Book Review: The Art of Botanical Painting

Title: The Art of Botanical Painting

Author (Publisher): Margaret Stevens in association with the Society of Botanical Artists (Collins 2004)

Synopsis: A definitive and practical guide to creating botanical art. This book is the basic text book used by the SBA's Distance Learning Diploma Course

Suitable for: Artists with some experience and skill in drawing and painting who are very interested in painting flowers, fruit and vegetable

Highlights: includes a basic guide to botanical features of plants, flowers and leaves features a wide range of images of flowers, plants, seeds and fruit drawn and painted by various members of the Society of Botanical Artists covers different media - graphite, watercolour and coloured pencils and comments on the use of pen and ink and pastels step by step demonstrations for specific techniques amplifies the overview given includes a section on composition and explains, by example, different ways of creating a pleasing and informative composition

Think Again? Not for beginners! This book is not aimed at those learning how to draw and paint. There is no attempt to explain or teach basic techniques relating to generic drawing and painting. It's missing a dedicated chapter on a basic set-up for drawing/painting flowers and plants and the sort of equipment, tools, tips and techniques which are helpful to this process. I'd like to have seen tips more clearly highlighted - maybe next time?

Summary: An essential book for all artists contemplating the SBA's Diploma Course. An excellent introduction to botanical art for all experienced artists interested in developing their knowledge of and skills in botanical art

I bought a copy of Margaret Stevens' excellent book and practical instruction guide "The Art of Botanical Painting" (produced in association with the Society of Botanical Artists) in 2005 without realising that this book had been created in tandem with the development of the the SBA's Distance Learning Diploma Course and was to become its basic set text.

As such it's an essential "must read" for all those contemplating starting the course. (Another essential read is my MAM interview with Margaret Stevens in which she discussed the Diploma Course in A Making A Mark Interview with Margaret Stevens.)

My overall impression is that this book is a very worthwhile purchase for anybody contemplating the course - plus it also a very useful introduction for anybody wanting pursue botanical art. A further advantage is that the wide range of images in the book demonstrates very clearly the standard of work achieved by leading members of the SBA.

I think one of the things it does best is to convey a sense of the community of botanical artists and the standards and principles which they hold dear and which underpins the quality of work they achieve. Each botanical artist approaches their art in their own particular way - and diversity is certainly not frowned on because all are committed to representing the plant in the best way they can.

This is less a review than a summary of what the book covers. That's because I already own it and I'm already sold on the value of what it contains!

My only reservation about it is that a number of the tips and techniques are generic and applicable to all and yet are scattered throughout the book. Speaking personally I'd have liked to see them all in one place with maybe reminders throughout the rest of the book. After all if it's worth saying it's probably worth saying twice!

What does the book cover?

It's a truly comprehensive and very impressive volume which acts as an effective overview of the various subject matter and practices with the art of botanical painting. Below I've commented on some of the sections. The sections in the book follow the twelve modules on the course - although the file you get when you join the course obviously provides a lot more detail.

Throughout the book there are also periodic step by step demonstrations of SBA members of the principles in practice. Materials and approaches are defined and the drawing or painting is highlighted with close-ups of specific sections.

The nature of botanical art: The book starts with a very useful summary of the way in which the painting of flowers has developed over the centuries which provides a useful context for both society and contemporary botanical art. It's great to see examples of art from people like Ehret and Merian.

Materials - various essentials are discussed (pencils, pens, erasers, paper and other supports, media and brushed). While the comments made are very useful I'd have liked this section to have been expanded to cover all the equipment and generic approaches which botanical artists use in the pursuit of their art. Instead really useful comments are spread around the book and I think it's possible that some of the more generic tips might be missed. Over time I've learned about the various ways artists manage to get plant material to behave and the crucial importance of having a fridge which is big enough to store the current subject matter - not to mention all the other bits and bobs which are jolly useful to have to hand. My latest on this front was a shaving brush as a substitute for a drafting brush - as demonstrated by Sue Vize last Wednesday!

Plant Anatomy - I found this just right, enough detail to be helpful and not so much that one felt overwhelmed by lots of latin names. I found the two diagrams about Inflorescences and leaf shapes to be particularly helpful and will make my walks a lot more interesting in future!

To draw is to see............Observation and the three "P"s, Patience, Practice and Perseverance should be your guiding principles

Drawing techniques - It was interesting to note in reading the book how many artists did a full drawing before they tackled a painting. This being a drawing in its own right rather than a drawing as a guide for painting. This section focuses on basic approaches to drawing flowers (as opposed to 'how to draw') - including techniques such as hatching, stippling and how to tackle foreshortening. The eye opener for me was the diagram of the camellia with the numbered petals demonstrating in what order they had been drawn.

Susan Christopher Coulson provides the demonstration for working with coloured pencils.

Watercolour painting techniques - outlines a range of tips and techniques for painting botanical art using watercolours. There's a good description of drawing with a brush when working on vellum or other non-porous surfaces.

To be a successful botanical painter it is essential to come to terms with mixing greens. All too often good work is spoilt by lack of care when portraying foliage

Foliage Colour - This section made me want to go and paint leaves! Coverage of the twin topics of foliage colour and mixing greens is excellent with instructions for both watercolour and coloured pencils. What could be seen as a dull subject is enlivened by also includes a leaf library compiled by Vickie Marsh SBA which usefully lists all the pigments used in the order they were used, examples of different leaves painted using a limited palette and an example of how a collection of sample leaves can be enhanced using calligraphy. I'm fascinated by the fact that SBA members, when asked, came up with dozens of mixes for achieving different shades of green!

Flower Library - provides examples of flowers associated with different hues - and the palette used to describe them. I learned what 'botanical grey' means!

All too often the novice painter will dive in without sparing time to consider the layout, which should be pleasing and harmonious......remember to adapt your compositions to your your subject matter.........Composition is really flower arranging on paper

Composition - this section is especially useful and states some simple but essential rules. The approach in this chapter is to take several different examples of different types of composition. What makes each effective is then explained.

Flower Portraits in Watercolour comprises a series of step by step demonstrations by different artists about how different challenges were tackled and how the work was developed. Each contains lots of small but significant tips. I'd have found it even more helpful if these had been highlighted in some way.

I wasn't expecting Painting in Gouache however this chapter highlights how effective this can be.

Working in the Field served to highlight for me a use for the hotel mini bar which I had not appreciated before - they're apparently ideal for keeping specimens fresh! This section provides a clear insight into the value of sketchbooks and working sheets for identifying and recording colours in the field.

Botanical art is not just about flowers and Painting Fruit and Painting Vegetables are also covered by the book. Examples of work by SBA members are used to convey points about different approaches and what makes a painting effective.

The latter chapters consider practical matters relating to photography as an aid and building a library of references and final sections covering presentation, framing, exhibiting and selling. It also highlights how botanical illustration differs from botanical art with a series of examples.

I commend this book to all those interested in botanical art. It's a book to be appreciated.

Other reviews

You can read other reviews of this book on Amazon.com.

Links:

• The Art of Botanical Painting - Margaret Stevens (in association with the SBA) Publisher: Collins (1 Nov 2004); Hardcover: 144 pages; ISBN-10: 0007169884 ISBN-13: 978-0007169887
• The Society of Botanical Artists is 21! (Making A Mark / March 2006) - my earlier review of this book