Who are the SBA Diploma Tutors?

The Society of Botanical Artists have some new tutors for their Distance Learning Diploma Course this year.

The tutors for the SBA Diploma Course are all hand picked. The tutors comprise a set of highly skilled and professional botanical artists/commercial illustrators who are typically from and living in the UK - although tutors also represent the membership at large which is international. 

​Most of the assignments are covered by several tutors while some have dedicated tutors

You can meet Simon Williams. Director of the Distance Learning Diploma Course and some of the DLDC tutors at the RHS Botanical Art Show in London on 26-27 February at the RHS Lindley Hall

Sandra Armitage, President of the Society of Botanical Artists (centre) - with Simon Williams. Director of the Distance Learning Diploma Course (right) and Vice President Gael Sellwood (left). Pictured at the SBA stand at RHS Botanical Art Show in 2015.

Listed below are the names of all those tutors with a presence on the Internet alongside a mini bio focusing on what they specialise in (if anything) and  their preferred art medium and anything notable about their career to date.

Links to their main website or blog or SBA profile is embedded in the name of the tutors below.
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• Sandra Wall Armitage PSBA - Professional artist and teacher. Current President of the Society of Botanical Artists and Director of Botanical Enterprises Ltd. She has been a Course Tutor since the beginning of the Diploma Course. Works in watercolour. 
• Anne Bebbington - NEW TUTOR - for a new module on "Botanical Understanding". Author of Understanding the Flowering Plants: A Practical Guide for Botanical Illustrators. She is a trained botanist and environmental educator who has assessed botanical accuracy for Diploma work in previous years. She is also a founder member and past President of the Institute for Analytical Plant Illustration. You can see her work in her book.
• Brigitte Daniel SBA GM - watercolourist; Has been awarded 8 RHS Gold Medals for my paintings, RHS ‘Best in Show’ in 2012 and one Silver-Gilt Grenfell Medal. She has also been awarded Certs. Of Botanical Merit, The Peoples’ choice award and The Joyce Cumings award from the SBA. Helped to design the Diploma Course and has been a tutor from the start.
• Shevaun Doherty SBA - NEW TUTOR - for watercolour painting on Vellum and "Working from Photographs".  Lives in Dublin and is a Founder Member of the Irish Societry of Botanical Artists and winner of a Gold and Silver medal with Bloom (Irish equivalent of RHS Botanical Art Show). Graduated with distinction in 2012. (Also active on Facebook)

Shevaun Doherty with her Gold Medal winning painting of 'Phoenix dactylifera var. khasab' (Date palm)

Guy William Eves with his display of graphite work (Silver Gilt Medal) at the RHS Botanical Art Show 2015

• Yvonne Edwards SBA - Yvonne has been a tutor on the Diploma Course since it started. She has work in the collections of the RHS Lindley Library and Dr. Shirley Sherwood.
• Guy William Eves SBA, CPGFS - Works exclusively in graphite. Fellow of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society and Winner of the President's Award. Has work in the Hunt Collection.
• Margaret Fitzpatrick - NEW TUTOR - Fellow of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium and the Oxford Botanical Garden Florilegium and a Freeman of the of the Worshipful Company of Painter Stainers
• Yvonne Glenister Hammond GM, SBA - Founder member of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society. She has work in the collections of the Hunt and Dr. Shirley Sherwood and in the Highgrove Florilegium.
• Susan Hillier FGM, SBA - Used to work as a scientific illustrator at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and is experienced in use of herbarium specimens. Has  RHS medals including Gold.
• Jenny Jowett GM, SBA - a professional painter for 40 years, a very experienced teacher and a founder member of the SBA. She's won four RHS Gold Medals and has work in many prestigious collections. Currently President of the Society of Floral Painters.
• Sandrine Maugy SBA - NEW TUTOR - Has previously been a tutor for the Diploma Course. Former Tutor on the course at the London Art College.
• Robert McNeill - NEW TUTOR - watercolour painter. ​​Has taught art for over 30 years. Elected an Associate Member in 2013 and, to date, he has won the Suzanne Lucas Award, a Certificate in Botanical Merit and the People's Choice Award.

Winner of the Suzanne Lucas Memorial Award 2013 - Robert McNeill and Abies koreana 'Carron' (watercolour)

• Jane Leycester Paige FSBA, CPGFS -  a Founder Member of the Society of Botanical Artists and a Fellow of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society. An advocate of watercolour painting of botanical subjects in the field.
• Janie Pirie GM, SBA, UKCPS (Coloured Pencil) - has won RHS Gold Medals for her botanical art and other awards for her coloured pencil artwork. Runs regular workshops at her own studios and at various locations including Cambridge University Botanic Gardens and the Beth Chatto Gardens in 2016
• Reinhild Reistrick GM, SBA - Has won four RHS Gold Medals and the Grenfell Medal. Also illustrates for Cambridge Botanical Garden and teaches there. Member of the East Anglian Iceni Botanical Artists and the project to illustrate and record the rare and endangered Breckland Flora.
• Kay Rees-Davies GM, SBA - 8 RHS Medals including four Golds. Paintings in the collections of the RHS Lindley Library, the Hunt, Shirley Sherwood Collection and the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium archive.
• Julie Small GM, SBA - specialises in use of graphite and aims to inspire others to do likewise. Has work in The Shirley Sherwood Collection of Botanical Art, The RHS Lindley Library, The National Museum and Gallery of Wales and The Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation.
• Margaret Stevens GM, PPSBA - Past President of the Society of Botanical Artists and author of the SBA instruction Books about botanical art
• Simon Williams SBA - Professional illustrator, teacher and Director of the Distance Learning Diploma Course. He has been a Course Tutor since Course 5. Simon specialises in the use of gouache.

PLEASE NOTE

Course 13 commenced this month. A pdf providing details about Course 14 (starting January 2017) plus the application form, fees and payment arrangements will be available on the SBA website later this year. At present you can read the details relating to Course 13.

ALL ENQUIRIES relating to the SBA Diploma Course should be emailed to [email protected].
Please do NOT contact any of the tutors direct.