NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

Applications open for RBGE Diploma Course ONLINE

27/11/2020

RBGE Diploma in Botanical Illustration 2021-24

Cover of the Handbook for the RBGE Diploma in Botanical Illustration Online Course 2021-24 (Image by Isik Guner)

This week the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh opened to applications for the next RBGE Diploma in Botanical Illustration

Applications opened on Wednesday 23rd November 2020
The deadline for applications is 5.00pm on Wednesday 6th January 2021
The course is due to start in March 2021.

This course is one of a very few Diploma Courses in Botanical Illustration which can be done entirely online. Obviously, applications need to be assessed but, if you are keen to do the course, think you are qualified and were not already on the mailing list, I'd encourage you to think about making a move to put in an application sooner rather than later.

There is considerable competition for places and initial selection will be through portfolio assessment (8-10 pieces) and your application form.

You can find out most of what you need to know in the Distance RBGE Diploma Course Course Online Handbook 2021/24 for applicants.

This provide full details as to:

entry requirements (Page 5)
- evidence of motivation and commitment to botanical illustration
- portfolio of 8-10 piece (to be shared online - which means it also needs to be photographed or scanned well)
- completed application form
- demonstration of skill, interest and enthusiasm for the subject
- NB This is NOT a beginners' course and applicants are expected to have achieved a level of competence equivalent to the RBGE Certificate Course
course structure and dates (page 6) Note that this course is structured around a strict timetable and you should think very hard about whether you can commit to the availability required and the time required to complete to the course carefully before signing up.
how online learning works (page 8) - including what hardware you need and the support available
course aims, content and 10 modules (page 10)
- Drawing Fundamentals: leading to complex skills (5 credits)
- Painting Fundamentals: mixing and application (10 credits)
- Painting the Details (10 credits)
- Measured Drawing – pen & ink (10 credits)
- Other Media (10 credits)
- Complex Composition (10 credits)
- Botany: Plant Form and Function (5 credits)
- Historical Context (Pass only required)
- Native Tree Project (40 credits)
- Third Year Major Project (100 credits)
student assessment (page 22)
course fees and additional costs (page 24)
- £3,850 - to be paid in full prior to the start of the course
- covers all online modules, video demonstrations and techniques, course notes and assessments - across all 10 modules - over three years

What I particularly like about the RBGE Course (speaking as a trained and qualified teacher) is that the course content in the handbook is clear about:

what is covered by each module
identifies the specific learning areas covered by each module
identifies - in advance - the criteria used to assess each module

which is it as it should be. Precise specification of competence levels and skills to be attained as outcomes would be nice but it's very much heading in that direction.

The RBGE Stand at the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2016 - with info about the Distance Learning Diploma

How to Apply

Applications opened at 9.00am on Wednesday 25th November 2020 (UK time)
Applications close at 5.00pm on Wednesday 6th January 2021. (UK time)
Complete the online application form
Submit a supporting portfolio. For information on how to provide a link please read about the Application portfolio (Botanical Illustration Diploma) (opens in a new window).

Applicants will be notified if their application has been successful or not within 2 weeks of the application deadline date.

Please publish your portfolio to your own website or to a blog or photo sharing site such as Google Photos, Flickr, iCloud, OneDrive, Wordpress etc. Check you can access it using popular browsers such as Safari, Chrome or Firefox, without using a password.

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Find out more about Botanical Art Education and Diplomas & Certificates

Other RBGE Courses

RBGE Diploma in Botanical Illustration - Two year Attended Course

There is no planned intake for the 2020/21 academic year.
This is a two-year diploma course and the new intake does not start before the current course completes in 2021.
To join the waiting list for this course, please complete the "contact us" form.

RBGE Certificate in Botanical Illustration
If you are new to the subject, you may wish to consider the RBGE Certificate in Botanical Illustration instead - especially if you aspire to progress to the RBGE Diploma Course.

The Certificate course is only 6 months long, whereas the Diploma is 3 years long.
Doing the certificate first allows you to
- decide whether you can commit to the subject and
- find out what learning online is like - https://onlinecourses.rbge.ac.uk/index.php/courses/rbge-certificate-in-botanical-illustration

Applications are currently open for the course that is due to start in January 2021, you can find out more on the website: www.rbge.org.uk/certbi

Botanical Education: more about Online and Distance Learning

You can find out more about opportunities to learn in contexts outside face to face classes and workshops on my website.

Specifically, if you are looking for instruction to replace face to face contact, take a look at:

EDUCATION - the Home Page
Guide to Online Botanical Art Instruction & Courses - Provided typically by individual instructors or organisations providing one-off courses. There's NOWHERE ELSE on the web which offers a comprehensive and comparative analysis and evaluation of
available online instruction courses and tutorials in botanical art and illustration
Distance Learning Courses - Lessons are normally conducted via correspondence. Dialogue with the student is normally written communication in terms of guidelines/assignments provided. Artwork is normally submitted by post or email with feedback via post or email. Face to face contact is typically either limited or non-existent.
Diplomas and Certificates - Courses offered by organisations in the UK and USA. These are typically structured, systematic and in-depth (long) courses of varying length, quality and cost. The Page includes CHECKLISTS AND GUIDELINES about how to assess the available options and choose a course + some cautionary notes.

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Remembering Janet Pope

20/11/2020

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Janet Pope with her medal winning exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2019.

I learned last night that Janet Pope MA (RCA), DipAD, FLS, FSBA, CPFGS, IAPI has passed away.

Janet has been very seriously ill in recent years. When I met her with her Potatoes exhibit at the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2019 we had a very long chat. She knew full well that her condition was terminal and that she had limited time left - and she was VERY determined to make the most of it!

I remember being so very pleased for her that she could get to exhibit one of her favourite subjects at the prestigious RHS Botanical Art Show show - and win a medal. I took a photo of her to record the event - and I think both she and I knew I was very likely to use it in this sort of post.

Her extremely unusual and refreshing exhibit of Potatoes - shoots, roots, skin, flesh - Solanum tuberosum ( ‘Red Emmalie’, ‘Highland Burgundy Red’, ‘Pink Fir Apple’, ‘Violetta’, ‘Shetland Black’ and Salad Blue’. ) can be seen below - and on her website. She won an RHS Silver Medal for her exhibit

Potatoes - shoots, roots, skin, flesh - Solanum tuberosum - by Janet Pope (RHS Silver Medal 2019)

About Janet Pope

I know relatively little about Janet beyond her SBA biography, her website and what I've written about her in the past. She always seemed a very private person to me - but she was also a lovely person to get to know and talk to in the last few years.

Education and Work

Janet graduated from the Royal College of Art London in 1973, followed by a British Council Scholarship for 18 months to study traditional textile arts and crafts in Romania. Returning to England, she started a knitwear company, then a special-interest tour company, followed by a womens’ tailoring business. In 2009 Janet joined a local botanical painting class, which led to the SBA Distance Learning Diploma Course graduating in 2012, and her current interest in botanical painting.

Botanical Art and Illustration

Janet was an extremely skilled botanical artist. She had studied initially for a Diploma in Art and Design and then graduated from the Royal College of Art, London with an MA in 29173. She had also been awarded a British Council arts scholarship to to study traditional textile arts and crafts in Romania. On her return she demonstrated her entrepreneurial flair by establishing first a knitwear company, then a special-interest tour company, followed by a womens’ tailoring business.

Her interest in botanical art was stimulated by a local botanical painting class followed by the SBA's Distance Learning Diploma Course. She graduated from that in 2012

She lived and worked in rural Herefordshire where gardens, orchards and hedgerows provided her with an endless supply of plant material. Her botanical art was painted - with great attention to detail and growth habit - in watercolour.

She was also a

Fellow of the Society of Botanical Artists;
an Artist Member of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society - which is where I saw her last
a Fellow of the Linnean Society of London (elected 2015) and
a member of the Institute for Analytical Plant Illustration.

Below I'm going to record Janet's achievements in the world of botanical art beyond her RHS Medal - and my photos of her exhibits. Janet was never ever one to boast - but I think she was secretly delighted when others recognised and publicly acknowledged her artwork and achievements - and it's in that spirit that I write this post.

Society of Botanical Art Awards and Certificates

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VIDEO: "Paradise Lost" exhibition by Jan Hendrix

14/11/2020

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Today a video and virtual tour of the exhibition Paradise Lost by Jan Hendrix at the Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art in Kew Gardens was made available to view on the Facebook Page of the Shirley Sherwood Collection.

You can view that video below

I saw this video - which is very impressive - at a Virtual Private View for the Exhibition and have been waiting for this video to be made more widely available - but forgot to check when it finally reached YouTube!!

If you prefer to watch FULL SCREEN via YouTube (in 1080HD), this is the link to the same video

Below are links to the website page for the exhibition plus my previous post about this exhibition - which I've not yet seen (due to the fact I'm having to be careful and prefer my journeys on the London Underground to be as short as possible at the moment).

Exhibition: https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/paradise-lost-jan-hendrix-exhibition
My blog post: Banks 2020: Jan Hendrix at Shirley Sherwood Gallery Kew

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40th Anniversary of the School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens

9/11/2020

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This is a lovely video about the activities of the School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens. It was made to celebrate:

its 40th anniversary
the 30th anniversary of its certificate program.

I think it must be the oldest botanical art school in the world. I'm hard put to think of one which is older. (Any suggestions?)

Below is the video on the (public) Facebook Page for the SBAI but if you prefer to view on YouTube this is the link

The video highlights how the School is only the third group to win an RHS Gold Medal (in 2017) in the history of the Royal Horticultural Society - and I was extremely pleased to be able to photograph Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski, Ph.D., D.Sc. at the time. Mervi led the School as Manager for the last 13 years until her retirement earlier this year. Much of what I have admired about the School has been down to initiatives by Mervi.

I'm looking forward to meeting up with her again when Covid lets her husband and her embark on their retirement tour of Europe!

Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski, Ph.D., D.Sc. with the RHS Gold Medal winning exhibit

REFERENCE LINKS: The School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens

If you'd like to know more about the School these links tell you a lot.

WEBSITE: https://www.botanicgardens.org/education/school-botanical-art-illustration
FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/SchoolOfBotanicalArtAndIllustration/
BLOG: Botanical Illustration - which has always been open access in the past but now seems to be open to invited people only. (I'm rather surprised as I always thought his blog did the most amazing job of marketing both the school and its Diploma in Botanical Illustration and Foundation Certificate.

For educational organisations interested in submitting an exhibit to the RHS Botanical Art Show as a Group, can I refer you to:

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