McClellan Ranch: Santa Clara Valley Audubon

Working with wet watercolor and aquarelle will help your journal sketching become more lively and spontaneous. Instead of carefully drawing lines and then coloring them in, we’ll invert the process, splashing down loose watercolor and then drawing into it to define shapes. We’ll also explore some special effects you can get with wet-on-wet watercolor. This approach Read More

Special guest lecture with instructor Mark Simmons Perspective allows us to create the illusion of three-dimensional space on the flat page. Though it may seem intimidating, a basic understanding of perspective gives us a bag of tricks that we can use to add a sense of depth and distance to our scenes, and convincing volume Read More

Watercolors are a fast and versatile way to get color into your sketchbook or journal. But many of us have been frustrated with the mechanics of getting our paint to do what we want or watched a sketch drown in a puddle of murky brown paint. Have you been frustrated by your watercolors when field Read More

So you want to draw but have not picked up a pencil since elementary school? This workshop is geared for the raw beginner who is terrified of sketching and is convinced that they can not draw. You can learn to draw. This workshop will show you how to begin. In this workshop you will learn: Read More

Have you always wanted to keep a nature journal or are you looking for ways to make your nature journaling a richer experience? In this workshop we will explore fundamental principles to jumpstart and extend your journaling practice. You will learn: Why to keep a nature journal and see examples of many ways to practice. Read More

Learn how to draw and sketch fish and sharks in dynamic poses, breaking the mold of the static scientific illustration. Learn how a living fish looks under water and how this is different than what is drawn in classic fish illustration. This class will prepare you for sketching from live specimens in your fish tank Read More

Learn the basics of illustrating fish including critical morphology for the artist, arranging scales, important proportions or measurements,  and capturing the iridescent shimmer of light. In this workshop we will focus on the lateral (side) view to create a classic scientific illustration. No experience necessary, and no advanced registration required. Bring a sketchbook and pencil to Read More

Visual note-taking (aka “sketchnoting”) is a powerful and fun way to capture and remember information and share it effectively. With a set of simple techniques, you can visually capture key points of a lecture, video or book, so that you can quickly recall the ideas and put what you’ve learned into action. Visual notetaking techniques Read More

Improve your handwriting with calligrapher and nature journal keeper JP Panter. Learn targeted techniques to improve the problem area that everyone shares. We will learn how to write in italic, a practical and flexible basic handwriting style which can be either printed or cursive. We will explore how different tools change the look and feel of what Read More