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.
ArtPlantae Today 