20 Online Botanical Art and Animal Illustration Courses in 2024

Learn how to draw the natural world with these beginners' courses for sketching, watercolor, digital painting, and beyond

The beauty and power of nature have long been a source of fascination and inspiration for artists of all disciplines. For centuries, naturalists have focused on observing, interpreting, and recording what they see to create artworks that capture scenes from the world around us.

Here we’ve shared 14 nature-inspired courses for sketching, watercolor, digital painting, and beyond. Whether you want to explore the scientific art of botanical illustration, learn artistic techniques to draw flowering plants, or paint animals and insects, these courses are packed with easy tips and inspirational resources for beginners.

Online courses to learn botanical illustration and art

1. Botanical Watercolor: Illustrating Art and Science, a course by Julia Trickey

Combining techniques from both art and science, botanical artists capture moments in the lifecycle of a plant in a way that faithfully represents the botanical form, while paying careful attention to the aesthetics. Julia Trickey (@juliatrickeyart) specializes in botanical art using watercolor as her medium.

In this course, she teaches you how to paint realistic portraits of fruit. You’ll start by learning how to observe your subject from real-life or a reference photo, before exploring the shapes, textures, and details found in nature to craft a botanical watercolor artwork that is both accurate and artistic.

2. Artistic Floral Watercolor: Connect with Nature, a course by Inga Buividavice

The perfect medium for painting organic and fluid shapes, watercolors are a natural choice for botanical illustration. Graphic designer and watercolor artist Inga Buividavice (@inga_buive) uses the medium to create nature-inspired artworks that have been used for everything from greeting cards to accessories.

In her course, Inga teaches you how to paint a botanical composition using a variety of watercolor techniques. To get started, she shares easy tips to draw plants, by simplifying complex floral shapes into basic sketches. Then, she shows you how to use different brush strokes to paint leaves and blooms that capture the beauty of nature.

3. Illustrate Flowering Plants with Watercolor and Fineliners, a course by Katie Putt

Drawn in by nature’s incredible colors and subtle details, award-winning illustrator Katie Putt (@katieputt) creates art for books, magazines, and more. She pairs precise pen lines with fluid watercolor strokes to depict the intricacies of the natural world.

In her course, Katie teaches you how to draw colorful flowering plants using a fineliner pen and watercolor techniques. Starting from the basics, she shows you some drawing exercises and watercolor painting techniques (including how to create different brush effects and mix colors). At the end of the course, Katies shares advice for expanding your work into a collection, and how you can adapt it to all kinds of projects and products.

4. Realistic Watercolor for Botanical Compositions, a course by Kata Zapata

To realistically illustrate flowers and plants, first you need to take the time to carefully observe and understand all the small details. This is the rule botanical illustrator and designer Kata Zapata (@katazapata) lives by. Through her online store, Save the Date Projects, she creates and sells products like wedding invitations, notebooks, and wallpapers illustrated with botanicals.

In her course, she teaches you how to paint flowers and plants using watercolor. She shows you how to look for and capture details to create realistic botanical compositions based on your surroundings.

Naturalist illustration courses to draw birds, butterflies, and other wildlife

5. Artistic Watercolor Techniques for Illustrating Birds, a course by Sarah Stokes

Sarah Stokes (@sarah_stokes) is a self-taught wildlife artist who expresses her passion for art and nature with her unique watercolor compositions that have been exhibited in UK galleries like Whitewall Galleries and Clarendon Fine Art.

In her course, Sarah guides you through her process to create expressive wildlife compositions using modern watercolor painting techniques. You’ll start with the basics, exploring artistic brushstrokes as you learn how to paint birds and bring your wildlife compositions to life.

6. Classical Oil Painting for Naturalist Bird Portraiture, a course by Sarah Margaret Gibson

Focusing on the same subject but a different medium, learn how to create classical oil paintings of birds in this course from realist painter Sarah Margaret Gibson (@sarahmargaretgibson).

Sarah leans into the delicate nature of oil paint to recreate vivid interpretations of the natural world. Through the art of naturalistic bird portraiture, she’ll show you the fundamentals of drawing and oil painting, how to use wet-on-wet and tenebrism techniques, and lots more.

7. Wildlife-Inspired Illustration with Pen and Ink, a course by Philip Harris

If a dip pen and ink is your medium of choice, learn how to illustrate evocative scenes inspired by your surroundings using linework and hatching techniques with freelance illustrator Philip Harris (@philip_harris_illustration).

Through his course on wildlife-inspired illustration, Philip teaches you how to capture the sounds, smells, shapes, and textures of the world around you using traditional techniques.

8. Naturalist Whale Illustration with Watercolor, a course by Antonia Reyes Montealegre

Naturalist illustrator Antonia Reyes (@antoniapajarito) is fascinated by the ocean, and especially by one of the most impressive underwater dwellers: whales.

In her course, you’ll learn how to illustrate whales using watercolor techniques. As well as exploring drawing and watercolor techniques to depict different types of whales (blue, orca and humpback), Antonia shares her tips for adding artistic experimentation to your illustration process.

9. Animal and Botanical Illustration with Watercolor, a course by Cristina Cilloniz

For many creatives, watercolor can be a great activity for mindfulness, which is reflected in the works of naturalist illustrator Cristina Cilloniz (@cristina_cilloniz), who draws on the world around her for watercolor paintings as a form of personal growth.

In this course, Cristina teaches you how to draw and paint naturalist illustrations, combining animals, insects, and botanical elements. To help you share your work online, she also offers quick tips to digitize your paintings.

10. Naturalist Journaling with Watercolor, a course by Berta Llonch

Start a personal project by learning to illustrate insects and plants in watercolor for a naturalist journal with visual artist and illustrator Berta Llonch (@bertallonch_).

Learn how to study insects and plants to help shape and inspire your creations, and follow Berta's advice for experimenting with watercolors to express yourself freely and artistically recreate the details on every page.

11. Naturalist Animal Illustration with Procreate, a course by Román García Mora

Biologist and illustrator Román García Mora (@romangm) specializes in scientific and naturalist illustration and has worked for the likes of National Geographic and Quo magazines.

In his course, you’ll learn how to draw naturalist animal illustrations using Procreate. Learn techniques for capturing an animal’s features in detail, and recreate them artistically using an iPad.

12. Natural Illustration with Digital Painting, a course by Jessica Roux

Using a mix of digital and analog techniques, freelance illustrator Jessica Roux (@jessicaroux) creates beautiful botanical compositions that have featured in publications such as The New York Times and Smithsonian magazine.

In her course, she’ll teach you how to transform a botanical pencil sketch into a vivid digital painting. You’ll learn how to create original narrative illustrations using pencil and Photoshop, as you discover tricks to incorporate the magic of nature into your creative practice.

Nature-inspired courses to experiment with creative techniques

13. Illustrating Nature: A Creative Exploration, a course by Laura McKendry

Laura McKendry (@laura_mckendry) is an illustrator and artist who creates beautiful fine art prints, greeting cards, wrapping paper, homeware, and more using experimental techniques.

In her creative nature illustration course, Laura will teach you how to experiment with watercolor, inks, and less conventional materials to create three wildlife-inspired artworks. You will learn how she incorporates these techniques into her work and tips to find your own creative ways of depicting nature.

14. Surrealist Illustration Inspired by Nature, a course by Marco Mazzoni

Inspired by the great surrealist and naturalist artists of the past, artist and illustrator Marco Mazzoni (@marcomazzoniart) uses colored pencils to illustrate animals and natural elements packed with mood and symbolism. He’s fascinated by flora and fauna, and his illustrations are filled with depictions of human emotions inspired by nature.

Through his course, he asks that you forget the structure of academic drawing and the use of visual references. Instead, discover fun techniques to create a surrealist illustration of an animal that highlights the message behind your illustrations.

15. Botanical Illustration: From Notebook to Print, a course by David Morales

In this course you'll learn to turn nature sketches into digital botanical prints. Morales combines observational drawing with digital techniques, making the course suitable for all skill levels. The course covers sketching in nature, adding color in Procreate or watercolor, and creating a final botanical print. These classes are ideal for those wanting to enhance their nature-inspired illustrations.

16. Realistic Botanical Illustration: Escape to Nature, a course by Katerina Kolberg

Join Katerina Kolberg in Realistic Botanical Illustration: Escape to Nature. You'll learn advanced watercolor techniques for botanical art. Katrina, an award-winning illustrator, guides you from basic skills to creating a detailed pear and bumblebee illustration. Perfect for all levels, this course emphasizes layering and glazing to create vibrant, lifelike botanical images. Ideal for anyone passionate about exploring watercolor's versatility and beauty.

17. Botanical Patterns in a Sketchbook: Conquer the Blank Page, a course by Polina Oshu

In Botanical Patterns in a Sketchbook: Conquer the Blank Page, you'll explore pattern design using paint markers. This course, ideal for beginners to intermediates, teaches art composition, color theory, and creating abstract and floral motifs. You'll overcome the fear of the blank page and finish with unique botanical illustrations, ready to be shared on social media. All you need are a sketchbook and acrylic markers to begin your journey into botanical pattern creation.

18. Watercolor with Filigree and Metallic Details, a course by Lisi

Join artist Lisi in her course Watercolor with Filigree and Metallic Details to discover the magic of combining watercolors with metallic glints. Perfect for enthusiasts eager to experiment, she teaches you to create vibrant, detailed animal and plant illustrations, culminating in a shimmering bird project. Step into a world where art meets the sparkle of metallic paints.

h]19. Expressive Floral Painting with Acrylic Paint, a course by Sonal Nathwani[/h]

Don't miss Expressive Floral Painting with Acrylic Paint Course by Sonal Nathwani. You'll learn composition, color theory, and various drawing and painting techniques. By the course's end, you'll have a beautiful, double-spread floral painting in your sketchbook. No prior experience required, just bring your creativity and tools. Perfect for those looking to capture nature's beauty in art.

20. Naturalistic Illustration in Watercolor and Gouache, a course by Georgina Taylor

Step into the world of vibrant nature art with "Naturalistic Illustration in Watercolor and Gouache" by Georgina Taylor. Elevate your artistic skills by mastering the delicate balance of color and texture to bring botanical and insect illustrations to life. Perfect for all skill levels, this course is your gateway to creating stunning, lifelike nature art. Start your artistic journey today.

Continue exploring the art of nature illustration

- Explore all of our online botanical illustration courses and naturalistic illustration courses.

- Follow these free illustration tutorials to learn how to draw a tree using pen and ink, or paint a tropical cheese plant leaf using watercolors.

- Find inspiration and references for your next botanical art project with 1,000s of free nature illustrations from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.