Botanical Illustration from Life. A Visual Guide to Observing, Drawing and Painting Plants

This book is stunning, it definitely bridges the gap between botany and botanical art. There is so much to learn from this book if you are interested in drawing and painting plants and flowers. It's beautifully illustrated, teaching you a better way of observing plants and flowers, and shows you in detail how to select the right plants and draw from life. I have a few botanical watercolour painting books by other artists, this has to be one of the best. With so much information in it from start to finish, it starts you on your journey of collecting specimens and understanding their structure to help with drawing them. The artist covers how to tackle complex detail when drawing and painting plants. To adding the finishing touches that make your paintings come to life. She also teaches you how to take care of the specimens you pick, how to get a good composition and how to add texture, through to mixing the right colours of paint. This book is beautifully illustrated and finishes with how to take inspiration from nature and other artists. I can fully recommend this book from Search Press. -- Jill Birks * Customer review * The author's passion for her subject is absolutely clear from the first page, the distinction between botanical art and botanical illustration is also made clear. This is the area where art meets science and the importance of the accuracy in the art work, down to the smallest details of plant anatomy is apparent throughout. The text is straight forward and the illustrations, as to be expected, are beautiful, the book follows the whole process and the information is very clearly stated. Observation, accuracy and practice are the keys to achieving success. For anyone  starting on this particular journey this book has all the information you would need. Having said it is about botanical illustration any botanical artist would benefit from the technical advice, how to observe the plant structure and the painting techniques and colour palettes. The author says that botanical illustration is about communicating information to the observer or botanist, her book is a great exercise in communicating her art and its importance to anyone who is interested in following the same path. -- Anne Chalkley * Customer review * Observe, draw, paint, explore and master the art of botanical illustration. Award-winning botanical artist Isik Guner shares her passion for drawing and painting living plants from around the world. Her work is both artistically accomplished and scientifically accurate, and will inspire you to master the skills you need to produce your own botanical illustrations from life. * Crafts Business * The regularity with which flower painting books appear is a testament to their popularity as well as the almost infinite variety of ways in which they can be painted. Do you want the impressionism that portrays Wordsworth's daffodils, or the precise but still informal flower portrait? Do your thoughts perhaps turn to the rigid discipline of botanical illustration? If the last, how scientific do you want to be?  You might as well ask, "if not from life, how else?" and it's a reasonable question. Botanical portraits are supposed to represent a species rather than a specific example and a photograph won't give you that. Whatever your quibble, this is an original approach that teaches ways to capture details in stems, petals, leaves and fruit. It's a thorough course, with plenty of examples and demonstrations and the amount of instruction you'd consider necessary at this level. Clear and engaging, it's a delight. * The Artist * Isik Guner is an award-winning botanical artist, producing striking and scientifically accurate paintings of plants from around the world. Here, she demonstrates how to select, preserve and position your specimens to best effect, as well as how to paint plants directly in their natural habitat. She then demonstrates how to draw your subject, including information on perspective and aerial perspective, before moving on to paint, how to mix colour successfully, achieve contrast and create texture. Emphasis is very much on detail and in looking closely so that you understand your subject well. Specific areas of plants are explored in more detail including roots, stems, buds, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds. * Leisure Painter * Just about every aspect of botanical subjects is covered – I mentioned flowers, leaves and stems, but roots, fruit and seeds are here too. These, though, are only the subject matter and the technical aspects of portraying them are dealt with extensively as well. Once again, the extent is put to good use and, despite the comprehensive nature of the coverage, there’s never any sense of rush, or of things being crammed in. The pages are relaxed and very user-friendly. -- Henry Malt * Art Book Review * Isik Güner is incredibly talented, it is very easy to see why she is an award-winning botanical artist. Supported by Ekin Özbiçer’s stunning photography and numerous illustrations by Işik and other botanical artists, Botanical Illustration From Life is an absolutely beautiful book. There is so much helpful advice and detail, the content includes the following key stages: Start,Observe, Draw, Paint, Explore, Master and each section is packed with fascinating information. Start is about the history of botanical illustration and its importance in the recording of plants. In Observe there is detailed information about how to observe plants in their habitat and how to select which plants to preserve and draw. In Draw, there is detailed guidance on how to draw; from the correct posture, and materials to the precise detail of how to draw. There are pages and pages of detailed examples about perspective, composition and drawing. The Painting chapter is equally detailed, illustrating how to mix colours, create colour contast, perspective, texture and finally the actual act of painting. In Explore Işik takes us outdoors searching amid stunning scenery for examples and how to identify species. The Master stage gives helpful advice about finding your own style and how to master your own technique, including inspiration from other artists. This is an absolutely wonderful book, full of inspiration and encouragement. Highly Recommended! * mycreativenotebook.co.uk *