Find out about Bobbi Angell's contributions to books about botanical illustration
Bobbi Angell is a professional botanical illustrator, whose name is extremely well known within the botanical art and illustration community within the USA - but maybe less well known in other parts of the world. 

Like most professional botanical illustrators, her monochrome images are typically created from herbarium specimens, pickled flowers, photographs and field sketches - and are widely published in scientific publications.

Besides her technical scientific illustrations for a wide variety of scholarly publications, she has co-authored two publications which assist the botanical illustrator who is aiming to improve both knowledge and skills. They are:
  • Botanical Illustration: Preparation for Publication  (1986) by Noel H. Holmgren and Bobbi Angell
  • A Botanist's Vocabulary: 1300 Terms Explained and Illustrated (2016) by Susan K. Pell and Bobbi Angell

The books were published 30 years apart in 1986 and 2016. I've got a used copy of her first book (that's my copy in the banner!) and ordered a brand new copy of her new book and both are valuable items on my botanical art bookshelves.

READ MORE ABOUT THEM BELOW.

About the Author: Bobbi Angell
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In 1978 Bobbi Angell graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in botany.  She has been a freelance professional botanical illustrator ever since and illustrated more than 2,000 species.

​She has drawn scientific illustrations of plants for publication, for the botanists of the New York Botanical Garden and many other academic institutions around the world. Her work has been published in including Orchid Flora of the Greater Antilles, International Flora, Vines of Puerto Rico, and Guide to the Vascular Plants of Central French Guiana. Her drawings have also illustrated more popular books, articles and other publications  for gardeners.  She also illustrated The New York Times “Garden Q&A” column.

When not pursuing the 'day job' she also produces very beautiful botanical fine art print using copper engraving.

She is a member of the American Society of Botanical artists and New England Society of Botanical Artists. ​Her artwork is held in collections including: The New York Botanical Garden, Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Shirley Sherwood Collection,and Brooklyn Botanical Garden Florilegium.

You can read more about her in
Botanical Illustration: Preparation for Publication 
​by Noel H. Holmgren and Bobbi Angell
This is a unique technical manual - an instruction and reference book for professional botanical illustrators preparing illustrations for publication. 

It might be summarised as a "how to guide for drawing plants for publication".

​It focuses on how to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way

However it was published in 1986 - more than 30 years ago!

It may be out of date - in that it doesn't cover digital techniques for producing botanical illustrations or the latest publishing methods - however, in terms of classic approaches to producing botanical illustrations for publication, this is probably one of the best reference books for botanical illustrators ever produced.
Scope: It covers:
  • working relationships between authors (botanists) and botanical illustrators
  • basic art tools and materials and their use and care
  • the size and proportion of plates
  • how to prepare figure labels and captions
  • plant illustrations - practical pointers on what to do and look for
  • maps and graphs, photographs and other half tone work
  • how to ship, store and care for your illustrations
  • Annotated Bibliography

I'd heard it was very good and got it out of interest and found it contained much of interest to the contemporary botanical illustrator.

​The discussion of different tools, materials and their uses alone would make it a valuable addition to the library of a serious botanical artist.

CAUTION! You may have to look long and hard for a reasonably priced copy. Importing from the USA may seem like a reasonable proposition!


​Paperback: 74 pages
Publisher: New York Botanical Garden Pr Dept
Publication Date: February 1, 1986

BUY IN THE USA
Rated an average of 5 out of 5 stars by 1 customer review
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Rated an average of 5 out of 5 stars by 1 customer review

Her co-author was Dr. Noel Holmgren who was associated with The New York Botanical Garden for over 50 years, first as a graduate student, then as Curator (at the time of the book), and finally Senior Curator Emeritus (retired 2005). He was also Chairman of The New York Botanical Garden Scientific Publications Committee.
A Botanist's Vocabulary: 1300 Terms Explained and Illustrated
by Susan K. Pell and Bobbi Angell
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
This book explains 1300 botanical terms and illustrates these using Bobbi Angell's impeccable pen and ink botanical illustrations.

Terms are organised alphabetically - so if you come across one you don't know it's easy to look it up. They most relate to plants structures i.e. what the botanical illustrator observes and represents. They also include synonyms and antonyms.
Botanical illustrators need to understand the different terms that botanists, naturalists and gardeners use to explain different features of a plant.

However, even if you've already got a dictionary of botanical terms, this book is worth getting to receive an education in the botanical illustration of different parts plants in pen and ink by an artist who is an expert, extremely experienced and much published in a wide variety of scholarly publications!

​Students looking for a reference text for botanical terms AND developing monochrome illustrations will find it invaluable.
“Bobbi Angell’s incisive illustrations not only show the botanical structures clearly, but the plant subjects are carefully chosen to be recognizable to many.” --Gardens Illustrated
Reviews: 
Hardcover: 228 pages
Publisher: Timber Press
Publication date: May 25, 2016

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Rated an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars by 18 customer reviews
BUY IN THE UK
Rated an average of 5 out of 5 stars by 1 customer review

Her co-author was Susan K. Pell, Ph.D., former Director of Science at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, is the Deputy Director and Science and Public Programs Manager at the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C.
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“A most welcomed addition to the reference toolkits of both hobbyist and professional botanists alike. Unlike many traditional dictionaries of botanical terminology, this book is not only easy to use but pleasing on the eyes as well. . . . a must have reference piece.” --Economic Botany
Bobbi Angell creates richly detailed pen and ink drawings for botanists at the New York Botanical Garden and other institutions, and for many years illustrated the New York Times Garden Q&A column. A gardener and printmaker as well as an illustrator, she lives in southern Vermont.
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