Botanical Art Classes by Award Winning Artist, Heeyoung Kim
Teaching Online
Kim’s classes with unique subjects and well structured instructions reach out to global audience. Close-up demos, live discussions, real time Q & As, and insightful feedback on Zoom platform make the learning process easy and enjoyable. To learn more about courses, Go to Class Listing
In-Person Workshops
At Brushwood Center where Heeyoung Kim Botanical Art Academy is housed, and at various venues nation wide as a guest artist, Kim offers botanical art workshops at all levels with various media and topics: watercolor, graphite pencil, crow quill pen-and-ink, and composition. Contact Kim
One-on-One Mentorship
Winner of world’s most prestigious awards in the botanical art genre, Kim is regarded as one of the finest contemporary botanical artists. Equipped with practical experiences with a gallery representation and solo exhibits, she offers tailored advice and assistance to individual artists at all levels. Contact Kim
Monday Open Workshop
Designed for aspiring local artists who work on their own independent projects. Kim assists their work process with technical supports and guidance to improve their skill levels, and reach their goals. All level. Various media. Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods, Riverwoods, IL. For inquiry, Contact Kim
What’s unique in Heeyoung Kim’s classes? Kim’s in-depth understanding on her media and botanical subjects makes all the difference. She explains and demonstrates drawing and painting techniques with scientific reasoning and logic. Hence, the learning process becomes natural. With her experiences in studying and painting wildflowers, exhibiting 6 solo and numerous international juried group shows, being the recipient of prestigious awards (RHS Gold, ASBA/HSNY Best in Show, ASBA Diane Bouchier Artist Award among others), and being represented by a renowned natural history art gallery (Joel Oppenheimer) as the first living artist, Heeyoung will guide her students with proper instructions at each stage and through their career paths.
Classes In Various Media at All Levels
Beginning Level
The courses listed as Beginning Level are designed for beginning students and those who want to build strong foundation on basic drawing and painting techniques. Drawing Fundamentals and Watercolor for Beginners are the base courses, but ink and other seasonal topics are often added. Along with the progression, it continues with Advanced Drawing.
Intermediate Level
Eco-Botanicals: Bees, Birds, Blooms, Trees…. and Habitats. Suitable for intermediate and experienced beginners level. The courses in this section are designed for students who have basic watercolor painting skills and want to move forward to develop more complex compositions with elaborate painting skills. With focuses on watercolor technique ….
Advanced Level
Advanced Watercolor: Botanicals in Ecological Context. A continuing study group to develop independent projects… The courses in this section are designed for students who want to explore regional naive flora and fauna with broad ecological themes to create their own independent projects with Heeyoung’s instructions……
Works by Kim in Various Media, Subjects and Styles
How Kim’s Zoom Classes Work
Testimonials
Online Classes Reach out Globally Via Zoom: After registration students will receive materials list to get ready with supplies for the class. Class PDF and Zoom link will be emailed the day before. Students are advised to print out the PDF to take notes during the class. After each class, the link to the recording will be emailed for review or for those who couldn’t make the class real time. In the beginning of each class except the first session of each workshop/project Heeyoung gives feedback to each student’s work in progress.
Students can watch detailed demos of Kim’s painting process in real time displayed right in front of their eyes. It is a rare opportunity to observe how every brushstroke is deliberately applied for specific results. Even local students do not want to give up this huge merit that is even better than in-person classes.
All written contents and images in the PDF are copyrighted by Heeyoung Kim and all unauthorized usages are prohibited, unless otherwise cited. The Zoom links are nontransferable and the class attendees are responsible for keeping the link and password confidential for security reasons.
Copyright and Privacy Protection for Students: Heeyoung Kim respects copyrights of students’ artworks, finished and works in progress, and does not share or use students’ works for her benefits. Student’s works are featured in the exhibition invitation cards and related promotion materials in printed and digital versions with written agreement from the exhibition participants.
“You are a consummate professional not only in your field of botanical art, but in your teaching and your use of technology in that area. Your passion for your art comes across even in the small screen that is our mode of communicating/learning these days.”
“You’re the best teacher I have ever had! You’re kind, but you push for perfection.”
“Heeyoung teaches in a very unique style with her methods, skills and personality. She is professional, precise, detailed and extremely interesting. I totally enjoy her style of delivery with many inflections in her voice bringing excitement, information and gentle humor into her delivery of information. She has materials strongly recommended for her students that will make you feel like a master when practicing her methods. I will continue to learn and enjoy everything about botanical illustration through her series of classes.”
“This (series for the beginners) is the best opportunity for me and I’m grateful for Zoom classes. Heeyoung is a great teacher and does thorough and interesting presentations. Best teacher ever! I’ve learned to draw and now I’m learning watercolor! Thank you for all you do!”
“Words can’t really express how amazing our time together yesterday was for me, but I’ll try.
You turned previous notions upside down and now they actually make sense to me. I will need to put them into practice. Your graciousness and kind spirit; taking extra time with me; giving me an honest critique; your care for wild plants and pollinators, and being an all around good person to name a few things. ”
Annual Student Exhibit: Enriching Life
Botanical Art Exhibition by Heeyoung Kim and Brushwood Botanical Artist
Annual Students Exhibit has been mounted since 2015 as a way to celebrate the Academy's artists and their works over the year. Current and former students (by invitation) will exhibit their works virtually at www.brushwoodcenter.org and physically at Brushwood Center Gallery.
The exhibit is curated by Julia Kemerer, director of arts and administration at Brushwood Center and Heeyoung Kim, founder of Heeyoung Kim Botanical Art Academy. The opening reception has become a popular winter event among locals to enjoy beautiful botanical artworks and the winter scenery in the pristine woodland at the same time.
Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods: 21850 N Riverwoods Road, Riverwoods/Deerfield, Illinois. www.brushwoodcenter.org
About Heeyoung Kim Botanical Art Academy at Brushwood Center
The right partnership to grow together
In 2011 Heeyoung Kim was invited to mount her first solo exhibit at Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods. It was the time when her teaching career just started in Chicago. While visiting Brushwood Center to prepare for the exhibit and volunteer afterwards, she studied native plants growing in the 561 acres of pristine Ryerson Woods. Naturally she started to see the possibility of teaching botanical art in the elegant house surrounded by age old trees and it lead her to learn more about the mission of the non profit organization, Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods founded in 1984 with “commitment to the arts and nature with an invigorated focus on community partnerships, inclusion, and promotion of art and nature for personal and community wellbeing.” (Learn more at www.brushwoodcenter.org). Sunlight shining through from the three walls of the big room warmed up her conversation with the former executive director to make it happen. In September, 2011 Heeyoung Kim Botanical Art Academy was founded and became a part of ever growing Brushwood community.
On a very cold day in January, 2015, the first student exhibit was opened. It was fair enough to be nervous about attendance at the opening reception, since it was the first event of such kind at the retreated house in the forest preserve, and just the path and parking lot were plowed after a few snowy Chicago winter days. Soon after the opening, however, the house was filled with people appreciating the serene beauty of traditional botanical art in watercolor, ink, graphite and colored pencil. Propelled with the huge success of the first student exhibit, the reputation of HK botanical art academy has grown to become an incubator for the ancient art form in Chicago Metropolitan Areas.
Numerous prestigious awards Kim has received prove her qualifications to teach all about botanical art in watercolor, graphite pencil, traditional pen-and-ink, and colored pencil. She teaches classes locally in-person, globally via Zoom, and at other venues nation wide as a guest artist from beginning to master level. Her Composition and Drawing Fundamentals are always in demand. Common subjects for drawing and painting are wildflowers, native trees, bees, butterflies, birds, and other fauna associated with native plants.
All written contents and images are copyrighted by Heeyoung Kim. All unauthorized usages are prohibited. ©Heeyoung Kim 2023