HMNH Adult Classes

In-Person Workshop

Saturday, October 25, 9:30 am–12:00 pm

Instructor: Rachel Mirus

Bizarre and spectacular creatures hide in plain sight all around us because they are too small to see without magnification. In this class we will go on a micro-safari, hunting down these hidden microorganisms using microscopes and capturing them through observational drawing. After an orientation to the microscopes, Rachel Mirus will introduce some helpful and beginner-friendly drawing techniques for illustrating the tiny things that live in water and soil. Curious about something specific? Participants are welcome to bring their own samples!

Image Credit: Rachel Mirus

In-Person Workshop

Saturday, November 1, 9:30 am–12:00 pm

Instructors: Erica Beade and Crystal Maier

Learn about the science of insects through close observation of museum specimens, then try your hand at capturing them with pencil and paper. Artist and educator Erica Beade will introduce techniques for achieving more accuracy, volume, and texture in drawings while a Harvard entomologist Crystal Maier will provide an overview of insects based on specimens in hand. The group will be limited to 12 participants, allowing ample time for individual feedback. All skill levels are welcome.

Online Workshop

Tuesday, November 4, 9:30–11:30 am

Instructor: Rachel Mirus

Many animal bodies are adorned with spots and stripes, patterns that look different but are mathematically similar. We will look at how these body decorations are created, how they are similar and different, and how simple observational drawing strategies can help us better appreciate and copy patterns from some of our favorite patterned animals. Moving on from pure observation, students will finish with a creative project inspired by animal decorations.

In-Person Workshop

Saturday, November 8, 9:30 am–12:00 pm

Instructor: Rachel Mirus

Before the modern art-supply store, artists found and made materials from their everyday lives and immediate environments. In this class, we will channel that same ingenuity by collecting, experimenting, and upcycling our own art materials, including paper, ink, and dip pens, all from everyday ingredients. Come feed your curiosity and creativity by finding color in unexpected sources and experimenting with familiar materials in new ways!

Participants will start with an ingredient “treasure hunt” before class and come away with handmade recycled paper, homemade ink, and experimental dip pens.

Online Workshop

Wednesday, December 3, 9:30–11:30 am

Instructor: Erica Beade

Join us for this two-hour online workshop where we'll explore how sketching can be a practice for deepening mindful awareness of our surroundings, and how mindful awareness can enrich our sketching practice by helping us quiet inner voices. Using natural objects as our subject matter, we will explore ways to focus our attention, learn to see more deeply, and record our observations more carefully. Taught by professional artist and educator Erica Beade. The group will be limited to 12 participants, allowing ample time for individual feedback. All skill levels are welcome.

Online Workshop

Tuesday, December 9, 9:30–11:30 am

Instructor: Rachel Mirus

Familiar natural shapes, like spirals or the branching of plants, recur in fascinating and beautiful diversity, and are often the result of simple patterns for growth. We will use observational drawing to explore a few of the many kinds of spirals, branching patterns, and fractals, as well as how and why they grow. Moving on from pure observation, students will finish with a creative project inspired by these natural shapes.