Name: Mixed Media Botanical Journal
Start: 2026-04-09T10:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-04-09T14:00:00-04:00
Location: 900 Washington St, Wellesley, MA, United States, Massachusetts 02482

Botanical artists share a love of nature—and a love of art supplies! In this mixed-media botanical illustration class with Tara Connaughton, students will put their collections of watercolor, colored pencil, ink, and other favorite materials to work while exploring how different media can be combined to achieve a wide range of expressive effects.
Drawing inspiration from the emerging spring landscape, participants will observe seasonal growth and capture moments from nature in their art journals while honing foundational drawing and painting skills. The course will focus on best practices for mixing media on the page, including how to thoughtfully select, layer, and sequence materials for a given subject, and how to render varied visual and textural effects using different tools.
Through guided exercises, artist examples, and group discussion, students will gather fresh inspiration from mixed-media botanical artists—and from one another—opening new creative possibilities as we welcome spring and put our art supply collections to vibrant use.
Prerequisite: Students should have some prior experience with botanical illustration or nature journaling AND refer to note below about materials.
Note about Materials: Students should have a current “art supply collection” to choose from for class. The supply list is “what you have” so you should not necessarily need to purchase anything new.
Instructed by Tara Connaughton
Tara Connaughton is an artist & art instructor living on the coast south of Boston, MA (where she finds much of her inspiration). She is a graduate of the Certificate in Botanical Art & Illustration Program at Wellesley College Botanic Gardens. Her botanical and nature-inspired paintings have earned multiple awards, and she has exhibited her work through local and regional galleries and venues. She uses her passion for painting and love of nature to inspire others to create and connect with the world around them.
Class/Program/Workshop: 26 BAC 031 Mixed Media Botanical Journal
Date: 3 days: Thurs., Tues. & Thurs., April 9, 14 & 16, 2026
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Location: Hybrid class: Thursdays, Apr. 9 & 16, in-person at the Garden at Elm Bank; Tuesday, Apr. 14, online via Zoom
Photo by Tara Connaughton