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Botanical Illustration for Beginners

E-BookEPUBePub WasserzeichenE-Book
300 Seiten
Englisch
Batsforderschienen am16.04.2015
A unique and exciting approach to botanical illustration, this beginner guide demonstrates everything you need to know about capturing beautiful botanical specimens on paper. Each exercise guides the reader through a different aspect of botanical illustration, breaking the whole process down into simple, easy-to-follow stages. Whether you are a beginner looking for advice on composition and how to plot out your initial drawings, an experienced artist looking to develop your skills at colour mixing and working with unusual colours, or an old hand looking to capture more challenging and complex textures and shapes, there is something for botanical artists of all levels. Acclaimed artists Rosie Martin and Meriel Thurstan ran the popular botanical painting course at the Eden Project and have filled this fantastically illustrated guide with practical and inspirational worksheets, colour swatches, sketches and stunning finished paintings.

 Meriel Thurstan discovered botanical illustration while working at the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall. She later became a pivotal member of the Friends team at the Eden Project, organising and running talks, visits and courses. She holds a Silver Lindley medal from the RHS for her watercolours of fungi and a Bronze medal for an exhibit of different coloured potatoes.  Meriel founded the South West Society of Botanical Artists in 2006, which aims to  promote and encourage botanical art to the highest standard.  Her own botanical paintings hang in England, France and Australia. She lives in Somerset.mehr
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Produkt

KlappentextA unique and exciting approach to botanical illustration, this beginner guide demonstrates everything you need to know about capturing beautiful botanical specimens on paper. Each exercise guides the reader through a different aspect of botanical illustration, breaking the whole process down into simple, easy-to-follow stages. Whether you are a beginner looking for advice on composition and how to plot out your initial drawings, an experienced artist looking to develop your skills at colour mixing and working with unusual colours, or an old hand looking to capture more challenging and complex textures and shapes, there is something for botanical artists of all levels. Acclaimed artists Rosie Martin and Meriel Thurstan ran the popular botanical painting course at the Eden Project and have filled this fantastically illustrated guide with practical and inspirational worksheets, colour swatches, sketches and stunning finished paintings.

 Meriel Thurstan discovered botanical illustration while working at the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall. She later became a pivotal member of the Friends team at the Eden Project, organising and running talks, visits and courses. She holds a Silver Lindley medal from the RHS for her watercolours of fungi and a Bronze medal for an exhibit of different coloured potatoes.  Meriel founded the South West Society of Botanical Artists in 2006, which aims to  promote and encourage botanical art to the highest standard.  Her own botanical paintings hang in England, France and Australia. She lives in Somerset.
Details
Weitere ISBN/GTIN9781849943079
ProduktartE-Book
EinbandartE-Book
FormatEPUB
Format HinweisePub Wasserzeichen
FormatE101
Verlag
Erscheinungsjahr2015
Erscheinungsdatum16.04.2015
Seiten300 Seiten
SpracheEnglisch
Dateigrösse11069 Kbytes
Artikel-Nr.11914906
Rubriken
Genre9201

Inhalt/Kritik

Leseprobe


Materials and equipment

Naturally, today s botanical artists want their work to last, so choice of materials is an important consideration. A workman is only as good as his tools, and poor tools will make for substandard work. It can be tempting to economize by buying low-quality paint, paper and brushes, but your work will suffer, so buy the finest that you can afford.

By mixing your own colours from a limited palette, you can create all the many colours found in nature.

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Watercolour paints
Research on the manufacture of watercolour paints and their durability has really taken off in the last few decades. Some colours are known to be fugitive, but modern manufacturers colour charts have notes on the lightfastness of each paint, so we can make properly informed decisions.

⢠Initially, keep to a limited palette, but be sure to buy artist s-quality paints. They are a bit more expensive than the student s-quality range, but they last longer, the colours are better because they contain more pigment and they are worth every penny.

⢠Watercolour paints come in pans, half pans or tubes. If you opt for pans or half pans, take an empty paintbox and fill it with your choice of colours. If you use tubes, squeeze a small amount on to the palette. If you don t use it all, allow it to dry for next time. It is easily reconstituted with water. Tubes can sometimes be difficult to open. Hold the cap in hot water for a few seconds to loosen.

⢠Occasionally, you may need white for small hairs or bloom. Add to your paintbox some Chinese white, titanium white or white gouache.

⢠Learn to mix your own colours from your limited palette.

⢠In particular, learn to mix greens, the botanical artist s most frequently used colour.
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Coloured pencils are a good medium for the dry leafy bracts and nuts of the hazel.

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Learn to mix greens. Green is the colour that causes most problems for the beginner.

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Pencils
Pencils are sold singly or in boxed sets. You will find it useful to have a range of pencils from 4H (hard) to 2B (soft). Anything softer than 2B tends to leave loose graphite on the paper, which can spread and dull the image when you begin to paint. (If you do end up with loose graphite on your drawing, try gently rolling a sausage of white tack across it to pick up the surplus.)

Some artists prefer to use refillable clutch pencils, which have the advantage of never changing length and so retain balance in the hand. Leads are available in different grades and thicknesses.
Sharpening your pencils
It is important to keep pencils sharp at all times, so use a pencil sharpener or very sharp craft knife. To get a particularly sharp tip, try using wet-and-dry abrasive paper (about 400 to 500 grit size) or a fine emery board, gently twisting and rubbing the lead in a rolling action across the surface. Wipe off the surplus graphite with a tissue. A truly sharp pencil should hurt when pressed into your fingertip!
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Coloured pencils
You may be happier with coloured pencils than with a paintbrush. There are so many colours available that you could end up with a glorious rainbow of hues from which to choose. Alternatively, opt for a basic palette of, say, a dozen colours to mix and blend in the same way as watercolours (more on coloured pencils).
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This magnolia seed head was worked in coloured pencils over watercolour on HP Fabriano Artistico 300 gsm (extra-white).

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Brushes
Nowadays we can choose from a wide range of brushes, from the relatively expensive to the more economical synthetic ones. The best brushes for botanical painting are sable, noted for their ability to hold a good quantity of paint, to form a point and to spring back into shape.

Some brushes on the market are specific to certain types of painting. Sable brushes are high-quality, multipurpose brushes, suitable for both beginners and professionals.

Keep the amount of materials you buy to a minimum. Two brushes are sufficient to start with: a size 4 and a size 1. But they should be top-quality sable (round, not miniature). It is a good idea to have a fairly large (size 6) synthetic brush for mixing colours, keeping your better brushes for painting.

At the shop, ask for a container of clean water and wet the brush. If the hairs don t form a good point, don t buy the brush. If buying from a catalogue, online or by mail order, you can ask for a replacement if a brush is faulty.

Never leave brushes standing in the water pot. Store brushes with their handle downwards in a pot or jar, in a custom-made brush case, or rolled in corrugated paper once dry.

Cut lengths of plastic drinking straws to protect the tips of the brushes. If the hairs of a brush become unruly, gently mould them with your fingers and some softened soap and leave to dry. Make sure all the soap has been washed out before use.
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This is a good example of using watercolour initially, with extensive use of coloured pencils laid on top.

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Supplementary equipment
In addition to paints, pencils and brushes, you will need:

⢠A hard white or kneadable eraser.

⢠An eraser in the form of a pencil, which can be sharpened to a point. This is good for intricate work. Or cut off a corner of a hard white eraser on the diagonal to achieve a sharp point.

⢠A large, clean feather or cosmetic brush to sweep eraser detritus from the paper.

⢠Two water containers: one to wash your brush, the other for mixing with paint.

⢠Corrugated cardboard makes an ideal brush case. Lay the brushes in the grooves, roll up and secure with an elastic band.

⢠A paint rag or absorbent kitchen paper.

⢠A sheet of cheap paper or acetate to place over the parts you are not working on, to protect the drawing or painting from the natural oils on your skin. Acetate is also useful for gridding up.

⢠A mixing palette or a large white china plate.

⢠Low-tack masking tape, for which you will find many uses.

⢠A way of holding a specimen in place. Model-makers suppliers sell an inexpensive contraption called a third arm, which has moveable arms and clips. Some have a magnifying glass built in, which is very useful. Or use a bottle filled with water or sand, a plastic milk container with the top cut off, a bulldog clip, paper clips and corks, Oasis, or florists lead spikes. Be inventive!

⢠A loosely filled bag of rice to prop up solid objects.
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You will find a range of different graphite pencils useful for detailed drawings.

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The following items are not essential, but you may find them useful:

⢠Masking fluid, available bottled or in a dispenser with a nib.

⢠A quill or drawing pen with which to apply masking fluid.

⢠A magnifying glass.

⢠An adjustable table easel or a drawing board with books or a brick to raise it 7.5-10cm (3-4in) to ensure that your line of sight is approximately at right angles to your work.

⢠A ruler.

⢠A pair of dividers or callipers to check size and proportions.

⢠A microscope for studying really small parts.

⢠A digital camera, computer and printer-scanner for recording details, resizing a subject and to record your finished work, or to present your artwork as prints or greetings cards.
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Stamens can be masked out with masking fluid, which is then removed and the fine details added.

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Paper
Archival papers, made especially for watercolourists, are sustainably sourced and acid-free, allowing paintings to endure for a good hundred years or more.

Use HP (hot-pressed) paper or Not (cold-pressed) paper. Not paper has a slightly rougher surface that lends itself to some subjects, such as rough-skinned vegetables. HP paper is more sympathetic to very fine details such as stamens and fine hairs.

Try different makes of paper until you find one that suits you. Don t forget to try the reverse side as well - there is usually a subtle difference. The right side has the watermark or manufacturer s impress and is usually smoother.

Some papers are whiter than others. Your choice may be dictated by your subject and preference.

Paper is supplied as single sheets, pads or blocks. If you buy single sheets it is usually possible to have them cut by the supplier into halves or quarters.

In addition you will need some cheap semi-opaque layout paper for initial drawings, some tracing paper and cartridge paper for drawing (which does not take watercolour well).
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Vellum
If you are confident about using watercolour paints on paper, you might like to try using vellum. Vellum is made from calfskin or goatskin and is a traditional surface chosen by calligraphers and many botanical artists. It is not cheap, but it has a luminous quality that makes paintings glow. The best type for botanical painting is marketed as Kelmscott vellum. It is available in a range of sizes, ready prepared for painting.

The main characteristic of vellum is that it has a non-porous surface and...
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Autor

Meriel Thurstan took up botanical illustration when she was working in Cornwall, where she was a founder of the Eden Project Florilegium Society. She subsequently set up the South West Society of Botanical Artists. Meriel holds a Bronze and a Silver Linley medal from the RHS for her work. She lives and teaches in Somerset. Rosie Martin holds a Gold Medal form the RHS for her botanical watercolour paintings. She was an elected member of the Society of Botanical Artists and teaches a variety of art-based subjects, including botanical illustration. She has worked in fashion, ballet and theatre; her clients have included David Bowie, Anthony Caro, Karl Lagerfeld and Jean Muir, for whom she produced textiles and interior design prints. She has more recently been artist-in-residence on polar expedition ships, and some of her polar paintings are on loan to Nature in Art.