Originally developed in the 18th century as a visual supplement to botanical nomenclature, botanical illustration and art uniquely fuse art and science by documenting the parts, details, and life cycles of plant species. In Drawing and Painting Botanicals for Artists, eminent botanical artist and veteran workshop instructor Karen Kluglein reveals her secrets for rendering leaves, flowers, berries, and branches both accurately and beautifully.
The book begins with a brief history of the art form, followed by guidance on developing observational skills for this genre, key botanical terms and concepts, and the differences among botanical illustration, botanical art, and flower painting. The chapters that follow offer detailed guidance and demonstrations for drawing and painting botanicals in a variety of mediums:
Drawing. Explore loose gestural drawing, precise measuring and rendering, and working from photographs with graphite, colored pencil, finepoint markers, pen and ink, and silverpoint.
Painting. Master color mixing, washes, layering, gradations, values, and adding details in watercolor, gouache, and acrylic, plus guidance on adding “personality” to your work and knowing when a painting is done.
Drawing and Painting Botanicals for Artists shows artists at all skill levels how to translate careful observations into stunning works of art.
The For Artists series expertly guides and instructs artists at all skill levels who want to develop their classical drawing and painting skills and create realistic and representational art.
Drawing and Painting Botanicals for Artists is a tutorial and style guide for rendering botanical subjects in a variety of media. Due out 16th June 2020 from Quarto on their Rockport imprint, it's 144 pages and will be available in paperback format.
This is a nicely designed and well presented book. It is aimed at artists who are engaged in, or studying botanical art subjects and still life drawing. The introduction provides an overview of tools and supplies, preparing botanical materials and how to visualize and see as an artist. The main tutorials are split into two sections for different media: drawing and rendering with pencils and other drawing tools (including colored pencils), and painting with watercolor (and gouache).
Although it's a simple book which allows the learner to utilize widely available materials for skill building, it contains a lot of valuable information, and I could well see this book being used to advantage in a classroom setting. It is aimed at intermediate to advanced artists but there are definitely takeaways for beginners as well. There are some tutorials showing how to break down references in perspective and transfer them realistically to the page.
A very useful book. It would make a good addition to the artist's home reference library, a classroom or other formal setting, or gift (with supplies) for an artist.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
