Botanical Illustration PDF
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BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION 2 A study of the white flowered Cistus x hybridus. The flowers open in the morning and the petal start to fall late afternoon, so time to paint the plant’s portrait is limited. (Valerie Oxley) 3 BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION VALERIE OXLEY THE CROWOOD PRESS 4 First published in 2008 by The Crowood Press Ltd Ramsbury, Marlborough Wiltshire SN8 2HR www.crowood.com This e-book first published in 2013 This impression 2009 © Valerie Oxley 2008 DEDICATION This book is dedicated to my grandchildren, Thomas and Benedict Line drawings on pages 37–41 and 66–70 by Charlotte Kelly. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978 1 84797 661 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to all the artists, friends and colleagues around the world who have generously allowed their drawings to be included in this book, whether they have been exhibited masterpieces or simply sketches: to James J. White, Curator of Art and Principal Research Scholar, Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Pittsburgh and Malcolm Beasley, Botany Library Collection Development Manager, Natural History Museum, London, for their continued support in all things botanical; H. Walter Lack, Director of the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem, for assisting in the quest for an image of Linnaeus’ floral clock; Alison M. Paul, Curator of Pteridophytes, Department of Botany, the Natural History Museum, London for the naming of Dryopteris x uliginosa; Emma Pearce, formerly of Winsor and Newton, for technical advice on watercolours, and Donna Richards and colleagues at Daler Rowney; Lee Callaghan at Peak Imaging for his calm professionalism; Wendy Harvey, 5 Cyril and June Stocks, Peter Mitchell and Peter Gravett for checking that I was on the right track and with particular thanks to Jill Holcombe for her attention to detail, sensible advice and friendship; my husband Michael and all my family, for their unstinting support, love and encouragement; and not forgetting Jane Coper, the delightful lady who said ‘yes’. 6 CONTENTS Introduction 1. The History of Botanical Illustration 2. Simple Botany of Plants and Flowers 3. Materials and Equipment 4. Preparation of Plant Material 5. Observation Techniques 6. Starting to Draw 7. Developing Tonal Studies 8. Preparing to Paint 9. Colours and Paint 10. Watercolour Techniques 11. What Do I Paint? 12. How Do I Paint? 13. Alternative Media 14. Help! The Plant Is Too Big for the Page 15. Finishing Touches 16. Photography and Computers Glossary 7 Further Reading Art Materials Suppliers Collections, Gardens, Societies and Courses Index 8 A sketchbook study of Oenothera glazioviana which was found growing wild near 9 the sea in Dorset. Sketchbook studies provide useful information for identification, and for the understanding of plant growth and form. (Valerie Oxley) 10
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