Botanical Watercolor: Illustrating Art and Science
A course by Julia Trickey, Botanical Artist
Learn to transform everyday subjects like fruit into realistic botanical portraits by combining observational drawing with contemporary watercolor techniques
Botanical illustration sits midway between art and science: it allows you to capture a particular moment in the lifecycle of a plant, such as its flowers, leaves, fruit, bulbs, or seed heads, in a way that is both artistic and realistic. Botanical artist Julia Trickey specializes in recreating the colors and textures of these subjects. She has exhibited her work all over the world and worked with clients like Royal Mail.
In this online course, she teaches you how to create botanical artwork of your own using watercolors. Learn to paint realistic portraits of fruit from real-life observation or a reference photo, using a combination of artistic techniques. Explore the shapes, textures, and details found in the natural world and portray them with watercolors.
What will you learn in this online course?
15 lessons & 24 downloads
What's included in this course?
Begin the course by getting to know botanical artist Julia Trickey. Discover how she turned her watercolor hobby into a full-time career, along with the influences that inspire her and the work she creates.
Dive into the tools and materials needed for the course. Then put them into practice with a range of exercises designed to help you develop your watercolor techniques. Learn to mix and match realistic colors, and paint the different textures found in fruit.
Julia guides you through how to create a realistic drawing of your subject from observation and a photograph, as well as how to transfer it onto watercolor paper. See how to use masking fluid to create white highlights in your work before painting the initial layers of your illustration. Incorporate texture and character into your piece as well as the finishing touches. Then add the background to your painting and make any final adjustments.
Explore ideas for compositions featuring more than one subject. To wrap up the course, Julia shares her advice for framing your work in a way that enhances your painting.
- 99% positive reviews (121)
- 4,066 students
- 15 lessons (2h 47m)
- 24 additional resources (7 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, German, Spanish, Spanish (Latam), French, Indonesian, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
What is this course's project?
Paint an accurate fruit portrait in watercolor, working from a reference photo or from real-life observation.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone with an interest in watercolors who wants to explore a contemporary style of botanical painting.
Requirements and materials
No previous knowledge is required.
In terms of materials, you will need pencils, erasers, a sharpener, paper and tracing paper, watercolor paints, brushes, and other materials specified by the teacher in the course.
Reviews
Julia Trickey
A course by Julia Trickey
Julia Trickey is an award-winning botanical artist and tutor based in Bath, England. She grew up in a creative household and loved drawing from a young age, capturing seascapes and the natural world around her. She went on to study at art college and, years later, discovered a passion for botanical art after signing up for a class on the subject while in search of a hobby.
Since then, Julia has exhibited her work both in England and abroad and received awards, including four gold medals from the Royal Horticultural Society. She also teaches botanical art to others around the world and has been involved in several public art projects. Julia has written articles for national and international art journals and has various self-published guides for botanical artists. She also creates art for clients including Royal Mail and shares her work with over 30K followers on Instagram.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
Materials and Preparation Exercises
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Materials
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Watercolour Techniques
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Mixing and Matching Colours
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Painting Textures
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U3
Painting Fruit
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Observational Drawing
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Masking Fluid
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Initial Layers 1
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Initial Layers 2
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Adding Textures
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Finishing Touches
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Adding the Background and Adjustments
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U4
Sharing Your Painting
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Composition Ideas
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Framing Your Work
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FP
Final project
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Botanical Watercolor: Illustrating Art and Science
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for beginners and covers all foundational techniques needed to start painting realistic botanical subjects in watercolor.
You’ll need watercolor paints, brushes, watercolor paper, masking fluid, graphite pencils, an eraser, a ruling pen, and optional tools like tracing paper and a magnifying glass.
You’ll learn how to draw and paint plants accurately, mix and layer colors, use masking fluid, create realistic textures, and compose botanical illustrations suitable for exhibitions or personal projects.
No prior experience is necessary. The course starts with the basics and gradually guides you through all essential skills for botanical watercolor painting.
The course teaches techniques like wet-in-wet, dry brush, lifting highlights, and using masking fluid to create lifelike textures and fine details in botanical subjects.
Yes, you’ll learn color theory for botanicals, how to mix vibrant and muted greens, match colors from real plants or photos, and achieve naturalistic hues.
Absolutely. The course covers professional standards for submitting art to exhibitions and creating detailed botanical illustrations for small formats like postage stamps.
It's a wonderful class. I'm going to enjoy the learning journey.
Great course!! I love botanical illustration
Julia is a great artist, but beyond her ability and talent, she has a heart for community building and encouraging others to create. Teaching others and bringing out their talents are things Julia is uniquely gifted with. I have enjoyed her instruction, her ability to instruct and break techniques down in small steps has been very beneficial for my own artistic journey.
Muy buen curso, excelente y muy profesional profesora.Aprendí muchísimo.
Lo recomiendo al cien por iento
Great course , I really enjoyed the pace. Detailed but not boring .