This is an ABSOLUTELY HUGE AND COMPLEX WEBSITE

ABOUT: botanical art and illustration past and present
FOR: botanical artists & illustrators of today & tomorrow ​around the world​

​WITH OVER 1,100 PAGES and blog posts published - and more pages in draft!

It seemed like a good idea to provide ONE PAGE
​which maps out - in some detail - what the website covers and what's on offer.

BELOW is an index of all SECTIONS and PAGES you can find on this website 
  • CLICK a teal coloured TOPIC BUTTON for or an introduction to a HEADLINE TOPIC SECTION (eg History) 
  • a line across the page below marks the end of one section and the start of another

​BELOW each HEADLINE TOPIC SECTION BUTTON:
LEFT COLUMN
​RIGHT COLUMN
  • click the duck egg blue LINK to go direct to a very SPECIFIC TOPIC PAGE. Examples include:
  • overview of a past master in botanical art e.g. Rory McEwen;
  • botanical art courses in a specific continent/county; and/or
  • a detailed book review (e.g.  The Art of Botanical Illustration by Wilfrid Blunt and William Stearn)
 You can also SEARCH THIS SITE for the topic you're interested in
  • use the Google search box below and insert the words of the artist or topic you are trying to find. It works really well! I use it all the time when I need to find past references on this site / blog to an artist or topic!
The main gateway into the website
Site Index - displaying an outline of contents and a link to every active page in every main topic section  (i.e. this page)
Regular blog posts with news about botanical art for botanical artists
You can see the categories of posts in the right hand column
You can also subscribe to the news blog so you get an emailed link to a post every time one is published
This section is about the tradition and history of botanical art and illustration around the world.
Book Reviews:
An absolutely amazing website! Looked up Linnaeus and came across your wonderful archive - encyclopedia - treasure trove! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and for designing it in such an organised way. Andrew P.
1500-1900 Famous Botanical Patrons - DEDICATED PAGES
1500-1900 Famous Botanical Artists - DEDICATED PAGES
1900-2015: 20th Century Botanical Artists - DEDICATED PAGES
Contemporary botanical ​artists and illustrators around the world 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
​Those listed below meet the criteria for selection listed on the Artists page
Find out about major exhibitions on every continent, including juried exhibitions, plus major galleries and permanent collections of botanical art.
Calls for Entries to OPEN Botanical Art Exhibitions
Online / Virtual & Digital Exhibitions of Botanical Art and Illustration
UK (2019)
North America (2019)
Europe  (2019)
  • France​​
  • ​Italy
  • Netherlands​
  • ​Spain
Asia (2019)
  • China
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • ​Thailand
ARCHIVE: Past Botanical Art Exhibitions in Asia
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • Jordan
  • South Korea
Africa (2019)
Worldwide Exhibition of Botanical Art 2018 ​
How to learn about, create or improve botanical art and illustration. A compendium of botanical art classes and courses, ​tips, techniques, tutors and tuition. around the world

Self-Directed Learning and Self Improvement
​

​The Best Botanical Art and Illustration Instruction Books
  • Contents of the Page
  • The Society of Botanical Art Books developed for the SBA Diploma Course
  • Books about Botanical Art & Illustration - using Graphite and Coloured Pencils
  • Books about Scientific Botanical Illustration - using pen and ink
  • Books by Leading British Botanical Artists & Illustrators and Educators
  • Books by Leading American Artists
  • Books by Australian Artists and Educators
These are the books or groups of books with a dedicated seperate page ​for more detailed reviews
NEW Botanical Art Books​ SBA Books - in-depth reviews Books by popular botanical art tutors
​Artist Residencies, Scholarships and Bursaries 
  • Artist Residencies
  • Art Scholarships
  • Travel Scholarships
  • Grants and Bursaries
Tips and Techniques
  • Conventions of Botanical Art and Illustration
TIPS for Developing and Exhibiting Botanical Art
  • Knowing your subject
  • Botany
  • Skills in drawing and painting
  • Developing your own style
  • Exhibition and project management
TIPS and TECHNIQUES ​about Plants and Flowers
  • Working with Plants and Flowers
  • Wild Flowers
  • Techniques for botanical painting in watercolour
How to paint:
  • flowers and stems
  • patterns in nature
  • thorns, spines and prickles
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES about Botanical Art - drawing, painting, equipment, media etc.
  • Drawing: from observation / to scale/ from herbarium specimens
  • Painting: Botanical Painting with Watercolour 
  • Pencil: Graphite Pencil; Coloured Pencils
  • Design & Composition - moved to a separate page​
  • Colour - moved to a separate page
  • ​Supports - moved/moving to separate pages: Paper; Vellum; Sketchbooks - work in progress
  • Health & Safety: Repetitive Strain Injury; Posture; Eye Health
  • Technical & Presentation: Photography; Display; How to frame and hang botanical artwork
More detailed Tips and Techniques (dedicated pages)
  • Tips from RHS Gold Medallists - how to enter; tips from Gold Medallists; how to hang and display an exhibit; how to transport an exhibit; more tips from the RHS
  • Preparation and Set-Up - processes related to preparation: sketchbook studies; creating a composition; burnishing paper; transferring drawings to paper for painting
  • Design and Composition 
    • what is design and composition;
    • principles and elements of design,
    • Books about Composition in Botanical Art and Illustration; 
    • Other recommended books about design and composition​;
    • courses about composition - and more tips
  • Colour - Tips and Techniques
    • What you need to know about colour - and how it works. Colours and Colour Brands; Colouring agents: Pigments and dyes
    • Painting with Colour: Colour Shades and Cards; Colour Mixing and Contemporary Colour Charts​; TIPS: Getting Colour Mixes, Charts and Glazes Right ​ and TIPS for painting specific colours
    • Books about Colour - for Botanical Artists - including a summary of the chapters and pages - in various botanical art instruction books - primarily devoted to COLOUR
    • Advanced Colour Theory: Colour Science and Theory; Hues: Colour Spaces and Themes
  • Botanical Illustration Tips: Pen and Ink
    • ​why pen and ink is used;
    • pen and ink techniques;
    • size and surface of a drawing;
    • types of pen for botanical illustration - with lots of tips for how to use them and how to clean them!
  • How to draw and paint trees and leaves - 
    • LEAVES: Leaf Shapes, Venation and Arrangement; ​Leaf colour and mixing greens; 
    • Botanical Art Instruction Books with good content about Leaves; 
    • ​Video Instruction - drawing and painting leaves; 
    • Botanical Artist/Tutors specialising in leaves; 
    • Artists who paint leaves; The Very Best Painters of Leaves - past and present; 
    • Videos of grasses and leaves in art history. 
    • TREES: How to draw and paint Trees; 
      • Bark; Twigs and Buds - in Winter and Spring; 
      • The Very Best Botanical Painters of Trees
VIDEO TIPS for botanical art plus:

Formal Tuition
​
Information about Taught Courses - in person and online or at a distance, Classes, Workshops - and Teachers
Picture
Kingcombe Centre in Dorset, UK
Information about art materials, media and equipment used by botanical artists and illustrators.
PLUS Recommendations by individual botanical artists and illustrators about the media and equipment they use to create botanical art and illustrations.
Various formal and informal organisations and groups are involved with botanical art and illustration:
  • institutions, art societies, florilegium societies, art groups and forums
  • in different continents and countries around the world
Strict botanical illustration standards requires a knowledge of botany.
​Would you like to know more about botany which is helpful to botanical artists?
​Now also incorporates the Gardens Section in the topline menu
(Included within Botany)
The best botanic gardens, herbariums, seed banks and fungaria in each country/continent around the world
  • The Early Botanic Gardens
  • What is a Botanic Garden | Defining a Botanic Garden
NETWORKS & HERBARIUMS AROUND THE WORLD
If you have any queries please contact me using the forms at the bottom of each page or the form on the Contact Page - but please read the accompanying text.