NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists

Guide to Online Botanical Art Instruction & Courses

23/3/2020

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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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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RHS Botanical Art Show 2020 Selection Meeting - Postponed

19/3/2020

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This is an update for:

those botanical artists hoping to be selected for future RHS Botanical Art Shows
those interested in exhibitions at the RHS Lindley Library
those interested in RHS Show updates.

Dr Shirley Sherwood and Charlotte Brooks at the Selection Meeting for the RHS Botanical Art Show in 2019 - in the RHS Council Chamber (photo courtesy of Deborah Lambkin)

Charlotte Brooks, the Art Curator of the RHS Lindley Library - and the Secretary of the RHS Picture Panel which deals with RHS Botanical Art Shows - wrote to me yesterday with an update on what has been cancelled and how things are moving forward with respect to other matters related to the RHS Botanical Art Show.

You can read her email below. KEY POINTS are:

2020 Selection Meeting is cancelled - but will be rescheduled in due course (depending on the coronavirus timescale). This meeting identifies those eligible to exhibit for the first time in future RHS Botanical Art Shows - including that taking place in 2021.
RHS Botanical Art Show 2020 - The RHS Shows Team are looking at options for possible rescheduling of cancelled shows (presumably only those which do not involve plants.)
Notices will go on the RHS website soon and will be updated as and when this is possible.

Dear Katherine,
As I’m sure you’re now aware, due to COVID 19, we had to cancel the Botanical Art and Photography Show yesterday. All of the exhibitors have now been informed and I have been in touch with the botanical artists via email. Further information is available on the RHS website https://www.rhs.org.uk/about-the-rhs/policies/coronavirus-statement

We have also had to postpone the 2020 Selection meeting, as the library is now closed until further notice and we are working from home. Notices are due to go up on the RHS website shortly and we will update the information as it becomes available.

The Shows team will be looking at the options and over the coming months work out what is possible regarding the shows. As and when we have more information, we’ll keep you updated. I will also re-schedule the Selection meeting, once we know how other things are working out.

Thank you for your support and I hope you and yours stay well.
All best wishes, Charlotte

Art Curator
RHS Lindley Library

See more (and larger) photos from the 2019 Selection meeting on Deborah Lambkin's Twitter feed

The Picture Panel in action at the 2019 Selection Meeting (Left to right: Helen Allen, Andrew Brown, Shirley Sherwood and Charlotte Brooks)

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In the meantime......

For those thinking about submitting botanical art or illustrations for selection for the RHS Botanical Art Shows at some future date, you might like to read more on this website about

the RHS Botanical Art Exhibitions
Archive of Past RHS Botanical Art Shows
and/or contemplate the page about Exhibit Titles at RHS Botanical Art Shows which I started a while back - which gives the titles used in the show along with images of some of the exhibits. It certainly provides food for thought - especially for those working from home!

Like Charlotte, I hope you are all keeping well and looking after your health.

Now's a good time to get on with drawing and painting plants and reading about and looking at botanical art in books and online!

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RHS Botanical Art Show 2020 CANCELLED

17/3/2020

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The RHS Botanical Art & Photography Show 2020 has been cancelled due to the formal coronavirus guidance issued by the UK Government yesterday.

Further to my blog post last week, RHS London - Botanical Art & Photography Show 2020, this morning's announcement by the RHS immediately follows the announcements at 5pm yesterday by the Government about:

injunctions to avoid mass gatherings
the need for much more social distancing within the wider community and
the need for social isolation for some vulnerable groups of people.

I was fully expecting this to happen and am not surprised. I am however a little surprised by the notion that this particular exhibition will not be held later in the year. Obviously all the show which involve plants also involve growers growing for a particular date. However that's not quite the same for Botanical Art and Botanical Photography. However given the uncertainty about how the coronavirus

RHS Libraries

In addition, the RHS Libraries at Vincent Square, RHS Garden Wisley and RHS Garden Harlow Carr will all close from 18 March 2020 (i.e. tomorrow). This effectively means that no public will be allowed on RHS premises.

I'm so sad for RHS Orchid Artist Deborah Lambkin as the exhibition of her work only opened a few days ago. I'd planned to go to see it this week!

You can see some of the images of her botanical illustrations from her exhibitionin her tweet online.

I'm sure it will left up and/or we'll get an opportunity to see it again at a later date.

So sad to hear @The_RHS shows cancelled and my @RHSLibraries exhibition will close tomorrow. Unprecedented times. I am so glad I saw it yesterday and I will now post a few photos of the exhibition here so you can see it. pic.twitter.com/sCFJjOu9hS
— Deborah Lambkin (@DeborahLambkin) March 17, 2020

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Royal Horticultural Society Gardens

For the record so far there has been no announcements about the RHS Gardens - other than the statement by Sue Biggs below

It's my expectation that the gardens may well stay open but all shopping and catering facilities may well be candidates for closure.

“As with everyone, we have no crystal ball, but for the time being we are planning our Summer Flower Shows and our Gardens remain open, as they are large outside spaces where people can escape in open space and benefit from some tranquillity and beauty, surrounded by nature – all things that are much needed during these unsettling times.

“Things of course may change, but whatever decisions we make, safety will be utmost in our mind and we will, like the rest of the world, be monitoring the situation closely.”
Sue Biggs RHS Director General

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Call for Entries - Margaret Flockton Award 2020

19/2/2020

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Entries are now being accepted for the Margaret Flockton Award for Excellence in Scientific Botanical Illustration 2020.

Illustrators from around the world are asked to submit:

original scientifically accurate taxonomic illustrations completed since March 2018
These are highly detailed monochrome (black and white) drawings primarily undertaken in pen and ink, pencil or rendered using digital software.
They must clearly highlight all of the distinctive features of the species - as highlighted in the published taxonomic description of the plant .

All submissions must be in a digital format.
The deadline for digital online entry is Monday 2nd March 2020 (EST)

You can read more about it on:

the Margaret Flockton Award page on the RBGS website
the page about The Margaret Flockton Award for Excellence in Scientific Botanical Illustration on this website - where I break out and summarise all the important things you need to know if you want to enter - on one page

Crop of one small part (less than 25%) of the scientific botanical illustration which won first prize in 2019

The Margaret Flockton Award is unique amongst international art awards. This is because it

focuses exclusively on contemporary scientific botanical illustration (as distinct from botanical art) - which must be monochrome and 2D
commemorates the contribution Margaret Flockton made to Australian scientific botanical illustration.

The award is sponsored by The Maple Brown Family and the Foundation & Friends of the Botanic Gardens.
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Margaret Flockton Award Prizes 2020
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Most taxonomic botanical illustrators enter this award competition because of the credibility "awarded" to those selected for the exhibition. This is, of course, enhanced for all those who win the award or come second or get a "highly commended"

However the cash award for this international botanical illustration competition are significant.

First prize: AU$5,000;
Second prize: AU$2,000;
3 x Highly Commended.

In addition this Award brings additional benefits. First it is low cost

entry is free and
there are no costs involved in submitting your illustrations because it is all digital!

Plus you can also sell a print of your illustration direct to interested parties with no commission deducted. Those selected for the exhibition can sell prints of their work direct from their websites or email addresses to the public and collectors (meaning no commission is deducted by RBGS).

Overall it's a "win win" award for all concerned!

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Margaret Flockton Award 2020 - Exhibitions
â€‹

The exhibition will be held in the three different gardens which make up the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.

Royal Botanic Garden Sydney - Joseph Maiden Theatre (Saturday 9 May - Sunday 24 May 2020, daily 10am - 4pm) enter via Woolloomooloo Gate on Mrs Macquaries Road
The Australian Botanic Garden Mount Annan - The Australian PlantBank (Tuesday 2 June - Friday 31 July 2020, weekdays 10am - 4pm)
The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah - Visitor Centre (Tuesday 3 November - Sunday 13 December 2020, daily 10am - 4pm)

I'll be doing further blog posts about the artists selected for the exhibition and the prizewinners.

You can follow the two botanical illustrators who administer this Award on their Instagram Page https://www.instagram.com/rbg_illustration/

View this post on Instagram

Last stop for the 2019 Margaret Flockton Award Exhibition @bluemountainsbotanicgarden, Mount Tomah. 9 August to 15 September. Enjoying the view whilst bumping in, but not the tangled nylon cords!! #scientificillustration #bluemountainsbotanicgarden #margaretflocktonaward #botanicalillustrationpenandink #botanicalillustration

A post shared by Catherine W & Lesley E (@rbg_illustration) on Aug 7, 2019 at 9:03pm PDT

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Denver Botanic Gardens: Illustrator in Residence 2020 - applications invited

30/1/2020

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Applications are invited from experienced botanical illustrators for the School of Botanical Illustration 2020 Residency Programme at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

It will interest all botanical illustrators who have completed a certificate in botanical illustration, like to travel to draw and paint new plants and are capable of teaching a workshop. The Residency offers a stipend of $4,000 to cover the essential costs (offset costs of travel and transportation, art supplies, and living expenses.) of the six week residency between June and October 2020.

The Illustrator in Residence Program is an exciting opportunity for illustrators to find inspiration in the natural beauty of Denver Botanic Gardens and further their practice with in-depth access to the Gardens’ extensive scientific collections. Residents will illustrate the Garden’s collections and landscapes with a focus on documenting plants native to the Rocky Mountain region, supporting the
Gardens’ dedication to preservation, conservation, education and biodiversity.

This file provides all the details of the Residency - which I also summarise below.

sbai_illustrator_residency_2020.pdf
File Size:	270 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

The deadline for submissions is Feb. 29, 2020 11:59 p.m. (Mountain Standard Time)

VENUE
Denver Botanic Gardens 1007 York Street, Denver, CO 80206

This page provides an overview of the Gardens
This is a link to a map of the York Street Gardens and facilities

Denver Botanic Garden from above

ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE
In recent years, the SBAI at Denver Botanic Gardens has had a number of botanical artists participate in their Residency Programme including:

2015: Ikumi Kayama (USA) and Benjamin Cardenas Valderrama (Colombia)
2016: Lauren Bassing (USA) and John Pastoriza-Piñol
2017: Katherine Rudebusch (USA) and Isik Guner
2018: Asuka Hishiki

READ about Isik Guner's experience during her residency in 2017 - Artist Residency in Denver Botanic Gardens

SEE EXAMPLES of the artwork produced in the blog posts by the School of Botanical Illustration a Denver Botanical Gardens.

2018 Residency Artwork for the Denver Collection by Asuka Hishiki

SCOPE OF THE RESIDENCY
The scope of this residency features two key elements:

Creation of a body of work supporting the mission of Denver Botanic Gardens, particularly focused on plants native to Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region.
Leading one 3-day workshop for 12 students in the Gardens’ School of Botanical Art and Illustration. This workshop will focus on a technique or media that the resident specializes in, subject to the approval of the Gardens. Dates of the workshop will be determined based on the residency timeframe. PLUS interaction with visitors is optional though highly encouraged, promoting public understanding and appreciation of the natural world and offering an opportunity for visitors to see the Gardens through the eyes of an artist.

Opportunities could include:

Offering an open studio to share works in progress
Conducting demonstrations for the public
Writing blog posts for the Gardens’ website

DURATION OF THE 2020 RESIDENCY

six weeks between June 9 and October 9, 2020.
40 hours a week engaged in residency activities, ideally Monday through Friday although some flexibility is possible.
Optional professional development opportunities like lectures or programs may also be available to the resident during evenings and weekends.

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The 20 Most Popular Pages about Botanical Art

31/12/2019

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Today I'm sharing the 20 most popular pages on Botanical Art and Artists (excluding specific artists) over 2018-19.

See if you can predict what will be popular.
Do tell me if you're surprised by any of the rankings. I know I was! It's made me rethink some future plans - and also identified pages I need to work on some more.

One of the ways I try to improve Botanical Art and Artists is by paying attention to what interests visitors to the site. That's why I regularly look at the website statistics. Periodically I pull a pdf file of Google Analytics and take a look at which pages which get the most traffic and which pages which get the lowest and the highest bounce rates.

I've decided to limit the timeframe for the count to 2018 and 2019 as I've introduced quite a few new pages since it started, over 4.5 years ago, in April 2015. However sorting out the ranked order based on my Google Analytics data was not at all easy and I ended up using an Excel spreadsheet and sorting on two data sets!

BELOW:

Check to see if there are any popular pages you've missed on a website which now has well over 1,000 web pages and blog posts.
Visit the pages - links are embedded in the titles of the top 20 web pages ranked below in order of popularity

1. Past Masters of Botanical Art & Illustration (1500-1900)
This one is way out in front and has been ever since I created the site. It gets more hits than the home page! This particular page is really interesting as it highlights and summarises some of the famous botanical artists and illustrators and Past Masters - between 1500 and 1900 - from the UK, France, Netherlands / Flemish, Germany & Austria, Italy, Australasia, Africa - specifically South Africa, North and Central America and South America. Plus and other notable artists working within botanical art and illustration. (Note Famous Asian Botanical Artists (600 - 1500) from China, India and Japan are on a separate page - and I probably need to create a seperate page for Europe too)

2. NEWS about Botanical Art and for Botanical Artists
My News Blog started after the main site was created but has become very popular ever since. The number of subscribers also continues to climb

3. Tips and Techniques
Extremely popular right from the beginning. A good tip for any botanical artist wanting to create traffic to their website is to provides tips and techniques - for free - on your website or blog or social media site. People love them. Next best tip is alert me to your tip and if it's good enough then I'll add it into this resource page and you'll get even more traffic!

4. Best Botanical Art Instruction Books
A very popular page because I only list the books I rate and I also provide lots of reviews - and some of them are in-depth. This is a VERY long page with LOTS links to sub-pages which review books by specific people

5. What is Botanical Art?
The perennial question - hence the ranking. I try to provide an answer by quoting others on this topic. I add to it when I find a great new comment or insight.

6. Scientific Botanical Illustration
How to draw plants to scientific standards. This page includes basic instruction on what to do and what not to do when illustrating plants to scientific standards; drawing aids which promote accuracy in measurement and rendering in scientific illustration links to practical tips and techniques for botanical illustration from leading scientific botanical illustrators and organisations providing support for scientific illustration. Plus articles about the history of scientific botanical illustration and the development of contemporary Flora.

7. Botanical Artists and Illustrators UK
This page highlights artists and illustrators creating contemporary botanical art and illustration of distinction who are based on or born in the UK - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This page which has way more artists than any other continent or country in terms of people who qualify for the listing.

8. Plant Names and Botanical Latin
When recording a plant name wrong can affect the colour of medal you receive at an RHS Botanical Art Show it's worth making an effort to understand how plant names are constructed and how to write them. (There's a few artists who wish growers made the same effort!). Plus it's a topic which does not get a lot of coverage online!

9. How to draw and paint leaves and trees
I've been saying for a long time, botanical art is not just about painting flowers! The second thing I've remarked on more than a few times is there is a major market for the author who writes the definitive book on how to paint plants and trees. I get asked by publishers for names of artists I'd recommend for specific topics. If you're interested contact me.

This page is the "top tips" page dedicated to tips and techniques for how to draw and paint botanically correct trees and leaves. Drawing and watercolour painting instruction includes step by step demonstrations, videos and books. I'm currently working my way through an analysis of every instruction book in terms of how good it is in providing instruction for leaves and/or trees.

10. Contemporary Botanical Artists and Illustrators
This is the gateway to all the pages about the contemporary botanical artists and illustrators listed on this website who draw, paint and print plants and flowers AND have been recognised for their excellence and mastery of their individual approach to botanical art and illustration [Note Continent / country listings are not definitive. They're being updated all the time]

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Call for Entries: Society of Botanical Artists' Annual Exhibition 2020

16/12/2019

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The Call for Entries for Plantae 2020 - the Annual Exhibition of the Society of Botanical Artists has been published. Below you will find a summary of:

what you need to know if you want to enter
the deadline for entries
how to enter
the exhibition - venue and dates

plus pics from last year's exhibition

Call for Entries

You can find the details of how to enter on the dedicated website https://soc-botanical-artists.oess1.uk/

The SBA invites you to submit your best work!

Exhibiting excellence in every botanical art form

In summary:

Eligible media (2D): paintings and drawings in watercolour, oils, gouache, graphite, colour pencil, pen & ink and hand-pulled fine art prints,
Eligible Media (3D): ceramics, metalwork and glass
Ineligible media: giclee reproductions; photography; digital art.
Eligible artists: botanical illustrator, fine art printmaker, sculptor, ceramic artist, glass artist and jeweller
Size: Maximum dimension is 120cm on the longest side.
Content Criteria: Wholly original artwork with strong "wall appeal" which must have predominantly botanical content which is accurately represented.
For Sale: all artwork must be for sale.

You can view my photos of previous Society of Botanical Art Exhibitions on this page

Submissions of work are invited from visual artists working in any two or three-dimensional artwork except for photography, digital artwork or giclee printing (or similar).

View of part of the 2019 Exhibition at the Mall Galleries

You need to consult the Entry Requirements and the timeline for entries. (Comments in italics inside brackets are my additions!)

Submission is by online entry only. You need to read the Entry requirements first.

Timeline

Deadline for Entries: 29 February 2020 Midnight
Notification of selection decision: 17 March 2020 by artist logging in to website
Delivery of artwork: 18 April 2020 from 10am to 5pm (to Carlton House Terrace in London)
Collection of unsold artwork: Thursday, 11 June 2020 from 11am to 5pm

Selection

All artwork is work is pre-selected based on a voting system
8 people on the selection panel voting independently of one another
No correspondence will be entered into in relation to feedback and the selection process decisions are final.

In essence the pre-selected artworks are those which achieved the highest number of votes from the panel members, who vote independently of one another and who cannot see the scores of the other panel members.

All pre-selected works are ALSO subject to physical selection on hand in day.
Work may be rejected at physical selection stage (after delivery) due to the quality of the work, presentation or if the work does not represent or match the digital image.

How to enter

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