Visual SciComm Conference 2026
Presentations
Participate in optional workshops on July and August weekends following the conference! Workshops provide additional opportunities to learn new techniques and skills in a more interactive setting.
Creating a Detailed Botanical Painting with Colored Pencil and Watercolor in a Multi-Focal Point Composition
Schedule TBA
Wendy Hollender
Wendy Hollender is a world-renowned botanical artist and author whose work has been exhibited at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and published in the New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, and numerous other outlets.
A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Hollender is the author of the best-selling books The Joy of Botanical Drawing and Botanical Drawing in Color, and teaches botanical drawing at the New York Botanical Garden and other beautiful venues around the world.
See more about Wendy at www.wendyhollender.com and her educational website www.drawbotanical.com.
This workshop will be a detailed step-by-step guide of building a botanical painting, complete with a materials/tools list, and discussion of light source, research, and composition. Content will focus on the work behind creating the Plant Family paintings for Hollender's book: The Album of Plant Families.
Recommended experience level: All levels welcome
Materials list:
Pencil sharpener (Recommended: Desktop pencil sharpener from Muji or other portable pencil sharpener)
Pencil (Recommended: Tombow H graphite 4 pencil)
Eraser (Recommended: Kneaded eraser, Tombow Mono round Zero)
Small see thru Ruler for measuring (Recommended: Westcott See–thru ruler)
Colored pencils (Recommended: Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils—list below refers to Polychromos numbering system, but equivalents are fine.)
Primary and secondary colors:
- Cadmium Yellow Lemon 205
- Cadmium Yellow 107
- Pale Geranium Lake 121
- Middle Purple Pink 125
- Madder 142
- Ultramarine 120
- Cobalt Turquoise 153
- Dark Cadmium Orange 115
- Purple Violet 136
- Earth Green Yellowish 168
- Permanent Green Olive 167
- Earth Green 172
Darks to mix for deep shades:
- Dark Sepia 175
- Dark Indigo 157
- Chrome Oxide Green 278
- Red Violet 194
- Olive Green Yellowish 173
Lights for tints, highlights, and burnishing
- Warm Grey IV 273
- White 101
- Ivory 103
- Salmon 130
- Earth Tones
- Burnt Ochre 187
- Venetian Red 190
- Light Yellow Ochre 183
- Burnt Sienna 283
Watercolor pencils or your preferred watercolors
(Recommended: Faber-Castell Albrect Dürer watercolor pencils)
Brushes (Recommended: Interlon sizes 0/3, 0, 6, or similar, Pentel waterbrush)
Pens (Recommended: Pieni ballpoint pen, Micron size 05 or smaller)
Palette (Recommended: Sheet of Duralar film)
Embossing tools
Hot press watercolor paper (Recommended: Stonehenge Aqua hot pressed watercolor paper, any size, block or sheets of paper cut to a size between 7 x 10 inches, 12 x 16 inches, 15 x 20 inches)
Verithin pencils
- Dark Brown
- Black
- Gray 70%
Adobe Illustrator for Beginners
Schedule TBA
Rick Simonson
Rick Simonson is the Founder and President of Science Lab Studios, Inc. With 23 years of experience as a professional scientific illustrator, he specializes in finding creative solutions to visual problems within the scientific and technical industries.
Rick's work has been published in science magazines, research journals, textbooks, laboratory and technical manuals, and featured in gallery exhibits. Furthermore, he has over two decades of university teaching and research experience. He also manages an online learning community that provides training for aspiring and experienced scientific illustrators, as well as those interested in improving their nature artwork skills.
Learn how to use Adobe Illustrator, the industry standard vector graphics software. This program is an essential tool for the professional scientific illustrator. It is the ideal software for design projects, such as illustration layouts, creating infographics, designing logos, and adding titles, labels, and leader lines to illustrations. In this workshop you will learn how to use the important features of Illustrator and develop proficiency with vector graphics.
Recommended experience level: No prior experience through intermediate users
Materials list:
Computer with webcam
Adobe Illustrator
(Subscription required, but Adobe offers a 7-day free trial. Please download the software in advance and ensure your subscription or trial will be active on the day of the workshop.)
Graphics tablet (Recommended)
Illustrating Fishes—History and Techniques
Schedule TBA
Karen Talbot
Check back soon!