A workshop suitable for beginners and practised artists. Improve your observational and creative skills by sketching flowers and plants in the inspiring sculpture garden at Farleys House and Gallery assisted by experienced tutor Gilly Lovegrove.

You will receive individual tuition on how to approach flower drawing. We look at botanical artists from art history for inspiration. With an emphasis on observational drawing, we look at proportion, shape and texture; studying petal formations and leaf shape, bringing our drawing to life and discovering the beauty of garden blooms. Surrounded by the tranquility of the garden we can further our drawing investigation – discovering contrast, tone and colour in flower shapes and developing our studies into colourful creative compositions.

Tea and cake will be served at 2.30 pm. Sketching materials and cartridge paper are provided. A suggested materials list for working in colour will be provided on booking.

Gilly Lovegrove trained at Central St Martins in London. She worked for many years as an illustrator in design and advertising.

Since 2006, Gilly has concentrated on portrait, still life and flower oil painting commissions working from her studio in Kent. She exhibits in London, Kent, Hampshire and Somerset. Her portrait painting was selected for the Ruth Borchard Exhibition at the Kings Place Gallery in London. Most recently, in 2021, her self-portrait painting was selected for the Turner Contemporary Open, Margate.

Gilly teaches portrait, still life and flower drawing and painting workshops to art groups, schools and has taught flower drawing at National Trust’s Sissinghurst Castle, Kent.