Léna Keohavong, a 28-year-old naturalist illustrator who recently moved to Abbeville, is launching monthly drawing workshops open to the public starting this September. The workshops, held at the Maison Pour Tous (Community Center) in Abbeville, aim to teach participants how to draw nature and observe living beings through art.

Keohavong, who has been living in Abbeville in the Somme department for six months, made a radical life change by moving from the Paris region to Picardy Maritime. She relocated to pursue her dual passion for drawing and nature while following her partner. "In Abbeville, I found the balance between city and countryside," she explains. The illustrator notes that within just minutes of the city center, one can be immersed in the heart of nature, particularly along the Somme River.

Her passion for nature began during a pivotal childhood experience when she was 8 or 9 years old. During a school outing, her teacher took the class to an urban park with a pond, which proved to be a revelation for the young city dweller. "Dragonflies, tadpoles, frogs... Animals I had never seen before, and which amazed me," she recalls. Though Keohavong had been drawing since early childhood - a teacher had already told her mother that she was "made for art" - she initially focused on manga characters like many of her generation rather than natural subjects.

Keohavong's path to becoming a naturalist illustrator was somewhat winding. She initially pursued a technical degree in "nature management and protection," followed by a bachelor's degree in ecotourism. "I wanted to transmit the wonder I had felt as a child by that pond," she explains. However, she soon realized she needed a creative outlet and switched to communication studies, though that too didn't fully satisfy her aspirations.

After various experiences in teaching and working as a nature educator, Keohavong finally found the perfect synthesis of all her interests: creation, transmission, and nature. Today, she works as a naturalist illustrator, conducting workshops and creating illustrations for professional, institutional, and private clients. "Today, I'm not yet making a full living from it, but word of mouth is starting to work," she says optimistically.

The workshops will take place one Saturday per month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., with specific themes for each session. The September 20 workshop focuses on flowers, followed by landscapes on October 11, fruits and vegetables on November 15, and Christmas cards on December 13. Keohavong has chosen watercolor as the primary medium because it's "relatively simple to use and financially accessible to everyone."

The workshops are designed to be inclusive and welcoming to all skill levels. "Some people will tell themselves that it's not for them because they haven't drawn anything since middle school. But it's for everyone. And with the right practices, the right perspective, you can be amazed at what you can do in two hours!" Keohavong emphasizes. She encourages participants to bring photos that inspire them, as she enjoys working both from life and from photographs to better capture details.

Living near the Bouvaque area of Abbeville, Keohavong finds the location ideal for her work. She always carries a sketch notebook and draws inspiration from the natural surroundings. Her move to Abbeville was motivated by a desire to escape the perpetual frenzy of big cities and to benefit from the surrounding nature for inspiration.

Through her workshops at the Community Center, Keohavong hopes to transmit much more than just technique - she wants to share a way of seeing, a sensitivity, and a manner of connecting with living things. Her initiative represents an invitation to slow down, observe, and rediscover nature with a paintbrush in hand. The workshops cost 20 euros for members and 25 euros for non-members, with registration available by calling 03 22 24 25 18.