816SS: Nature Drawing with Stephanie Sipp

Supply List Here (Student Provided)
All Levels

Enjoy learning drawing techniques while creating a nature journal page of Purple Coneflowers and a Monarch Butterfly.  Drawing and adding color will sharpen your observational skills, provide opportunities to explore and broaden your knowledge of nature in Western North Carolina. Fifteen years teaching drawing at the college level has shown Stephanie that anyone can learn to draw if the process is broken down into manageable steps.Purple Coneflowers are a widespread wildflower in the Aster family.  We will look closely at the flower properties including the different florets, the characteristics of the leaf and the placement of the leaf on the stem. The Monarch Butterfly is a large and brilliantly colored butterfly that is one of the easiest butterfly species to recognize. We will draw the pattern in the wings which are a deep orange with black borders and veins, and white spots along the edges.

You will be guided through step-by-step instructions and demonstrations of drawing techniques that will help you observe and document the flower. We will use a multi layering pencil coloring technique that will finish your drawing with vibrant color. Throughout the creative process Stephanie will offer positive feedback on your progress, successful tips for working through stumbling blocks, and methods for using photographs as visual references.

The goal for each class is to build your knowledge and skill so that you can draw flowers realistically in a botanical style. We will use visual references to support this process, including an image of the finished drawing, a grid drawing, photographs of the flower and the suggested color pencils to use.

Workshop Teacher

Stephanie Sipp is a professional nature illustrator and educator who maintains a fulltime studio in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Her joyful images of flowers, birds, animals and places are celebrated by followers both regionally and online.

Nature connects her to spirit and motivates her creative thinking.  Her love of nature’s diverse beauty and its ever-changing presence, both day-to-day and season-to-season, inspires her. She has created and taught art and design for more than 25 years. Stephanie received an MS in Interior Design from Florida State University. She recently retired after 15 years of teaching in the Interior Design Department. Teaching drawing at the college level has shown her that anyone can learn to draw if the process is broken down into manageable steps.

Stephanie’s published illustrations include The Laurel of Asheville, in collaboration with Carol Howard, with a monthly feature from 2018-2021. She was recently featured in The Carolina Home & Garden, Spring 2020 issue in an article titled “Stem Structure and Related Whimsy”.