Germany-based botanical watercolorist Victoria Beyer has dedicated her life to studying and painting flowers. Her vibrant illustrations capture the delicate nature of these blooms, and it almost feels as though her works are about to leap off the page. Part scientific study, part artistic practice, her process involves real-time observation of plants to create the most true-to-life representations.
Thankfully, she also enjoys teaching and sharing her knowledge with others. In her newest online class, Botanical Watercolors: Learning to Paint Realistic Flowers, Beyer teaches the basics of botanical study, including dissecting plants and identifying different parts of them. She also gives students tips and tricks to working with watercolor that can bolster confidence within the medium.
Beyer also teaches how to translate the unique lines of individual flowers from real life onto the page. Students will learn these lessons early on in the online course, and then they will move on to drawing their own composition of tulips and daffodils. This is the perfect combination of flowers to practice botanical observation, drawing, color mixing, and application. Finally, Beyer explains finishing touches and gives pointers on cleaning up the botanical illustration.
Although Botanical Watercolors: Learning to Paint Realistic Flowers won’t be released to the public until May 20, students currently have an opportunity to enroll early and save. During the pre-sale period, you can save 10% off the normal retail price of $34.95 by using code botanicalart10 at checkout, and, once the course is released, you will find all of the lessons ready for you. The best part is that they’re on demand, meaning you can watch at your leisure and revisit lessons as often as you’d like.
Ahead of the course release, we had the pleasure to chat with Beyer about what drives her to create such stunning botanical artworks. Read on for our exclusive interview and get inspired by her incredible practice and work.
How did you get your start with art?
Art has always been part of my life. By the time I was 6, I was already doing Disney character commissions for my classmates. I didn’t study art in college, I wasn’t allowed to. Instead, I got a bachelor's degree in construction engineering. But in my 30s, I decided to pursue my calling, which was painting, and I haven’t stopped. I’m 42 now.
What attracted you to botanical art illustration, especially in relation to watercolor?
I was really amazed at how botanical artists could create such bright and realistic illustrations with watercolor, a medium known for its flow and typical pigment stains. I thought, “I have to take on the challenge and master it myself.”
Do you have any artists specifically who have inspired you?
Yes, I do! These artists have inspired me in different ways, from the way they approach their practice to the challenges they have faced to their unique style. Like Ursula Romero with her big modern leaf portraits and blue flowers, Billy Showell and her creative compositions, or Dianne Sutherland’s journals.
You mention the Old Masters a bit in your new course. Do their works influence you in your practice?
Absolutely! While I don’t try to paint like them, they do influence my practice. I enjoy reading art history, especially botanical art history. Reading the life and work of Georg Ehret, Linnaeus, Redouté, or Maria Sybilla Merian has given me insight into what it meant back then to be a botanical artist. The dedication they had has been really inspirational to me.
What was the most challenging part of working in watercolor for you when you started, and what challenges you now?
When I started with watercolors, I didn’t take a course. I tried to figure it all out on my own, and I think that made me lose time. How do you teach yourself if you don’t even know what you’re doing? My color mixes looked muddy, even when I thought I was using the right pigments, and my washes didn’t behave the way I wanted them to.
What challenges me now has nothing to do with technique. The challenge today is more about the message behind the work. I've been studying orchid behavior and the hidden parallels between their adaptation strategies and human ones, specifically how neurodivergent (ASD-ADHD) women adapt socially.
It’s been a welcome challenge, but still a challenge. I work from my own experience and that of other women, and I clearly see how, in orchids, some species rely completely on mimicry to survive. For example, an orchid might imitate the appearance of a bee to get pollinated. If it didn’t, it simply wouldn’t reproduce. Others can’t afford the energy to produce nectar, so they offer perfume instead, or copy another orchid to attract pollinators.
Likewise, the neurodivergent woman has to adapt to this society. She often doesn’t have the energy or the ability to meet all the expectations placed on neurotypical women, so she learns to mask. She learns how to present herself in a way that allows her to function in a world that isn’t really designed for her, and that comes at a cost. This is the challenge now, to represent this in a way that can reach the viewer and to give more visibility to the subject.
What is your favorite part of your artistic process?
I think the study is what I enjoy the most. Dissecting a flower, learning the names of every part, and deciding my color mixes. It feels like playing. But also, you really get to know the plant—it’s a very intimate way of working, and if you’re a sensitive person, you really get to feel your plant, and come to respect and care for it. I mostly work from live plants in pots or in gardens. If that’s not possible, I get them as cut flowers. My last option is working from pictures, ideally not for the entire project. I do take pictures of my plants to consult later, just in case. But I end up not needing them. I’ve collected around 3,000 reference pictures!
What prompted you to begin teaching your art to others, and what is your favorite part about teaching?
It’s how my brain works: when I know something I find fascinating, I make it my mission to let others know. I used to teach in person, and it was so rewarding to see others' improvement and see how they enjoyed it and felt accomplished.
I’ve never understood people who keep knowledge to themselves. Unfortunately, I can’t speak German very well as my first language is Spanish. I do my best to speak English, so those are the languages I can teach in. I hope one day to do in-person workshops again.
Do you have any advice for people who are starting out with watercolor or botanical illustration?
I’d like to say, don’t get discouraged if your first try didn’t work out as you planned. Most, if not all, botanical artists spent years of hard work and practice to get to the level they are at. It’s like a sport, where you need to train constantly. Even I can feel it when I haven’t touched a brush in a couple of weeks, and I’ve been painting botanicals for around seven years!
What do you hope that people take away from your new class with My Modern Met Academy?
I hope that people get a taste of what it means to work from live plants. It is such a healthy practice and you feel close to nature this way. It's even better if you work while in your own garden or from your potted plants. Discovering the intricacies of a flower can be mesmerizing and inspiring. It also makes you respect nature even more, and I think we’re in need of that.
Any final messages for our readers?
The only courses I offer are through My Modern Met Academy, but if you ever want to reach out to me to talk about botanical art and the practice, or if you ever wish to commission a piece inspired by your own memories and experience, you're more than welcome to write me directly to my email [email protected] or Instagram @Victoria.beyer.artist and @Victoria_botanical.
Victoria Beyer: Website | Instagram | Instagram
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