This is about e-Books, e-Booklets and Digital Guides
about Botanical Art and Illustration
i.e. publications which are delivered online via the internet direct to your digital device

What this page aims to do is REVIEW and LIST the best of the following:
  • e-booklets / downloadable guides relevant to botanical art and illustration i.e.  anything shorter than a book which is:
    • available as a PDF or an e-Book format
    • can be read easily on a digital device 
  • e-Books of existing print publications for botanical artists - available as digital download e.g, via Kindle. These can
    • EITHER use e-book technology to be properly responsive to different sized screens and aid reading and navigation
    • OR just be a digital replica of a printed book - with no e-book technology used
​
IMPORTANT NOTE: This page is NEW and is currently being developed. 


What are e-Books, e-Booklets and Digital Guides? 
​

An eBook is a non-editable, reflowable book that is converted to a digital format to be read on any digital device such as computer screens or mobile devices.
What is an eBook? Understanding Why They Work and How to Make Your Own

Why are Digital Formats?
​

Digital guides / e-books that can be downloaded come in different forms and formats e.g.
  • Digital versions of many instruction books using e-book technology are available via publishers or Amazon ​(e.g. via Kindle) - but the e-book formats can vary greatly -
  • Some instructors who have produced guides for their students in the past are now producing these as their own e-booklets - as 
    • EITHER Downloadable PDFs which can be read on mobile devices 
    • OR using e-book production software which can be used by full sized screens / tablets / smartphones and enables interactive aspects
​
You are RECOMMENDED to look carefully at the "Look Inside" and/or "mobile" views on eBook sites. The best offer views by different devices.
e-Books and e-Booklets are:
  • entirely digital - but non-editable (i.e. you can read but not edit)
  • can only be read on a digital device - but if they're a PDF you can print them out if that suits you better
  • save space - no need for bookcases
  • very portable and convenient - you should ALWAYS be able to read on any size of device (using an appropriate app) - with smartphones and tablets being the most popular.
  • help save the environment - by not using paper/transport from where they are printed to your home
  • can be customised for your eyes - you can change the size of the font to suit your eyes - IF they use a format which allows this (i.e. Not a PDF)
  • less expensive to produce - you're paying mostly for the content and not for the paper and printing

What do you need to read e-Books 
​

  • ​A Digital Device suitable for reading
  • To read PDFs - you need a PDF reader - such as Adobe Acrobat loaded on your digital device
  • To read e-Books - you need access to an app or platform which supports the format used by the ebook. e.g. 
    • to access Kindle books you need the Kindle app.
    • an ePub Reader can read anything published in this format
RECOMMENDATION: ALWAYS CHECK what you require to read the e-publication prior to download.
  • All good authors / publishers / retailers will indicate what's required. 
  • If you want to keep it simple - and find apps and odd-sounding platforms confusing - you might do best to stick to PDFs until you can get some help to access what you want to read on another platform
WHAT IS DIGITAL RIGHTS PROTECTION?

Digital Rights Protection (DRM) usually involves the use of technology to control and manage access to copyrighted material e.g. access may be encrypted (i.e. use need a code) and/or the publication can only be read via a specific device. 

​At a minimum, a copyright notice on a book / booklet / guide also provides the minimum of legal protection. 
NOTE: make sure you read the conditions of access to an e-Book. - particularly the copyright provisions. eBooks may be encrypted to prevent piracy / copying / loaning to people who have not paid for access
​I'll be including standalone e-books / digital guides by quality instructors
as they are published - and notified/sent to me for review.
See FORM BELOW
​
Picture
ACCESSIBILITY = e-Books must be readable on ALL screen sizes

E-Booklets - available to download online
​

THIS SECTION comes in two parts.
  1. It lists e-Booklets / Guides (shorter than a book) suitable for botanical artists and students
  2. alongside REFERENCE sections on this website for the same topic. These link to digital articles etc. made available by various instructors online - on blogs and websites.
Available e-Booklets / Guides are ordered by topic 
as follows:
  • Guides for Beginners 
  • Drawing in Graphite
  • ​Composition for Botanical Artists
  • Colour - A Botanical Palette
​(and topics which I expect to be covered in future - that's a hint!)i8
  • How to Paint....
  • Framing and Presentation

Guides for Beginners
​

Title: A Place to Start
Instructor/Author: Margaret Best
No. of Pages: 33 pages
Format: Downloadable PDF
Price: $14.50 (Canadian dollars)
DRM: Copyright protection notice on every page
Covers
  • what botanical art is about
  • materials needed to get started
  • drawing skills from specimens
  • how to develop accurate drawing
  • how to continue to develop drawing skills 
REFERENCE - on this website
​​
​Tips and Techniques for Botanical Art and Illustration
- A compendium of tips shared by botanical artists online. Botanical Artists are renowned for sharing their experience and expertise with one another.  ​Many now do so using their websites and blogs or by writing articles for other websites. 
REFERENCE - on this website 

Botanical Sketching, Sketchbooks and Studies

VIDEOS - Pencil Drawing

Preparation ​and Set-up

Drawing in Graphite
​

REFERENCE - on this website
​​
​Tips and Techniques for Botanical Art and Illustration
- A compendium of tips shared by botanical artists online. Botanical Artists are renowned for sharing their experience and expertise with one another.  ​

DRAWING IN GRAPHITE TIPS include:
  • Drawing from observation / to scale
  • Drawing from Herbarium Specimens
  • Use of Graphite Pencil 
​PLUS on another page:
​Title: Graphite for Scientific Illustrations
Instructor/Author: Rogerio Lupo, 
(Brazilian winner of the Margaret Flockton Award in 2010 and 2013)
Language: English (​Also available in original Portuguese)
No. of Pages
Format: Downloadable PDF (Download it from Slideshare)
Price: FREE
DRM: ©Rogério Lupo 2018 – All rights reserved. Sale of this guidebook, either total or partial, is prohibited. Distribution is free.

This workshop guidebook has been written by Rogerio Lupo, a professional scientific/botanical illustrator and teacher in Brazil.  The text, when translated into English was reviewed by the American botanical illustrator Bobbi Angell. It provides a thorough explanation and illustrated guide to graphite technique, specifically focused on its possibilities for scientific illustrations.
A PDF Guide which reads like a document when viewed in a PDF reader.

Composition for Botanical Artists
​

A much neglected topic in most instruction books about botanical art - see my REFERENCE section below which includes a critical analysis of which books provide useful information - and which do not.
REFERENCE - on this website

Design and Composition - tips and techniques 
​- Includes ​Composition and Design in Botanical Art Instruction Books - a critical analysis of which provide useful information - and which do not.
Title: Composition Concepts — (watercolour, coloured pencil, graphite)
Instructor/Author: Margaret Best
No. of Pages: 34 pages
​Format: Downloadable PDF
Price: $14.50 ​(Canadian dollars)
DRM: Copyright protection notice on every page
This booklet covers some of the more important and universal concepts of design and composition.
  • It highlights some of the questions that need to be asked and techniques suitable for developing both simple and complex compositions in botanical artwork.
  • Heirloom vegetables are the subject matter used for this topic.
  • Illustrated by various botanical artists - including those Margaret has mentored.
Although a PDF it reads well on 
  • my iPad Pro (11inch) in portrait format - like reading a book
  • my iPhone 12 Pro when turned to landscape format.
No page flip - you need to scroll. 
It can also be saved to Apple Files or Apple Books

Colour and The Botanical Palette
​

 WATERCOLOUR
 e-booklets by Instructor/Author: Margaret Best
​Feature common to both:
  • Format: Downloadable PDF
  • Price: $14.50 (Canadian dollars)
  • ​DRM: Copyright protection notice on every page
  • ​For a botanical artist with some experience in watercolour;
  • Fundamentals of colour theory relative to naturally-occurring colour in plant subjects.
Title: Botanical Palette for watercolour
— cool hues and spring subjects
No. of Pages: 38 pages
​
​Above features plus:
  • An exploration of transparent cool hues with layering and colour-blending exercises.
  • Ways to test colour to make informed decisions on pigments 
  • How to eliminate confusion and improve colour-matching efficiency.
Title: Botanical Palette for watercolour
— warm hues and Fall subjects
No. of Pages: 32 pages
​
​Above features plus:
  • latest on permanent and transparent watercolour pigments ideal for fall (autumn) subjects.
  • An exploration of warm hues with testing techniques and blending exercises.
  • How to use colour for all aspects of a small plant study including intensity, shadow, and reflected light to add expanded realism.
  • Technique for the final detail stages of painting an acorn explained in a step-by-step tutorial.
REFERENCE - Colour | Tips and Techniques on this website 
Covering what you need to know about colour, colour mixing and getting the glazes and mixes right -including: 
  • about colour and how it works
  • when buying colours
  • pigments and dyes as colouring agents
  • colour charts and shade cards
  • two main ways of mixing colours
  • how to get colour mixes, charts and glazes right
  • tip for painting specific colours
  • PLUS my summary of the chapters and pages - in various botanical art instruction books - primarily devoted to COLOUR in order of the quantity and quality of the content. 
COLOURED PENCIL ​e-booklets by Instructor/Author: Margaret Best
​Feature common to both:
  • Format: Downloadable PDF
  • Price: $14.50 (Canadian dollars)
  • ​DRM: Copyright protection notice on every page
  • latest information about permanent coloured pencils and how they work together
  • Fundamentals of colour theory relative to naturally-occurring colour in plant subjects.
Title:  Botanical Palette for Coloured Pencil
— cool hues and spring subjects
No. of Pages: 37 pages

Includes:
  • How to develop colours in cool hues
  • Fundamentals of colour theory in relation to plants
  • How to use colour when drawing structures and forms
  • A technique for a small flower study
Title:  Botanical Palette for Coloured Pencil
— warm hue and fall subjects
No. of Pages: 37 pages
​
Includes:
  • How to develop colours in cool hues
  • An exploration of available warm hues with colour testing techniques and blending exercises.
  • How to use colour re. areas of intensity, shadow, and reflected light to achieve expanded realism.
  • Technique for a rosehip study (demonstrated in a complete tutorial).

Developing an Artwork
​

.Preparing for a Masterpiece: Margaret Best considers that establishing a consistent process for botanical studies - that includes planning and preparation - is a great help in producing successful paintingsBelow she explains processes she used for watercolour paintings and coloured pencil drawings included in international juried exhibitions and private collections. They both focus on:
  • Information gathering.
  • Colour matching from live specimens
  • Examples of technique testing of components
  • Examples of painting preparations by other artists.
Title:  Preparing for a Masterpiece (watercolour)
No. of Pages: 20 pages
Title:  Preparing for a Masterpiece (coloured pencil)
No. of Pages: 30 pages
e-booklet originally prepared for Margaret's presentation at the ASBA’s 27th Annual Meeting and Conference (Online 2021)
 e-booklets by Instructor/Author: Margaret Best
​Feature common to both:
  • Format: Downloadable PDF
  • Price: $14.50 (Canadian dollars)
  • ​DRM: Copyright protection notice on every page​​
Title: Chasing Shadows - Watercolour
No. of Pages: 38
an updated, expanded, and edited 38-page watercolour version of the original booklet for a popular workshop
REFERENCE - on this website

Links below are to specific pages on this website where links to more articles can be found

Tips and Techniques for Botanical Art and Illustration
- A compendium of tips shared by botanical artists 
Botanical Artists are renowned for sharing their experience and expertise with one another.  ​Many now do so using their websites and blogs or by writing articles for other websites. 

How to draw and paint leaves and trees
- Tips and techniques for how to draw and paint botanically correct trees and leaves. Drawing and watercolour painting instruction includes step by step demonstrations, videos and books.

Framing and Presentation
​

REFERENCE - on this website

​Links below are to where links to more information and/or online articles can be found

Tips from RHS Gold Medal Winners | BAA
​tips to improve both the content and presentation of your exhibit and the logistics of an entry to the RHS Botanical Art Show

​How to Frame and Hang Art | Art Business Info. for Artists
How you mat and frame your art has a major impact on how it looks - and whether it gets into exhibitions and sells. How you hang a picture determines whether it looks good - and stays on the wall!

Image Management for Artists | Art Business Info. for Artists
including:
eBooks to be notified - see preamble

How to get your e-Booklet / Digital Guide Listed on this page
​

If you want your booklet listed please contact me and then email me a copy as I check out educational instruction that I list.

​Note that e-Booklets / Guides must be accessible on ALL screen sizes to be listed on this page​

What I need to know:
  • Title
  • No. of Pages
  • No. of Illustrations
  • Format (and how this can be accessed)
  • Digital Rights Management - is access encrypted / limited?
  • Price
  • Summary of what it covers
  • Target audience e.g. Beginners / Intermediate / Advanced
Please send this information first. If it looks suitable and your teaching experience / credentials are appropriate I'll ask you to give me access to a copy for review - prior to listing.

    Please list my e-booklet for botanical artists

DIGITAL eBOOK VERSIONS of
​The Best Botanical Instruction Books about Botanical Art
​

One of the big bonuses of digital versions of books is you can download to anywhere in the world - without the extra delivery costs!
Below you can fin KINDLE versions of books are listed by the Main pages on which they feature on this website.
​
PLEASE NOTE:
  • Reviews of the book remain on the original page listing this book.
  • Comments on this page are confined to what's said about the conversion to digital.
  • NOT ALL DIGITAL VERSIONS ARE THE SAME. If you want to purchase a lengthy book, I would recommend books which have been properly processed for digital reading software.
  • Reviews of the book by me and on Amazon are limited to the conventional publication
  • This section will probably move to a new page as I add more books in suitable Kindle versions.  ​
WHAT "FEATURES" MEAN
  • Page Flip "a new way to explore your books without losing your place"
  • Enhanced typesetting "offer faster reading with less eye strain and beautiful page layouts, even at larger font sizes"
  • Look Inside - a sample Kindle version available - which should be viewed if available. Generally this is
    • available for those processed for digital devices and
    • not available for those which are digital copies of printed books

The Best Instruction Books ​by top Botanical Artists / Teachers
​

ALL of the books listed below were first listed on my other pages about the Best Botanical Art Instruction Books 
  • They are all worthy of your consideration.
  • ​THIS PAGE addresses how well they can be viewed and read in the digital format chosen by their publishers.
  • A poor format does not make the book poor - it just means you'd be much better off buying it in hardback or soft back format. 

YOU CAN ALSO VISIT THIS LINK to the HARD BACK / PAPERBACK page / reviews​

Buying books via this website

You'll notice two links next to most books after the suggested action of "BUY THIS BOOK".

The links are to the respective titles (which are sometimes slightly different) at:
  • Amazon.com
  • Amazon.co.uk
Why buy via this website?
Two reasons:
  1. You will help offset the not insignificant cost of running this website. Think of it as a "Thank You" if you've enjoyed / appreciated the content. The links are associate links and each purchase generates a very small sum - and by  buying books you help this site to continue...
  2. You will be using a very secure link. I will only ever provide a link to a site that I KNOW is totally secure. Google is making security of sites a top priority and has endorsed Amazon's security status via its Transparency report
NOTE: All links below are Amazon Associate links which mean I earn a very small amount from each qualifying purchases 
​(e.g. books from Amazon) which helps offset costs associated with maintaining this very large website.​
The books below are all KINDLE books available from Amazon.  I indicate:
  • how you can preview the online version
  • ​how it reads via desktop and smartphone

​They are organised BY PUBLISHER as I find how they can be viewed is generally consistent by the standards applied by individual publishers
RECOMMENDATION
When purchasing an eBook you need to be sure that the format it is produced in can be read by your digital device.

​Wikipedia provides an analysis of the various formats which can be read by different digital devices.
​

Processed / converted for digital devices

Books which have been converted for reading for digital devices frequently include the following e-book features
  • Responsive - the viewable page is AUTOMATICALLY customises its rendering to the size of screen and the font size stays consistently readable (this does not happen with digital versions of printed books where the font size diminishes in size and can be unreadable unless manual adjustment is used)
  • Page Flip - allows you to page through the book
  • Hamburger menu - allows you to access the contents page and navigate to another part of the book
  • Enhanced typesetting which makes viewing easier eg you can change font and font size
  • Hyperlinks - may be included which take you to an external website
  • Word wise (or similar) - explains what particular words mean

The Best Instruction Books ​about Botanical Illustration
​

The Crowood Press

Crowood Press appears to understand what readers require of an eBook and provides versions which are reformatted to be capable of being responsive to different size screens and incorporate software allowing for ease of navigation and reading.
​
by Leigh Ann Gale

​Scrolling in 'Look Inside' indicates a publication which has been appropriately reformatted for digital reading.
'Hamburger' menu allows you to jump between sections
​You can also resize the font to make it comfortable reading for you
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crowood (2 July 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 100431 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Page Flip : Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 213 pages
Botanical Illustration from Amazon UK
by Valerie Oxley (+ review)

This book has been
  • properly reformatted for digital reading on a smart phone 
  • It includes good quality illustrations 
  • the font size is very readable.
A sample can be downloaded to a Kindle app - however this indicates arrows in use
This book does not support continuous scrolling
The Kindle version now includes a menu for easy navigation (I think people might be reading my reviews!)
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crowood (1 Aug. 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 36986 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
​Page flip: Enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 517 pages

Search Press

Search Press have opted for a digital version of the printed book with NO REFORMATTING.
This can mean that:
  • they're not all responsive to different size screens i.e. very difficult to view in anything other than a decent size tablet.
  • software features used for ebooks are not enabled
  • there has been no reformatting of the book. This has the potential to make the font size far too small on small screens and constant readjustment is required to read the words and move through the text
When inspecting their website it's very clear that the words "ebook", "read on iPad" are not ones they recognise;

You need to look carefully to see
  • WHEN the book was published - more recent publications have improved on earlier attempts at e-Books
  • whether the sample is in single page or double page spread format - latter makes life very difficult
by Işık Güner

This is a "Print Replica" version of this book as opposed to a proper digital version - which can cause problems with readability and navigation
​The print replica has been done one page at a time. 
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Search Press (31 July 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 56434 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Page Flip : Not Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
RECOMMENDED READ ON LARGE TABLETS ONLY
This is an excellent book which I highly recommend in its paperback version.
However when read as the sample version via Kindle:
  • it reads well on my iPad Pro and navigation is possible via page thumbnails at the bottom of the screen is permitted
  • BUT on my my iPhone 12 Pro Max there are no navigation options and the font size is far too small unless read in landscape format with constant adjustment using finger
by Christabel King

NOT RECOMMENDED VIA KINDLE
This has NOT been properly processed for online viewing. It's a digital version of the printed book - formatted as a double page spread.
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Search Press (1 Aug. 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 134333 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
The major issue with this book is the format focuses on a double page spread of the printed book.
  • In principle, the font size can be changed but you then can't look at the double page spread.
  • A sample can be downloaded to the Kindle App - but I found the double page spread approach to be VERY unsatisfactory on both my iPad Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
I suspect this was an early foray by Search Press into digital books and they really need to have another go at this one

The Best Instruction Books by Botanical Art Societies
​

 Read more about the hardback and paperback versions of the Best Instruction Books by Botanical Art Societies
​

American Society of Botanical Artists 
​

Botanical Art Techniques ​- A Comprehensive Guide to Pen and Ink, Watercolor, Colored Pencils, Etching, Egg Tempera, Oils, Casein, and More 
by the American Society of Botanical Artists.
​Edited by Carol Woodin and Robin Jess
NOT AVAILABLE as an eBook

Society of Botanical Artists / Batsford Press
​

Batsford understand how to format a book for digital consumption by readers. (see below)
​
RECOMMENDED: This book reads really well and very easily on my iPad Pro because:
  • content section is hyperlinked - hence you navigate to any section with ease
  • fonts and font size can be changed
  • there are options for scrolling, spacing and margins
Publisher ‏: ‎Batsford; Illustrated edition (5 Mar. 2015)
Language ‏: ‎English
File size ‏: ‎38007 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏: ‎Enabled
Screen Reader ‏: ‎Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏: ‎Enabled
X-Ray ‏: ‎Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏: ‎Not Enabled
Print length : ‎266 pages
LINK to the normal book page / reviews

A WORK IN PROGRESS

​

How to get your full size e-Book listed on this page
​

If you want your booklet listed please contact me and then email me a copy as I check out educational instruction that I list.

​Note that e-Books must be accessible on ALL screen sizes to be listed on this page​

What I need to know:
  • Title
  • No. of Pages
  • No. of Illustrations
  • Format (and how this can be accessed)
  • Digital Rights Management - is access encrypted / limited?
  • Price
  • Summary of what it covers
  • Target audience e.g. Beginners / Intermediate / Advanced
Please send this information first. If it looks suitable and your teaching experience / credentials are appropriate I'll ask you to give me access to a copy for review - prior to listing.

    Please list my eBook
​The Best Botanical Art and Illustration Instruction Books