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Botanical Drawing for Beginners

May 4, 2009 by Tania Marien

artofbotanicaldrawing
What is well-conceived is clearly expressed.

— Agathe Ravet-Haevermans

In The Art of Botanical Drawing: An Introductory Guide, Agathe Ravet-Haevermans provides a brief history of botanical art and interesting insight into how she and fellow scientific illustrators document plants at the Museum of Natural History in Paris. Beginners will find Ravet-Haevermans’ instructions easy to understand and they will appreciate her drawing and painting demonstrations which feature three different stages of development so beginners can observe how a technique is accomplished. All examples are executed gracefully and are sure to inspire new artists. This is a well-rounded portable gem of a book that fits easily into a backpack or small canvas bag.

Ravet-Haevermans addresses the following topics:

  • How to draw plants and how to capture their volumes and shadows on paper
  • How to mix colors and create gradations
  • How to reserve a light area and a highlight area
  • How to apply color
  • How to paint petals
  • Drawing and painting bark and storage organs
  • Drawing and painting stems and branches
  • Drawing and painting buds and leaves
  • Drawing and painting flower buds and flowers
  • Drawing and painting fruits and vegetables
  • Painting fruit and seeds

Ravet-Havermans also provides “how-to” examples for the following:

  • Garden Plants (poppy, Nasturtium, periwinkle, Agapanthus, Fuschia, Arisaema)
  • The Kitchen Garden (aubergine, Haricot/’Tongue of Fire’ beans, butternut squash, carrots)
  • Meadow Plants (grasses)
  • Forest Plants (mistletoe, holly, ferns, mushrooms)
  • The Botanical Garden (dried stalks, Arbutus, kiwi)
  • The Aquatic Garden (Equisetum, water hibiscus, lotus)
  • Succulents (melon cactus, Lithops, Gasteria)
  • Greenhouse Plants (Dendrobium, Venus flytrap, Cobra plant, Papyrus)
  • Field sketches and painting outdoors
  • Creating details such as skeletonized leaves, artichoke bracts, bamboo stalks, and the circles observed in the cross-section of onion slices
  • Water drops, insects, and eaten leaves

Get this book at your local independent bookstore.

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Posted in ArtPlantae Books, book review, botanical art, drawing |

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