NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

A Spring Clean for Education of Botanical Artists!

12/4/2021

This weekend I gave the Education Section of the Botanical Art and Artists website a much needed "Spring Clean". My aim was to make

navigation of the education section a lot easier
increase awareness of the full range of information available in this section - for FREE.

To that end I've "made over" / revamped / revised two key "entry" pages on the topic of education on the website, namely:

Education - the entry page / portal for the topic as a whole
The Best Instruction Books about Botanical Art and Illustration - the entry page for all my information about botanical art instruction books for beginners and improvers.

The Education Page

The new layout of the Education Page makes it much easier to see:

the main topics covered by the Education Section
the range - breadth and depth - of the information on offer - for FREE!

CLICK THE BLUE LINKS (generally titles of pages) to go to each of the pages in the section

LEARNING OPTIONS are divided into:

self-directed learning - for those who like to learn on their own at their own pace
more formal instruction opportunities - in terms of structured courses, classes and workshops - both face to face and online .

SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING

This section covers tuition and learning opportunities around the world and online for those who prefer to "go it alone".

BELOW is an image of part of the new Education Page and an example of two of the pages devoted to those wanting to learn on their own - where beginners and improvers have access to the internet.

Tips and Techniques is one of the most popular parts of the website - and hopefully now more people may appreciate bits they maybe "missed" before.

Two of the pages for self-directed learning

FORMAL INSTRUCTION

This section is for those who want to access formal / structured learning opportunities by:
* travelling to classes, courses and workshops where they live, in their own country or around the world
* OR access formal tuition either online - for those who can use digital technology - or via correspondence.

The next image covers an example of two of the pages related to formal instruction opportunities to learn more about how to create botanical art and illustration. There are more!

Two of the pages relating to more formal instruction opportunities - online and around the world

At the bottom of the EDUCATION page there is:

links to more resources to aid education
forms for eligible teachers to notify
- new courses in 2021-22
- updates to existing courses in 2021.

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The Best Instruction Books
about Botanical Art and Illustration

One of the more important topics in Education is about the instruction books I recommend.

Some of my botanical art instruction books

I've adopted the same approach for the section about The Best Instruction Books about Botanical Art and Illustration.

After a short introduction, the page now has a set of QUICK LINKS to the various pages in this very important sub-section of the main Education topic. This summary lists the contributors to the books recommended on each page.

For example here's a SUMMARY of two of the pages in this section. Click the blue title below the image to go to those pages.

The Best Instruction Books by Botanical Artists and botanical art societies

COMMENTS WELCOME

I trust you find this new arrangement makes it easier to see what information is available on the website - and that you find something new and interesting to view/read!

If you have any suggestions for any other improvements, please let me know via comments on this post or contacting me direct

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Exploring the Future of Botanical Image Making with Laurence Hill

24/1/2021

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Yesterday I sat down in front of my television - switched to YouTube, found the Linnean Society YouTube Channel - and watched an excellent video about "Exploring the Future of Botanical Image Making | Laurence Hill" - which you also can see below. It's

a slideshow video with LOTS of images and commentary by Laurence
followed by a discussion via Zoom with questions asked by those who watched it in real time.
one of their Lunchtime Lectures series

Below you can find out

why I'm highly recommending this video
where you can find out more about botanical photography
where you can find out more about the work and botanical images of Laurence Hill

Our digitally connected world is profoundly image led yet the practice of botanical image making, and types of image commissioned is little changed in several hundred years. Laurence Hill uses examples from the Fritillaria Icones Project, to look at structuring images for online use and wider uses within botanical science and science communication.

I've known Laurence for some time - having first met him at the RHS Show in 2014 where he was exhibiting his botanical photography about Fritillaria. He is a botanical researcher who happens to take photographs to reveal different ways of recording plants. (see below)

He is always pushing the boundaries and thinking about new ways in which botanical images can tell stories and be more accessible to help others tell their stories.

The reason I'm highly recommending this video to botanical artists is that some of the things Laurence has to say will, I know, stimulate some artists into rethinking what they are doing in terms of drawing / painting / displaying / sharing images of plants. It's that basic. Laurence challenges the traditional and asks us to consider ways in which the effort employed might be made informative and useful and tell stories and help people understand the world we live in rather better. I'd be very surprised if there was no change in practice as a result of all the botanical artists watching this video.

Note: One of the good things about the Linnean Society is they've been recording lectures via video for some time. I also recommend a meander through the content on their YouTube Channel

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More about botanical photography

You can read more about botanical photography on the following pages on my Botanical Art and Artists website

HISTORY: Famous Botanical Photographers
CONTEMPORARY: You can find Notable contemporary botanical photographers on my page about people working on other media - Botanical Printmakers, Photographers, Sculptors and Digital Illustrators

More about Laurence Hill

In simple terms I photograph plants and share them with others but by applying a set of carefully considered rules these photographs have a value which goes beyond this unassuming act. For more than a decade I have used digital technologies to explore new ways of recording and presenting botanical science and I am particularly interested in how a systematic photographic approach can produce new insights. Similarly how digital image ‘sets’ as voucher specimens will enhance and extend the value of research. We need to consider how we present, link and verify digital data and the Fritillaria Icones website is my contribution to this emerging field.

Laurence Hill with his intensely botanical and extremely well presented exhibit of Fritillaria affinis and a discussion and demonstration of plant variability relative to the agreed taxonomic description of one species of a wild plant

You can read more about Laurence Hill and his digital photography as follows

website: http://www.fritillariaicones.com/ - his photographic botanical database to help with the identification, research and conservation of Fritillaria. This is an Open Access web based resource, available to anyone anywhere regardless of means and without the need to travel to various libraries and herbaria.
Laurence Hill has won RHS Gold Medals for Botanical Photography as follows:
- 2014 - Kobaimo - Japanese Endemic Fritillaria - Reflections on the RHS Botanical Art Show Autumn 2014
- 2017 - Deconstructed Fritillaria (Click to download PDF (19.2MB) of images) - see RHS Awards for Botanical Photography 2017
- 2018- Species Boundaries: Fritillaria affinis - see RHS London Botanical Photography Show 2018 - Awards and Medal Winners

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40th Anniversary of the School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens

9/11/2020

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This is a lovely video about the activities of the School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens. It was made to celebrate:

its 40th anniversary
the 30th anniversary of its certificate program.

I think it must be the oldest botanical art school in the world. I'm hard put to think of one which is older. (Any suggestions?)

Below is the video on the (public) Facebook Page for the SBAI but if you prefer to view on YouTube this is the link

The video highlights how the School is only the third group to win an RHS Gold Medal (in 2017) in the history of the Royal Horticultural Society - and I was extremely pleased to be able to photograph Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski, Ph.D., D.Sc. at the time. Mervi led the School as Manager for the last 13 years until her retirement earlier this year. Much of what I have admired about the School has been down to initiatives by Mervi.

I'm looking forward to meeting up with her again when Covid lets her husband and her embark on their retirement tour of Europe!

Mervi Hjelmroos-Koski, Ph.D., D.Sc. with the RHS Gold Medal winning exhibit

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Find out more about Botanical Art Education and Diplomas & Certificates

REFERENCE LINKS: The School of Botanical Art & Illustration at Denver Botanic Gardens

If you'd like to know more about the School these links tell you a lot.

WEBSITE: https://www.botanicgardens.org/education/school-botanical-art-illustration
FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/SchoolOfBotanicalArtAndIllustration/
BLOG: Botanical Illustration - which has always been open access in the past but now seems to be open to invited people only. (I'm rather surprised as I always thought his blog did the most amazing job of marketing both the school and its Diploma in Botanical Illustration and Foundation Certificate.

For educational organisations interested in submitting an exhibit to the RHS Botanical Art Show as a Group, can I refer you to:

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NEW: Distance Learning Courses for Botanical Drawing and Painting

7/7/2020

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There has been so much change since March in relation to teaching botanical art and illustration that I'm reorganising and revamping my Education pages - with the aim of making them more informative and accessible.

As a result, I've created a NEW page about longer Distance Learning Courses for Botanical Drawing and Painting for those who:

either cannot access courses which involve use of a computer
or prefer to digest their instruction on the written page and use post rather than computers - although some may be happy to use email.

This page will be dedicated to structured modular courses which are

NOT face to face in a classroom and
may take 12 months+ or more to complete.

Introduction to the Distance Learning Page

Distance Learning is method of studying without the student needing to attend a school or college.
Lessons are normally conducted via correspondence.
Dialogue with the student is normally written communication in terms of guidelines/assignments provided
Artwork is normally submitted by post or email with feedback via post or email
Face to face contact is typically either limited or non-existent.
(Introduction)

The page covers the following:

Responses to Frequently Asked Questions about Distance Learning Courses
- Can I learn about how to produce botanical art without a computer?
- What are the main benefits of distance learning courses?
- What's expected of me / what do I need to do to complete the course?
Listing of providers of distance learning courses (long and structured NOT short courses)
- note re. accreditations of courses
- list of organisations
- list of individuals

If the course is offered by an organisation, this must be an organisation which is a legal entity which has its own website

If the course is offered by an individual artist the criteria for listing are as follows:

reserved for those EXPERIENCED teachers of botanical art and illustration who
- develop a LONG and WELL STRUCTURED course of instruction in botanical art and illustration
- develop a formal prospectus (documentation) - which includes a Statement of Learning Outcomes
- deliver the course via distance learning (ie either via post or email).
- are explicit about all fees and terms and conditions.

requirements for distance learning courses

From the new website page about Distance Learning Courses for Botanical art - by post and email

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ABBA: Beginner's Botany for Botanical Art

17/6/2020

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The Association of British Artists is developing a resource about Beginner's Botany for Botanical Art. This post highlights what is available.

It's part of a new series of articles and videos associated with promoting learning amongst those new to botanical art.

A still frame from the ABBA video "Three B's Episode 2 - Complex Flowers"

Elaine Allison, the new President, has produced two excellent videos which started off as a live streaming event - plus two blog posts. The focus of both is on The three B's.... Beginner - Botany-Botanical Art

You can find the videos on the BRAND NEW ABBA Channel called - ABBA for All. It's worth subscribing to this with your Google account if you want to follow what they produce.

I think it's an excellent idea. In my opinion, it's also something that more botanical art societies should do - although in order to emulate what ABBA is doing it does take

knowledge of both botany and botanical art
plus experience and expertise in both teaching and presenting on video.

Let's hope that there are some more botanical art societies out there prepared to develop similar resources.

Episode 1: Simple Flowers

There is something more important than knowing what parts of the plant are called and that is what does it really look like. This requires detailed anatomical observation. Where possible, it is really useful to see the plant growing in the wild. Get to know the habitat, location with respect to other plants and if it is the same species, how the form can change depending on where it grows.

The FIRST module focuses on simple flowers and provides a short introduction to basic descriptive botany

this is the blog post
this is the video - The 3 B's Episode 1- Simple Flowers (24 minutes) - which you also watch below. However you'll enjoy the big screen version on YouTube more.

Using a common native plant, the Geranium, the module considers

The botanical knowledge needed to produce an accurate botanical illustration
What you need to know about your plant specimen before you start drawing
Equipment that might be useful when studying the morphology of your plant
Examination of a single plant in terms of:
- scientific name
- environment in which it is found
- the genus of Geranium
- a diagram of the important parts of the plant
- an exploded diagram of the Inflorescence - with an analysis of what is shown

Episode 2: Complex Flowers

Understanding how the flower is put together is the first step in producing a great piece of artwork that is botanically accurate.

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Botanical Art Education: planning considerations re. coronavirus

4/6/2020

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Botanical art teachers have been asking me for my advice in recent days about things they need to think about when planning for future courses / workshops / tuition for students of botanical art and illustration.

This post follows on from my previous posts about:

BELOW is a summary of the advice I have offered and have to offer about:

what are the best options
what's the best timescale for starting up again.

[Today's planned post about selected artists re Plantae 2020 is taking longer than anticipated - hence this replacement!]

photograph courtesy of Fiona Strickland

RISK FACTORS

The one thing that is certain is that the virus is not going away any time soon.
All that is happening right now is that the reproduction rate is being cut - but a very small percentage of the community has been infected and the virus is still in the community.

Other than that we know that:

the coronavirus is still not fully understood
it's clear that some underlying conditions pose more risk for some people - covering both teachers and students
there is no vaccine
we have not yet reached the stage where we know if some people are immune (or not)
some people are super-spreaders - and this tends to happen in the context of group activities
obviously risk varies depending on where you live.

Bottom line it's still dangerous - particularly for older students of botanical art.

I doubt if any sensible person would book and attend courses unless you can demonstrate in an explicit way what you are doing to keep people safe.

Overall, I think most botanical art teachers need to consider that special arrangements may need to prevail for a year or more. It could be longer - but we just don't know at this stage.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

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Guide to Online Botanical Art Instruction & Courses

23/3/2020

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Many of you will be unable to attend botanical art classes, courses and workshops during the Coronavirus Crisis.

However there are a couple of alternatives for learning more techniques about how to draw and paint plants to botanical standards away from a physical face to face class. These are:

online instruction
art instruction books

Guide to Online Botanical Art Instruction & Courses

For those wanting to learn more about botanical art and illustration at home, there was nowhere on the web offering a comparative analysis and evaluation of the available online instruction and tutorials in botanical art and illustration - until I published my Guide to Online Botanical Art Instruction & Courses.

My webpage providing advice and information on how to choose and lists of those providing online instruction in botanical art and illustration

This web page includes:

RECOMMENDED READING

a SUMMARY of what Online Botanical Art Instruction is
a SUMMARY of who benefits from online instruction
OVERVIEW of providers of Online Botanical Art Courses - this indicates the different types and providers, namely
- Recognised Institutions (e.g. Botanic Gardens) - providing distance learning courses using web-based instruction
- Online Instruction via Video Tutorials
- Online Instruction via individual Teachers (written guides and/or ebooks plus typically minor use of videos. Plus some teachers also provide one on one masterclasses, critiques and/or tutorials)
- Corporate Providers of Online Instruction Platforms - where botanical art (and art too) is just one of very many topics taught.
CHECKLIST of questions for prospective students - to be used by students who want to evaluate the alternative options on offer

BOTANICAL ART ONLINE COURSE PROVIDERS

LIST of Online Providers of Botanical Art Instruction - more information
REVIEW of Online Botanical Art Courses - if you'd like to say what you want from online courses or what you think about online course provision there is a form. No comments are published but may inform the future content of this page.

It's essential that BEFORE parting with any money
you are clear about:
- what type of instruction or course you are buying
- what you are paying for i.e. what the instruction comprises
- whether it works on ALL your online devices(desktop/tablet/smartphone etc) i.e. the website must be designed for and accessible by all mobile devices
- how the payment scheme works - whether it is one-off or a subscription scheme and whether any subscription is automated (i.e. payments renew automatically until you stop them)
- whether you can get a refund if you realise you've made a mistake
- whether you are dealing with a tutor who knows about all the Regulatory Requirements of eCommerce which should provide you with protection in the event of a concern (e.g. data privacy) or dispute (e.g. re your consumer contract)

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Emails are only sent to you AFTER you have activated the link you will receive.

Providers of Online Botanical art Instruction include:

Recognised Institutions
- providing distance learning courses using web-based instruction

UK: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh - 3 year Diploma Course and 6 month Certificate Course - with a team of tutors
UK: London Art College - Botanical Painting Online Art Course (D9) (Tutor: Polly O' Leary ) Botanical Coloured Pencil Online (D12) (Tutor: Ida Mitrani)
USA: Cornell University - Online Botanical Illustration series

Online Instruction via Video Tutorials
by Botanical Artists/Tutors

Anna Mason - Learn botanical painting online
Billy Showell - Online Tutorials
Wendy Hollender - Botanical Basics and Draw Botanical's Complete Course
Jarnie Godwin - Online Botanical Watercolour Tutorials

Online Tuition via individual tutors
- using written guides / ebooks and videos + feedback / Private Facebook Groups i.e. it varies

Dianne Sutherland - Botanical Art Online
Elaine Searle - Paint Botanical Online Shorts
Gaynor Dickson - Gaynor's Flora - Online Botanical Art Course
Julia Trickey - Botanical Art Tutorials
Ann Swan - Pencil Potential - Online Tuition Programme
Shevaun Doherty - Botanical Elements
Sarah Morrish - Illustrating Nature's Details - Online Courses

Corporate Instruction Providers - Online Instruction
- the platform is owned by a company which elects to provide teaching as a business. It can change the business model at any time (e.g. as happened with Craftsy).

Udemy - Paint Realistic Watercolours and Botanicals - with Heidi Elliis
Bluprint / Craftsy - Botanical Illustration With Watercolor & Colored Pencils with Adele Rossetti

I do NOT include those are providing video tutorials or other online instruction which is design oriented i.e. not observing the essential characteristics of botanical art and illustration.

I hope you find this Guide useful during the Coronavirus Crisis.

CLICK the image to go to this page on this website

Teach Botanical Art Online

I'm also going to try and provide a Guide to all those thinking about switching their workshop teaching to online instruction - hopefully this week. Although I expect this may be a work in progress for a while.

If you're interested, please use comments below (or contact me) to tell me what you want to know about.

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