Mindful Artist: Birds and Botanicals (Mindful Artist)

by Monika CILMI

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Mindful Artist: Birds and Botanicals is a new volume in the Mindful Artist series; this installment is by Monika Cilmi. Released 8th Feb 2022 by Quarto on their Walter Foster imprint, it's 128 pages and is available in paperback format.

Walter Foster is familiar and loved by readers everywhere for their specialized technique tutorial books and this one follows the same format. The introductory chapters include an overview over tools & materials, beginning techniques, and tips and methods.

The following chapters provide a really immersive and engaging group of specific subjects including classic stylized birds: crane, egret, penguin (!), hummingbird and others as well as botanical subjects: lotus, calla lilies, etc. The author doesn't spend a lot of time on specific brushstrokes or methods, but the tutorials do include a number of process illustrations showing the progress of each drawing. She also enhances the basic black & white drawings with dashes of color. There are no tutorial illustrations for preparing ink or much discussion of paper choices or hand/arm positions except in the vaguest terms. Intermediate students won't miss the lack of instruction, but beginners will struggle grinding ink, getting the hang of putting ink on paper, and the flow of the process unless they find the info elsewhere.

There is no index and the tutorial titles are non-specific and are called "Capturing the moment", "Connecting with nature", "Letting go", and similar. Given the nature of the book and the mindfulness aspect, I can understand inviting a measure of serendipity into the process, but it would have been nice to be able to see which tutorials were botanical, which were birds, etc without having to actually flip through the book. All in all, it's a nice book of tutorials for readers to enjoy. It's clear throughout that the author has a deep respect/reverence for the subject and techniques.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.