Botanical art techniques A comprehensive guide to watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, vellum, pen and ink, egg tempera, oils, printmaking, and more

Book - 2020

The ultimate how-to guide to the essential botanical art techniques from the people who know it best, the American Society of Botanical Artists. Helpful tutorials covers watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, vellum, egg tempera, oils, pen and ink, and printmaking. -- adapted from back cover.

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Subjects
Genres
Instructional and educational works
Published
Portland, Oregon : Timber Press 2020.
Language
English
Physical Description
414 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 29 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (page 398) and index.
ISBN
9781604697902
  • Foreword / by Diane Bouchier, Founder, American Society of Botanical Artists
  • Introduction
  • Getting started. Caring for cut flowers ; Wild plants in the field ; Working in a back country location ; Setting up a studio ; Basic botany for botanical artists
  • Drawing botanical subjects in black and white. Graphite skills ; Pen and ink
  • Botanical subjects in color. Colored pencil ; Watercolor on paper ; Watercolor on vellum
  • Specialized techniques and composition
  • Composition.
  • Getting started. Caring for cut flowers ; Wild plants in the field ; Working in a backcountry location ; Setting up a studio ; Basic botany for botanical artists - Part 1. Drawing botanical subject in black and white. Graphite skills. Applied tutorials : Shaded flowers ; Leaves ; Fruits, vegetables, and branches ; Drawing spiral and diagonal patterns - Advanced tutorials : Drawing an inflorescence with many flowers in graphite ; Illustrating a plant portrait from roots to tips - Pen and ink. Applied tutorial : Drawing a thistle head in seed - Advanced tutorials : Depicting cactus spines ; Making a scientific ink dissection drawing with technical pens ; Scientific botanical illustrations in pen, brush, and ink - Part 2. Botanical subjects in color, Colored pencils. Applied tutorials : Three flower types in colored pencil ; Depicting leaf texture with colored pencil ; Fruit and vegetables in colored pencil - Advanced tutorials : Grisaille techniques on rose hips with colored pencil and watercolor pencils ; Kiwi vine n colored pencil and graphite ; A crabapple branch in colored pencil on film - Watercolor on paper - Properties of watercolor paints - Palette philosophies - Transferring a drawing onto paper or vellum before painting begins - Watercolor wash and wet techniques - Applied tutorials : Drybrush layering, glazing, and detailing ; Flowers ; Leaves ; Stems, twigs, and roots ; Painting a leaf in sepiatone - Advanced tutorials : Painting a slipper orchid using wet techniques and masking fluid ; Painting gloss, bloom, and reflected light in grapes ; Drybrush watercolor and color mixing ; Creating an in-situ painting ; Painting a magnolia with watercolor washes ; Drybrush tomato with masking fluid - Watercolor on vellum. Applied tutorials : Drybrush lines, washes, and crosshatching on Kelmscott vellum ; Painting a dried leaf on vellum ; Painting bloom on fruit - Advanced tutorials : Achieving deep, rich color in watercolor in Kelmscott vellum ; Using opaque watercolors on dark vellum ; Painting a flowering cherry tree bough - Specialized techniques and composition. Field sketchbook and journal ; Egg tempera, gouache, and casein: a comparison ; Etching techniques ; Painting a branch with lichens in gouache and watercolor ; Gouache on paper: spruce needles and cones ; Metalpoint ; Painting in acrylics ; Painting on Oils - Composition. Composition in practice ; Elements and principles of composition in botanical art ; Different approaches to botanical composition.
Review by Booklist Review

The ASBA, a community of practitioners and appreciators of botanical art, has produced this spectacular how-to book for those who are not-quite-beginners in the arts of drawing, sketching, and painting fruits, flowers, tree parts, and, occasionally, vegetables. Calling on the specialized talents of dozens of artists, in-depth sessions with step-by-step illustrations and accompanying photographs zero in on the details of 50-plus familiar and unusual botanicals, from tulips and magnolias to vanilla orchids and pineapple cacti. As they instruct fellow artists to focus on creating a portrait in time of a living thing, the editors and tutors also examine the vagaries of working with different materials, such as vellum and chine collé, and consider specifics like various pen and ink techniques, stippling, grisaille (gray monochromatic style), perspective, and composition, among other subjects. A rose, in short, can be more than a rose.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review

The American Society of Botanical Artists has created a very thorough guide to the art of botanical illustration. Unlike floral still life painting, which relies on floral arrangement and broad impressions, botanical illustration requires close study, a knowledge of basic botany, and meticulous attention to detail. This volume contains tutorials by over 50 botanical artists using a variety of supplies such as graphite, colored pencil, pen and ink, watercolors, print making, and more. Other topics covered are caring for cut flowers, preparing for field work, and setting up a studio. Basic drawing techniques are covered as well as techniques in using each different medium. A materials list for each tutorial is included. Each lesson contains step-by-step directions from basic skills to helpful tips. Filled with hundreds of illustrations, images guide the artist as they follow the directions from the experts. While the concentration is botanical art, the thorough tutorials will assist any budding artist in enhancing their skills. VERDICT One of the most comprehensive books on botanical illustrations, this also serves as an introduction to a variety of art mediums.--Sandra Knowles, formerly South Carolina State Lib., Columbia

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