McClellan Ranch: Santa Clara Valley Audubon

Learn how to draw broadleaf and evergreen trees both from a distance and up close details (leaves, acorns, seed pods, and fruit). In addition to studying details of structure, we will explore shortcuts to help you get the form on paper and tricks to suggest dimension and volume. Two advantages of drawing in ink are Read More

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

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

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

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

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

 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

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 to Read More

So you want to keep a nature journal or bump your current practice to a higher orbit. Join us for a workshop to 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 Read More