Watercolour Painting at Home: Australian Plants and Birds

Watercolour Painting at Home: Australian Plants and Birds

Learn to paint beautiful Australian native plants and birds with watercolours!

Fran Cane
(Lady Bird Design)

5.0 (301)

3k followers

4 x 2.5 hours

6 to 20 $145

What you'll do

Come learn how to paint with watercolour and channel your inner nature lover with this fun online painting course!

Guided by friendly and experienced teacher Fran, based in the Blue Mountains, you'll get to grips with the techniques behind basic watercolour painting and brushwork.

In each session, you'll work on a range of exercises to prepare you for painting a new piece, from wattle and banksia to gang gangs and lyrebird!

The Australian plants covered in the course include:

Wattle: Blooming in spring, the golden flowers also signified seasonal events such as whales arriving on the coast or eels appearing in rivers.
Banksia: Heavy producers of nectar, which makes them an important source of food for animals like honeyeaters and small mammals such as rodents, the Honey Possum, pygmy possums, gliders, and bats.
Gang Gang: Easily identified by its distinctive call, which is described as resembling a creaky gate, or the sound of a cork being pulled from a wine bottle!
Lyrebird: male, in particular, boasts a spectacular tail, which was originally thought to resemble – you guessed it – a lyre.

This online painting course is a great place to explore watercolour art, no matter your skill level. Anyone can learn how to paint with watercolours, and this class caters to both beginners and those with some painting and illustration experience.

This unique watercolour series of classes is also a lovely way to connect with other like-minded creatives with a glass of wine or cuppa in one hand and a paintbrush in the other!

Please note: Public dates for this class require at least 3 guests to run. In the unlikely event that we don't reach this number, we'll cancel the class; in this case, we'll inform you and allow you to get a refund or reschedule, so please watch your email/SMS one day prior to the class.

Knowledge required

This class is perfect for beginners - no prior experience is needed.

What to bring

A4 sheets x 10 of smooth textured 180gsm or higher grade (sometimes called g/m2) watercolour paper (you can purchase this at any art supplies store or some office suppliers)
Watercolour paints: green, white, yellow, orange, blue, red, brown, black, pink. Suggest 'cake/pan' style instead of tubes. You can often buy them in a 'set' with a range of colours. (Please message if you would like brand suggestions, for this workshop high quality paints are not necessary)
Brushes: no.6 round tip (medium tip brush) and no.0 or no.1 round tip (fine tip brush for detail). Additional brushes medium flat would be good
An pencil and eraser
Two cups or glasses half filled with water to wash your brushes (Recommend access to water, in case you need to change it during the class OR have a jug of water clean water and a container for dirty water
Paper towel (a few sheets) and cotton buds
Hairdryer (optional)
Apron or old top to protect clothes

Session repeats

This class series runs over 4 consecutive sessions, at the same time every 2 weeks.

Your teacher

Fran Cane
(Lady Bird Design)

5.0 (301)

3k followers

Fran is an artist; an educator, neither overshadows, they simply entwine and enrich one another.

At a young age Fran discovered the value of creating art in her daily life. The act of art helped Fran express her identity. The process of developing an idea, especially with jewellery, seeing that idea come to completion by Fran's own hand filled her with satisfaction and accomplishment. Fran began to see how creating art helped other aspects of my life and learning.

Fran is inspired by nature, patterns, form and texture. Each created piece portrays a slice of life, a perspective of the world in which we all live. Her mediums span painting and jewellery to collage and stitching. They all bring joy, though not everything turns out how she envisaged.

In particular Fran sees the unique design and individually handcrafted nature of bespoke jewellery as an ornamental way of extending personal self-expression. During the creative process, she is mindful that someone will be wearing the piece and it will come alive only when it finds its owner.

Fran is most comfortable in the studio classroom teaching art than in any other place or endeavour. It fills her soul to help others learn by exposing them to tools, materials and techniques of Fran's trade and then develop their skills and confidence in the creative medium.

Through support, conversation and laughter, I set a welcoming scene of free expression.

Ladybird Design Creative Studio is the culmination of creating a life around my passions of art, jewellery and teaching. It frees Fran to take a piece of silver, blank canvas or paper, turn it into a beautiful thing and share it with the world every day. Fran believes now more than ever that pursuing one’s passions makes life more colourful and vibrant, gives us pleasure and purpose, but most of all it reminds us of who we are.

Fran would love to share the joy of creating and making with you.

Verified reviews

We only show reviews from customers who have paid for and attended this class

Carissa Bonner • Nov 2023

Really enjoyed this series of watercolour classes learning different techniques for native flowers and birds. Thank you!

Rezwana Bashir • Nov 2023

Fran is one of the best watercolour teachers ! I have learnt so much from her and these series are some of the best classes! I can’t wait to do more classes with her next year !

Watercolour Painting at Home: Australian Plants and Birds review by Rezwana Bashir

Megan • Nov 2023

These classes are just the best, always learn sooo much and Fran is the best teacher, love getting the templates which are a huge help. Can't wait for the next one.

Bianca Villani • Oct 2023

Today we had our first of four watercolour classes with Fran.

Our first project, the banksia was a fun introduction to painting Australian birds and flowers. As always Fran provided handouts and a template via email before the class. Then online she explains each step and provides practice time before starting on the final artwork.

I haven’t painted in a few months, so it was lovely to wet the pallet and get painting with Fran once again. I am always surprised at what I can achieve with Fran’s guidance and look forward to next fortnight’s class.

Rezwana Bashir • Jun 2023

This is a great teacher who explains the techniques very well! Also the final artworks are also beautiful! I highly recommend this class

Claire Cooke • Jun 2023

This class is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I have really enjoyed getting my paints out and trying new techniques. Fran gently guides the class through a relaxed and compassionate approach. She also takes the time to get to know everyone and foster a welcoming environment.

Watercolour Painting at Home: Australian Plants and Birds review by Claire Cooke

Alex • May 2023

It was a great lesson with a lot of information. I have learnt a lot of watercolour techniques and managed to end up with a painting that I really liked.
The teacher was excellent. Will drop the photo of the painting next time. Thank you Fran.