Botanical Sketchbooking: A Meditative Approach
A course by Lapin , Urban Sketcher
Slow down and connect with nature by learning how to illustrate plants and flowers using watercolors
Slowing down and connecting with nature through botanical illustration is how urban sketcher and illustrator Lapin finds peace in the rush of everyday life. He believes drawing through observation is a great way to develop creativity and mindfulness. In this course, he guides you through his meditative illustration methods to create lush illustrations of the plants and flowers around you.
Discover a new way to relax using a sketchbook, some watercolors, and your favorite plants and flowers. Learn how to observe organic shapes and look at nature from a new perspective to create beautiful botanical compositions that capture the essence of your natural surroundings.
This is Lapin’s second sketching course. In his first course—Urban Sketching: Express Your World in a New Perspective—he teaches you how to depict everyday scenes from your neighborhood by showing you a variety of perspectives and ideas.
What will you learn in this online course?
24 lessons & 12 downloads
- 98% positive reviews (1.4K)
- 70,002 students
- 24 lessons (5h 28m)
- 12 additional resources (5 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, German, Spanish, Spanish (Latam), French, Indonesian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch · Turkish · Romanian · Indonesian
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software & tools for this course
Adobe PhotoshopWhat is this course's project?
Create botanical sketches using a meditative illustration method.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for sketchers of all levels who would like to find a new way to unwind through botanical illustration.
Requirements and materials
To take this course you will need some flowers, plants, fineliners, a white gel ink pen, watercolors, and a sketchbook.
Reviews
Lapin
A course by Lapin
Lapin is an urban sketcher based in Barcelona, Spain. As a young boy, he remembers accompanying his father—an airplane technician—to his workplace to draw planes and imagine their stories. His three passions remain the same to this day: aviation, paleontology, and drawing.
In 18 years, he has filled over 200 sketchbooks, published 30 books, and was named the official air and space painter for the French Army in 2019. He’s a member of the Urban Sketching Community since 2008 and teaches Illustration Masters students at Elisava in Barcelona, as well as his own urban sketching workshops. His clients include the French Army, Air France, the City of Barcelona, Le Parisien Magazine, PlayStation, Heineken, Marks & Spencer, Aigle, Peugeot, Porsche, and Formula One.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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Presentation
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Influences
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What Will We Do in This Course?
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U2
Line, Material and Green
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Line Techniques: The Geometry of Plants
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Line Techniques: Drawing Leaf by Leaf
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The Materials
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Colour Techniques: Create Your Greens
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U3
Observation and Meditation
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Drawing from Observation: Line Work
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Colour and Texture: Green
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Colour and Texture: Bright Colours 1
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Colour and Texture: Bright Colours 2
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Colour and Texture: Bright Colours 3
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Colour and Texture: Bright Colours 4
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Colour and Texture: Bright Colours 5
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Colour and Texture: Bright Colours 6
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Colour and Texture: Bright Colours 7
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Cactus Illustration 1
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Cactus Illustration 2
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Cactus Illustration 3
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U4
Composition and Pattern
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Decay Study 1
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Decay Study 2
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Botanical Composition 1
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Botanical Composition 2
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Creating a Pattern
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FP
Final project
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Botanical Sketchbooking: A Meditative Approach
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at 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
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Certificates
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Get front-row seats
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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
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FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate artists who want to deepen their skills in botanical illustration, urban sketching, and expressive drawing techniques.
You'll need a sketchbook, fineliner pens, colored pencils, watercolors, a watercolor palette, gel pens for highlights, and quality paper suitable for mixed media work.
You’ll learn advanced observational skills, botanical illustration techniques, Art Nouveau pattern design, mindful sketchbooking, watercolor mixing, and how to express emotion through your art.
Basic familiarity with watercolor and fineliner drawing is helpful, but the course covers key techniques and builds upon foundational skills for intermediate learners.
The course explores the flowing lines and decorative elements of Art Nouveau, guiding you to draw buildings and create plant-based patterns inspired by this style.
Absolutely! The course emphasizes sketchbook journaling, meditation drawing, and drawing plants from direct observation for better accuracy and mindfulness.
You’ll learn step-by-step leaf drawing, plant geometry analysis, real-scale sketching, simplifying shapes, and layering watercolor and pencil for vibrant botanical renderings.
Adobe Photoshop
I found this course to be a great introduction to botanical sketching. The lessons were easy to follow and the explanations and examples were very helpful.
El profesor es muy claro en sus explicaciones. Me gusta
muy bien
Me gustó mucho su curso y técnica, además explica paso a paso y muy claro. Si hubiera más cursos con él, los tomaría sin duda.
muy interesante para iniciarte en el dibujo