The Art Of Botanical Illustration

Draw and paint beautiful, vibrant, and realistic birds and botanicals. This one-stop guide will teach you to take a simple sketch and transform it into fine art.

"Botanical Inspiration is a timeless collection of artwork and illustrations that feature flora and its many facets through a variety of visual concepts, styles, and techniques."--

Botanical Illustration - the complete guide explains the processes and methods behind this beautiful art genre. It highlights the importance of the requisite skills of close observation, accurate drawing and attention to detail. Leigh Ann Gale is a leading botanical artist and tutor, and she generously demonstrates her approach in this book. Her worked example of fuchsia magellanica clearly shows the varied stages of an illustration. Along with step-by-step instructions to a range of subjects, this book is beautifully illustrated with over 350 images, diagrams and paintings of her and her students' work. This book is a source of inspiration as well as a definitive guide, and the contents include: introduction to botany and a comprehensive botanical glossary; a case study demonstrating each stage of a worked example, including the selection and preparation of a subject, observational drawings, composition skills and painting processes; step-by-step instruction covering many subjects, from creating shine on leaves and berries, to painting white flowers and depicting hairs on leaves and stems; a guide to colour theory and how to mix colours accurately to match your specimens and make the most of your watercolour palette; and ideas on how to continue, and develop your own style of botanical illustration. This book will be of great interest to all botanical artists, natural history artists, watercolourists, gardeners and natural historians and is lavishly illustrated with 391 colour images.

Botanical Illustration is an introduction to the marrying of art and science in the aesthetic and accurate portrayal of plant material. This book builds on the work of illustrators of the past, ranging from Elizabeth Blackwell, whose drawings helped to release her husband from debtors' prison, through to the exceptional scientific drawings of Beatrix Potter. It deals with the practical art and the related botany of the subject. Introduction to basic botany; preparation of plant material for drawing; use of pencil, watercolour, coloured pencil and pen and ink; suggested topics for further study; correcting mistakes and finishing touches. Invaluable for beginners and skilled artists alike, and an excellent reference book for teachers. Superbly illustrated with 216 colour illustrations.Valerie Oxley is a freelance tutor who has inspired students worldwide with her enthusiasm for natural history and plant illustration.

A fascinating survey of the time-honoured craft of botanical illustration, this volume traces the history of botanical art from the times of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans.

This book presents a cross-section of recent Royal Horticultural Society gold medalists from around the world. The RHS awards its gold medal only to the most outstanding exhibitions, encouraging the international artistic community to perform to the highest standard. The illustrations gathered in these pages demonstrate great attention to detail, masterful color work, and outstanding technical skill.