Observatio naturalis
Look closer at nature
Learn to spot what makes an animal or plant unmistakably itself, taking inspiration from references that go beyond simply copying what you see.
A new online course with Kaitlin Hoyt
Create your own botanical animal in acrylic & coloured pencil
Learn how to transform plants and animals into original creatures and place them inside an immersive scene.
Opening soon
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Reimagine Nature.
My ideas begin outside. A fern unfurling, a fox at the edge of a field, the little face hiding in a pansy...then I start to ask, what if?
In Illustrating Botanical Animals,I'll share the whole process behind my plant-animal fusions: researching without copying, inventing a hybrid that feels like it could really exist, building a world around it, and bringing it to life with layers of acrylic and coloured pencil.
You don’t need to have made fantasy art before. If you have some drawing or painting experience and a soft spot for the natural world, you’re ready.
Join the waitlist and you’ll get
- An exclusive offer, only for people on the waitlist
- Early access before enrolment opens to everyone
- Sneak peeks and studio stories as the course comes together
A field guide to the course
Four stages, one creature of your own. Here’s the path we’ll grow along together.
Creatura inventa
Invent your creature
Combine plants and animals in a way that feels like they belong together, not just on top of each other. Learn to push your ideas further by connecting with your unique creative taste.
Habitat imaginarium
Build its world
Imagine where your creature lives, then plan the composition, colours, and mood. Learn how to play with texture and unique lighting to make your creature feel immersed in its environment.
Pictura viva
Bring it to life
Build your painting in acrylic, then layer coloured pencil for stylized textures and tiny details that make your botanical animal come alive.
By the end, you’ll have one finished botanical animal illustration: a creature that exists nowhere else, painted by you.
Join the waitlist
Meet Kaitlin
I'm a fantasy and nature illustrator, and for the past six years, I've been painting whimsical fusions of flora and fauna, inspired by early scientific illustrators and the magic of fairytales.
I'm completely self-taught. I started painting after years of being too afraid to really try, and found my way through challenges like painting 100 birds in 100 days. Today I work as a freelance illustrator and have illustrated five books, including "A Fleurlings Alphabet" where I fused a flower and animal for each letter.
This course is the process I wish someone had shown me at the start: a way of looking at nature that leaves plenty of room for imagination.
See you in the studio,
Kaitlin
@kaitlinhoyt
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