Kew Book of Botanical Illustration

by Christabel King

Overview

Learn and improve your approach to botanical art from the foremost botanical artist from the Royal Botanica Gardens Kew.
'This is botanical illustration at the highest level.' - The Artist

Kew is eminent worldwide in botanical science and preservation, and Christabel King is their foremost botanical artist. Here she explains botanical art and illustration, covering materials, collecting plant material, drawing and painting techniques, magnification, and painting from succulents to wildflowers. Now available in paperback, this book is perfect for anyone who wants to learn techniques in botanical art.

Here she shares her passion for depicting plants, both in scientific illustrations and in looser botanical art. This inspiring guide covers everything you need to know from

collecting and preserving plant specimens, through magnification,

drawing from life and painting leaves, flowers cacti and much more.

A chapter on travel drawing gives a flavor of the author's worldwide experience,

and there are many of her beautiful plates from the prestigious Curtis's Botanical Magazine.

There is a helpful section on suitable subjects for beginners and a glossary of terms, to get you started in the beautiful art of botanical illustration.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781800920910
Publisher:	Search Press
Publication date:	08/02/2022
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	749,440
Product dimensions:	8.63(w) x 11.56(h) x 0.37(d)

About the Author

Kew's chief botanical artist, and one of Kew's elite band of practitioners, Christabel King has been working as an illustrator at Kew for 40 years. In 1975 she began painting for their prestigious Curtis's Botanical Magazine (the longest-running botanical magazine - first edition 1787), after achieving a degree in botany and scientific illustration. She runs successful workshops and courses at Kew and is highly skilled and acclaimed for her work. Christabel lives in Twickenham, Middlesex.

About the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew is a world-famous scientific organisation and home to two elegant gardens in the South East of England – Kew Gardens in South West London and Wakehurst Place in West Sussex which also houses Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank. Kew Gardens is a recognised World Heritage Site, with stunning glasshouses and a rich history of royal heritage interwoven with the development of modern-day plant science and sustainable development.

Table of Contents

Introduction 6

Botanical illustration 8

Materials 10

Choosing the subject 14

Choosing the technique 16

Your work space 18

Drawing from life 20

Composition 22

Light and shade 24

Sketching and drawing 26

Magnification 30

Transferring the drawing 34

Using a shading guide 36

Watercolour 38

Gouache 42

Pen and ink 46

Correcting mistakes 48

Leaves 50

Flowers 60

Using a microscope 78

Preserving specimens 80

Working from pressed specimens 82

Cacti and succulents 84

Wild flowers 92

Travel drawings 98

Curtis's Botanical Magazine 104

Trees 120

Advice for beginners 123

Botanical glossary 124

Artistic glossary 125

Index 126

Bibliography 128