Programmes: Botanical Illustration
Main contact for this programme:
Dr Bob Toynton
Tel: 0114 222 7091
email : r.toynton@sheffield.ac.uk
Botanical Illustration is the accurate portrayal of plants and plant material in a scientific manner yet with complete artistry.
Key facts
- One of the leading part-time courses in Botanical Illustration in the country
- Experienced and enthusiastic tutors
- Friendly classes where newcomers to the subject are as welcome as more experienced artists and botanists
- Small class sizes to allow for individual support and tuition
- Teaching concentrated into day-long blocks for flexibility of study
- Certificate in Botanical Illustration Programme Code: ACE U104
- Diploma in Botanical Illustration Programme Code: ACE U105
Please note: The next intake for both the Certificate and the Diploma is September 2009. We rely on sufficient demand before the Diploma course can be run.
Required background
The programme is aimed at those who already have some experience in drawing and painting plants. Most people admitted to the course will have a long-standing interest in plants and natural history. They will usually have attended classes in Botanical Illustration or have a background in graphic design, illustration, fine art, botany or ecology.
Applicants will be invited to show a portfolio of their work at an informal interview.
Programme aims
The Botanical Illustration programme is designed to provide training in the skills, knowledge and conventions employed by successful botanical artists in a variety of fields.
A further key aim of the programme is to help students develop important personal skills such as time-management, visual, verbal and written communication, initiative and critical appreciation.
The Certificate in Botanical Illustration
Students will register initially for the Certificate in Botanical Illustration, which lasts for two years.
Those who complete the required modules successfully may have the opportunity of continuing their studies at Diploma level (if there is enough demand - see above), which lasts for another two years.
Diploma in Botanical Illustration
Students continuing to the Diploma in Botanical Illustration progress through two Levels, each worth 120 credits.
Level One is the Certificate course (see above).
Level Two takes you on to the Diploma. Again, you will normally study for the 120 credits over two years.
Modules
While the programme emphasises illustration work, each art module is accompanied by a companion module, usually of botanical studies, to enhance the students' knowledge of the plant material they are illustrating. 70 of the 120 credits available at each Level will be artwork.
Level 1 art modules stress the acquisition of observational and recording skills as well as skills in pencil drawing, pen and ink techniques, watercolour, pencil crayon and various combinations of mixed media.
Students always draw direct from live plant material including foliage, fruits, twigs and roots as well as flowers.
Early botany modules familiarise students with the structure and identification of plants, in particular local wild and garden flowers, fruits and fungi. Some choice of modules is available in the second year. In the final term students produce a portfolio of artwork worth 20 credits.
At Level 2, artistic and design skills are enhanced, and students work to more specific briefs such as may be demanded by publishers. Subjects studied include ferns, mosses, conifers, cultivated plants, and entire habitats. Botanical modules again support the artwork. The programme ends with the submission of a Portfolio of Artwork and a Dissertation, worth 30 credits.
How the programmes are taught
Teaching covers two Semesters and one Term each year, one day a week. Two modules are taught, normally botany in the morning and artwork in the afternoon. Botany modules last for 10 or 12 weeks (2 or 2½ hour sessions), art modules last for 8 weeks (3 hour sessions). There are occasional Saturday day schools.
Students are expected to provide their own art materials, specimens, notebooks, hand lenses, writing materials etc. The University provides drawing boards, individual table lamps, a light box, microscopes etc. for use in class.
Art modules offer a combination of demonstrations, occasional videos, short talks, tutorials and group appraisal, but the emphasis is on individual tutored practice within the class setting, so students numbers are kept low. Outside class students are expected to practice the taught skills, to research and sketch the plants they are illustrating and to prepare pieces of artwork for assessment.
Botany classes offer opportunities to study actual plant material wherever possible. Use is made of hand lenses and microscopes and observations are recorded as scientific drawings or field sketches. Several sessions are held `in the field´. Outside the classes students are expected to read round the subject and prepare for assignments.
Each Semester or Term students produce 3 or 4 pieces of artwork in their own time. These are handed in 2-3 weeks after the end of teaching. Botany modules use a variety of methods of assessment including short-answer or plant identification tests and laboratory or field notebooks (completed in class) as well as reports, essays etc. completed in the student´s own time.
Support facilities
While studying you will be eligible for full access to all the University's amenities, including the Students' Union, libraries, careers service, computer rooms and sports facilities.
For those with disabilities or other special needs extra help and support is available.
Module descriptions
Here are some sample modules that you could take as part of the Botanical Illustration programmes. Click on the module title to see more information about the course. In some cases, this is not yet available, but will be placed on the web as soon as it is.
Please note: Links will open in a new window.
Illustrating Fungi, Foliage and Fruits (no web page at present)
The Art of Botanical Illustration (no web page at present)
Mixed Media in Botanical Art (no web page at present)
Illustrating Flowering Plants in Watercolour (no web page at present)
Illustrating Plant Morphology (no web page at present)
Introduction to Mushrooms and Toadstools
Botanical Illustration Portfolio (no web page at present)
Plant Identification in the Field
Plant Classification and Taxonomy
Illustrating Flowering Plants in Pen and Ink (no web page at present)
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