Product Description

The interest in botanical art is still growing and the authors of the bestselling "Botanical Illustration Course with the Eden Project" bring fresh ideas to the genre. "Contemporary Botanical Illustration" covers some of the unusual colours that can be included in botanical art, from black flowers and plants - including seaweed - to green, blue and puce pink. The tricky subject of texture in both pencil and paint is covered in detail. And to ensure you are at the cutting edge of botanical art, the book covers the latest ideas for presentation of botanical art, including new ideas, some from the Far East, for arranging flowers before painting.Fantastically illustrated with drawings, stunning finished paintings and many step-by-step demonstrations, the book covers: an overview of contemporary botanical illustration; your workplace and materials; pencil drawing; sketchbook practice; composition; basic colour theory; colour and subjective colour exercises; primary colours and their uses; painting techniques; paint it black; challenging texture, pattern and colours; and, food plants.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23163 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 144 pages

About the Author
Rosie Martin holds a Gold Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society for her botanical watercolour painting. She is a member of the Society of Botanical artists and teaches a variety of art-based subjects. Rosie lives in Devon. As well as being an outstanding botanical artist, Meriel Thurstan worked for the Eden Project from its creation. She started the Eden's Friends organization and started the Eden magazine, for which she still writes today. Her botanical paintings are shown in England, France and Australia. Meriel lives in Somerset.

Customer Reviews

Inspiration and the know-hoe to achieve
This is a real treasure of a book for botanical illustrators. Rosie Martin went to the top of my list of favourite artists as I learned to draw from her 'Botanical Illustration Course'. This book is subtitled Challenging Colour and Texture. Here Rosie teaches how to build up tone using pencil, painting techniques and composition. Advanced techniques include using a limited palette. Right up my street as the woman who introduced 'black plants' into commercial horticulture is the section on painting black flowers. Rosie has chosen some of my favourites such as the black Strelitzia nicolai (featured on the book cover), a dishy dark black iris and a very sumptuous black tulip. However, it must be said that there are no step by step instructions for painting black flowers, a sad omission. The palette is explored for painting dark colours with tonal exercises and the artist is encouraged to try out the colours before committing to the painting. An innovative black colour circle is illustrated. The lavish illustrations really make you want to paint.
To enable you to do just that Rosie gives tips on selecting materials and building a palette. Sketchbook practice forms a core of the book with helpful exercises that make you a better painter, taking you through the techniques step by step. There is also advice on working in situ, layout, collecting specimens and recording information for later use in paintings. Learn how to tackle the demanding areas of rendering life-like paintings of plants from the fuzzy skin of a peach or the papery bark of a silver birch to the deep crimson colouring of dulse seaweed.
The projects from vegetables to stunning flowers such as orchids are all excellently reproduced and will have you reaching for your paints. The practical information should ensure your success. This is an excellent book for the budding or experienced botanical illustrator alike and one that I shall use frequently to enhance my own limited skills. This 144 page book includes a resources list to obtain materials. I highly recommend this beautiful volume that is well worth the money. More of the same please publisher.

A beautiful book
A book worthy of a place on the bookshelf. Well illustrated and helpful to a budding botanical artist.