Join artist Emma Leyfield in this two-day Garden Journaling workshop to record the progress of your garden in a creative journal.

Before the age of photography, planning and keeping track of a garden required an illustrated journal to study the progress of heirloom varieties, pest control and crop rotation. These marvellous books are no longer strictly needed, but have the potential to be a beautiful form of art.

During this two-day class, you will create your own garden journal, by merging scrapbooking, sketch-booking and mindful-journaling with botanical illustration. After step by step demonstrations of how to begin, you can take inspiration for planning and illustrating your own garden - whether that's your allotment, balcony, or back garden plot.

We will cover a wide range of skills including, creative journaling, observational drawing and painting botanicals, as well as visual elements that don't involve drawing. A beginner will have the chance to test materials and learn watercolours under guidance, while advanced students will have the opportunity to branch into their own creative practice, inspired by the course content.

Day 1: An introduction to garden journaling, painting botanicals in watercolours.

Painting and designing seed packets

Day 2: Illustrating garden wildlife, larger garden paintings and crop rotation illustration!

Meet your tutor

Emma's work is inspired by the simple delight of beautiful things. Observed and studied in a pocket sketchbook, these paintings feed into larger pictures and ideas. She's currently completing an MA in Children's Book Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University. Around her studies, she illustrates a regular column for the English Garden Magazine from her studio in Nailsworth and teaches workshops in Gloucestershire. Emma runs a regular Life Drawing class here at the New Brewery Arts on Thursdays as well as a mixture of workshops that focus on traditional aspects of drawing and watercolours.

Tutor: Emma Leyfield
Date and time: Sat 6th & Sun 7th July , 10am - 4pm
Venue: Brush Studio, New Brewery Arts
PRICE: £180.00 (£0.00 VAT)

Please note that this workshop is for those aged 18 and over.

You are welcome to bring a lidded bottle of water with you but we kindly ask that you do not bring food into the studio. 

Our on-site café Blend is open until 4pm each day.

For more information:
Visit our FAQ page

Who is this workshop for?

This class is suitable for all levels of abilities.

What you will need:

All materials will be provided, including an Sketchbook and garden specimens. However, please bring a selection of things from your garden that inspire you. Such as, cuttings, herbs, pressed flowers, seeds, seed packets and young plants.