My name is Jacky and I’m an artist, writer and professional gardener.
I want to share my passion for nature and the natural world, capturing beauty through art and gardening, so I founded The Botanical Sketch Club to inspire people the same way nature inspires me every single day.
I have been fortunate to work in some fabulous spaces including the personal gardens of leading garden designers Sarah Price, Dan Pearson, and Arne Maynard. I have written and styled several articles on container planting and floristry installations for Gardens Illustrated magazine as well as a series on Natural Garden Structures with Kristy Ramage.
What is the Botanical Sketch Club
The Botanical Sketch Club was founded back in 2019 to encourage people to draw plants from life in a looser style than classical botanical illustration requests, through workshops and outdoor sketching days in beautiful gardens around the UK.
I wanted to develop my own style of artistic expression whilst connecting with other people with a passion for plants, gardens and art and after several long chats with other artists and gardeners, I thought…
“What could be better than spending a magical day in beautiful locations drawing incredible plants?”
Botanical illustration is often beautifully realistic, which can sometimes feel intimidating. Having spent years exploring the human form in life drawing, I want to encourage people to approach drawing plants with the same sense of fun and experimentation.
Botanical art has a rich history, from ancient Egyptian temples and medieval herbals to meticulous scientific records of the Renaissance. While photography briefly lessened its demand, botanical art is now enjoying a resurgence as people seek to reconnect with nature.
Making time to play, or even just sit and draw, is rarely a priority in our busy lives, yet the health benefits are widely acknowledged. The process creates a form of meditation that helps you de-stress and refocus.
The simple act of putting pen to paper sharpens your observational skills. A drawing made on location, however simple, will stay in your consciousness far longer than a quick photo. The sentiment attributed to 19th-century botanist Julius von Sachs still rings true: "If you haven’t drawn it, you haven’t seen it."
We all have the capacity for personal expression through pencil and paint, but for newcomers, botanical illustrations can seem daunting. The trick is not to worry about the end result, but simply enjoy the process of getting to know your subject, capturing it in a single moment, and embracing imperfections.
Remember, a sketch is a rough, quick, and minimalist drawing that captures essential features without stressing about the details. Sketching allows you to explore ideas and collect visual information in the moment.
A world of botanical specimens awaits exploration through drawing—a wonderful way to slow down and connect with the natural world around you. Come and join me on an artistic exploration of the plant world soon
