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Botany Program for Botanical Artists Launched in UK

November 25, 2011 by Tania Marien

Students in "Botany for Botanical Artists" pilot program. Photo by Anne Bebbington.

The Institute of Analytical Plant Illustration (IAPI) in the UK has been hard at work developing a botany program specifically for botanical artists. This course aims to help those with some experience in botanical illustration to gain a better understanding of plants and to refine botanical illustration techniques. Between September 2010 and July 2011, the pilot for the course Botany for Botanical Artists was taught by Mary Brewin and Anne Bebbington. This ten-week course concentrated on flowering plants. The first five sessions were dedicated to learning about leaves, flowers, fruit, whole plants, vegetative reproduction and winter twigs. The second half of the class was dedicated to investigating plant families. Each class session began with an hour-long critique session that allowed students to see each others’ work, ask questions and discuss any problems they encountered. Between sessions, participants were encouraged to use their art to explore a botanical topic associated with the program. The purpose of these projects was to help students assimilate what they had learned and to assess their understanding.

Last weekend, Mary Brewin and Anne Bebbington reviewed the pilot course with students and other IAPI members at a group meeting. This review of the pilot course was held in conjunction with an exhibition of student work at
Nature in Art in Gloucestershire. Anne Bebbington explains:

A well-attended meeting began with a brief course description, followed by presentations from several of the course members. These interesting talks demonstrated well both the variety of background of the students, their interests and how the course would inform their art work in the future. Michael Hickey was the founder of IAPI and is remembered by many of its members not just for his botanical illustration skills, but for his inspirational teaching about plants. We were therefore delighted to welcome Robin Hickey, Michael’s widow, to the meeting and honoured that she had agreed at the end of this session, to present the students with their certificates of course completion.

Viewing the exhibition. Photo by Anne Bebbington.

The extended lunch break provided an opportunity to talk to both students and tutors and look at the exhibition. This included a display of course materials and some finished pieces of artwork. Of particular interest, however, were the students’ botanical sketchbooks and works in-progress, demonstrating the botanical journeys they had followed and the impressive amount of work they had done. A short practical session in the afternoon on fruit structure and seed dispersal also gave the meeting a flavour of the course.

The meeting concluded with a discussion session considering the delivery of future courses. A number of courses are already running or being planned for 2012 as a result of the pilot course and there was general agreement that there was real demand for such courses. The format of the pilot course was successful, but it was felt that there was room for a variety of formats to suit different needs. These might include one-day workshops, weekend courses, residential courses and distance learning. They should be accessible over as wide a geographical area as possible. Working with other organizations, for example the Field Studies Council and art societies such as the South West Society of Botanical Artists (SWSBA), the IAPI with its membership of botanists as well as artists, and its aim of drawing botanists and artists together, is uniquely placed to help support and deliver such botanical courses .

Students receive certificates from Ronin Hickey. Photo by Anne Bebbington.

Anne continued to explain that feedback from participants was very positive and all participants felt the course will benefit their future work. Participants felt the home-study projects were especially helpful and that they are an important part of the IAPI curriculum.

Learn more about the Institute of Analytical Plant Illustration in upcoming articles.


Acknowledgements
Sincere thanks and appreciation go to Anne Bebbington and Mary Brewin for their significant contributions to this week’s teaching and learning column. Read more about Anne and Mary below.

Related


About Mary Brewin
Mary Brewin, an adult education tutor since 2002, was able to develop her interest in art and plants through pursuing the University of Birmingham Higher Certificate course in Botanical Illustration – completed in 2005. Mary has worked with many adult learners through teaching botanical illustration and organizing various exhibitions of their work. She was secretary to the Institute for Analytical Plant Illustration (IAPI) and now serves on the IAPI education subgroup. Mary is keen to promote a good understanding of plant structure and plant family characteristics among students, artists and illustrators who want to draw and paint them realistically. The pleasure of discovering the finer details of the plant world through running a botany for botanical artists course with Dr. Anne Bebbington, cannot be over-emphasized as adult learners always open up avenues of interesting inquiry!


About Anne Bebbington
Dr. Anne Bebbington, a keen naturalist, trained as a botanist and worked for over 30 years for the Field Studies Council. As well as teaching environmental studies at all levels from young primary pupils to undergraduates, she has tutored many wild flower courses for adults both in Britain and further afield in Europe, Canada and Australia. Her interest and expertise in illustration have always formed an important part of her work. In retirement, as a freelance natural history illustrator, she works mainly in pen and ink. She is also very keen to share her enthusiasm for plants and runs a local botany group as well as running botanical workshops for artists. She is President of the Institute of Analytical Plant Illustration.

Posted in Special Announcements, Teaching & Learning |

‘Colorful Edibles’ a Blend of Botanical Art & Economic Botany

November 23, 2011 by Tania Marien

The coloring book, Colorful Edibles, was the brainstorm idea of botanical artist and organic farm owner, Wendy Hollender. Grounded in a desire to promote the work of the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA), a small committee was formed to raise awareness about the ASBA through the development and sale of products created by its members. It took about one year for the first idea, a coloring book, to take shape. Botanical illustrator Bobbi Angell signed on as Co-Project Coordinator and Editor. Graphic artist and book designer, Charlotte Staub Thomas, also joined the project. Together they created a coloring book highlighting the contemporary botanical art of 26 ASBA members.

Editor, Bobbi Angell, says it was easy to get artists involved in this project. The project team made a specific request for pen-and-ink illustrations so that they could include as many ASBA artists as possible. They received 85 submissions from 38 artists. Because they wanted to keep the book inexpensive, only 36 illustrations were selected. The illustrations in Colorful Edibles showcase the strong and diverse line work of ASBA members, and includes work from new artists along side work by more established artists, things Angell said the project team was hoping to accomplish.

Most pages of the coloring book feature a full-page illustration. Informative passages about each fruit and vegetable are included on each page. Angell wrote the passages with young readers in mind. Through her writing, Angell makes reference to the origin and domestication of each fruit and vegetable so that readers learn about the history of their food. She also includes comments from contributing artists.

Colorful Edibles is truly a coloring book for all ages. Garden teachers will find this activity book to be a helpful teaching tool because it not only explains where familiar fruit and vegetables come from, it touches upon the subjects of botany, history, agriculture and nutrition.

The project team hopes to expand the coloring book format to other books about native plants and wildflowers.

Colorful Edibles can be purchased on the ASBA website.

Posted in botanical art, Education, general botany, History, Special Announcements |

Learn About Conifers This Holiday Season at Brenton Arboretum

November 23, 2011 by Tania Marien

Brenton Arboretum in Iowa will host a guided walking tour about conifers and a Christmas bird count next month.


Brenton Arboretum, Dallas Center
www.thebrentonarboretum.org
The Brenton Arboretum is a 140-acre arboretum established in 1997 featuring 2,600 trees and shrubs. Most of the more than 175 species of trees and shrubs are organized by species to ease learning and to emphasize the importance of trees in our world.

  • Winter Conifer Walk – Saturday, December 10, 2011; 10 AM – 12 PM. How do evergreen’s stay green in the winter? Horticulturist, Lee Goldsmith, will answer this question and more on this walking tour of the arboretum. Cost: Free for members, $5 non-members. To register, contact Lee Goldsmith or call (515) 992-4211.
  • Christmas Bird Count – Saturday, December 17, 2011; 1 AM – 12 PM. Free. To register, contact Lee Goldsmith or call (515) 992-4211.

This information can also be found at Classes Near You > Iowa.

Posted in gardening, Learning Opportunities |

Pop-Up Books & The Third Dimension

November 23, 2011 by Tania Marien

Learn about books that move, fold and pop up. Then learn introductory bookbinding techniques you can use to create your own art journals.

New at the Morton Arboretum…


The Morton Arboretum Botanical Art & Illustration and Master’s Studio Certificate Program
http://www.mortonarb.org/
The Morton Arboretum is located in Lisle, Illinois and is dedicated to the conservation of trees. Its 1,700-acre garden has 4,000 kinds of trees, shrubs, and plants. Individuals interested in earning a certificate in botanical art & illustration &/or an advanced master’s certification in this discipline, should visit the program’s webpage for more information. In addition to completing required coursework, certificate students explore related topics and disciplines in elective courses such as:

    Creative Pop-up Books – Saturdays, March 3 & 10, 2012; 1-4 PM. Artist, Kathleen Garness, will teach basic bookbinding through a variety of book structures, including some that move, pop up, fold and display original artwork in unique ways. Explore the third dimension and the book arts and learn how to make an artist’s journal. Each book created will be unique to a student’s interests. Nature themes will be the focus of this two-day workshop. Cost: $75 member, $89 non-member. Prerequisite: Botanical Art & Illustration Pencil (A110), Begin to Draw (A000), or some art background. This course qualifies as an art certificate elective.
    Register Online

This information can also be viewed at Classes Near You > Illinois.

Posted in botanical art, Education, Learning Opportunities |

How do you paint graceful and realistic stems in watercolor? Hazel West-Sherring tells you how!

November 21, 2011 by Tania Marien

Hazel West-Sherring appreciates your questions and has replied to your questions and comments.

Thank you to readers who participate in the learning opportunities presented each month with featured guests. These opportunities exist so that you can ask our guests questions directly and so you can connect with each other. Remember that your participation is always welcome. Simply join in the conversation by using the comment box below.

I would like to thank Hazel for her thoughtful replies and wonderful instruction. Hazel has spoiled us with step-by-step instructions for painting stems.

Let’s get right to it!


Reader 1: Hello Hazel. I have been unable to find courses in botanical art without having to travel thousands of miles and having to spend thousands of dollars. I am unclear where you live, but feel sure that the ASBA (American Society of Botanical Artists), would be able to locate classes locally, since their membership is widespread as well as international. Meeting like-minded people to paint with will save lots of money and is really enjoyable. I have all of the “how to” books on learning botanical art, but seem to have lost the passion or zest or desire to do anymore painting. And doing it on my own just isn’t any fun, at all. It has now been over a year since I have done any painting of any subject (in watercolours or graphite). I think that because there is no support, no teachers, no interest from anyone, that I have lost my interest also.

Hazel: You haven’t lost your interest fully or you wouldn’t be writing! I do agree that botanical art can become a rather lonely occupation. It is hugely helpful therefore to meet others, to view their work, and receive feedback on your own work too. Initially when I first became professional in botanical art, I met with a small group of other amateur and professional painters once a month, over a period of 2 years. We didn’t do much painting, but we inspired and encouraged each other, and discussed exhibitions.


Reader 1: I hate to give this up because I have invested a small fortune in books, painting supplies, time and talent. I feel absolutely lost. How do I find some interest in this again, or some fellow botanical artists for mutual support? Is there anyone else who has given up?

Hazel: For me, when feeling uninspired to paint, gardening or a visit to a good plant nursery often helps. Visiting galleries and exhibitions is sometimes a welcome relief when feeling confused about direction. Looking through bulb or seed catalogues is inspiring, and (perhaps) allows planning for a series of paintings?!

Start simple with a subject whose colour, texture or shape you absolutely love, and want to ‘capture’…..an apple or pear, a pretty leaf, or perhaps a single flower stem. To bring some fun into your projects, challenge composition and the way that you crop the image, or concentrate on red flowers or just yellow.


Reader 1: Any suggestions, please?

Hazel: Get those paints out and ‘play’ with colour! Form a wish list of favourite plants, fruits or vegetables, and have a go at drawing and painting what you are inspired to portray.


Reader 2:
You mentioned opera rose as an unexpected underwash. What are some of your other favorite colors to use as an underwash. I need to get out of my blue or yellow underwash state of mind.

Hazel: Yellows and blues are always useful as single pigment underwashes! A wash of cerulean or cobalt blue is fantastic on deep green shiny leaves, and raw sienna or gamboges works well for more olive tones. If looking for a startling bright red, an underwash of transparent orange or winsor yellow works well, identifying the underlying tones of the final red.


Reader 3: The Auricula Collection in your gallery has a peaceful antique look to it. Did you paint your specimens on colored paper or did you paint the background? Did you use gouache or transparent watercolor to paint the deep colors in this collection?

Hazel: The Auricula Collection was painted in watercolour on Arches hot-pressed paper. Depth of colour is built up with subsequent layers of colour wash (i.e not watery but full of pigment), or by using very dry brush and small ‘feathered’ strokes. This collection has no painted background, but occasionally I am asked to paint a weak tea-coloured background in order to promote an antique feel, as in the gooseberries and currants. This was achieved by mixing up a quantity of much diluted burnt umber, applied liberally with a very large sable brush. Once dry, it can be modified if there are areas that are too dark and need lifting.


Reader 4: What are common mistakes students make when learning how to draw, shade, color, or paint stems? I am hoping you say something that will make me realize what I am doing to make not-so-graceful, not-quite-realistic stems.

Hazel: What a good question! I think that there is much fear in painting stems, with many people fearful of wiggly edges and a thickening of the stem in the wrong places. The plant’s posture and character rely on the stem structure. It will often determine your composition, so the drawing (with good observation of how the stem behaves), must capture this character. Where does it thicken, bend or curve? How do leaf junctions work? What is the cross section? Is there colour interchange or transition of green to magenta for example, as it nears a leaf junction, flower, or roots? What is the texture, and are there additional features such as hairs, prickles or thorns?

Shading is about applying necessary light and shade, to promote 3-dimensional qualities. In general terms, if you think of the stem as a geometric tube or cylinder, and applying the light source from top left for example, break the length of the cylinder into thirds. Tonally, the left light, the center medium and the right dark.

To paint:

  • Taking care to create clean edges, underwash with a light lime green or yellow wash, allow to dry. (This first wash determines the boundaries for the subsequent paint layers to flow within…..try not to paint outside these clean edges.)
  • Paint two-thirds (the centre and right-hand side) in a darker medium tone, allow to dry.
  • With a darker tone still, then paint down the right hand side giving the stem three tones. It will look striped, so carefully blend the edges working the paint from the darker tone into the lighter tone with a damp rounded or flat brush. Where you see possibility of a highlight, use a flat brush to take away a thin area of the first light wash.
  • Use a very dark shadowy tone on the extreme right-hand edge of the stem and up and under the leaf or flower.
  • Most stems will carry colour that will be found in the flower or fruit, often magenta. Carefully observe the texture, spots or flecks, and apply.
  • Finally, use a final dilute green wash to blend it all together!


Reader 5: When you paint on colored ground, do you paint your subject in white to establish a footprint for your painting or do you paint directly over the colored paper?

Hazel: I don’t work with coloured grounds, although I adore the work done by Mrs. Delaney on her deep black painted ground. The idea of establishing a white footprint is ideal when working with gouache, and results are delightful. A weak watercolour tea wash is about my limit!


Readers, do you have any questions or comments?

Posted in botanical art, Education, Learning Opportunities, Special Articles & Interviews, Special Events | 2 Comments »

Scholars Study Images in the Service of Science

November 18, 2011 by Tania Marien

Next week at Dijon University in France, an exciting new program will begin.

Scholars from all over the world will contribute to a seminar series about illustrations used in the service of science, specifically the relationship between scientific texts and their illustrations and the role illustrations play in the scientific process.

The seminar series will occur over three academic years (2012-2015). Topic areas include illustrations used in medicine, physics, biology and other disciplines, as well as chronological reviews of history (e.g., illustrations during the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, etc.). Leading discussions during 2011-2012 are scholars from Belgium, France, Greece, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Marie-Odile Bernez is the project coordinator of this seminar series. I had the opportunity to ask her a few question about the three-year program.


    ArtPlantae    : What made you decide to create this seminar series?

    Marie-Odile Bernez: My training is originally as an English teacher, specializing in the 18th century and the history of ideas. My research lab/centre focuses on the relationship between text and images, and has so far restricted its studies to the arts, the cinema and literature. I thought it would be a good idea to develop interdisciplinary seminars focusing on scientific illustration, in a historical perspective, mainly to strengthen the links between hard sciences and the humanities. Because we are in Burgundy, I was also involved in the organization of a 2007 conference commemorating the tercentenary of Georges Louis Leclerc, Comté Buffon’s (1707-1788) birth and it struck me at the time how important the illustrations for the Histoire naturelle were. Burgundy was the home of Marey also, and I thought we were totally legitimate in our approach, and could build on those two “ancestors”.


    AP    : How long did it take to launch this series and get presenters scheduled?

    MB: It didn’t take very long. In fact, I posted the first call for papers last January and was astonished at the amount of positive responses I received. I was invited to join a seminar in Spain (Minorca) last May, where I met several historians of science including Klaus Hentschel from Stuttgart, Daniela Bleichmar from California and Nick Hopwood from Cambridge, and many of their students. This gave me more contacts and, from then on, I tried to organize a schedule. The schedule for 2012/13 is almost ready too.


    AP    : What do you hope to accomplish through this seminar series?

    MB: This is a tricky one. My first aim was to reinforce our links with the hard sciences and show how much the history of ideas depends on the developments occurring in different scientific domains. Then, I would also like to advance our understanding of the relations (between) text/image, and especially see how images illustrating scientific texts differ from other images, because their acknowledged end is to contribute to our understanding of an accompanying text, but I think also that all images, even scientific ones, are connected to a wider context, and add to the text, by expressing other things than what they are supposed to illustrate. Is this different however in the case of scientific images?


    AP    : You mentioned there is a publication planned that will focus on the presentations presented during this series. Will the publication be in book format? In journal format (i.e., a collection of articles)? Will the publication be available to the public?

    MB: My colleagues have suggested we should publish the collection of articles, preferably in English and in a book format, so that something remains of the seminars. My intention is to collect the papers over the next two years, which should give us quite a range of subjects, but also enough material to present a coherent project to a publisher. As far as I know, the series of seminars should go on after that, if funding remains available, and so perhaps two publications might be available eventually, to cover two two-year periods.

The Department of Communication & Documentation and the fund dealing with the Scientific Collections at the University of Burgundy are pleased to announce an exhibition entitled Images in the Service of Science, in conjunction with the launch of this special seminar series about scientific illustration organized by the Interlanguages Centre. The exhibition highlights various modes of scientific illustration, from wall panels to rare books about natural history.

Images have always been essential to the sharing of scientific knowledge. At a time when 3-D imaging and virtual images dominate, it should be remembered that up until the 20th century, the only way to show to the wider public what was observed, was through illustrations.

Images in the Service of Science will be on view November 25 – December 11, 2011 in the main University Library for Arts and Humanities on the campus of Dijon University.

The scholars presenting during the inaugural year of this unique program are:

    Valerie Chansigaud (France)
    Research Focus: Issues surrounding the discovery of biodiversity and early attempts to protect it. Dr. Chansigaud is also interested in how people can transmit their knowledge about wildlife using technology.
    Presentation: Five Centuries of Naturalistic Illustrations, Between Tradition and Evolution
    November 25, 2011


    Richard Somerset (University of Nancy 2, France)
    Research Focus: Relationships between science and literature, also the history of ideas in the 19th century.
    Presentation: Telling the Story of Evolution in Images: The Popularising Work of Arabella Buckley
    January 27, 2012


    Marie-Odile Bernez (University of Burgundy, France)
    Research Focus: 18th-century Britain and the history of ideas relating to the sciences and political events. Bernez translated the works of the French Revolution by Mary Wollstonecraft and has published articles about 18th-century aspects of the development of modernity.
    Presentation: Richard Bradley and Some Pre-Evolutionist Illustrations
    January 27, 2012


    Stephen Boyd Davis (Middlesex University, UK)
    Research Focus: The visualization of historical time, chronographics, electronic visualization and the arts
    Presentation: The Eye of History: Pioneering Depictions of Historical Time
    March 9, 2012


    Eric Kindel (University of Reading, UK)
    Research Focus: The history of stenciling. Kindel also served as the principal investigator for the research project, Isotype Revisited.
    Presentation: Recording Knowledge: Christiaan Huygens and the Invention of Stencil Duplicating
    March 9, 2012


    Maria Rentetzi (National Technical University of Athens, Greece)
    Research Focus: Sociology of science
    Presentation: Visualizing Postwar High Energy Physics: A Gendered Task
    May 11, 2012


    Sigrid Leyssen (Basel University, Belgium)
    Research Focus: History and the philosophy of psychology, scientific images, theories of image perception, psychological instruments and early cinema studies.
    Presentation: Perceiving Pictures and Picturing Perception
    May 11, 2012


    Alix Cooper (State University of New York at Stony Brook, US)
    Research Focus: European history, the history of science and medicine, women’s and gender history and environmental history.
    Presentation: Picturing Nature: Gender and the Politics of Description in Eighteenth-Century Natural History
    June 15, 2012


    Valerie Morrison (University of Burgundy, France)
    Research Focus: Irish cultural history, the links between art in the field of politics and the evolution of cultural nationalism in Ireland during the 20th and 21st centuries, visual representations of the Irish by the British in the 19th and 20th centuries.
    Presentation: Photographic Portraits in Anthropological and Ethnological British Journals, 1860-1900
    June 15, 2012


Related

Posted in Special Announcements, Special Events, Teaching & Learning | 1 Comment »

Paint the Orchids and Flowers of Umbria

November 16, 2011 by Tania Marien


A Botanical Painting Holiday with Elaine Searle
Hotel Il Collaccio
Umbria, Italy
May 2-9, 2012
Cost: Euro 960 (convert currency)

Artists of all ability levels are invited to paint the orchids and Spring flowers of Umbria with botanical artist and teacher, Elaine Searle. This 7-day trip includes five days of instruction, plus a full day trip that includes a visit to a national park, shopping at a market in a medieval town, and lunch at the gastronomy capital of the region. Non-painting companions are also welcome. There is plenty to see and do in this region of Italy.

Click on the image above to download a color brochure containing a complete itinerary, photos of the 2011 trip, and a helpful FAQ section.

This botanical art holiday has also been listed in Classes Near You > Italy.


Related
Elaine Searle Shares Her Passion for Botanical Art, Discusses How Students Learn Best

Posted in botanical art, Education, Learning Opportunities, Special Announcements, Special Events | 1 Comment »

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