Materials, by medium
What’s on the table
Each course comes with its own kit list. Here they are gathered by medium, so you can see what you need before you choose. You probably own some of it already.
Notes before you buy anything
No brand names
We do not endorse or sell materials, and the kit lists name what a thing is, not who makes it. Buy wherever is convenient.
Student grade is fine
Start with student-grade pencils and paints. Upgrade one item at a time, when you can see the difference it would make.
Hot-pressed paper
“Hot-pressed” means the paper was pressed smooth between hot rollers. It takes fine detail and clean edges, which is why botanical work uses it.
A hand lens, ×10
A small folding magnifier lets you see hairs, stamens and bud scales. It is the one tool every botanical artist carries.
01 · Where everyone starts
Graphite pencil
Graphite teaches you to see before you have to think about colour. Measuring, contour and tone are all here, and a mistake costs nothing but a rub of the putty rubber.
The kit
- HB, 2B, 4B and 6B pencils
- Hot-pressed paper or smooth cartridge, A4
- Putty rubber
- Dividers (any cheap pair)
- HB to 6B pencils
- A mechanical pencil, 0.3 mm
- Hot-pressed paper, A4
- Putty rubber and a pen-shaped eraser
Gathered from the kit lists of: First Marks: Learning to See a Plant, The Leaf in Graphite.
Start with First Marks: Learning to See a Plant Beginner
02 · Colour, with control
Coloured pencil
Coloured pencil is colour at the speed of a pencil: layered slowly in thin passes, it suits glossy bulbs and petals you want to finish before they open flat.
The kit
- 24 artist-grade coloured pencils (list in lesson 1)
- Hot-pressed paper or Bristol board
- A colourless blender pencil
- Bulbs in a pot or a bunch from the shop
Gathered from the kit lists of: Spring Bulbs in Coloured Pencil.
Start with Spring Bulbs in Coloured Pencil Improver
03 · Line and texture
Pen and ink
Pen and ink makes you decide. Hatching, stipple and a clean line are the herbarium’s own language, and they are ideal for bare winter twigs and buds.
The kit
- Fineliners 0.05, 0.1 and 0.3
- Bristol board or smooth cartridge
- A hand lens, ×10
- Twigs from a walk (cut a few cm, not branches)
Gathered from the kit lists of: Winter Twigs and Buds in Pen and Ink.
Start with Winter Twigs and Buds in Pen and Ink Improver
04 · Washes and glazes
Watercolour
Watercolour gives petals their translucency. It is the least forgiving medium, which is why our watercolour courses start with mixing greens and single-petal washes.
The kit
- Six-colour palette listed in lesson 1
- Size 6 and size 2 round brushes
- Hot-pressed watercolour paper, 300 gsm
- Two water jars
- Size 8, 4 and 1 round brushes
- The palette from Thirty Greens plus a rose and a crimson
- Kitchen towel
- Hot-pressed watercolour paper, 300 gsm, A3
- Rose madder, permanent rose, quinacridone magenta
- Size 6, 2 and 0 brushes
- A rose (garden, shop or allotment)
- Size 0 and 00 round brushes with a good point
- Hot-pressed paper, 300 gsm
- Your usual palette
- A daylight lamp for evening work
Gathered from the kit lists of: Thirty Greens: Mixing Foliage Colour, Petals in Watercolour: Washes and Glazes, Drybrush Detail: The Last Ten Per Cent, The English Rose in Watercolour.
Start with Thirty Greens: Mixing Foliage Colour Beginner
05 · The botanical sheet
Pencil and watercolour
Pencil underdrawing with watercolour on top is how most botanical plates are made: measured in graphite, then coloured. It is also the kit for working outdoors.
The kit
- A5 sketchbook with watercolour-friendly paper
- Travel watercolour set, 12 pans
- Water brush
- HB pencil and a fineliner
- Craft knife and cutting mat
- Hand lens ×10
- HB and 2B pencils
- Watercolour basics from Thirty Greens
- Watercolour kit from Petals in Watercolour
- HB pencil
- A small bag for collecting on a walk
- Hot-pressed paper, 300 gsm, A2 or half imperial
- Everything from earlier courses
- A sketchbook kept through the year
- Tracing paper
Gathered from the kit lists of: The Field Sketchbook, The Dissection Sheet: A Flower Taken Apart, Autumn Fruit and Seed Heads, Composing the Botanical Plate.
Start with The Field Sketchbook Beginner
For walks, verges and allotments
A pocket kit for the field
- An A5 sketchbook with paper that takes a little water
- An HB pencil and one fineliner
- A small travel watercolour set
- A water brush (the handle holds the water)
- A hand lens, ×10, on a cord
- A small bag for the odd fallen twig or seed head
Pick only what has already fallen or what you are allowed to take, and never dig up wild plants. A photograph is often the better souvenir.
The Field Sketchbook is the course built around this kit.
We teach the drawing, not the shopping
We do not sell materials, so there are no prices on this page. Gather the kit for one course, not all of them.