Classes

2018--Still to come!

Most of my classes take place in the School of Botanical Art and Illustration (SBAI) at Denver Botanic Gardens, where I have been an instructor since 1998.
For a full course schedule of the SBAI, and to see program fees and course prerequisites, please visit Denver Botanic Gardens.

Classes in the BACK TO BASICS series and other workshops are separate from the SBAI. Class locations and registrations differ by workshop.
Colored Pencil Essentials
AND
Start Up Library: Colored Pencil

Online with Craftsy.com
ALWAYS AVAILABLE!
Picture
On line.
Any time.
Your pace.
Always yours to keep.
Learn the basics of colored pencil & how to mix color like a painter.

Join over 11,000 people worldwide
in my Craftsy classes!

BASICS BOOTCAMPS
Drawing workshops with
Susan Rubin & Marjorie Leggitt

Beyond the Basics: Into Color
Thursday-Friday, June 14-15
Time: 9:30 am-3pm
Location: Art Gym, 1460 Leyden St, Denver

Drawing in graphite but dreaming in color?  Take two instructors and two days to accelerate your color acumen.  Before you jump into full color, learn to see in monochromatic values and trick your brain into perceiving varied hues from just one color. Now think in pairs.  We’ll access one warm and one cool color to explore the power of color mixing and temperature as we model light on form with simple subjects. By day's end on Friday you'll not only be amazed by how you look at color differently, you will create a finished piece to be proud of!
NOTE: Though this workshop is tailored to students who have completed Back to Basics and Finding Focus, experienced artists are welcome. Contact us for more information. 

Beyond the Basics: Drawing Challenges
Friday - Saturday, August 3-4
Time: 9am-3pm
Location: Art Gym, 1460 Leyden St, Denver

Let’s draw the tough stuff!  After all this practice, there are still things that stump you. That shadow in the inside of your subject seems almost impossible. Those insect wings that reflect light and show substance behind are so hard to capture. From transparency to translucency and all the folds, crinkles, spikes, hair, and reflections and more in between, we’ll meet drawing difficulties head on. Two instructors and three full days will unravel the mysteries of texture and shadow on almost any subject, large or small. Working in graphite pencil, you’ll elevate your drawings from good to great with an arsenal of tips and tricks for your drawing toolbox.
 
Though this workshop is tailored to students who have completed Back to Basics and Beyond Basics, experienced artists are welcome.


Beyond the Basics: Composing with color
Thursday - Friday, December 6-7
Time: 9:30 am-3pm
Location: Art Gym, 1460 Leyden St, Denver

It’s time to take composition to the next level! The tried and true models for composition, like the Rule of Thirds, Notan, and balance, just got an update! Learn the basics of composing with color to add new life to your work. We’ll begin with shapes in color, discovering which colors enhance form, how to use color to push the perception of perspective, and how to create calm or chaos with your color selections. Next we’ll translate that flat mosaic to a fully rendered work, creating a color composition that tells your story precisely. In this workshop you’ll have both instructors to guide you through the process in your choice of watercolor or colored pencil. Come see what color can do!

NOTE: This workshop is tailored to students who have completed Into Color. 

Color Layering for Colored Pencil
Fri-Sun, August 24 - 26 | Time: 9 am–2:30 pm
Fri-Sun, November 9-11 | Time: 9 am–2:30 pm

Colored pencil presents a special challenge: mixing color directly on your drawing! Learn to use a simple color-mixing method adapted to the application of colored pencils.  Learn to determine shadow colors for vibrant results. Practice color matching with a variety of plant material as you create your own extensive color workbook to speed color selection and application for all future colored pencil drawings.

Colored Pencil Brush-Up
Mon June 18 | Time: 9 - noon

Picture
Was your last colored pencil class years ago? It's time to catch up!  Innovative materials, techniques and surfaces are constantly introduced to this ever-evolving medium. Try a selection of new colored pencils, some new tools, innovative and a multitude of new techniques. After these three hours, you'll walk away with a refreshed toolbox, some charming little studies and lots of new ideas.

Matting and Floating
 Tuesday, July 17 | Time: 9 am–2:30 pm

Preparing your work for framing can be fun and affordable if you know the tricks and techniques. This one-day workshop covers mat-cutting, and inexpensive framing options. Start with an overview of the equipment, materials and measuring. Learn to float your artwork for an inexpensive alternative to matting. Demonstrations and handouts show you how to measure and cut your own single, double and multi-opening mats. You will head home with two matted pieces ready to be framed.

Colored Pencil I
Thursdays,  Sept 6, 13, 20, 27, Oct 4
Time: 9 - noon

You've learned to layer colored pencil; now learn techniques to draw effectively in this medium. Apply your drawing skills and learn new methods specific to colored pencil, like layering, building and burnishing. This versatile, portable medium is perfect for field sketching and studio work.

Colored Pencil II
Tuesdays, July 31, August 7, 14, 28, Sept 7
Time: 9 - noon

Take your colored pencil skills to the next level. Work through a step-by-step process to create a preparatory layered drawing. Learn new techniques to texture, detail and depth in your work. Experiment with different surfaces and sovents to achieve special effects. Create a finished botanical plate.

Trompe L'Oeil: Plants and People, the Art of Ethnobotany
Fri-Sat June 22-23 | Time: 9- 2:30
Plus one month supported project

You'll start this class with a presentation by the curator of the Gardens' ethnobotany collection. Select your subject and tell a story with trompe l'oeil, or fool-the-eye artwork. Difficult but delightful, work in this style requires meticulous attention to detail and perspective and relies on cast shadow to create the optical illusion that the two dimensional image exists in three dimensions. With careful instruction in the style as well as specific techniques, you'll create a small tableau. Finish with artwork that will have everyone scratching their heads.

Light on Form
Fri-Sun, July 13-15 |Time: 9 am–2:30 pm
Tuesdays, July 31, August 7, 14, 28, Sept 7
Time: 1-4pm

Picture
Take your drawings from flat to fabulous. The secret to portraying light and shadow on your subjects lies in understanding the scientific method of lighting as it applies
to different forms. Beginning with basic geometric shapes, refine your skills in showing light and volume on any subject.The class will work entirely in graphite pencil, but the principles apply to
all other media. As you progress from fruits and vegetables to leaves and flowers to entire plants with complex shapes, you will
overcome the obstacles in creating three-dimensional drawings.

Practical Botanicals:
Flower Power!
Wednesdays, ,Aug 29, Sept 5, 12, 19, 26
Time: 6 - 9 pm

 In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Flower Power was a widespread movement that started in anti-war protest and blossomed into unforgettable design. Characterized by bright color combinations and stylized blooms, the look of the era was bold and fun. learn about the growth of the movement and the characteristic design elements. Start with your favorite flowers and simplify the shapes to make a repeating design. Borrow the color principles of Op Art to add the palette that made this era pop. Working in colored pencil and more, you'll create a design that will work well as fabric or paper, and also a coordinating decal design. Commemorate Flower Power along with the Gardens and embrace your inner hippie!

Practical Botanicals:
Leaf Designs in Mixed Media
Colored Pencil I
Wednesdays,  Nov 7, 14, 28, Dec 5, 12
Time: 6 - 9 pm

Celebrate the structure and form of leaves and create a layered design incorporating every element of a leaf. From margins to veins, build detail and design with multiple layers of depth. Colored Pencil, Graphite, Ink, Paint and Collage can help you make a solid statement about leaves. Scarves? Stationery? Place mats? Let your imagination run wild and see where your leafy creation takes you!