Teaching by Lynette

In 1980 I studied for a degree in botanical, zoological and medical illustration at Middlesex Polytechnic.  After a lifelong love of painting and drawing it seemed the most natural thing to do.  I was fortunate enough to be taught a technique of watercolour painting especially for botanical, zoological and medical illustration and I gained an extremely valuable skill.

After college I became a freelance illustrator and was delighted to use the painting technique to illustrate a wide range of subject matter.  Clients included The Natural History Museum, BBC World Service, Marks and Spencer, Allied Lyons, Cannon Babysafe, Dr Barnardos, Grants of St James, Majestic Wines, Sandtex Paints, Good Housekeeping Magazine, Reader’s Digest, Penguin Books, Harper Collins, Guild Publishing and Marshall Cavendish

"My love of painting and drawing a wide range of subject matter also led me to use the painting technique for still life painting and portrait painting and it proved to be a very versatile technique."

"I have been so grateful to have learned this technique that eventually it led to my desire to pass the technique on to others."

 In 1998 I was incredibly lucky to find a course to teach on that was similar to the one that I undertook because courses like these are few and far between.  It was a BA/HND Wildlife Illustration Course at Carmarthenshire College of Technology and Art and it included botanical painting.  I was very happy to be able to pass the painting technique I had learned on to the students there.  On the same course I also taught life drawing and was delighted to do this because of my love of drawing.  Also for the college I taught flower painting evening classes, something else I thoroughly enjoyed because of my own love of flower painting.  I taught the classes at the National Botanic Garden of Wales which was the perfect setting for them.

I also taught botanical painting and life drawing for a local gallery and thoroughly enjoyed it and taught flower painting for a local art shop at various beautiful gardens in the area and that was another lovely thing to do.

Whilst teaching at the college, I was given the opportunity to write and teach on a distance learning course for beginners in botanical illustration for the London Art College.  It was wonderful to be able to translate all that I had learned into writing.  I found that it added another dimension to teaching and it was a great pleasure to work this way.

Now I have the opportunity to translate some of what I have learned into writing for this website and it is something else that I will love to do….. 

Lynette Conway