From Colombia to the Studio: A New 4-Week Hummingbird Art Class

This past November, I was incredibly fortunate to travel to Colombia to explore a potential new destination for future traveling art workshops. I went with curiosity—and came home completely inspired.

Every location we visited was breathtaking and deeply committed to conserving its natural resources. The landscapes were lush and alive with flora and fauna, especially birds. Over the course of just eight days, we saw more than 273 species of birds. Colombia is considered one of the world’s great birding hotspots, with over 150 species of hummingbirds alone.

While I didn’t see all 150, I did encounter—and photograph—around 30 different hummingbird species, many of them up close. Watching these tiny, iridescent birds hover, dart, feed, perch, and interact with flowers was absolutely mesmerizing. I returned home with hundreds of reference photos and a head full of ideas, already imagining them translated into paint.

And that’s when it hit me…

Why not create an entire class devoted just to hummingbirds?

Introducing: Drawing & Painting Hummingbirds in Nature

A 4-Week Online Zoom Course

Hummingbirds are living jewels—tiny aerial acrobats with shimmering feathers, rapid wingbeats, and extraordinary relationships with the plants they pollinate. In this immersive 4-week online course, I’ll guide you through the process of observing, drawing, and painting hummingbirds with both scientific accuracy and artistic expression.

Each week focuses on a different aspect of hummingbird life, allowing you to build skills while creating meaningful, nature-inspired artwork.

Week 1: Perching & Foundations

We’ll begin with perched hummingbird studies, focusing on anatomy, proportions, feather groups, and natural posture. You’ll learn how to capture softness, structure, and texture using graphite and watercolor layering—building a strong foundation for the weeks ahead.

Week 2: Heliconias & Pollination — A Symbiotic Dance

Inspired by what I observed in Colombia, we’ll explore the incredible relationship between hummingbirds and the tubular flowers that evolved alongside them, such as heliconias and torch gingers. This week emphasizes hovering poses, composition, tropical color harmony, and glazing techniques to capture iridescence.

Week 3: Nesting & Intimate Natural Moments

Hummingbird nests are tiny marvels—woven from moss, lichen, spider silk, and plant fibers. We’ll study nest structure and placement while creating a delicate, textural vignette that tells a quiet ecological story. You’ll learn how to balance fine detail with atmosphere and depth.

Week 4: In Flight — Motion, Light & Energy

In our final week, we’ll tackle the challenge of painting hummingbirds in flight. Through gesture drawing, wing anatomy studies, and expressive mark-making, you’ll learn how to convey motion, translucency, and shimmering feather color while designing a dynamic, energetic composition.

 What You’ll Gain from This Course

• A deeper understanding of hummingbird anatomy, behavior, and ecology

• Techniques for painting iridescence, motion, and delicate textures

• Experience combining watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, and graphite

• Multiple finished studies inspired by real-world observation

• Skills you can apply to any bird, botanical, or wildlife subject

All classes are taught live on Zoom and recorded for replay, so you can work at your own pace. Reference images, handouts, and guided demonstrations are included. Artists of all levels are welcome—whether you’re brand new to bird art or looking to deepen your natural history illustration practice.

This course is a direct extension of what I love most: travel, conservation, observation, and translating the beauty of the natural world into art. Colombia planted the seed, and I can’t wait to share this hummingbird journey with you.

 Join me, and let’s paint these remarkable pollinators together.