botanical illustration - a-n The Artists Information Company

I made a gallery of photos from my solo show’s opening night/book launch and shared a few impression here.  

Unfortunately, I discovered a few weeks ago that there were issues with where I was accessing the information for my work, and I have therefore had to change a few elements of my work, including editing the design of the […]

In a previous tutorial with Anne-Marie, I was told about Tracedown – which is a form of carbon paper for artists. I have to admit that I was sceptical about it – partly from my own sense of internal ‘snobbery’, […]

Recently, I had tutorials with both Jane and Anne-Marie, both of which offered different and useful insights on my work, and how I can develop it further. These are the notes that I made: Tutorial with Jane: Riso-printing (a technique […]

The above image shows the completed drawing of the third endangered plant from my list: Acer pentaphyllum. As this was another plant which only had a herbarium specimen photo for me to reference, I did the drawing using the pen […]

Update: 08/06/22: Although I was proud of my work for Interim at the time, looking back now that I have installed in my space for degree show, I can see how far I have progressed. I can also see how much more professional […]

Update: 08/06/22: If only I had known about trace down paper when I was drawing this!! It would have made the whole process much easier and less drawn out than it ended up being, and I possibly would have been able to […]

Update: 14/12/21: I spent a lot of time researching the actual size of the orchid flower, as the images that I have don’t show it. I have decided that I will use this flower as my next project illustration, and I will […]

(The above images are my illustration of the Catacol Whitebeam alongside the Herbarium Specimen from Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh) The Catacol Whitebeam the most endangered plant species in Britain, with only one or two living specimens known, and although it […]

Update: 08/06/22: This was the final drawing that I used the dip pen for, as it just didn’t work and ended up making more imperfections on the page, and was far too difficult to use to be practical. I was given […]

In my last tutorial, we discussed the more practical sides of my project – thinking about the funding, processes and materials that I need to complete the project, as well as the issues that I have had with my current […]

This image is the current progress that I have made on my drawing of the Catacol Whitebeam drawing. There are, of course, a few teething problems with getting back into using the pen and ink method again, such as the […]

I am very conscious of the fact that all of my drawings take a very long time to complete, due to the highly detailed nature of them, and that my output of work does need to increase somewhat, if I […]

Today I put my watercolour on the wall for the first time, along with its botanical label. As you can see, I have placed it on the wall next to my pen and ink drawing of Cleyera orbicularis, in order […]

Review: 02/11/21: I have done some digging, so that I am able to create a botanical label for this plant, and its name is Echinopsis candicans. It is native to Argentina and is of least concern to conservationists, with a stable population. The above image […]

I haven’t finished my watercolour yet, but I wanted to do an update post about how far I have got with it. I have progressed a lot since I last posted a photo of it, and have come to the […]

It was always my plan to learn watercolour botanical illustration in addition to pen and ink illustration – as it has the advantage of conveying the living majesty and details of a plant – for example, it’s colours and small […]

When learning botanical illustration, my first (and main) port of call is researching the works of other illustrators and attempting to emulate the detail and precision that they achieve in their works. This is a very different way of studying […]

From 15th – 21st October, I had residency of the Project Space in the R206 studios – which gave me a space to exhibit my now complete illustration of Cleyera orbicularis. I was slightly apprehensive of the idea of exhibiting my work, […]

Review: 27/10/21: I am still incredibly proud of this drawing – I think particularly because I have accepted the ink blot as part of the work. Although it removes some of the accuracy from the drawing, it doesn’t detract from the image itself, […]

A crucial part of my degree project is botanical illustration, as the means of disseminating the visuals of the plants that I am researching. I am therefore in the process of learning traditional Botanical Illustration, and have chosen to start […]

I have started to think more about my hybrids and specimens more in depth, as while I enjoy drawing them I want to start to explore them more fully. One example of this is how they reproduce. Spores instantly sprung […]