CLASSES, WORKSHOPS, TALKS
Get information on Lucy’s upcoming courses, teaching dates and mentoring opportunities
Lucy is an experienced teacher and public speaker. She teaches regularly at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, and delivers courses, workshops and talks for many other venues and private groups.
On this page you will find:
Upcoming courses, talks and workshops
Full listing of Lucy’s courses at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Previous courses, talks and workshops
“Lucy T Smith was extremely attentive, polite, pleasant and generous in teaching the techniques. I intend to attend all the courses where she is the tutor. This was my second course at Kew and I am extremely happy with the result I was able to achieve in the classes. Thank you!’ ★★★★★ “
NEXT class at royal botanic gardens, kew
BOTANICAL WATERCOLOUR (INTERMEDIATE)
SORRY, NOW FULLY BOOKED
Monday 17th - Wednesday 19th February 2025
In this course we will explore further the techniques of watercolour painting for botanical art and illustration.
Students will be given a more complex subject to paint in watercolour, learning:
the preliminary work of observing, matching and mixing the colour of plant subjects
choosing the appropriate technique for the subject, including washes, wet-in-wet and dry brush techniques
building up watercolour slowly and carefully to achieve depth of colour and detail
Book here on Kew’s website (SORRY, FULLY BOOKED)
Above: Steps in layering watercolour, shown here in Botanical Sketchbooks, An Artist’s Guide to Plant Studies; below: leaf studies in watercolour.
CHATSWORTH HOUSE
Beauty in the Detail: Plant Studies for Botanical Art
Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th July 2025
Using a wide variety of examples from her collection of botanical sketchbooks, Lucy will teach you the techniques needed to examine and draw plants accurately. You will work from loose sketches through to careful measured drawing of both whole plants and selected botanical details, adding watercolour to our drawings where needed to enhance their content and beauty.
You will have the opportunity use specimens and plant materials directly from the Chatsworth Garden as inspiration.
The workshop includes a locally sourced graze box lunch from Chatsworth Farm Shop on each day, along with tea and coffee throughout the session.
For more information and bookings, see Chatsworth’s webpage here!
In 1849, the first Victoria amazonica plant grown in cultivation in the UK flowered at Chatsworth House in a glasshouse specially designed by Joseph Paxton. The ribbing on the underside of Victoria’s leaves inspired him to design the large structures of the Crystal Palace in London. (above: Lucy painting the underside of Victoria cruziana’s leaf; below: Victoria amazonica)
sukha swiss alps retreat - RESIDENTIAL COURSE
botanical sketchbook
Sunday 29th June - Saturday 5th July 2025
Join Lucy for a special week-long stay, at the beautiful Sukha Yoga Retreats centre in the stunning environment of the Swiss Alps!
Working both in the field and in the studio, draw and paint plants from the summer alpine fields and from the La Thomasia Alpine Botanical Garden. Learn to:
Observe and understand plant structures, and capture them in our drawings
Create accurate pencil drawings of plants
Colour mix and match, adding watercolour to pencil sketchbook studies
Deal with the challenges of working from protected material in the field
Take good photos for secondary reference and back-up information
Participants will be shown different types of sketchbook study and can choose to focus on one type or try several, including: detailed botanical study of one or more plants; and capturing a time and place using multiple plants and landscape vignettes.
The stunning scenery and accommodation at Sukha Yoga Retreat, Swiss Alps.
BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION COURSES AT THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW
Please click on the course name to be taken to RBG Kew’s website:
BOTANICAL PEN AND INK: BEGINNERS - Monday 11th - Wednesday 13th November 2024 (3 days) PAST
BOTANICAL PEN AND INK: INTERMEDIATE Monday 18th - Wednesday 20th November 2024 (3 days) PAST
BOTANICAL WATERCOLOUR: INTERMEDIATE 17th - 19th February 2025 (3 days) FULLY BOOKED
FUNDAMENTALS OF BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION (repeat) 24th - 28th February 2025 (5 days) FULLY BOOKED
BOTANICAL DRAWING: INTERMEDIATE early 2025 dates to be confirmed (3 days)
BOTANICAL SKETCHBOOK STUDY: INTERMEDIATE 21st - 23rd April 2025 (3 days)
FLOWER DRAWING AND DISSECTION: INTERMEDIATE 12th - 13th May 2025 (2 days)
COURSES AND TALKS AT OTHER VENUES:
SUKHA SWISS ALPS BOTANICAL SKETCHBOOK - RESIDENTIAL COURSE a week at the beautiful Sukha Retreat, Swiss Alps, learning techniques for creating beautiful and detailed plant studies in our sketchbooks, while discovering the beauty of the Swiss alpine flora: June 29th - July 5th 2025.
CHATSWORTH HOUSE - BEAUTY IN THE DETAIL: PLANT STUDIES FOR BOTANICAL ART 26th - 27th July 2025
TRANSYLVANIA SCHOOL OF BOTANICAL ART AND ILLUSTRATION - RESIDENTIAL COURSE A week sketching, drawing, collecting in the field and studio (accommodation and meals included) in the stunning location of Copsa Mare, Transylvania Romania: 25th - 31st May, 2026.
PREVIOUS WORKSHOPS AND TALKS
Lucy’s schedule is booked up well in advance - please get in touch if you would like to discuss and book her for a class, workshop or talk. The list below shows the range of topics she has covered in the past. In addition to covering familiar themes, she is also keen to engage with new ideas.
BOTANICAL ART TALK “BOTANICAL SKETCHBOOKS, AN ARTISTS’ GUIDE TO PLANT STUDIES” hosted by Julia Trickey - PAST, but you can watch a recording.
BOTANICAL ART CONVERSATIONS online workshop day with Julia Trickey’s Botanical Art Talks: “Sketchbook Study Stages” 17th February 2024 PAST
TRANSYLVANIA SCHOOL OF BOTANICAL ART AND ILLUSTRATION IN ROMANIA Masterclass - Capturing the wild flora of Transylvania, 1st - 7th June 2024
BOTANICAL SKETCHBOOK COURSE at LANDMARK ARTS CENTRE, TEDDINGTON Wednesday 21st - Friday 23rd August 2024 PAST
SUNBURY GALLERY WORKSHOP: Exploring Drawing and Painting with Lucy Smith: Monday 23rd September 2024, 10am to 3pm. PAST
Botanical Sketchbook: Pen, Ink & Watercolour techniques, Landmark Arts Centre Summer School 2024
Botanical Illustration evening classes Parade’s End Bookshop, August 2024
Finding Focus, guest speaker talk for the Association of Botanical Artists AGM, May 2024
Painting Green Leaves, New York Botanical Gardens online course, April 2024
The Wonderful World of Water Plants, Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew April - September 2023
Wildflowers and the importance of Botanical Sketchbooks, South West Society of Botanical Artists (SWSBA), Taunton, July 2022
Capturing Seasonal Plants:Botanical Illustration, Clayhill Arts, April 2022
Waterlilies, Waders and Watercolour: Kew Mutual Improvement Society, 8th November 2021
Pen and Ink Illustrations for the Palms of New Guinea - Portfolios and Passions, America Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) online conference 2021
Making your drawing “measure up:” Flower Dissection in Graphite - workshop, (ASBA) online conference 2021
Orchid Painting Workshop: Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London
Adventures of a Botanical Illustrator: Sydney Parkinson on Cook’s First Voyage - Whitby Museum
Botanical Art and Illustration at Kew - Birkbeck Garden History Group, Birbeck College, University of London
Walter, Waterlilies and Waders - The Victoria Waterlily Project - Birmingham Society of Botanical Artists
The Worldwide Day of Botanical Art at Kew - organiser & presenter (“Largest, Smallest, Oldest”), Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, RBG Kew 2018
Joseph Hooker and his Artist Walter Hood Fitch: the continuing tradition of botanist and artist collaboration - Joseph Hooker bicentenary conference, RBG Kew
Royal Horticultural Society Botanical Art Exhibition - demonstration of botanical illustration techniques, RHS Halls, London 2018
Botanical Illustration techniques: Tutor - Pen and Ink, Working from Specimens - Diploma of Botanical Painting at the Chelsea School of Botanical Art (previously English Gardening School) (2010 - 2020)
Composition in Botanical Art - talk, Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society, also Leicestershire Society of Botanical Illustrators
Science and Art at Kew - talk with Dr William J. Baker, Linnean Society of London
Painting Snowdrops, Painting Late Summer Flowers and Fruits, Painting Autumn Fruits - Chelsea Physic Garden, Chelsea, London
Flower Dissection Art - Canary Wharf Garden “Bloom and Grow”, for Arts & Gardens
Lost in Translation - talk, Travellers’ Tails programme National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London 2014
From Roots to Riches - contributor to BBC Radio 4 documentary and publication, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
London Open House Weekends and Friends Open Days - Display of botanical art at the Herbarium, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Big Draw - “See More” plant drawing workshop at Kew Gardens
