The Yale Peabody Museum’s Natural Science Illustration Program provides opportunities to learn a wide range of art techniques focused on nature and natural science illustration. Whether you are a beginner or professional, our skilled and certified instructors provide personalized support in small classes that will help you develop your abilities and discover new ways of encountering art and nature. The Yale Peabody Museum’s collections and exhibitions provide endless subjects for drawing, painting and sketching. Take an individual class or complete a sequence of classes to earn a Certificate in Natural Science Illustration.
Examples of our instructors' artwork are on display November 2019 - June 2020 in the Museum's third floor temporary gallery. The exhibit is titled "Seeing Nature Through Art". Click here to learn more about our instructors.
Choose from the following courses and workshops offered for the Summer/Fall 2019 term. All 200-level courses require Drawing I (#101) as a prerequisite, or permission of the instructor. All participants must be at least 18 years of age. There are no exceptions. Registration deadline is 10 days before the first class. Instructors will contact you to provide a list of art supplies needed for the class. These materials may not be covered by the registration fee. Please note: there are no member discounts for Natural Science Illustration classes.
Click HERE to register and pay by credit card
Click HERE to register and pay by other methods
Contact the Education Office for questions about registration and for payment information. For questions about course content, prerequisites, etc. please contact the instructor listed for each course.
Sundays, January 12 to March 8, 10am to 1pm (no class 2/16)
Instructor: Bivenne Staiger
Prerequisite: Drawing I
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes January 2
Learn how to incorporate bird subjects with backgrounds that emphasize them. Painting stages and many techniques will be demonstrated with plenty of individual attention given. References provided or student can use their own.
Saturdays, January 25 to March 26, 10am to 1pm (no class 2/15)
Instructor: Jan Prentice
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes January 15
Drawing I is the foundation course for all sequential courses taken at the Yale Peabody Museum. It is here that the necessary techniques in rendering light on form, value, texture, perspective, and composition are taught. Each student will be given individual assignments and critiques, along with a final project, which is due at the culmination of the course. Enjoy slowing down as you learn to connect with the subject matter and work to get the essence of what you are looking at. There will always be group critiques and demonstrations. Many examples of different types of drawing will be shared.
Tuesdays, January 21 to March 10, 10am-1pm
Instructor: Susannah Graedel
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes January 11
Create silvery tonal portraits of animals and plants in graphite. Natural Science Illustration typically utilizes the traditional light source used by artists since Renaissance times with the light coming from the upper left. When depicting specimens in the classroom or images in photographs, it is helpful to be able to intuitively apply the traditional light source to the illustration. Through exercises, students will be freed from having to work with special lighting.
Sunday & Monday, January 26 & 27, 10am-4pm
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
$200, 2 days
Registration closes January 16
Using birds from the Peabody’s extensive ornithology exhibit, students will learn the traditional techniques and methods of observation for drawing birds that artists at all skil levels can apply. All you will need is a sketchbook, pencils and a small watercolor set with brushes.
Mondays, January 27 to March 23, 10am-1pm
Instructor: Betsy Barry
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes January 17
Each week we will work in sketchbooks to explore a new subject in colored pencil. Accurate rendering will be emphasized.
Thursdays, January 30 to March 19, 10am to 1pm
Instructor: Linda Miller
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes January 20
Drawing I is the foundation course for all sequential courses taken at the Yale Peabody Museum. It is here that the necessary techniques in rendering light on form, value, texture, perspective, and composition are taught. Each student will be given individual assignments and critiques, along with a final project, which is due at the culmination of the course. Enjoy slowing down as you learn to connect with the subject matter and work to get the essence of what you are looking at. There will always be group critiques and demonstrations. Many examples of different types of drawing will be shared.
Wednesdays, February 19-to April 8, 10am to 1pm
Instructor: Linda Thomas
$400, 8 weeks
Prerequisites: Drawing II & Watercolor I
Registration closes February 9
Learning the elements of composition and design is fun and essential for completing successful paintings and illustrations. Exploring color theory, notan composition, spatial relationships, the golden mean, and perspective, we will create dynamic studies that will serve as templates for final watercolor or acrylic paintings.
Fridays, February 21 to April 10, 10am to 1pm
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
Prerequisite: Watercolor I
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes February 11
This course introduces students to more advanced techniques in combining glazes, textures and intense color to create dynamic compositions. Emphasis will be on achieving spontaneity of color, design, and depth of form. Students will learn the technical aspects of mastering watercolor such as correct timing in the dry and wet stages of brushwork, and in producing detailed effects. Critiques and demonstrations will be shared in every class.
Sundays, February 23 to April 19, 10am-1pm (no class 4/12)
Instructors: Jeanette Compton
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes February 13
The beauty and clarity of natural science drawings in ink have been admired for centuries. Students will master the techniques of traditional scientific illustrations using both crow quill and technical pens to depict the natural world in stipple and line
Sundays, February 23 to April 19, 1:30 to 4:30pm (No class April 12)
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes February 13
Using the dioramas at the Peabody Museum and vertebrate zoology specimens at the Yale West Campus, we will cover the basics of vertebrate anatomy, drawing detailed muscular-skeletal illustrations of animals in graphite, micron pen and colored pencil. Final drawings will depict the vertebrates in accurate detail with fur, scales or feathers.
Mondays, February 24 to March 16, 10am to 1pm
Instructor: Linda Miller
$200, 4 weeks
Registration closes February 14
Sketching and painting in front of our amazing dioramas with all their animals and birds in different habitats is a real joy! Explore the museum when it is quiet; it is not open to the public on Mondays. We will also learn how these dioramas were created. This course is appropriate for beginners as well as advanced students.
Sundays, March 15 to May 17, 10am to 1pm (No class 4/12 & 5/10)
Instructor: Jan Prentice
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes March 5
Begin your exploration of color with this approachable medium. In our first few meetings students learn and practice key color concepts: primary and secondary color, local color, color temperature, hue, chroma and value. Armed with this information, students will then learn techniques needed to create beautiful, detailed drawings on a variety of drawing surfaces
Mondays, March 16 to May 4, 5:30 to 8:30 pm
Instructor: Rebecca Gelernter
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes March 2
This course will teach the basics of digital illustration using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. We will cover topics such as editing scans of artwork for digital display or printing, the basics of Photoshop painting, and vector drawing. Students must provide their own drawing tablet and laptop and have access to Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign in Adobe CS5, CS6, or CC.
Saturdays, March 21 to May 16, 10am to 1pm (No class on 4/11)
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes March 11
Create silvery tonal portraits of animals and plants in graphite. Natural Science Illustration typically utilizes the traditional light source used by artists since Renaissance times with the light coming from the upper left. When depicting specimens in the classroom or images in photographs, it is helpful to be able to intuitively apply the traditional light source to the illustration. Through exercises, students will be freed from having to work with special lighting.
Mondays, March 30 to May 18, 10am to 1pm
Instructor: Linda Miller
Prerequisite: Watercolor I
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes March 20
Discover how to paint portraits of flowering plants in watercolor as you observe them in the classroom. Hone your drawing and watercolor skills as you discover the intricacies of different plants that are blooming in the spring. Many examples of botanical art will be shared. There will be demonstrations and group critiques, and there will always be a focus on individual attention to each student. We will visit the greenhouses at the Marsh Botanical Gardens on the Yale Campus.
Thurdays, April 2 to May 21, 10am to 1pm
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes March 23
Using both traditional and experimental methods, students will master the techniques of colored pencil needed to create detailed and accurate illustrations for portfolio presentation or publication. Course concentration will be focused on refining techniques learned in Colored Pencil I, increasing pigment intensity, creating textural effects and working closely from museum specimens and still life objects.
Tuesdays, April 7 to May 26, 10am to 1pm
Instructor: Linda Miller
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes March 28
Watercolor is a medium that produces luminous, translucent colors. Practice mixing colors while learning about color theory, and gain experience applying washes and layers when using color in your scientific illustrations and paintings. We will be working with fruits, vegetables, flowering plants, and specimens from the Peabody Museum’s collections. Examples of many different kinds of watercolors will be shared. There will always be a focus on individual attention to each student, and group critiques and demonstrations will be shared.
Wednesdays, April 15 to May 20, 10am to1 pm (no class October 9)
Instructor: Linda Thomas
Prerequisites: Watercolor I & Composition and Design
$300, 6 weeks
Registration closes April 5
Students who want to challenge their creative skills and scientific knowledge will be creating their own unique art composition focused on a fragment of life in the eastern woodlands. Incorporating various seasonal flora and fauna into a composition while exploring concepts like symbiosis, predator-prey relationships, and food webs, this class is for students confident in their drawing and painting skills.
Fridays, May 1 to June 26, 10am to 1pm (no class 6/19)
Instructor: Susannah Graedel
$400, 8 weeks
Registration closes April 21
Explore the exquisite variety of forms of flowers through the microscope. Students will dissect and draw the parts of flowers to produce an artistic botanical “plate.” The connection between flower structure and type of pollinator will be explored.
Saturday and Sunday, May 2 & 3, 10am to 4pm
Instructor: Bivenne Staiger
Prerequisite: Watercolor I
$200, 2 days
Registration closes April 22
Learn the timing and sequence to paint flowers in watercolor with backgrounds that support and emphasize them. Painting stages and many techniques will be demonstrated with plenty of individual attention given. References provided or student can use their own.
Wednesday & Thursday, May 27 & 28 AND
Wednesday & Thursday, June 3 & 4, 10am to 4pm
Class includes all four sessions
Instructor: Betsy Barry
$200, 2 days
Registration closes May 17
From sketchbook to final layout, we will create a botanical illustration using colored pencil. Accuracy in rendering will be emphasized.
Mondays, June 1 to June 29, 10am to 1pm
Instructor: Linda Thomas
$250, 5 weeks
Registration closes May 22
A variety of shapes, patterns and textures make shells of all sizes a great subject to explore in both black-and-white and color! Basic shell classifications and life history will be discussed. We will be emphasizing texture and light/shadow relationships with black-and-white, and capturing pattern and sheen with paint.
Saturday, June 6, 10am to 4pm
Instructor: Linda Miller
$100, one day
Registration closes May 26
Immerse yourself in the classical tools of observational drawing for a whole day! This is a great course for both beginners and advanced students. Bring your lunch.
Monday & Tuesday, June 8 & 9, 10am-4pm
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
$200, 2 days
Registration closes May 28
Explore the fascinating world of gems and minerals using Peabody Museum specimens from David Friend Hall and the museum’s extensive minerology collection. Peabody collections staff will provide a tour featuring the specimens, and afterwards, we will render these
in graphite and colored pencil and execute several small mixed media paintings suitable for your portfolio or personal collection. Open to all levels-previous drawing experience helpful.
Saturday & Sunday, June 13 & 14, 10am to 4pm
Instructor: Dorie Petrochko
$200, 2 days
Registration closes June 3
Capture the beauty of hummingbirds using graphite watercolor and iridescent pigments. We will work from photos, and bird cams. Students should bring a laptop or smartphone to class. We will make a small flip book of hummingbirds. A knowledge of drawing birds is helpful.
Saturday, June 20, 10am to 4pm
Instructor: Linda Miller
$100, 1 Day
Registration closes June 10
Sketch with conte crayon or graphite and/or paint with watercolor outdoors “en plein air” in different locations on the Yale Campus. There are two farms where vegetables, herbs, medicinal plants, and flowers grow; and there are greenhouses, trails with a river and a pond, as well as many kinds of old, unusual trees. There are also many types of animals and birds!
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