Find out about Billy Showell's books about botanical portraits
- painting flowers, fruit and vegetables in watercolour
Billy Showell enjoys worldwide acclaim as a tutor and her instruction books get top ratings from her legion of fans.
Books by Billy Showell
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This page covers:
  • Billy Showell's Botanical Painting in Watercolour (2016)
  • A-Z of Flower Portraits: An illustrated guide to painting 40 beautiful flowers in watercolour (2010)​
  • Watercolour Fruit & Vegetable Portraits (2009 / 2014)
  • Watercolour Flower Portraits (2006 / 2014)
Banner photo: Four of Billy Showell's paintings at the Annual Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists in 2016. The painting of peonies was the feature image of the exhibition (catalogue cover etc.) and she was awarded a Certificate of Botanical Merit for the painting of seaweed on the right
Billy is best known as a best selling author of four very popular and highly recommended instruction books about botanical painting. Her books are very much about botanical art rather than botanical illustration.  She is also a very popular teacher of botanical painting through courses, workshops and her online website.  She teaches in the UK, USA and Australia.

I've met many botanical art students who've said that her books have helped them a great deal. I think one of the things people particularly like is she communicates very well - both when demonstrating in person and when writing her books and producing her videos.
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I also see her paintings every year in the exhibitions of the Society of Botanical Artists in London. She's an excellent artist with a very strong and unique sense of design and composition. Her books are highly recommended for those who want to try developing the design aspects of their portraits of botanical subject matter.
About Billy Showell
  • Billy graduated from St Martins School of Art with a degree in fashion design and illustration. She subsequently changed direction - to the benefit of botanical art.
  • Billy has won five Certificates of Botanical Merit as well as other awards at annual exhibitions of the Society of Botanical Artists
  • She has work in the collection of the Hunt Institute and Kew archives.
  • In 2017, she won a Gold Medal at BISCOT and was awarded 'Best in Show Painting' for one of her paintings.
  • Billy is President Elect of the Society of Botanical Artists and will become President in 2018.
"Practice, planning and perfection are the keys to success"
Billy Showell

Billy Showell's Botanical Painting in Watercolour by Billy Showell

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Billy's latest book focuses on what's required for Botanical Painting and is very comprehensive and immensely practical. 

You'd think that by now Billy Showell has little new left to say about botanical painting - but you'd be wrong!

If you buy just one of the Billy's books I'd recommend you buy this one. 
Amazon: out of 5 stars, rated an average of:
  • 4.8 by 735 customer reviews (UK)
  • 4.8 by 737 customer reviews (USA)
Goodreads: Rated 4.7 by 35 ratings

​#1 New Release in Watercolor Painting on Amazon BEFORE it was even published in the USA!

In GENERIC terms, it currently ranks as 
Billy is both articulate and economical with words - making her points simply and clearly. This means that all the text contributes useful and in some cases invaluable information.

It might look simple at first glance bit it's actually very dense in terms of the information and techniques and tips shared - which is why I've highlighted what some of these are about. The icing on the cake is that the paintings are also fascinating to look at and the step by step demonstrations of which there are a few are very informative.

This book includes:
  • a very comprehensive section of all the art media, equipment and tools required by a botanical artist
  • working from life - including: how to preserve your plant material; a checklist of questions for observation of your subject; dissection and measuring
  • practical methods for drawing plants
  • different painting tools and techniques for painting botanical subjects
plus lots and lots of very practical tips throughout.
​The section of basic watercolour painting techniques - applied to botanical painting - includes:
  • how to work wet-in-wet, lift out paint and dab out colour
  • how to work wet on dry and drop in colour and water
  • how to work using a dry brush technique
  • how to blend colours and overlay glazes
  • how to build colour and deepen colours using glazes
  • how to life out and remove fine lines, highlights and veins
  • how to create persuasive shadow areas
  • how to use tools to achieve special effects
A selection of more detailed techniques for painting features and surfaces of plants and flowers - includes:
  • how to paint detail
  • how to paint stems of different types and sizes
  • how to tackle the convolutions associated with pleats, folds and fluted edges, fused petals, serrated edges and prickly surfaces
  • how to achieve a pattern
  • how to paint different types of surfaces - furry, velvety, bloom, downy, hairy, fluffy, crinkly, shiny, and pitted;
  • intelligent comments about various hues and paints;
  • how to achieve different colour mixes including the secrets of mixing blacks for very dark blooms;
  • a checklist of pointers when considering composition plus how to place a subject on the page, create balance and use shapes for your design;
  • how to stretch and finish your work - including how to flatten a paper that has cockled​
Click here to view the errata slip for this title
This is a rave review Billy Showell's new book! by a Polish botanical artist ​
​BUY IN THE UK
  • Hardcover: 192 pages
  • Kindle edition also available
  • Publisher: Search Press Ltd
  • Publication date: 21 Mar. 2016
BUY IN THE USA
  • Hardcover: 192 pages
  • Kindle edition also available
  • Publisher: Search Press Ltd
  • Publication date: July 12, 2016​

A-Z of Flower Portraits: 
An Illustrated Guide to Painting 40 Beautiful Flowers in Watercolour
by Billy Showell​
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Amazon: out of 5 stars, rated an average of:
  • in UK: 4.8 based on 300 customer reviews
  • in USA: 4.7 based on 294 customer reviews​​
This rapidly became an extremely popular book when first published because it provided the sort of detail often lacking in more conventional books about how to paint flowers.

​It includes 40 flower projects - in alphabetical order.

It focuses on a number of projects to paint different types of flowers with different challenges in each.  It features:
  • clear and concise instructions
  • a solid overview of the skills required to paint flowers

​Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Search Press
Publication date: September 1, 2010

BUY THIS BOOK

Watercolour Fruit & Vegetable Portraits
by Billy Showell
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Amazon: out of 5 stars, rated an average of:
  • 4.7 by 219 customer reviews (UK)
  • 4.8 by 215 customer reviews​ (USA)
There aren't too many botanical art books which focus purely on fruit and vegetables - as this one does.

The first half of the book deals with
  • Drawing,
  • Colour,
  • Composition,
  • Techniques and
  • Light and Shade.

The second half then goes on to apply this knowledge and skills in step by step project which include projects about Kohl Rabi, Pumpkin Still Life, Lemons and Heart of Berries


​Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Search Press Ltd
Publication date: March 2009
Reprint edition: 9 May 2014

​BUY THIS BOOK

Watercolour Flower Portraits by Billy Showell
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Amazon: out of 5 stars, rated an average of:
  • 4.6 by 92 customer reviews (UK)
  • 4.7 by 84 customer reviews (USA)​
Billly's first book is invaluable for those wanting to develop their skills in painting flowers

This book began doing very well when it was chosen to be the lead title by the largest art book club in the USA!

This isn't a book for the complete beginner as it assumes quite a lot of experience with watercolour painting. It's more for the watercolour painter who now wants to become great at painting flowers without any visible means of support!

Projects include: Slipper Orchid, Green Goddess Lily, Roses and Delphinium

​Paperback: 128 pages
Published: 2006
Publisher: Search Press (2014)
[Cover revised in 2021]
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BUY THIS BOOK

​This is the previous cover - to avoid confusion. The book is the same only the cover got updated.

Video review of Billy Showell's Books
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This is a review by a big fan of Billy Showell's books. She's NOT a botanical artist but she's a huge fan of the scope and detail of the techniques demonstrated in the books. She's particularly positive about the number of images used for each technique demonstration.
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