With the goal of creating accurate, yet vibrant depictions of living plants.

Approaches to botanical drawing we will explore:

Gesture – searching for the life force inherent in the subject. A quick study in which the artist looks to record what the subject is doing, to capture the essence, the verb within. Without this, the drawing will remain lifeless, inert.

Structure – searching for the basic shapes of the different elements of the subject, determining the arrangement of shapes, as well as its overall form and direction.

Layout – determining the composition of the drawing. May use a viewfinder to decide arrangement of spaces around the subject.

Observation –looking carefully, to learn how the plant is put together, to bring it to life on paper through two methods: Contour – slow, deeply observed lines which connect edges of surfaces. Looking for details which will help define the particular characteristics of the subject. Value – using cross hatching or stippling to enhance the sense of volume and form to a two-dimensional drawing.

Value – using cross hatching or stippling to enhance the sense of volume and form to a two-dimensional drawing.

Some Botanical Art Web Sources:                                   

botanicalartandandartists.com

asba-art.org

mymodernmet.com/history-of-botanical-illustration

kew.org/read-and-watch/what-is-botanic-art

kew.org/read-and-watch/what-is-botanic-art

Some famous botanical artists through history:

Maria Sibylla Merian, German (1647 – 1717)

Pierre-Joseph Redouté, French (1766 – 1854)

Marianne North, English, (1830 – 1890)

Ernst Haeckel, German (1834 – 1919)