The Botanical Palette - Colour for the Botanical Painter
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Synopsis

​This book focuses solely on the subject of how to achieve the right colour in botanical art using different mixes of watercolour paints. It provides a very authoritative and helpful guide to this topic.
  • Issues addressed are those considered challenging or just plain scary by a questionnaire sent by the author to 100 students on the SBA Distance Learning Diploma Course
  • Includes 17 step-by-step demonstrations by members of the Society focused on different colours and shades.
  • Each colour frequently used by botanical artists is considered in turn.​
  • ​The book is of most use to artists working in watercolour paint.
Summary

Getting the colour right is one of the main challenges for a botanical artist. Consequently it can also be one of the aspects of which causes the most worry to aspiring botanical artists.

​​This book focuses solely on the subject of how to achieve the right colour in botanical art. It provides a very authoritative and helpful guide to this topic - and will doubtless be welcomed by all those seeking to develop and improve the quality of their botanical art.

Note: The Book is out of print but can still be purchased new or used from specific book dealers online
"Deep and bright colours were just plain scary to many people"
Margaret Stevens - commenting on questionnaire results
Highlights:
  • ​an overview of colour issues which crop up time and time again - identified via a poll of Diploma students
  • ​charts of colour comparisons of artists' quality watercolour paints 
  • a very authoritative book written by an extremely well qualified author ably assisted by contributions demonstrations by fellow members of the Society of Botanical Artists.
Think Again?
  • ​More limited contributions in relation to coloured pencils.  Most of the book is about watercolour.
  • Brands have updated watercolour colours and changed recipes so the colour information by brand will have dated (It's a problem experienced by any book which comments on specific colours and brands)
"The aim of this book is to provide guidance through the rainbow of the botanical palette and to help the aspiring artist and student to gain confidence"
Margaret Stevens - Introduction 
Author

This book was written by Margaret Stevens GM, PPSBA. She worked professionally as a botanical artist for many years. She received 13 medals from the RHS including the Gold and Silver Gilt Lindley medal for work of special educational interest.

She is a Past President of the Society of Botanical Artists  - the first botanical art society in the world, At the time of writing the book she was also Founder and First Course Director of the SBA's unique Distance Learning Diploma Course in Botanical Art and had worked as a tutor in the field of botanical art / adult education for over 20 years.  
The book was written in association with the Society of Botanical Artists - many of whose artists contributed botanical artwork for the book.  This was the second book in a series of four written by Maragaret in association with members of the SBA.

Another essential read is my 2009 interview with her - A Making A Mark Interview with Margaret Stevens - in which she discussed the Diploma Course.
Who should buy this book?:
  • botanical artists
  • botanical art students
  • teachers of botanical art and illustration
  • floral painters
  • natural history painters
  • anybody who likes drawing and nature
  • anybody investing in good quality botanical art books

Who should not buy this book?
  • painters who don't have any affinity with the natural plant world

​My initial assessment is that this book is likely to provide lots of helpful advice for the beginning or intermediate artist. Those who are much more experienced are likely to find sections of the book - such as the colour comparisons - extremely interesting.
This is now OUT OF PRINT. Consequently it is a VERY EXPENSIVE book in both the UK or the USA, even when purchased as a used book.
Hardcover: 144 pages
​UK Publisher: Collins | 1st edition: 1 October 2007; 
​USA Smithsonian | 1 edition: Sepetember, 2008

Average Customer Rating out of 5 stars:
  • in UK: 4.6 based on 9 customer reviews
  • in USA: 4.3 based on 18 customer reviews​

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More about the book...
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Features of the book

It includes an overview of the colour issues experienced by botanical artists which crop up time and time again at the beginning and throughout the book. This was informed by a survey of students on the SBA Diploma course - in which they identified problems they had with colour.

​These include:
  • how to achieve clean strong colour
  • transparency and lightfastness
  • the differences between colours of the same name by different manufacturers. Pigments, binders and fillers may all vary.
  • lighting of subject and artwork
  • mixing greys
  • finding shadow tones for different colours
Gallery of Botanical Art 

The book includes a gallery of botanical art by members of the SBA - including 18 subjects given full colour pages plates at the end of the book.
Projects include...

Eight projects which include:
  • a simplified ink drawing for tracing and copying the step by step
  • a chart of suggested colours to use
  • plus a demonstration of the artist's working method.
Chapters cover...

The books contains chapters and 17 step-by-step demonstrations by members of the Society on each of the following colours. All demonstrations provides details about the colours used.
  • White -  Lily demo by Margaret Stevens PSBA + mixing greys exercise by Valerie Wright
  • Yellow - Rhododendron demo by Kay Rees-Davies SBA + Sunflower demo by Paul Fennell SBA + Day Lily demo in coloured pencils by Ann Swan
  • Green - Plantain Lily - demo by Janet Wood SBA + Madagascar Jasmine demo in coloured pencils by Ann Swan
  • Blue - Himalayan Poppy demo by Brigitte M Daniel SBA + Delphinium demo by Vicky Mappin SBA ) Iris siberica demo by Susan Christopher-Coulson in coloured pencils
  • Purple - Columbine Acquilegia demo by Valerie Baines SBA + Clematis demo by Brenda Watts SBA (which starts off vivid pink!)
  • Red - Cyclamen demo by Jennifer Jenkins SBA + Poppy Papaver Orientalis demo by Sandra Wall Armitage SBA + Peony demo by Susan Hiller SBA + Red Rhododenron by Susan Martin Assoc SBA
  • Brown - Bearded Iris Iris germanica demo by Barbara McGirr SBA 
  • Black - Tulip 'Queen of the Night' demo in coloured pencils by Susan Christopher Coulson SBA

​For coloured pencil artists, demonstrations are provided by Susan Christopher-Coulson SBA (using Derwent Artists) and Ann Swan SBA and Susan Martin ASBA (both using Faber Castell Polychromos) .

The book includes charts of colour comparisons of artists' quality watercolour paints from Daler Rowney, Schminke, Sennelier, Winsor and Newton.​
  • These place colours with very similar names side by side so you can see the differences in colour.
  • Each colour is also described and designated according to whether it is transparent, semi-transparent, opaque or semi-opaque.
At the time I felt sure that this particular section will be pored over by those keen to understand better how individual brands and colours can contribute to

That was 10 years ago and I now feel it is more likely that people will now use the charts of colours and pigments as a baseline for developing their own charts as they develop their own knowledge about how different pigments and branded colours behave.
This was based on a book review (not in this format) which was first published on Making A Mark on 12 November 2007.