Botanical Watercolor Painting of the Natural World

A course by Helena Smyth , Watercolor Artist and Illustrator

Watercolor Artist and Illustrator. Belfast, United Kingdom.
Joined November 2021

Explore color theory, layers, composition, and texture to capture the beauty of nature through watercolor illustration

95% positive reviews (59)
2,414 students
Audio: English
English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Explore color theory, layers, composition, and texture to capture the beauty of nature through watercolor illustration

One of the best places to find inspiration for your artwork is in the natural world. By simply going outside and observing, you can discover the beauty and fragility of nature. Helena Smyth is a renowned illustrator known for her depictions of flora and fauna using the versatile medium of watercolor.

In this online course, learn how to capture the essence of botanical life with watercolor. Helena teaches you how to illustrate a detailed composition of a beetle amidst plants and flowers, and applies color theory and painting techniques to bring it to life.

Read more ↓

What will you learn in this online course?

19 lessons & 26 downloads

Tools and Materials
7 minutes, 48 seconds
Colour Theory 1
19 minutes, 29 seconds
Colour Theory 2
3 minutes, 50 seconds
Watercolour Techniques
20 minutes, 55 seconds
Textures Found in Nature 1
20 minutes, 17 seconds
Textures Found in Nature 2
17 minutes, 43 seconds
  • 95% positive reviews (59)
  • 2,414 students
  • 19 lessons (3h 55m)
  • 26 additional resources (11 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: English
  • English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Paint an illustration inspired by a collage of flora and fauna imagery.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

This course is for students who want to explore the world of watercolor, and learn new techniques to add vibrancy to their work.

Requirements and materials

No previous experience is necessary.

To take this course, you need watercolors, brushes, paper, and a pencil. If you create your collage manually, you need scissors and glue. Otherwise, you can use Procreate and a scanner for digital touch-ups.


Reviews

2,414 Students
59 Reviews
95% Positive ratings

Helena Smyth

A course by Helena Smyth

Teacher Plus
Watercolor Artist and Illustrator

Helena Smyth is a watercolor artist and illustrator specializing in natural history artworks and botanical illustrations. Having graduated in illustration from the University of Brighton, she is now living and working in Northern Ireland. Her work resides predominately in the natural world, as it is an endless source of inspiration to her.

She seeks to highlight the importance of biodiversity and to explore the relationship that humankind holds with the rest of nature. Her work aims to bring about a sense of wonder and awe in our living world. Helena’s illustrations are influenced by traditional biological illustrations, but she seeks to bring a contemporary approach to this way of working by nodding to fantasy, surreal realms and contemporary design.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    Preparation Techniques

    • Tools and Materials
    • Colour Theory 1
    • Colour Theory 2
    • Watercolour Techniques
    • Textures Found in Nature 1
    • Textures Found in Nature 2
  • U3

    References and Composition

    • Gathering Inspiration
    • Composition: Creating a Collage
    • Composition: The Drawing
  • U4

    Painting the Project

    • The First Layer: The Lights 1
    • The First Layer: The Lights 2
    • The Second Layer: The Mid-Tones 1
    • The Second Layer: The Mid-Tones 2
    • The Third Layer: The Details 1
    • The Third Layer: The Details 2
  • U5

    Digitising the Work

    • Scanning and Editing
    • Printing and Photographing for Social Media
  • FP

    Final project

    • Botanical Watercolor Painting of the Natural World

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • 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.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Botanical Watercolor Painting of the Natural World. Illustration course by Helena Smyth

Botanical Watercolor Painting of the Natural World

A course by Helena Smyth
Watercolor Artist and Illustrator. Belfast, United Kingdom.
Joined November 2021
  • 95% positive reviews (59)
  • 2,414 students