RBGE Botanical Illustration Certificate: Results & New Goals

Results are in for my RBGE Botanical Illustration course… drum roll! I passed! The last 6 months were full of tight deadlines, stretching moments and taught me wonderful observational skills that I’ll use for years to come. With deadlines two weeks apart, the course was like a pressure cooker. I was hoping for a distinction or merit because my pass means I won’t be able to move onto the Advanced course like I had hoped. 

My tutor’s feedback noted my attention to detail and encouraged me to keep practicing measured drawing, accurate colour matching and capturing tonal values with initial sketchwork to aid in my 3D subject renderings, especially with leaves. She pushed me to keep trying my hand at  my subjects in paint, investigating their intricacies, and asked me to join an art community to further my independent study of botany. After combing through the course feedback, speaking with a few colleagues and reaching out to the gardens for more direction, I decided not to let the grade get me down or dictate my next steps.

Instead, I am using this experience as a learning opportunity to spur me on and help shape my next steps in my botanical watercolour journey. During the course, I had enough courage to apply for a mentorship and joined a local Floreligium society as an associate artist, which I wouldn’t have had the confidence to do before! I was not chosen to move onto the mentorship program, but on a happy note, I was received with open arms by the Sheffield Floreligium society! I now attend their events regularly and will post about them later!

I’ve decided to continue to work on the following goals:

• Apply for the SBA Foundations Course in October

• Finish my Conscious Creativity milestone in Helen’s membership by February

All in all, I am calling it a win, this is a lifelong pursuit at the end of the day and there is no rush, just room for growth and improvement one brush stroke at a time! Stay tuned for what is next!