Product Description

This superbly illustrated book, published in association with The Society of Botanical Artists, looks at one of the most important aspects of botanical painting: how to achieve the right colours. It provides an authoritative practical guide to this essential subject and features 17 step-by-step demonstrations by members of the Society. Each chapter in the book focuses on a specific colour, providing practical advice on how to achieve the right colour by overlaying washes rather than by simply mixing colours on the palette or paper. This results in subtle, translucent colours that accurately reflect the delicacy of the flowers' appearance. Detailed step-by-step demonstrations by members of the Society reveal exactly how each flower painting is built up, from the first stage to the finished illustration. A special feature of this book is the projects that are included in several of the demonstrations. Each project includes a simplified drawing of the finished work that students can trace and use as the basis for their own painting. The main artists featured are Valerie Baines, Susan Christopher-Coulson, Brigitte Daniel, Paul Fennell, Susan Hillier, Jennifer Jenkins, Barbara McGirr, Vicky Mappin, Susan Martin, Kay Rees-Davies, Margaret Stevens, Ann Swan, Sandra Wall Armitage, Brenda Watts and Janet Wood.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51315 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 144 pages

Review
'There are a lot of books on flower painting, all of which claim to offer a different approach, but The Botanical Palette is one of the most original I've seen in a long time.' Artists' Choice Book Club 'Filled with practical advice on how to achieve the correct result by the use of translucent washes that retain the delicacy of the subject. All this is backed up with 17 step-by-step demonstrations by members of the SBA, making this a collaborative effort that speaks with quiet authority.' The Artist Magazine 'In addition to providing invaluable guidance on the subject, the material contained in this excellent book serves as a source of constant inspiration and utter delight.' This England

This England
"In addition to providing invaluable guidance on the subject, the material contained in this excellent book serves as a source of constant inspiration and utter delight."

About the Author
The Society of Botanical Artists was founded in 1985 to bring together artists of repute in this field. Members include winners of prestigious awards, including the Royal Horticultural Society's Gold and Silver Gilt medals, and their work is held in collections worldwide. Margaret Stevens, who wrote and co-ordinated this book, is the Society's President. As well as teaching the subject, she has previously published a practical guide to the art and the very successful The Art of Botanical Painting, also published by Collins.

Customer Reviews

Daphne Hicks Flower Power
I consider this book to be a useful addition to my collection of Botanical painting books as I am taking the Botanical Society Diploma course and this is one of the study books for students. I found the pages devoted to mixing colours very informative but the actual examples of working with colours were a little dull and lacking that excitment factor I was hoping for. On the whole good but for me could have been better!

Disappointing
I had been looking forward to this book but found it very disappointing. I had expected a comprehensive explanation of the use of colour in botanical painting in general but found it concentrated on only a few specimens which seemed to be arbitrarily chosen. Moreover, one of the flowers illustrated was a mecanopsis and the colour was so different from that of the actual flower that I felt thoroughly cheated. An explanation of the wider use of colour in flower painting would have been much more useful. I'm sorry but this is definitely a case of "could have done so much better". What a pity!

A book both deliate and substantial
I bought this book as a treat for myself and was instantly attracted to the delicate beauty of the cover illustration. I knew before opening it that with The Society of Botanical Artists behind it, this book was going to be more than your average 'How to Paint Pretty Flowers' title. I only class myself as an amateur botanical painter but feel that this is a book for all levels. I appreciated the informative colour charts and the challenging projects and I feel for certain my more advanced friends would love the advice on how to build-up colour in a painting and bringing luminosity and transparency to your flowers and foliage. In fact, I might buy one or two books as gifts this Christmas! This book is not over ambitious in its content; focussing on colour in such detail with such authority, I found it to be a great resource for exploring the complexities of botanical painting.