Class Details...
Flowers are the perfect subject for learning the fundamentals of art including: shape, line, tone, composition & colour.
This class will teach you essential skills to help you appreciate and engage with the flowers you see, whether in your garden, or out walking around the village, to use as inspiration for creating art.
In these 4 sessions we'll start with drawing... how to see and convey flower forms to create dynamic compositions. We'll move on to experimenting with colour, using acrylic paint to make your flowers come to life.
Participants will bring their own drawing & painting materials, I'll provide reference materials and share a repeatable process to get you started on your creative journey!
Takes place at Art Emporium in Port Stanley - 4 sessions Saturdays 10-12. Bring pencils+pens 8"x10" paper for 1st class.
Class Agenda
Session 1 - basics of drawing, shapes, line, shading
Session 2 - composition, tone/values
Session 3 - colour mixing,
Session 4 - put in all together
Workshop Details Download
Click below to get the workshop guide!
Photo Downloads...
Below are few of my flower photos that you can download to use to as reference during the workshop (these are meant to be edited and cropped to create useful compositions).
As you continue with your art journey you can use 'copyright-free' photos sources. I encourage you to also take your own photos to use a reference. The photos you take yourself will be more suited to your particular aesthetic and way of working, and will provide the best point fo departure for you to create works of art that are more meaningful to you, and uniquely your style.
Photo Editing resources...
There are easy to use photo editing tools that come pre-installed on Samsung (Gallery) and iPhones (Photos).
With both of these smart phone programs...
- Just click the app icon, all you photos will show up as small thumbnails.
- Pick a photo to open.
- Below the photo you'll see either a pencil icon (Android), or 3 horizonal lines icon (iPhone)
- Click on either icon to open the editing features.
- Edit: crop for size & composition, saturation/vibrance, highlights/shadows, clarity/sharpen
For laptop/desktop you can also use the free photo editors that come included with PC and Mac computers.
Other resources...
Depending on the type of smartphone you have, Android or iPhone, you can download other 3rd party photo editing apps. Try a few out and see which ones you like the best. Different features come with each that may suit your art making style more or less.
Below are a couple apps that I like using.... available in the Apple or Google store.
Canva- A super useful online program for use with laptop as well as a smartphone app. Features the ability to easily design using text and edit photos. Sign up to create an account for free, you can share your photos between the laptop version and phone app works for all types of devices.
Snapseed, A fav of mine, this free Google Smartphone app lets you easily edit photos on your phone. Available for android and iPhone.
Flower Drawing (example)
Flower Painting (example)
My YouTube Channel
I have over 70 art process videos you can watch for free on my YouTube channel! Hop over take a look, and be sure to subscribe!
About...
Cathy Horvath Buchanan is a Port Stanley painter known for her vibrant and whimsical landscape, beach and floral paintings.
Her work often features bold colors and playful compositions that evoke a sense of joy and wonder. Drawing inspiration from nature and folk art traditions, her paintings are characterized by their expressive style and imaginative themes.
Cathy’s paintings are collected worldwide, and licensed globally for products.
The daily art projects that inspired this class..
I found a lot of artistic value in setting aside a block of time in my calendar, and challenging myself to create daily... lots of good things have happened in my art practice a a result. You can explore my challenge collections below!
See the
Daily Art Challenge 2026
This inspiration for this daily art challenge was to play with a few new art supplies like gouache, as well as some I haven't used in a while like watercolour, pencil crayon, pencil, ink, and charcoal. Experimentation keeps creativity alive!
These are 5"x7" mixed media paintings on paper.
Check out the
Draw to Paint, Daily Art Challenge
I created a series flower artworks using photos from my camera roll each day in January 2025. I started each artwork by creating a 5x7 pencil/ink drawing on paper and then added watercolor paint. The idea was to showcase drawing but also to enjoy 'Spring Flowers Inspiration'.
explore
Autumn Art Journal
This collection features paintings that are plein air autumn botanicals painted daily in September of 2024. Painted daily direct from the subject these images are 5"x7" using acrylic paint on paper.
Explore
Painting-a-Day
This collection featured one-of-a-kind small original paintings using photos from my camer roll. Each piece was 4"x6" acrylic paint on paper
See the
Daily Sketching Project
In January 2024 I started the year with a daily sketching practice. I created small sketches of items around my house as a way to brush up my drawing skills and to have a low barrier way to be creative daily.
read the post
"What I learned creating 30 daily plein air paintings in 30 days!"
In this blog post article I share with you a behind the scenes view of the ups and downs of creating 30 plein air paintings in 30 days from my perspective as an artist.