Presented by Newcastle University Australia and voted the best Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) of 2018 from EdX. This is quality teaching of the highest order.

Drawing Nature, Science and Culture: Natural History Illustration 101 - six weeks tuition for free!
To view and enrol in the course and share it with your friends, visit the registration page on edX
This looks an amazing course. I have heard about it before and hoped to get the opportunity to do it at some point. It seems the start date is 3 April. I was wondering if I should just go for it, but have decided that when they run it again, I will definitely do it.
You can sign up for this at anytime whilst it is running. If you don't have time to complete it there is still access to most of the materials as the course is archived. However, to gain certification you would need to complete it in the 6 week time slot. I guess it runs parallel to their University Course.
I did this course last year after completing my RBGE Diploma. I was feeling a bit in limbo after three years of having the rigorous structure in my botanical art life and it gave me something to focus on and keep up the momentum so I didn't upgrade to the certificate. I would recommend it to anyone regardless of level if they are feeling a bit restless or in need of a project. Some elements will be of more interest than others. There is always more to learn and you can fully integrate into the forum or work away on your own. (There is a minimum requirement for forum activity required).
That it really useful information Alison. I was looking at having a go at this course too. How much did it cost you?
It’s free Jose if you don’t want to get a certificate. It’s in week 4 now but if you join you can still and go through the course you have access to the archived material. I just dip in and out. Hope you Like it.
There is a live streamed demo tonight(27 April) 9-10pm so if you sign up you can watch it
Hello Ema I have signed up and looked and listened to the introductions. Where do I find the live streamed events? Cheers Jose
@Jose Broadwell will send you the mail link
Did you watch it last night? What did you think? Elaine
I was facinated by the casual way she handled her pencils and the speed at which the effects were achieved. I love to watch other people drawing and painting. You see all the little things they do which never get into the instruction books. I don't know how long she kept going but I stopped watching at about 11.20 as I was falling asleep by then.
I agree it was really intriguing to watch her so effortless. Interesting to watch the chat room questions. Even if you have been drawing for a while you can always pick up something new or a twist on what you do. Week 4 is botanical art so I am going to go over that. fell asleep at 12. Good fun though. Elaine :)
Thanks for the tip off about the course. Have they done week four already? I am definitely going to look at that. Cheers Jose
I think four is this week. But you can go back over all of it anyway. enjoy it :)
I'm glad you got the details and signed up Jose - it's really good isn't it?
They run this quite regularly so keep an eye out if you are interested. You can register for EDX free online courses. Here is the link to the Newcastle NSW site
https://www.edx.org/school/newcastlex
I took this course twice! The interactions with the other students are what made it so enjoyable. The course is being repeated in February 10, 2021 on EdX.