ArtPlantae Today

Author and artist, Sarah Simblet, stopped by for a visit last week. She took artists on a behind-the-scenes tour of the production of Botany for the Artist and what a tour it was!

Sarah shared every step of the process with us. She described how she prepared thumbnail sketches of each idea and how these ideas were transferred to special cards she makes to keep herself organized. The ideas on the cards that were most likely to become part of the book were then transferred to sheets of 8.5″ x 11″ paper. Each sheet represented an entry into the book and these sheets were then taped to her studio wall.

The page layouts covering her walls were incorporated into the big storyboard she drew by hand. This hand-drawn storyboard eventually became a miniature copy of the book, complete with color photographs, text, and illustrations.

Sarah designed her presentation around the questions submitted in advance by those who registered to attend this special author event. She answered follow-up questions at the end of her presentation as well. From the feedback received, artists enjoyed this opportunity to interact with Sarah and to learn in the company of other artists.

This is what Sarah’s studio looked like during the production of “Botany for the Artist”.

The illustrations in “Botany” began as sketches.

The placement of illustrations and photographs was discussed often throughout the project.

This is an example of Sarah’s finished sketches.

Get the rest of the story. Purchase a copy of Sarah’s book here.