Create art you love inspired by nature with this online course
Nature and Nurture
Learn how to use the shapes and motifs of nature to nurture your creativity and inspire beautiful and unique art
Let nature inspire your art
This class invites you to slow down, look closely, and translate your connection to the natural world into rich, layered mixed media artworks. Learn how to use the shapes and motifs of nature to nurture your creativity and inspire beautiful and unique art. In this class you’ll learn how to seek and gather inspiration in nature as a springboard to inspire all sorts of beautiful mixed media, semi-abstract art.
Connect to nature and nurture your creativity
Nature and Nurture invites you to return to instinct, expression and ease whilst also giving you the tools and guidance to be able to do just that…
Your next breakthrough won’t come from copying or perfecting a technique on its own. It will also come from being inspired by the beauty of nature, from trying things out, experimenting and connecting deeply with your own creative practice and process. Ah-ha moments will come from feeling more than fixing.
Testimonial
“Having soooo much fun reconnecting with drawing through this fantastic short course.
Thank you.”
Gillian
More presence, less pressure
Say yes to less pressure and more presence in your art making. What if your most meaningful art wasn’t hidden behind more skill but beneath less self-editing?
You don’t need tighter control. You need softer space. You need to connect to nature and to what you love in your own art.
This class is an unfurling, an exhalation, it is a rewilding for you and your creativity.
This is Nature and Nurture. Join this class and make art that reconnects you to the joy of art making and the beauty of nature…
Seeing differently and using nature as a springboard
This isn’t a class about painting outside.
It’s about learning to see differently and letting nature stir something in you that becomes art you actually love and love to make.
Inside this course, you’ll learn how to gather inspiration directly from the natural world and use it as a springboard to create expressive, mixed media, semi-abstract pieces that feel grounded, personal, and alive.
Over 14 short, easy-to-digest videos (around 2 hours in total), I’ll guide you step-by-step through a complete creative process:
How to seek and source meaningful inspiration
You’ll learn how to curate what moves you, gather source material while outdoors, and translate it into your own artistic language.
Simple, portable outdoor sketching
There’s no need to take a full kit outside. You’ll use paper and a pencil to capture quick visual notes, small moments and impressions that become creative gold later.
Artist studies and visual reflection
You’ll explore how other artists have used nature as muse, and reflect on the art you love most, building clarity around your personal aesthetic and creative identity.
From outdoors to indoors: making the bridge
Once home, you’ll unpack and develop your gathered drawings, ideas, and photographs into deeper explorations and compositions.
Optional reference images included
If getting outdoors isn’t accessible for you, a curated gallery of nature photographs is included so you can still work from rich, beautiful source material.
Drawing prompts and material play
You’ll try fun, generative drawing exercises, and experiment with media like watercolour, ink, and coloured pencils learning how to combine them with freedom and intention.
Start-to-finish demonstrations
You’ll watch how I create mixed media artworks and acrylic paintings inspired by natural forms, and gain a process you can use to bring your own ideas to life.
The focus of this class is not on perfection it’s on experimentation, discovery and joy.
What you’ll experience inside
Nature and Nurture :
Fuel for your art
While the video content adds up to just two hours, the techniques and processes you’ll take away can fuel your creativity for much, much longer.
Testimonial
"Thank you for your wonderful and inspiring art classes. Your creative joy is so infectious, I have finally found a freedom to just ‘let go’, and experiment with colour and shapes in a way I have never done before, nothing is now an obstacle, it is an opportunity to play and make creative discoveries. ”
Karen
Testimonial
"I'm halfway through and just love it. Inspiring and so versatile with many options…"
Debbie
If you want to get loose and experimental but are not sure where to start, this class shares ways to start and gives you powerful step by step processes you can develop and make your own.
It’s a positive and playful class which shares helpful ways to make your art feel more dynamic and interesting.
Testimonial
“It is wonderful. Endless inspiration. Thanks Helen.”
Janet
This course is designed to inspire and ignite your own art making and to help you create original and beautiful nature-inspired art which feels unique to you…
It is self paced, available to take immediately and explores lots of drawing and art making processes for creating striking and beautiful semi-abstract art inspired by the shapes of nature.
This class will help you to get inspired by plants and flowers, nurture your own creativity and make art you love.
Testimonial
“I’m loving your open ended approach with teaching. I’m already learning that my approach toward creating comes from me and your techniques are just enhancing my ability”.
Donna
Testimonial
“You have been my teacher as I'm taking 4 of your courses. I find that they each contribute to each other, in areas of skills and exploration. They are leading me in some new, exciting directions”.
Judith
Testimonial
Helen's classes always cheer me up as she is a very unique teacher and imparts knowledge in her own way. I am working through this course now and as ever each video causes me to think!!!!!
Janice
Advice and insight
You’ll be guided through art processes step by step, I’ll share lots of advice and lots of art making insights and you’ll learn how to find interesting starting points for your art making in nature…
The course consists of fourteen bite sized videos, about 2 hours of video in total. But the exercises within this class are designed to fill more than two hours, this course could be worked on over several weeks. It sets out a method and approach for completing a comprehensive selection of striking art.
English subtitles are included and can be turned on or off.
Testimonial
Helen, thank you so much for a wonderful inspirational class. You gave me so many wonderful ideas to create. I love that I am not copying what you are doing, but creating original pieces of my own. I have taken other botanical painting classes and did not have good results, but with your guidance I am really pleased with my drawings and paintings!
Sheri
14 day money back guarantee
If you’re not satisfied with Nature and Nurture for whatever reason, you're covered by my no-questions-asked 14 day 100% money back guarantee.
All the info
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This class is aimed at folk who have some art making experience. We will be drawing and painting from things we find in nature, so this isn’t a class where you just copy exactly what I am doing. I will provide clear instructions but it will require a little '‘have a go spirit“. If you are a total beginner your mindset is probably more important than your experience, it will suit those who are creatively curious and happy to have a go and try things out without knowing exactly where it will take them.
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The class costs £48 (regular full price.) You can pay via credit card, debit card or Paypal. The currency of my store is British Pounds (GBP) but the class is available to anyone worldwide.
I have been lucky enough to welcome students to my classes from America, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and beyond.
If you are paying in a currency other than GBP the conversion rate will be handled by your payment provider (ie Paypal or your card).
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This class is not for you if:
• You want to know exactly how something will turn out before you have started creating it
• If you want to copy an instructor. I will provide clear instructions, but as we are using our own starting points this is not the type of class where you just copy exactly what I’m doing and we all make art that looks exactly the same.
• If abstract art is not your thing
• If a messy or unpredictable outcome puts you off
• If experimentation doesn’t appeal
• If the idea of experimental drawing and experimental painting sounds too daunting. But do note this class does not require you to be ‘good’ at drawing, this class is designed to help develop your skills in a playful way
• If you want bespoke and personalised feedback on your work
•If you want a Facebook Group or community support, this class does not come with a group.
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Once you have signed up you will receive a link to our classroom with instant access to the course. It is hosted here on my website. You are able to log in at any time from my website.
You decide upon your own password and will have access to all the content immediately.
This means you can work through it at a pace which feels just right to you; you can binge watch it, watch it over a number of days, or come back and dip in to re-visit and re-watch it as you like, when you like. You will have complete access to all content for TWELVE MONTHS.
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I am a full time artist and the author of Expressive Sketchbooks: Developing Creative Skills, Courage and Confidence which was published by Quarry Books in 2020. I am passionate about helping others develop their creativity and advance their art skills. My greatest hope is that I can help inspire and encourage others to find their own creative voice by experimentation and practice..
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This is a mixed media, semi abstract class.
The class has been designed to encourage experimentation, improvisation and using the supplies you already have. We will be drawing, painting, using watercolour, ink, painting acrylic studies and more….
None of the exercises are prescriptive in terms of using the exact brand of materials. I positively encourage using what you have and improvising..
Items that are used in the demonstrations include (you do not need to have everything on this list):
A sketchbook or stack of paper for drawing and painting experiments.
In the majority of the demonstrations I am using a 200gsm or 90 lb mixed media paper in an A3 size which is circa 12 x 17 inches.
A camera or phone camera
A glue stick and scissors
Fine liner pen or similar drawing tool
A pencil 3B-9B
A felt tip pen or acrylic paint pen
Watercolour paint and brushes
Coloured pencils or coloured drawing materials of any sort
Acrylic ink. I use a fluorecent pink one called FW Ink from Daler Rowney
A few colours of full body acrylic paint including white
Brushes to use with acrylic paint. I also use a paint shaper or silicon brush which I highly recommend
A printer is used to print out photographs and images, but this is not necessary at all
Testimonial
Helen is a really good teacher, very engaging and honest.
Gillian C
Testimonial
“This has been a great, informative course, packed with interesting techniques and ideas. You have been enthusiastic and inspiring! I have really enjoyed it, and feel it has helped to get me back to painting again.”
Lynne