learn how to modify and adapt these techniques for any Read More

Sketching with Ballpoint Pens

Lafayette Library and Learning Center 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. , Lafayette, CA, United States

n a recent trip to Rwanda, I realized that I would fill my sketchbook long before returning home. I usually sketch with soft pencil and leave the opposite page blank so that facing pages will not smear each other. To conserve paper, I gave up the pencil and started sketching with a ballpoint pen. Within Read More

$20

Composition

Lafayette Library and Learning Center 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. , Lafayette, CA, United States

A strong composition is the backbone of a successful drawing. In addition, creative composition will open alternative ways of seeing a subject and give you new and exciting avenues to explore in your art. Composition is not hard to master and with a few basic principles under your belt you will see a dramatic improvement in Read More

$20

The next step: Making your nature drawings come alive

Lafayette Library and Learning Center 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. , Lafayette, CA, United States

This workshop will be taught by the wonderful nature journaler and teacher Laurie Wigham. You’ve been working hard to make sense of the underlying structures: why a bird’s leg seems to bend backward in the middle or how to get the proportions right when you foreshorten those flower petals. It’s time to set aside all the careful measuring and Read More

$20

A Rainbow of Colors from Three Primaries

Lafayette Library and Learning Center 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. , Lafayette, CA, United States

ou do not need a palette of a million colors if you understand the way colors mix. There is a lot of misinformation and dogma that confuses people when they try to mix colors. If you have ever accidentally mixed dull or muddy colors, it is not you. Learn how to create a rainbow of Read More

$20

How to Draw Wildflowers-Part II

Lafayette Library and Learning Center 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. , Lafayette, CA, United States

 Enjoy the beauty of spring wildflowers. Drawing them will help you get to know them better and will help you see aspects of your favorite wildflowers that you have never noticed before. This workshop will teach you: How to draw tight clusters of white flowers (yarrow etc). How to draw curling and twisted petals and Read More

$20

Thinking like a Naturalist: Reclaiming the Art of Natural History

Lafayette Library and Learning Center 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. , Lafayette, CA, United States

Learn how to get more out of every nature ramble. Developments in neuropsychology have opened doors in our understanding of the brain and cognition and how you can train yourself to see more and to be more curious about what you discover. Naturalist and illustrator John Muir Laws will demonstrate simple and fun techniques you Read More

$5

How to Draw Wildflowers-Part I

Lafayette Library and Learning Center 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. , Lafayette, CA, United States

  Enjoy the beauty of spring wildflowers. Drawing them will help you get to know them better and will help you see aspects of your favorite wildflowers that you have never noticed before. This introductory workshop will teach you: How to understand basic flower structure. How to capture the symmetry of wildflowers with simple lines. How Read More

$20

Nature Journaling 101

Lafayette Library and Learning Center 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. , Lafayette, CA, United States

So you want to keep a nature journal or bump your current practice to a higher orbit. This workshop will help you see the possibilities of what a journal can be and how to move from new years resolutions to a life changing habit. If you already have a journal kit, bring it along plus any personal favorite Read More

$20