1 week with Lucy T. Smith
June 29th to July 5th 2025
One week studying with leading botanical illustrator, Lucy T. Smith, learning techniques for creating beautiful and detailed plant studies in our sketchbooks, while discovering the beauty of the Swiss alpine flora.
Limited to 10 participants
CHF 3050.- per person in an individual room
What's included:
• 6 nights of accommodation in your own room
• 3 meals a day
• visit of the alpin botanical garden with a local botanist
• guided walk harvest wild edible plants
• special lunch in a century old barn
• Daily art classes
What's not:
• International flights
• transfer from and to the airport
• Travel/Medical Insurance
• Soft and alcohol drinks
• Personal expenses
• Art materials (see below)
Lucy's Recommended Material List:
A sketchbook with a hard outer casing. I recommend the following:
A sketchbook containing cartridge (drawing) paper of at least 150gsm paper weight, smooth but with some tooth so that it can take repeated erasure plus some paint; AND/OR
A sketchbook containing smooth watercolour paper; this will allow greater flexibility for use with watercolour as it is designed to take more wet media.
Size of your sketchbook is a personal choice, but I like a larger book, e.g. size A3 as it is more comfortable for my hand. You may prefer a smaller book!
Pencils of at least two hardnesses. She uses:
2H and HB lead holders containing 2mm-sized leads. You can also use a clutch pencil with a fine lead, or wooden pencils. If using lead holder or wooden pencil, a good sharpening device is essential, for example a knife or blade (not to be carried in airline hand luggage of course!).
Eraser which is gentle on you paper, e.g. a white plastic Staedtler eraser. Some students like to use a putty eraser also.
Coloured media I use half-pan watercolours in a portable enamelled tin which contains a built-in palette. Other suitable palettes includes ceramic palettes, plastic palettes specifically designed for watercolour. You will need two jarsfor holding water when using watercolour paint.
If you prefer to use colour pencils this is also acceptable, although I will primarily demonstrate using watercolour.
Paintbrushes Round watercolour brushes such as Winsor & Newton Series 7 sable. In this range I use a number 1 – 4 in my sketchbook; there are plenty of more affordable synthetic equivalents available. Whilst my size 1 is a good all-rounder paintbrush for washes and fine detail, remember: the larger the area you wish to cover with watercolour, the larger sized brush you will need, so it is useful to have a range. Apart from the application of one or two washes, we will be working fairly dry.
Measuring equipment for use in measured drawing: a clear plastic ruler or set square; dividers if you have them.
Any other media? While I will primarily demonstrate techniques of pencil and watercolour, you may also wish to try pen and ink. For this I recommend waterproof and lightfast fine liner pens in a variety of sizes. Black ink is basic; you can also try fine liners in light and dark grey ink.
How to reach the place
By public transport:
The nearest airport is Geneva (GVA). There is a train station directly inside the airport. The closest train station to Whitepod is Monthey. The interregional train takes you to Aigle, than a regional train from Aigle to Monthey. Timetables and prices can found on www.cff.ch.
From Monthey train station (CFF), the bus n° 63 goes all the way up to Les Cerniers. We are located at the final stop «Les Cerniers Restaurant». Count approximately 45 minutes for the bus ride up. (Bus n°63)
By car:
Highway A9, exit n°19 Bex – Lavey. Drive direction Monthey. Arriving at the roundabout at entrance of Monthey, follow Choëx. Drive up up up, follow Les Giettes, Les Cerniers. The chalet Les Cerniers will be on your right when you arrive.
Parking is right in front of the chalet Les Cerniers.
Taxi pick up options
Prices per trip, not per person
Pick up from Geneva airport CHF 450
Pick up from Aigle train station CHF 115
Pick up from Monthey train station CHF 60
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Meet Lucy T Smith
Lucy T Smith is an Australian botanical artist and illustrator, resident for the past twenty-four years in the UK. Since 1999, she has worked as a freelance botanical artist for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, producing botanical illustrations in both pen and ink, and watercolour. Her illustrations have been published in many scientific journals worldwide.
She has received many awards for her artwork, including the Jill Smythies Award for Botanical Illustration (Linnean Society), two gold medals from the Royal Horticultural Society, and First Prize (twice) in the Margaret Flockton Award for Botanical Illustration. In 2020 she was awarded the Botanical Illustrator Award for Excellence in Scientific Botanical Art from American Society of Botanical Artists.
As well as illustrating, she leads the teaching of the botanical illustration programme at Kew Gardens. She has previously taught for The English Gardening School, and the Chelsea School of Botanical Art, as well as given workshops for many amateur and professional groups.
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What the week will look like
During our week we will learn techniques for creating beautiful and detailed plant studies in our botanical sketchbooks, focusing on:
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How to observe and understand plant structures, and capture them in our drawings
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Creating accurate pencil drawings of plants
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Colour mixing and matching, and the addition of watercolour to pencil sketchbook studies
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Drawing plants both in the studio and in the field; including dealing with the challenge of working from protected material
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Taking good photos for secondary reference and back-up information
Participants will be shown different types of sketchbook study and can choose to focus on one type or try several, including: detailed botanical study of one or more plants; and capturing a time and place using multiple plants and landscape vignettes.
We will also visit the alpine botanical garden of La Thomasia in Bex, which is one of the oldest alpine Botanical gardens in Europe still functional. And one day we will also go for a short hike around the hotel with a local guide to discover the edible plants around us. Don't forget your sketchbooks for this one!
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The botanical garden you will visit
La Thomasia Alpine Botanical Garden is located in the heart of the Vaud Alps at an altitude of 1260 meters, where it occupies part of the vast Pont-de-Nant pasture, at the foot of the imposing Grand Muveran wall, which rises to more than 3000 meters. Founded in 1891, La Thomasia, which celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2016, is one of the oldest Alpine gardens that has never ceased operations. The 2,000 alpine plants cultivated come from the mountains of all continents. Special emphasis is placed on species from the Vaud Alps, for example the Alpine pulsatilla.
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The place you will stay at
The week will be spent in an eco-responsible village in the beautiful valley of Valais, at 1200 meters altitude. You will stay in small wooden chalets, made of local larch wood where you will immediatly feel at home. Each chalet has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms distributed in generous volumes and flooded with light. A private terrasse with a breathtaking view of the Rhone valley with lake Geneva in the horizon completes your cosy cabin.