Learn the basics of botanical illustration with Sheila Murray, Arboretum Research Botanist and Artist. Learn how to translate what you see in the natural world into scientifically accurate and aesthetically pleasing works of art. Basic skills learned will include composition, three-dimensional rendering, black ink pen technique, some botanical anatomy fundamentals, and drawing from herbarium specimens.

Each participant will take home the supplies provided, as well as their new artwork.

Instructor Sheila Murray is most interested in the rare and endangered plants of the Colorado Plateau. Sheila grew up in the small ghost town of Jerome, AZ and has always had a love of the outdoors. She moved to Flagstaff to pursue a career in the natural sciences and received her B.A. in Environmental Sciences from Northern Arizona University. When she finds free time, she enjoys river rafting, hiking, cross-country skiing, creating botanical illustrations and indulging in other forms of artwork. Most of her free time activities inevitably include botany in some fashion.