Customer Reviews

Art of Botanical Painting

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What a fabulous book!

If you paint flowers in watercolour or are enrolled on a course of Botanical Illustration, as I am, then this is the book for you.

Written by Margaret Stevens in association with the Society of Botanical Artists, the book takes the reader briefly through the beginnings of Botanical Art to a useful chapter on materials including paper, watercolours and brushes. Whilst it doesn't proscribe a palette of colours, the great majority of the illustrations detail the colours used. The chapter on plant anatomy is useful for the non-botanist as is the one on drawing technique for those new to this aspect of painting.

What gives this book a considerable edge over others of this type is that its other purpose is as the text book for a two-year diploma course in Botanical Illustration run by the SBA. (The author is the course director.) There are up to a dozen examples of work covered from start to finish over several pages produced by members of the SBA, some of whom are tutors on the course. There is excellent detail of watercolour technique and superb coverage of the production of varied coloured leaves and flowers and the colours used in their painting. The chapters on composition, working in the field and painting fruit and vegetables are extremely useful. All chapters are illustrated by high quality botanical paintings, mostly by SBA members.

A beautiful book to own, better as an inspiration to painting but best of all as a reference when painting flowers in watercolours.

I've bought all sorts of books on botanical painting but this is the best of the best. The illustrations are fabulous, the instructions clear and comprehensive. Have you ever heard of "botanical gray"? This book is something you can't live without.

The illustrations in this book are phenomenal. The instructions very precise and clear. All together a very useful book which provides information that one can use to learn botanical painting.

This is a beautiful book which is great for a novice painter like me to learn from.
Also my artist friend thinks that it is ideal for anyone interested in this type
of painting.

bought this for my mother who paints botanical watercolors
she loved it and said it taught her a lot

It is a nice book and the explain it good the art of flowers. I recommanded on every the draw with flowers.