Best Botanical Art Instruction Books - using Graphite and Coloured Pencils
​

Coloured Pencils are a medium much used by a number of botanical artists because they allow for the precision required in meticulous realism.  

​There are a number of leading coloured pencil artists who provide instruction via teaching courses and workshops. However a much smaller number have written books which are listed below.
Graphite is also a popular medium for some botanical artists - particularly those leaning towards botanical illustration.  

It's also a very useful medium for quick tonal studies and developing artwork prior to considering the application of colour.
Books reviewed are:
  • ​Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils (2009) by Ann Swan
  • Botanical Drawing using Graphite and Coloured Pencils (2016) by Sue Vize
  • The Joy of Botanical Drawing: ​A Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing and Painting Flowers, Leaves, Fruit, and More ​(2020) by Wendy Hollender
  • Botanical Drawing in Color: ​A Basic Guide to Mastering Realistic Form and Naturalistic Color (2010) by Wendy Hollender
  • Fundamental Graphite Techniques (2010) by Katie Lee
  • Botanical Drawing (2018) by Penny Brown

Botanical Drawing - Coloured Pencils

Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils by Ann Swan

​Detailed Book Review - press button
This is the first ever book written by an RHS gold medal winning artist to deal in depth with the execution of botanical art in coloured pencils to exhibition standard. It's an invaluable guide to those wanting to develop their skills in using coloured pencils for botanical art. 
Katherine Tyrrell
This is a book on rendering botanical art in coloured pencil by RHS Gold Medal winning artist and SBA Member Ann Swan - one of the leading coloured pencil artists in the world.

Anne is a very popular coloured pencil tutor and her workshops get booked up very fast.

​Hence this book is a very welcome addition to the libraries of coloured pencil artists who want to develop their botanical art skills.

Read my in-depth Book review: Botanical Painting with Coloured Pencils on a separate page.
Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Collins in UK / Barron's Educational Series in USA
Publication date: 1 April 2009 (2010 in USA)
​
Average Customer Rating out of 5 stars:
  • in UK: 4.6 based on 452 customer reviews
  • in USA: 4.6 based on 439 customer reviews​

BUY THIS BOOK​
Botanical Drawing using Graphite and Coloured Pencils
by Sue Vize
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
What's different about this book is it focuses on working through techniques for botanical drawing while focused on different parts of the plant e.g. roots and storage organs, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit and seeds. Plus also considers the particular demands of spirals and fungi. It has a constant emphasis on the botanical as well as the artistic.
What this book provides is DETAIL in relation to instruction - and LOTS of it.

This in turn makes it especially appreciated by lots of buyers. The tips highlighted in boxes are especially helpful and very accessible.
It covers:
  • techniques for using both graphite and coloured pencils - including tips about colour mixing. There is more emphasis on graphite than some buyers expect - despite the title!
  • practical matters eg keeping plants fresh and the best way of working
  • how to portray challenging aspects of plants using pencils e.g. bloom, texture and small hairs

​Sue Vize is a member of SBA and ASBA and is an experienced botanical artist/tutor with artwork in the RHS Lindley Library and the collection of the Hunt Institute of Botanical Documentation.
Paperback: 176 pages
over 300 illustrations
​Publisher: The Crowood Press Ltd
Publication date: 15 June 2016

Average Customer Rating out of 5 stars:
  • in UK: 4.6 based on 171 customer reviews
  • in USA: 4.6 based on 167 customer reviews​

BUY THIS BOOK​
The Joy of Botanical Drawing
​A Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing and Painting Flowers, Leaves, Fruit, and More 
​by Wendy Hollender
Cover of
Cover of "The Joy of Botanical Drawing" by Wendy Hollender
RECOMMENDED
Wendy Hollender is an American botanical artist who has been providing instruction in the use of coloured pencils and watercolour pencils for botanical art and illustration for a very long time. She has a wealth of experience in teaching - which will provide excellent grounding for the lessons to be found in this book. Plus very many followers - which will doubtless lead to good sales. The Amazon listing now provides various images which deliver a comprehensive "look inside". The book appears well designed and the content looks good. It also clearly indicates that Wendy writes well - in a coherent and accessible way.​
SCOPE
An easy-to-follow guide to realistic botanical drawing for those who enjoy drawing nature and creating realistic plant portraits. Wendy Hollender shares her drawing techniques for coloured pencils and watercolour pencils:
  • using short lessons that start simple
  • build on the basics with easy to use step by step instructions
Examples of scientifically accurate botanical portraits in the book include
  • a spiraling pine cone,
  • a spiky chestnut,
  • a fuchsia-tinged radish,
  • a morning glory and others.
Techniques cover a range of textures from delicate petals to stems and textured bark. 
Wendy Hollender is a botanical artist, illustrator, author, and instructor who works predominantly in coloured pencils. Her work has been exhibited at the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, and the Smithsonian National Museum for Natural History. She is currently an instructor at the New York Botanical Garden and is also the author of Botanical Drawing in Color (see below)
BASICS:
  • Paperback: 192 pages ​Also available as a Kindle edition
  • Publisher: Watson-Guptill 
  • Publication Date: April 7, 2020
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1984856715
  • ISBN-13: 978-1984856715
  • Product Dimensions: 216 x 279 mm (8-1/2 x 11 in)
Average Customer Rating out of 5 stars:
  • in UK: 4.7 based on 582 customer reviews
  • in USA: 4.7 based on 630 customer reviews
BUY THIS BOOK IN NORTH AMERICA
BUY THIS BOOK IN THE UK
Botanical Drawing in Color:
​A Basic Guide to Mastering Realistic Form and Naturalistic Color
by Wendy Hollender
Wendy Hollender's approach in this book is to tackle form first and colour second. It focuses on:
  • single light source toning techniques
  • principles of perspective for drawing flowers
  • the fundamentals of plant anatomy
  • coloured pencil techniques and colour theory of the natural world
The book also has lots of exercises and discussion of art supplies.​
Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Watson-Guptill
Publication date: 1 Oct. 2010

Average Customer Rating out of 5 stars: 
4.8 based on 356 customer ratings (global)

BUY THIS BOOK​

Botanical Drawing - in Graphite

Fundamental Graphite Techniques
by Katie Lee
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: The book is all about graphite and nothing but how to draw using graphite! I'm also impressed with the quality of instruction which is much better quality than many other books which reference graphite as a drawing medium.
I became aware of this book for the first time on a visit to the Chelsea School of Botanical Art where the book is imported and sold to students as a basic text book.

Katie Lee is a graduate of the New York Botanical Garden Botanical Illustration program. She has been an instructor at NYBG for 28 years, at Coastal Maine Botanic Gardens for 12 years and has taught at various venues internationally.

​The author creates natural history art as well botanical art - hence the bird on the cover. It's particularly relevant to those who are also like doing both natural history and botanical art.
It comprises 33 worksheets designed to teach graphite techniques, and build confidence and control. It covers:
  • Fundamentals - the basics of how to draw eg lines, contours, value scales, how to hatch and the different grades of graphite
  • Working in Layers - focused on how to develop a range of tonal values and how this varies on convex, concave and spherical surfaces
  • The process - of developing a drawing of a subject in graphite
The worksheets are very precise and provide step-by-step instructions.

Note that the book is spiral bound - which is a joy when you want a book to lie open and flat so you can follow a worksheet!
Hardcover (11.25 x 8.75 in.) with Spiral Binding​
176 pages
Publisher: Lydia Inglett Publishing
Publication date: 2010

RECOMMENDED BY:
  • Chelsea School of Botanical Art
  • Denver Botanic Gardens School of Botanical Art & Illustration
  • Botanic Artists for Education and the Environment

My recommendation (if your tutor cannot supply it) would be buy a new book direct from Katie unless the cost plus shipping is more expensive (e.g. international shipping for this big heavy book is over $30)

This book has never been listed on Amazon by the artist. However new and used books are listed by third parties for ludicrous sums from time to time - check them out below!

BUY IN THE UK
Fundamental Graphite Techniques from Amazon UK (used books only may be currently unavailable)
​
​BUY IN THE USA
Fundamental Graphite Techniques from Amazon.com (used books only)
Botanical Drawing
by Penny Brown
RECOMMENDED: This book is a detailed manual for those wanting to learn to produce botanical drawings using graphite. ​
​Penny Brown is the author and illustrator of ten books - and this is her latest.
It contains 10 projects for those who like learning on this basis
  • Drawing a simple flower
  • Drawing a mushroom
  • William Pear
  • Poppy Seed Head
  • Peas and Pods
  • Apple Blossom
  • Common Grape Hyacinth
  • Cape Gooseberry
  • Dutch Iris
  • Freesia
  • Sweet Vernal Grass
  • Pot Marigold
​Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Search Press Ltd (11 Jan. 2018)
Language: English

Average Customer Rating out of 5 stars:
  • 4.5 based on 300 customer reviews (UK)
  • 4.5 based on 309 customer reviews (UK)

​BUY IN THE UK

​BUY IN THE USA