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Archive for the ‘botanical art’ Category

Wendy Hollender To Discuss “Botanical Drawing”

Posted in botanical art, Drawing, drawing, Learning Opportunities, Special Announcements, Special Events on July 16, 2010|

Wendy Hollender’s new book, Botanical Drawing in Color: A Basic Guide to Mastering Realistic Form and Naturalistic Color, is a book for all artists. To celebrate the release of this wonderful guide to drawing plants, ArtPlantae will host a live Ask The Artist session with Wendy on
August 18, 2010.

Wendy will discuss her artistic journey from surface designer to botanical artist. She will discuss her favorite botanical paintings and how they inspired her to learn about botanical illustration. She will also explain the “well-kept secrets” of realism she was not taught in college as a Fine Arts major. Find out how this detailed guide to botanical drawing and color was created for artists at all levels.

DID YOU KNOW…

Our April 2008 “Ask The Artist” with Wendy Hollender is the most read article of all time at ArtPlantae Today?
Botanical Drawing in Color sky-rocketed to the #2 position on the Nielsen Bookscan Ratings during its first week?
Botanical Drawing in Color is already in its second printing?

Learn from Wendy during a special Web broadcast.
Reserve Your Seat Today!

Event

Date

Time

Where

Cost

Bonus

Can’t attend the live event because you’ll be in rush-hour traffic on a freeway somewhere? No problem. Registered attendees will be able to view a recording of this event.

Please note these system requirements:

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

REGISTER HERE

Updated: August 13, 2010

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More Than Words & Pretty Pictures

Posted in botanical art on July 14, 2010|

Lydia Inglett describes books as a “visual and tactile experience” and says books are “more than just words and images.”

Participants in Lydia’s online class learned quite a bit about books and the publishing process yesterday. The most important skill participants learned is how to view books as two-page spreads instead of as single pages. A lesson in book anatomy quickly turned into a lesson in design as participants learned how dust jackets, endsheets, book covers, and paper type work together to create a book readers will want to pick up.

When Lydia talked about the publishing process, she gave attendees a lot of solid information to think about. Often in conversations about self-publishing, people use phrases such as “it doesn’t cost as much as this process” or “it can be expensive” when the subject of production costs is discussed. Instead of speaking in generalities, Lydia provided real examples (and real numbers) about the costs associated with publishing an art book. She compared the costs of creating a book using consumer bookmaking services to the costs of creating a book on a commercial level. The examples she provided were enlightening. The self-publishing option isn’t as expensive as you might think, yet it could be if you do not think through all of your options and do not weigh the return-on-investment (ROI) of one option to the ROI of other options.

Do you think about publishing a book someday? You’ll have to get organized. Participants learned exactly what they need to do to create a book about their art. Lydia discussed requirements for digital images and provided suggestions about how to organize a body of artwork and how to take the first step in organizing this work into a book.

In addition to providing invaluable insight into the bookmaking process, Lydia discussed how to market an art book by providing examples about how her authors have promoted their books successfully.

Participants left class with a lot of information and an actionable list of tasks to start them on their book projects. Thank you, Lydia, for teaching us so much!

Botanical Art Books Printed & Published by Lydia Inglett, Ltd.
Response to Nature: Botanical Watercolors 1972-2010
Fundamental Graphite Techniques

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Nature Studies in Williamsburg

Posted in botanical art, drawing, Learning Opportunities on July 14, 2010|

Now at Classes Near You > Virginia:

Linda C. Miller
http://lindacmiller.blogspot.com
Based in Virginia, Miller is a talented, experienced botanical artist and a member of The American Society of Botanical Artists. Visit Linda’s blog to view examples of her work and to learn how she began her career as a botanical artist.

Nature Studies Workshop – Saturdays, August 7 & 14, 2010; 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM. This is equivalent to a life painting course, only you choose your “nature” subject. Workshop participants are welcome to work from photographs or actual objects. Learn how to “set up” your nature finds to create a library study painting depicting all the wonderful details. Each student will create a contour drawing on tracing paper and then move on to create an original watercolor painting or pen and ink rendering. This workshop will include drawing and watercolor demonstrations. Cost: $50, limited to 10 students (children over 14 may attend upon speaking with the instructor). Instructor will provide tracing paper and 300 lb. Hot press watercolor paper (11″ x 14″). This workshop will be taught at the Human Services Center Multipurpose Meeting Room located at 5249 Olde Town Road, Williamsburg, VA 23188. To register please contact instructor, Linda C. Miller.

Art in the Park: Three-Day Nature Sketching and Journaling Workshop – Saturdays, September 25, October 2 and 9, 2010;
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Develop your own approach to drawing in this workshop that will help you observe and draw the natural world. The first day of class will be at the Quarter Path Recreation Center. The remaining two days will be out in the field at Waller Mill Park. Open to artists of all levels of experience (18 years & older; children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult). Cost: $75. Registration closes April 14, 2010. Please register at Waller Mill Park or by calling (757) 259-3778. View course itinerary and materials list here.

Materials List for Nature Studies Class:

(1) Kneaded eraser, medium size
(1) .05 HB mechanical pencil or 2B wood pencil/sharpener and (1) fine point black marker
Unlined paper the size of your painting, your printer’s copy paper is perfect if you do not have sketching or drawing paper.
(1) Raphael 8404 Series Round No. 3 brush or No. 4 brush or other new round sable brush of artist quality
(1) Small cellulose sponge
(1) Watercolor Palette of choice for mixing or a 8” white porcelain/ceramic plate works great!

Watercolor “Starter” Paints: Prussian Blue, French Ultramarine Blue, New Gambouge, Lemon Yellow, Permanent Rose, Burnt Umber by Winsor Newton or any other well balanced palette. Please note that Artist Quality paint is best, student quality may contain opaque white paint which does not allow for transparency. The starter paints will get you started – and you can make great browns and grays from this group too!

(1) Large plastic container for water
Paper towels — a good handful of sheets
Old brushes for mixing!!!!!!!!
Optional – .05 Micron Pen for Pen and Ink

Materials can be purchased online from Dick Blick Art Materials or Jerry’s Artarama. Art supplies can also be purchased at Walls Alive in Williamsburg.

ArtPlantae Disclosure Statement

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Exhibition at Calgary’s Leighton Art Centre Celebrates Plants, Habitat

Posted in botanical art, Education, Special Announcements, Special Events on July 5, 2010|

Moments in Time: A Botanical Exhibition of Habitats and Species
Leighton Art Centre, Gallery and Museum

Botanical artist, Rayma Peterson, is one of three artists whose work is now on view at the Leighton Art Centre, Gallery and Museum. Sixteen of Rayma’s paintings capturing the plants of Alberta’s foothills, mountains, and wetlands in their native habitats will be on display through July 31, 2010. When asked how she documents plants in their natural environment, Rayma replied:

Exploring and botanizing in the spring, summer, and fall are my favorite activities. I look for close up scenes that almost jump out at me with their uniqueness and beauty, and try to share my visual experience of these scenes with the viewer. I want to show people the exquisite beauty that is underfoot in western Canada. I also take pains to ensure that the painting is botanically correct; that is, I only show plants growing together that would normally do so in a given habitat. I enjoy painting flowering plants, but also enjoy depicting their more humble relatives that may be easily overlooked, such as fungi, lichens, mosses, and even algae. My favorite habitats are calcareous springs and fens, foothills, grasslands, sub-alpine and alpine areas, wetlands, and tide pools.

I sometimes paint a habitat with my botanical subject prominent, and leave a white or very faint background towards the top. Thus I combine the habitat painting with the plant portrait to create my own style or genre. I will explore an area, taking extensive photographs, composing with my camera. Later in the studio, I combine elements and plants from various photographs, as long as they could be found in close proximity with each other in a microhabitat.

Rayma has a BSc. in botany and a BEd. in art and science. She has spent much of her life in the field, primarily in central and western Alberta. Her work is featured in Today’s Botanical Artists, by Cora B. Marcus and Libby Kyer (2008), as well as in Trees of Wagner Natural Area by the Wagner Natural Area Society, text by Patsy Cotterill (2010).

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Develop Your Own Style of Drawing

Posted in botanical art, Learning Opportunities, sketchbook on July 5, 2010|

New updates at Classes Near You > Virginia:

Art in the Park: Three-Day Nature Sketching and Journaling Workshop – Saturdays, September 25, October 2 and 9, 2010;
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Develop your own approach to drawing in this workshop that will help you observe and draw the natural world. The first day of class will be at the Quarter Path Recreation Center. The remaining two days will be out in the field at Waller Mill Park. Open to artists of all levels of experience (18 years & older; children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult). Cost: $75. Registration closes April 14, 2010. Please register at Waller Mill Park or by calling (757) 259-3778. View course itinerary and materials list here.

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Learn to Paint One Step at a Time

Posted in ArtPlantae Books, botanical art, Learning Opportunities, Video, Watercolor on July 2, 2010|

Billy Showell is known for her attention to detail and the wonderful step-by-step instruction she provides in her books. When Billy published Watercolor Flower Portraits and Watercolor Fruit & Vegetable Portraits, she created instructional DVDs to go with each book. Billy’s Watercolor Flower Portraits DVD and Watercolor Fruit & Vegetable Portraits DVD are now available at ArtPlantae Books.

In Watercolor Flower Portraits, Billy provides 120 minutes of instruction and demonstrates the watercolor techniques she uses to paint a tulip, an Arum Lily, and a Phalaenopsis orchid. She also provides tips about how to compose a painting.

In Watercolor Fruit & Vegetable Portraits, Billy demonstrates how to turn a sketch into a finished painting. See how to use strong colors to paint an apple, how to maintain light areas when painting red grapes, how to create form on a turnip, and how to add texture to bean pods.

NOTE:
*** These DVDs are in the PAL format and are viewable on a computer that reads DVDs. They are not viewable on a DVD player hooked up to a television set. ***

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Pam Kessler Shares Her Response to Nature

Posted in botanical art, botanical art books, Special Announcements, Special Events on June 28, 2010|

When she was a little girl, Pam Kessler‘s father taught her how to look at plants. These innocent observations sparked an appreciation for nature in the young naturalist and marked the beginning of a career as an accomplished botanical artist. Pam’s paintings are in private and public collections such as the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation and the Shirley Sherwood Collection. Fortunately for us, a collection of Pam’s plant portraits and natural history paintings is now available in a format we can all enjoy. Pam’s detailed watercolor paintings of orchids, primroses, beets, onions, gourds, insects, feathers, and nests are featured in her new book, Response to Nature: Botanical Watercolors 1972-2010. Most of the plant portraits in this book are of orchids. Pam’s orchid paintings contain excruciating detail from the markings on the flowers, to the patterns on the leaves, to the painted plant labels written in pencil. Even plant stakes and twist ties have not gone unnoticed.