Launching Summer 2026

The Botanical Academy

From your first brushstroke
to the painting you've always dreamed of.

daria.gallery/live
Daria painting in the studio — live session cover
Live now

Forget‑me‑nots — afternoon study

Today · 60 minutes · streaming from the studio
Free

Paint with Me — Live

Grab your brushes and join me every two to three weeks for a free live painting session, streamed straight from the studio. Watch, ask questions, and paint along in real time — no experience needed, just curiosity.

See upcoming sessions →
Free Guide

My Signature Palette

Not sure which pigments to start with? This free guide gives you my personal selection of sixteen lightfast watercolours — with real hand-painted swatches, mixing notes, and the exact brands I trust.

Download free — join the Studio Letter →
Swatch: PY175 Swatch: PY151 Swatch: PY150 Swatch: PY129 Swatch: PO48 Swatch: PR254 Swatch: PV19 Swatch: PR122
Swatch: PB29 Swatch: PB60 Swatch: PB28 Swatch: PB15 Swatch: PV16 Swatch: PV29 Swatch: PBR7 Swatch: PBR25
Overhead view of Daria painting a botanical study from a live session
Live
Now open for application

Live Painting Courses

Learn alongside me in small groups. I paint, explain every decision, and answer your questions as they come — like having a private tutor, but with the energy of painting together.

First course: Botanical Watercolour Foundations. Twelve places. Applications close Friday 12 June.

See the atelier →
Coming Q3 2026

The Pigment Diary

Ever wondered why some colours glow and others go muddy? This reference guide takes you deep into individual pigments — how they behave, how they mix, which ones are truly lightfast, and which to avoid.

The kind of knowledge that transforms how you see your palette.

Join the waitlist →
PB29
Ultramarine Blue
Transparent Granulating Lightfast ★★★
Mixing chart
botanical.academy
Coming 2027

Video Courses

For when you want to learn at your own rhythm. Carefully produced lessons with close-up camera angles, so you can see every brushstroke — and narration that explains the why, not just the how.

Your own private studio class, available whenever inspiration strikes.

Join the waitlist →
Daria — Botanical watercolour artist and instructor at the World Orchid Conference 2026

I'm Daria — a botanical watercolourist with twenty years of teaching experience and a deep love for pigments, plants, and the quiet discipline of painting. My orchid painting received a Certificate of Merit at the World Orchid Conference 2026. I'd love to share what I've learned with you.