Botanical Illustration with Watercolors
A course by Paulina Maciel · CanelaDesigner and Illustrator
A course by Paulina Maciel · Canela, Designer and Illustrator
Discover the techniques to create illustrated compositions with plants and flowers
When two passions come together, the results can transform a creative project into something exceptional. The work of designer and illustrator Paulina Maciel is a clear example. She seamlessly combines the unpredictable results of watercolor with her love for nature. According to Paulina, by making the act of observation a part of our daily lives, we can learn to value it. And, perhaps more importantly, understand the importance of holding onto it.
In this course, Paulina teaches you each step of her creative process for making botanical illustrations with watercolors. Using real flowers and plants as a model, learn how to digitize your work, make edits, and apply your creativity to any product. And if you decide to further your learning path, discover Paulina’s other course Botanical Watercolor Sketchbook, where you learn how to combine watercolor with other techniques.
Featured review
I enjoyed this course and I really recommend Paulina. You can see she has the experience and lots of patience to create her art. I will definitely use her tips for my next project!
What will you learn in this online course?
17 lessons & 13 downloads
Materials
5 minutes, 39 seconds
Introduction to watercolor
14 minutes, 16 seconds
Volume
12 minutes, 4 seconds
Opaque textures
3 minutes, 31 seconds
Bright textures
5 minutes, 30 seconds
Textures with hairs and spines
13 minutes, 52 seconds
What's included in this course?
Begin your course by getting to know the work of your instructor, Paulina Maciel. She introduces you to some of her influences and goes through the materials needed in this course, including some of the more technical aspects.
Next, start painting with some watercolor exercises. Learn some different ways to apply your paint and practice creating different textures that are found in nature.
Learn to apply light and shadow to add extra volume to your illustrations. Discover some ways to identify the geometric shapes of different plants and flowers so they are easier to draw. Take a closer look at the different parts of a plant and determine the ones essential to your illustration.
Paulina explores botanical illustration with two different methods: by painting directly with watercolors, and applying a grisaille technique with graphite.
After creating your final illustration with the techniques laid out, Paulina teaches you how to digitize and retouch your illustration in Photoshop so it can be applied to just about anything.
What is this course's project?
Create an illustration of a botanical arrangement, based on a real flower, as a starting point for designing a stationery set.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Designers, illustrators, cartoonists, or anyone interested in exploring the botanical world using watercolor illustration.
Requirements and materials
No prior knowledge is necessary, but basic skills in Adobe Photoshop are useful for digitizing and applying your final illustration.
Materials include: watercolor paint in tubes, tablets, or liquids, watercolor paper, some round brushes, and a selection of leaves, plants, and flowers that will serve as models.
Reviews
- 27 days ago
Inspirador
- 2 months ago
Hermoso curso e inspirador.
- 2 months ago
Más bien es un curso de colorear
- 2 months ago
Todo bien
- 3 months ago
This is good for a beginner or novice botanical artist the first few lessons in particular. I found the English translation was often out of sync or too fast; sometimes I even slowed the speed of the video so that it could be understood clearly. I would have appreciated a full lesson on the final project as this is a complex piece of watercolour work. I didn't find the final digital lesson useful at all and didn't see the point of it in this class.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- Materials
- U2
Painting the water
- Introduction to watercolor
- Volume
- Opaque textures
- Bright textures
- Textures with hairs and spines
- Rough and dry textures
- U3
Looking for style
- Botanical illustration
- Botanical illustration styles I
- Botanical illustration styles II
- U4
The botanical composition
- Plant morphology
- Botanical composition
- U5
Digital finish
- Digitalize watercolor
- Cutout
- Composition
- FP
Final project
- Illustrating botanicals
What to expect from a Domestika course
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FAQs
This course is aimed at intermediate students who already know the basics of watercolor. You don’t have to be an expert, but some basic drawing and watercolor painting experience is recommended.
You’ll need watercolors, brushes of various sizes (including a fine brush), cold-pressed watercolor paper, pencil, eraser, coarse salt, a craft knife, gel pen, and access to a scanner or camera to digitize your illustrations.
You’ll learn wet and dry watercolor techniques, gradients, transparency, texture creation, how to depict volume and light, digitizing illustrations, and adapting botanical art for graphic products and stationery.
The course covers techniques like wet and dry base, gradients, stippling, variegated washes, using salt for texture, grisaille, pigment mixing, creating highlights, and digitizing illustrations.
You’ll be taught how to scan or photograph your work, adjust colors and levels, clean up imperfections, and crop elements using digital editing tools to prepare them for graphic products or stationery.
Dry brush technique offers more control and sharp edges by applying pigment on dry paper. Wet-on-wet involves moistening the paper first, allowing for blends and soft edges ideal for gradients and smooth transitions.
Yes, the course teaches how to analyze and depict natural textures like fuzz, thorns, dry leaves, rough surfaces, and botanical details using various watercolor techniques and complementary tools.