About this experience
Join artist Sarah Hankinson for a still life and botanicals workshop in the Seasons Restaurant at Cloudehill. Working with our perfect peonies, Sarah will guide you through the fundamentals of observational drawing and watercolour painting, exploring botanical subjects and still life compositions. Participants will learn techniques including observation, line, tone, composition and working with watercolour.
With a focus on slowing down, appreciating nature, and making time for creative play, this workshop encourages curiosity, experimentation, and confidence in drawing and watercolour painting from observation.
Each participant will take home a collection of mixed media studies, sketches, and their own finished botanical and still life artworks.
Morning tea will be provided, including a selection of delicious Seasons cakes and their famous lemon tart.
Your host
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Sarah Hankinson is a visual artist, educator and community facilitator whose multidisciplinary practice is rooted in observation, connection, and attention to the natural world. With over two decades of experience spanning commercial illustration, fine art, and community engagement, she explores themes of place and ecology through painting, drawing, and collaborative making.
Sarah has exhibited widely and collaborated on numerous public art projects, including murals, residencies and socially engaged community projects. Her work has been featured in local and national publications, and her illustration career includes commissions for Australian and international clients across editorial, advertising and publishing.
In recent years, Sarah's focus has expanded to encompass arts-based wellbeing and mental health programs, aligning her creative output with broader conversations about mindfulness and the role of creativity in everyday life.
A passionate educator, Sarah teaches across a variety of settings, including community groups, adult education and schools. Her workshops focus on observation-based drawing and painting, encouraging participants to slow down, engage with materials, and embrace play. Her creative practice bridges disciplines and focuses on creating inclusive, accessible opportunities for people to connect through art making.
In 2024, Sarah published Art Class: Flowers and Foliage: Creating Contemporary Botanical Art with Thames & Hudson Australia, a beginner-friendly guide to contemporary botanical art.
Sarah has exhibited widely and collaborated on numerous public art projects, including murals, residencies and socially engaged community projects. Her work has been featured in local and national publications, and her illustration career includes commissions for Australian and international clients across editorial, advertising and publishing.
In recent years, Sarah's focus has expanded to encompass arts-based wellbeing and mental health programs, aligning her creative output with broader conversations about mindfulness and the role of creativity in everyday life.
A passionate educator, Sarah teaches across a variety of settings, including community groups, adult education and schools. Her workshops focus on observation-based drawing and painting, encouraging participants to slow down, engage with materials, and embrace play. Her creative practice bridges disciplines and focuses on creating inclusive, accessible opportunities for people to connect through art making.
In 2024, Sarah published Art Class: Flowers and Foliage: Creating Contemporary Botanical Art with Thames & Hudson Australia, a beginner-friendly guide to contemporary botanical art.
How to get there
Seasons Restaurant at Cloudehill, Olinda-Monbulk Road, Olinda VIC, Australia Get directions