Christmas Card Design with Karen Holloway

*Cost of the workshop includes materials*

A fun and creative workshop with Karen Holloway inspired by the colourful Australian native wattles.

Date: 4 December
Time: Friday, 1.30pm – 4.30pm
Venue: NatureArt Lab Studio, M16 Artspace, 21 Blaxland Crescent, Griffith; free parking is available at either the front or both sides of the building.

About the Course

Create a personal Christmas card inspired by Australian native flowers and foliage. Join Karen Holloway to paint a watercolour wreath featuring flowing gum leaves, cheerful yellow wattle and festive red flowering gum.

Through short demonstrations and guided practice, you’ll explore simple brushstrokes, colour mixing and ways to arrange botanical elements into a balanced wreath. Working from Karen’s artwork and botanical references, you can follow a suggested design or create your own combination of flowers and leaves.

Enjoy time to observe, experiment and paint, then bring your ideas together on a greeting card—ready to share with someone special.

You’ll learn to:

• Use water and pigment to create transparent washes.

• Paint gum leaves with simple one- and two-stroke brushwork.

• Suggest wattle and flowering gum using dots, fine lines and loose marks.

• Build a wreath composition with overlapping shapes and open spaces.

• Add finishing details while keeping your painting fresh.

Materials
All materials are provided.

Take home: One hand-painted Christmas card, a sheet of practice studies and the skills to create more botanical cards at home.

Materials
A materials list will be provided before the start of the first class. Arches watercolour paper is available to purchase directly from the tutor. 

Level of course/workshop
This course is suitable for any nature enthusiast aged 16+. No previous experienced required.

About the tutor
Karen Holloway is a Canberra based botanical and mixed-media artist with a background in design and applied science. She combines her love of nature, patterns and surface decoration with keen observation honed by many years working as a paper conservator to create fresh, loose artworks with a vintage sensibility.

Karen is an enthusiastic advocate for using art and observation to connect with nature regardless of age or skill level. She encourages students to enjoy investigating different techniques and mediums to embrace the beauty of nature and explore their own passion for the natural world. Karen is currently undertaking professional studies for a Masters of Art Therapy and the benefits of art for human well-being.