Adults • 3 sessions | Drawing is a great way to connect with our natural world, and close study of museum specimens can be an inspiring way to develop your drawing skills. Join us for a three-session course in observational drawing—a chance to explore the museum's zoological collections from a new perspective. Taught by artist and educator Erica Beade, this course introduces students to basic techniques that they can continue to expand on their own. The first half of each session will be spent in the classroom practicing techniques such as shading, working from general shapes to details, and capturing movement. The second half will be devoted to drawing animal specimens in the galleries, with support and feedback from the course instructor.

Time and location
3 Saturdays from 9:30am to 12:00pm at the Harvard Museum of Natural History in Cambridge

Registration and cancellations
Class sizes are limited and advance registration is required. Register online or call the HMNH Education Office 617.495.2341 or e-mail reservations@oeb.harvard.edu.

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Adults • 1 session | The colors, patterns, and structure of avian plumage and eggs are strikingly beautiful and amazingly diverse. How and why do birds achieve these decorative feats? Using egg and feather specimens from the university’s collections, and detailed microscopic images, Harvard evolutionary biologist Dr. Mary Caswell Stoddard will explain how and why this diversity of forms arose. Artist and illustrator Erica Beade will show participants how to capture the nuance of avian color and form in their drawings.

Time and location
1 Saturday from 9:30am to 12:30pm at the Harvard Museum of Natural History in Cambridge

Registration and cancellations

$30 members/$35 nonmembers
Advance registration required. Register online.

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Adults • 1 session | Observe and draw the beauty of butterflies and moths in this 3-hour color workshop. This workshop will introduce some observational drawing techniques with pencil, and then delve into colored pencils to create a rich, vibrant image. All skill levels are welcome.

Time and location
1 Saturday from 9:00am to 12:00pm at the Harvard Museum of Natural History in Cambridge

Registration and cancellations

$40 members/$45 nonmembers
Advance registration required. Register online.

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Adults • 4 Sessions | Explore the beauty and variety of plant forms using pencil, watercolor, and colored pencil. Taught by artist and educator, Erica Beade, this four-week course will introduce botanical drawing techniques through close observation and practice with contour, gesture, foreshortening, shading, and color. All skill levels are welcome.

Time and location
4 Saturdays from 9:30am to 11:30am at the Harvard Museum of Natural History in Cambridge

Registration and cancellations
Class sizes are limited and advance registration is required. Call the HMNH Education Office 617.495.2341 or e-mail reservations@oeb.harvard.edu. Advance registration required. Register online

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Adults • 1 Session | Explore an amazing variety of tree forms using pencil and paper in beautiful Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge. We will focus on capturing the shapes and volume of trunks and branches, and techniques for drawing foliage. Taught by artist and educator, Erica Beade. All skill levels are welcome.

Time and location
1 Saturday from 9:00am to 11:00am at Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge.

Registration and cancellations
Class sizes are limited and advance registration is required. Call the HMNH Education Office 617.495.2341 or e-mail reservations@oeb.harvard.edu. Advance registration required. Register online

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Kids • 4 sessions • | This club is designed for kids who love animals and art. Sketch face-to-face with a zebra, ostrich, tiger, or moose as we learn to draw animals from the museum's zoological collections. With materials that we provide, students focus on different animal groups each week and practice using different media. Young artists will enjoy seeing their talents emerge while monitoring their progress with a portfolio of weekly drawings. By the end of this six-week course, students will have gained greater confidence in their expressive skills as well as a new appreciation for the animal world.

Time and location
4 Tuesdays, 3:40 – 5:00pm at the Harvard Museum of Natural History in Cambridge.

Registration and cancellations
Class sizes are limited and advance registration is required. Call the HMNH Education Office 617.495.2341 or e-mail reservations@oeb.harvard.edu. Advance registration required. Register online.

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Kids • 6 sessions • | Do you ever wonder how artists create imaginary creatures like the ones in Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Monsters, Inc.? They study and draw real animals and then let their imaginations fly! In this 6-week drawing class we will take a close look at real animals in the museum, examining teeth, talons, wings and tails, and apply what we have seen to invent completely new creatures. The sky’s the limit!

Time and location
6 Wednesdays, 3:40 – 5:00pm at the Harvard Museum of Natural History in Cambridge.

Registration and cancellations
For more information, visit the HMNH website. Class sizes are limited and advance registration is required. Fees: $120 nonmembers / $108 members. Register online. For info, call the HMNH Education Office 617.495.2341 or e-mail reservations@oeb.harvard.edu.

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