ArtPlantae Today

Researchers and Artists Document Grand Canyon’s Plant Jewels

April 14, 2010 by Tania Marien

Botanical illustrators at the Desert Botanical Garden are living a dream. They are continuing the centuries old tradition of documenting plants to create both a scientific record for biologists and educational material for the public. The botanical illustrators who have endured five years of study and many hours in the studio are about to make their work public.

Eighteen illustrators will present 40-50 pieces of work in the Celebration of Plants exhibition to be held at Kolb Studio on the south rim of the Grand Canyon (July 2 – August 31, 2010). This exhibition is a cooperative effort between the Grand Canyon Association, Grand Canyon National Park and the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ.

Many lectures and activities will be presented during this exhibit. Artists and botanists will draw visitors into the world of art and science by sharing stories about early explorers and the botanists/artists who accompanied them. There will be explanations about how new species are described and discussions about why people should care about plants. Learning activities will include guided plant walks, plant identification workshops, guided plant walks into the canyon, and illustration workshops for all levels.

A Practical Idea Grows

Six years ago Wendy Hodgson, Herbarium Curator at the Desert Botanical Garden, met Lori Makarick, the Vegetation Manager at the Grand Canyon who oversees the management of rare plants, invasive species and habitat restoration. At the time, Makarick was reading a field guide about the special status plants in the Grand Canyon by former botanist, Nancy Brian. Makarick noticed the guide did not contain enough key characteristics in the plant descriptions and that some plant descriptions were not accompanied by illustrations. Hodgson and Makarick discussed updating the field guide. They thought it would be good idea to include an illustration for each plant described in the guide. When they discussed this, Wendy’s thoughts went immediately to the new botanical art and illustration certificate program at the Desert Botanical Garden. Wendy asked students if they were interested in illustrating the rare plants needed for the guide. The idea was met with enthusiastic response.

Makarick asked the Grand Canyon Association to help assemble an exhibit at Kolb Studio. The small group exhibit quickly metamorphosed into a much larger project. Makarick and Hodgson are now using this event as a launchpad to bring attention to the diversity of plants in the Grand Canyon and to bring attention to plants overall. Hodgson explains that, “Nearly fifty percent of all plants growing in Arizona occur in the Grand Canyon.”

Amazing information from someone who knows the Grand Canyon very, very well. Hodgson has studied and documented the plants of the Grand Canyon for 17 years and has described two new species of plants within the canyon. Throughout the process of research and discovery, Hodgson says her research has generated more questions than answers. Her work would be much more difficult if it were not for the plant researchers who came before her. Hodgson says she feels very fortunate to be able to learn from them through their field notebooks, specimens, and publications, with hopes that her own notes, specimens and artists’ illustrations will help future botanists with their studies.

About Wendy Hodgson
Many years ago botanist and illustrator, Wendy Hodgson, landed her first job at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ. Agave expert Howard Scott Gentry needed illustrations for his book, so Wendy created them. A series of Garden jobs ensued until Hodgson, whose true calling is field work and plant documentation, became Herbarium Curator in 1984. The hours Wendy dedicates to her work in the Grand Canyon, are but one part of her career as the botanist for the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ., where she has worked for 36 years.

About Lori Makarick
Lori Makarick is the Vegetation Program Manager at the Grand Canyon. Her work is at the heart of the everything that has to do with plants at the Grand Canyon. Lori and her 40 staff members manage rare and invasive plants, manage a native plant nursery, and oversee the collection of seeds from native plants. Lori began her career as an intern with the Student Conservation Association and now helps to manage the Grand Canyon’s 1.2 million acres.

Watch the video below as Lori takes leads a virtual tour of the plant communities in the Grand Canyon.

Video of Lori’s presentation at Flagstaff Cline Library (March 2009)

Artists Participating in the Celebration of Plants Exhibition

Questions for EE Week Readers:
Have you ever studied the plants of a specific area and documented or illustrated your observations? If so, where did your project take place? If you studied the plants in your own backyard, that’s great! We’d love to hear about this too!

Posted in botanical art, Learning Opportunities, Special Articles & Interviews |

Botanical Art Program Grows at Virginia Robinson Gardens

April 14, 2010 by Tania Marien

Updated at Classes Near You > California:

Virginia Robinson Gardens, Beverly Hills
www.robinsongardens.org
Read about the Friends of Robinson Garden Botanical Art Group and the Robinson Garden Florilegium here. Download the 2010 schedule here.

Watercolor Brush Techniques for Botanical Art – June 8, 9, 10, 2010.
Basic plant elements such as petals and simple fruits will be selected for understanding the application of washes, glazes, color blending, color layering for increasing intensity. How to build form and shadow while avoiding making muddy colors and overworking the paper surface will be covered as well as wet brush, dry brush and lifting techniques. The class will also focus on brushes and papers best suited to the various techniques required in creating botanical art. Extended topic study and exercises will be provided as homework.
Botanical Art Composition I – August 4, 5, 6, 2010.
How to inject strong eye appeal into a botanical art painting is often challenging from subject to subject, no matter how skilled the artist. Margaret will lead the students through exercises designed to train the eye on how to plan and create visually appealing and natural compositions. Traditional compositions and contemporary works will be studied to expand the students awareness of how to inﬂuence the viewer. The impact of color placement, areas of dark and light, positive and negative spaces will all be covered.
How and When to Add Details – September 2010 (Dates TBA).
How to build washes to get the right intensity and give value to the subject. How “not to” achieve a muddy color and destroy your paper by overworking and when to add the details that give ﬁnal painting its personality and more.
Full Flower Painting – November 2010 (Dates TBA)
Students should have prepared a ﬁnal detailed drawing for review by Margaret. This will be used for a full and detailed water color study, utilizing all technical elements learned throughout the 2010 program. A special emphasis will be placed on innovative composition and accurate use of color.

Posted in botanical art, Learning Opportunities |

Restoration Project Creates Waterwise Landscape & An Artist’s Playground

April 13, 2010 by Tania Marien

Reginald Durant is the undeniable force behind Back To Natives Restoration, a 501(c)3 service learning organization dedicated to the teaching of ecological concepts through hands-on learning. He is seriously passionate about his work and has created an impressive organization demonstrating the value of native plant communities, hands-on learning, and community involvement. Durant stresses, however, that “without Lori Whalen, our volunteer Director of Education, writing all of our curriculum, promoting and marketing BTN, and coordinating our volunteers we may have been another Orange County secret!”

Starting in 2003, Durant worked as a docent for Crystal Cove and as an honorary docent for the Nature Conservancy. As a docent, he put his really good memory to work and developed a knack for learning plant names. Later as the Grounds Administrator at the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach, he had to learn how to name and identify 5,000 species of plants. It was at this time he observed the need for a native revegetation firm dedicated solely to the restoration of native habitat. He had a vision to create a pool of volunteers who would learn how to plant natives, collect seeds, understand the intricacies of habitat restoration and apply their knowledge to another site. Durant formed Back to Natives in 2005 and actively pursued Board members to convince them to join. Back To Natives became a non-profit corporation in February 2007.

Today Back to Natives (BTN) works in partnership with the National Forest Service to conduct the USFS/Back to Natives Restoration Training Program specializing in the restoration and conservation of wildlands in Orange County. The first graduating class of the Forest Service/BTN training program graduated in June 2008. All graduates have to donate one year of service (two hours per month). In 2008, 1,000 BTN volunteers put in 3,500 volunteer hours on public lands and non-profit properties.

Back to Natives also offers many environmental education programs for children in grades K-6. Outdoor workshops for boy scouts and girl scouts enable scouts to earn badges, pins, and become smart caring naturalists. The BTN Traveling Naturalist program visits classrooms and engages students in learning activities based upon the California State Content Standards for Science. These programs can be paired with the BTN Schoolyard Habitat Garden program to provide students with a truly unique hands-on learning experience ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the value of native plants and how they can be incorporated into the suburban concrete landscape.

In order to cover their operating expenses, BTN provides professional native landscape design services. When homeowners decide to trade their lawn for a native landscape consistent with local wildlands, BTN provides all of the specialized services one would expect from a landscape design company. And then they do one more thing…they turn a homeowner’s renovation project into a community service learning project. Back To Natives conducts a workshop on-site in the homeowner’s yard and teaches participants the value of native plants and how to incorporate them into a residential setting. This workshop is not a lecture-only learning opportunity for participants. The lecture part only lasts an hour. The rest of the time is spent planting the homeowner’s yard and learning how to plant and care for natives, be they small plugs or one-gallon plants.

An Illustrator’s Garden

Southern California illustrator, Deborah Shaw, decided to transform her front yard into a native landscape after attending a BTN workshop hosted at a private residence. She took a few moments to tell us about the transformation.

How long did planning take?

We spent a few years fantasizing about getting rid of the grass, and haphazardly researching any best method that didn’t involve massive doses of “Round Up” or other chemicals, especially since everything in our area goes directly to the ocean. An additional challenge was that we had too much dirt on the property. Coupled with the ankle-deep thatch below the grass, any water, including rainwater, would run directly to the gutters instead of staying on the property to water the plants and percolate down to replenish the groundwater. In the end, we simply got out the shovels in June 2009 and started digging up the lawn. Each shovelful contained lawn, thatch and about six inches of the dirt. We piled each scoop onto boards to dry out.

It took months of shoveling and drying grass piles — from June 2009 through September. We rented and filled two “sod” dumpsters that were then picked up, taking away 16 tons of sod for mulching. We left the existing sprinkler system in place, then watered the dirt occasionally so we could pull up weeds and grass that were trying to make a comeback. Family members helped cut down the trees over the holidays and dig and form mounds for the planned landscaping.

We met with Reginald Durant from Back to Natives in October 2009 to start planning the garden; did a lot of digging and shaping in November and December; and put the plants in the ground in January 2010. We then adapted the existing sprinkler system to a water-efficient system that would give the natives the small amount of water they needed in order to get established.

How did you choose the plants for the plant palette?
We met the Back to Natives crew at a workshop at a Costa Mesa home (which has since earned a LEEDs Platinum designation). Although I was familiar with natives from the deserts, mountains and foothills (and had my favorites), I was surprised to discover during the lecture the local Orange County natives I didn’t know about. We had looked at all kinds of natives at the Tree of Life nursery and the Theodore Payne Foundation, but liked the idea of growing what belonged in this area.

Our plant preferences were based on the following:
After soil, exposure, etc., were taken into account, we wanted to grow natives that were: edible, endangered, had wonderful scents, flowered throughout the year, had interesting botanical features, provided native butterfly and bee habitat, and provided native bird and hummingbird habitat.

We also had a few “favorites” that we wanted to be sure to have in the garden, although there are a couple of favorites we had to give up on for a variety of reasons.

How did you choose the plants for your illustration garden?
I have always been enamored of natives, including the various California native habitats and the Sonoran desert (where I grew up). By growing natives, I would be able to live with the plants I love to paint. I had done some studies for paintings for “Losing Paradise,” the American Society of Botanical Artists’ exhibition on endangered species, but then didn’t have time to complete the paintings before the deadlines. I like the idea of growing locally endangered species, and being able to view the entire life cycle of the plant. Hopefully, we’ll be able to grow a variety of plants and then harvest the seed so that Back to Natives can then use them to restore habitat in other areas. If possible, we can be a small version of a native and endangered seed farm.

There are genera and families of plants that I’ve always been attracted to: Dudleyas being one (we have five local species growing, including Dudley pulverulenta, Chalk Dudleya, one of my favorites). Also on the “must have” list was Trichostema lanatum, Wooly Blue Curls (smell just like Bazooka Bubble Gum—really); Mimulus aurantiacus, Monkey Flower; Lotus scoparius, Deerweed; and Sisyrinchium bellum, Blue-eyed Grass. Truthfully, all of the plants in our garden are on my “must draw” list.

What plans do you have for the illustrations you will produce? Exhibit? Personal enjoyment?
First on the list is personal fulfillment. I would like to continuously illustrate a species through its life cycle, throughout the year. By growing the plants, I’m also hoping to have a continuous supply to dissect and compare, so I can see how the species looks, as opposed to painting a portrait of one particular plant. I would also like to explore illustrating the same plant in a variety of mediums (including digital). If there are paintings that I feel are exhibit worthy, I’ll certainly submit them, but it’s not my overriding goal. The native garden feels like an extension of painting.

Would you like to help Back To Natives restore habitat?

Back To Natives is currently looking for interns for both the office and the field. Field assistants will participate in monitoring activities and help biologists who need assistance. Back To Natives also needs Corporate Sponsorships, memberships, and donations. Landscape design funds only part of their costs associated with habitat restoration and education (most of which is mainly insurance and staff). Back To Natives is a California Non-Profit Public Benefit Corporation and is a Non Profit Public Charity under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to Back To Natives are deductible under section 170 of the IR Code as of February 13, 2007. They are qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under section 2055, 2106 or 2522 of the IR Code.

To request more information, please contact the BTN office. Or attend Reginald Durant’s presentation at the LA Garden Show on Sunday May 2, 2010 at 3:00 PM. Download 2010 Garden Chat Schedule

Question for EE Week Readers:
How many of the 125 species of butterflies listed as native to Orange County have you seen lately? (Hint: native butterflies need native plant species to lay their eggs on!)

Additional Information:

Are you wondering which native plants are included in Deborah’s plant palette? Here’s a list:

Trees

Arctostaphylos glauca, Big Berry Manzanita [beautiful red bark, delicate urn-shaped flowers]
Platanus racemosa, California Sycamore
Sambucus mexicanus, Blue Elderberry [edible berries, also loved by songbirds, which, in turn, are loved by Cooper’s Hawks]

Shrubs

Eriogonum fasciculatum, California Buckwheat
Ribes speciosum, Fuchsia Flowered Gooseberry [edible berries, beautiful fuchsia flowers and bright red spines; flowers adored by hummingbirds]
Salvia apiana, White Sage
Salvia leucophylla, Purple Sage
Salvia mellifera, Black Sage
Symphoricarpus mollis, Creeping Snowberry
Trichostema lanatum, Woolly Blue Curls

Sub Shrubs & Perennials

Achillea millefolium, Yarrow
Epilobium canum, California Fuchsia [blooms with a red so vibrant it hurts to look at; will be an interesting color to try to mix]
Eriophyllum confertiflorum, Golden Yarrow [the yellow looks wonderful mixed with the blue from the Blue-eyed Grass]
Heuchera maxima, Jill of the Rocks
Lotus scoparius, Deerweed
Mimulus aurantiacus, Monkey Flower [one of the bright yellow varieties]
Satureja chandleri, Yerba Buena/San Miguel Savory
Sisyrinchium bellum, Blue-eyed Grass
Stachys bullata, Hedge Nettle
Lupinus succulentus, Arroyo Lupine
Brodiaea filifolia, Thread Leafed Brodiaea

Vines

Clematis lasiantha, Pipestem Clematis
Calystegia macrostegia, Island False Bindweed, Island Morning Glory
Vitis girdiana, Southern California Wild Grape, Desert Wild Grape [small edible grapes, with big seeds]

Ground Cover

Fragaria chiloensis [edible strawberries that were one of the original species that were hybridized into the strawberries we buy in the grocery store]
Aster chilensis, California Aster

Grasses

Aristida purpurea, Purple Three Awn
Carex praegracilis, Field Sedge
Juncus mexicanus, Mexican Rush
Melica imperfecta, Coast Range Melic

Succulents

Dudleya edulis, San Diego Dudleya
Dudleya hassei, Hasse’s Dudleya
Dudleya lanceolata, Lance Leaf Dudleya
Dudleya pulverulenta, Chalk Dudleya
Dudleya viscida, Sticky Dudleya

Posted in gardening, Special Articles & Interviews | 2 Comments »

Artist Turns Nature Drawing Workshops into Ebooks

April 13, 2010 by Tania Marien

By Irene Brady

I love giving workshops. It is a real high to help people discover that they’re unimaginably good artists, or share with them “aha!” tricks and tips that I’ve been using throughout my 40-year art career. But when the economy tanked, I had to stop giving workshops due to low enrollment in this non-urban area.

An important part of my workshops were the heavily illustrated workbooks I designed for my students to take home, filled with advice to keep them going once the workshop was over. So I’ve spent the last few months writing, re-writing, and illustrating tutorials and step-by-step exercises to make those workbooks into stand-alone lessons – then putting them up on my Workshop Workbook web page for download. I’m not done yet, but here’s what I have so far:

Nature Sketching Basics (Special! $9.95)

Nature Sketching Details (Special! $9.95) – Advanced techniques for 3-D shading, ways to tackle difficult subjects, and shortcuts to great effects. This workbook starts where the Basics workbook leaves off, with ways to draw textures, symmetrical subjects, and shade white objects. There are several tutorials: drawing a cattail (with life-size cattail photos), tricky ways to create fine white lines against a in dark background (think “cat’s whiskers” or “leaf veins”), lizard and snake scales, and my own invention of “drawing” white on black (and not with white pencils, either).

Sketching Wildlife Basics (Special! $9.95) – Wildlife sketching techniques and time-tested tips for every situation. In this workbook, I show you ways to develop left and right-brain templates to help you draw moving animals, how to use several models to draw a single sketch, or one model to draw several concurrent sketches. You’ll learn to develop your “visual snapshot” skills, then apply your pencil to get the tonal values you need to create fur and feathers. You’ll learn how to draw an eye with speed and skill, and the principles of drawing and shading fur, nestling down, and hair. There is a tutorial on sketching moving birds in the field, and techniques for drawing and shading realistic feathers. Find out what to do with birds that hit your window (sketch them, of course!), and ways to use your camera as a backup when sketching. Making useful labels and notes is discussed, as well as paper weight, electric erasers, and using a ballpoint pen when sketching. There’s even a tutorial on how to attach a pencil loop to your sketchbook!

Nature Sketching With Watercolor Pencils (Special! $9.95) – Fill your sketchbook with beautiful, satisfying color. Adding color to your sketches is incredibly satisfying (and a bit scary to some). This workbook takes all the fear out of it, introducing the waterbrush and its care and watering, and the skills you need to work like a pro. There’s a lovely color wheel exercise, instructions for making color charts if you want to, EIGHT ways to get the color onto the paper, a tutorial on applying a mask, and a tutorial on how to hold and use the paintbrush effectively for different results. This is not a sketching book – it concentrates on using color. So there are lots of sketches on which you to try out step-by-step instructions: a bobcat kitten, a mountain scene, trees and shrubbery, hemlock cones, a fawn, a skull, and a conch shell. There is a full-blown tutorial for painting an orchid, from delicate shading and bold spots on the petals to a striking background that you could use anywhere. I’ve also included a tutorial by Susie Short on how to paint raindrops or dewdrops, because she says it perfectly. This workbook will have you applying color in no time at all.

Observing Nature ($24.95) – A journal sketching guide to discovering your natural environment. If you would like to encourage your kids to go out and sketch/journal, you can jump-start the process with this curriculum developed in conjunction with three nature centers to use with students from middle school through high school. If you go out with them to sketch, you’ll get as much enjoyment as they do. Purchasing this download gives you permission to print out as many as you want for your students. The course emphasizes quiet observation, developing curiosity, improving drawing skills, honing interpretive skills, practicing writing and descriptive skills, and developing self-confidence, self-reliance and independence. Kids absolutely love this course. See also the Teacher’s Manual.

Observing Nature Teacher’s Manual ($24.95) – Teaching children to develop observational, writing and drawing skills as they discover the natural environment through sketching and journaling. This is extremely useful tool to help you implement the course for children, even if it’s only your own kids. It features creating Observation Boxes filled with natural items to examine, draw, and journal about: acorns, leaves, seedpods, and whatever natural curiosities you find in your area. This manual also has a class plan and everything you need if you decide to try your hand at teaching a group of children these skills in a more formal setting. This goes with the Observing Nature book described above. Buy Now

Workbooks In-Preparation: Drawing Raptors (almost ready), Basic Landscape Sketching, Travel and Nature Journaling. Additional titles to be announced.

Question for EE Week Readers:
Do you use drawing as a learning tool? If so, how do you incorporate drawing into your activities?

A Tool for All Garden-based Learning Programs

April 12, 2010 by Tania Marien

If your school has a schoolyard garden, you need to know about TheMulch.com.

TheMulch.com is more than a website with a list of links to other websites. It is an online community of horticulturists, landscape architects, garden writers, radio talk show hosts, garden-related businesses, and gardeners who willingly share years of gardening experience with each other. You barely have to lift a finger to find information you need and if you become a member (it’s free) you will receive monthly Plant Care Reminders.

The community at TheMulch.com is centered around member profiles through which members share garden-related activities and interests. Before you start thinking Facebook, MySpace, and all the rest…..stop. Member profiles are not comprised of streams of rambling comments. Profiles at TheMulch.com are maintained by dedicated gardeners. A member’s profile is a comprehensive platform through which a member can share interesting articles, pose plant care questions, research plant care topics, list the plants they grow and even list plants in a Plant Cemetery so others can learn from their mistakes. When a Mulch member uploads a plant list, they are able to connect with other members who grow the same types of plants. Through the large discussion platform, members can discuss a wide range of gardening topics. Do you have questions about growing fruits, nuts and vegetables? There is a forum just for you. Do you need help with planning your waterwise landscape? Direct your questions to the Waterwise forum. Need help identifying a plant? Just say, hey what’s this? Is horticultural travel your passion? There’s a forum for this too. The horticulture professionals and avid gardeners at The Mulch are a wealth of information.

The Mulch Team Needs Your Help

As you harvest invaluable information from TheMulch.com, consider giving back to this knowledgeable gardening community. The Mulch needs your help with a very special project.

The Mulch Team would like to connect with a schoolyard garden in each region of the U.S. so it can enter plant care information relevant to each region. The Mulch team would like to apply the tools and information already in place to support learning activities in schoolyard gardens across the country. The only way they can accomplish this is by communicating with garden teachers directly. The Mulch Team would like to invite garden teachers to contact them with information about what they grow in their schoolyard garden. The founder of TheMulch.com, Mitch Shirts, has promised to work alongside garden teachers to implement a resource that will benefit garden-based learning programs.

Question for EE Week Readers
Are you involved in a garden-based program at your school or in your homeschool program? If so, tell us about your current project.

Fun Gardening Project:

Contains plans to grow 26 themed gardens. Grow yourself “Your Personal Pizza Garden” or a “Stir Fry Garden.” Garden plans range from easy to advanced. Recipes included.
Buy

Posted in Education, gardening, Special Articles & Interviews |

Natural Science Educator Illustrates U.S. Habitat for Young Naturalists

April 12, 2010 by Tania Marien

Marianne Wallace is a natural science educator, illustrator, and author. Her illustrations have been published in over thirty books. She is the author and illustrator of a series of guides to North America’s deserts, forests, mountains, seashores, wetlands, prairies, and grasslands. Marianne has taught science to elementary school children and nature drawing to science teachers, librarians, and children’s book writers. She taught botanical illustration classes at the L.A. County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in the 1970s, taught illustration classes for kids at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and taught a workshop about teaching botanical art to children at the annual meeting of the American Society of Botanical Artists held in Pasadena, CA in 2008.

This conversation is a continuation of a conversation I had with Marianne in 2004 when I interviewed her for The Southern California Botanical Artist. This time we begin with the question, How did you come to write the America’s books? Marianne explains:

On family trips I noticed there were few books about birds and butterflies west of the Mississippi. I thought, how could a book about North American birds not include common western birds like the Scrub Jay? Of the books that were in print at the time, I did not care for their cartoon-like illustrations. So I decided to write a book to fill this void.

My initial idea was to focus on desert habitats. However deserts are found in only certain states and I did not want to focus on specific states. I soon realized it would be better to take a broader approach and to create a book that also served as a learning tool. Since plants and animals know no boundaries, I decided to focus on specific habitats in North America.

It was important to me that the books show nature is cool, vibrant and still present. I wanted to get kids excited and thought if I created a fun book for kids, they would share it with their parents. I emphasize the “nature outside your door” and do not include humans in my books intentionally. I may mention human impacts as they pertain to native plants, but you will not see humans in my books.

The most common plants and animals of each habitat are what I focus on in my books. The specific attention given to common plants and animals came about because I observed that kids were not even aware of the most common species. I also observed that kids had no sense of geography. This made me determined to present the distribution of plants and animals in an understandable way.

The America’s books I wrote were written specifically for readers between 8 to 12 years old because I noticed there were natural history books for younger kids, nothing for 8-12 year olds, and then a jump to adult field guides.

The Search for a Publisher

Armed with an idea and a solid concept, Marianne needed a publisher. She researched her options and created a shortlist of ten publishers who would allow authors to illustrate books and who generally had good nature books. She wanted a publisher who valued information as much as she did. She knew that those who only do fiction may not be into information as much as they are into the story.

Marianne approached the Sierra Club first, then Harcourt Publishing. Upon contacting Harcourt, Marianne learned they only published nature books with photographs, so she scratched them off the list. She then contacted Fulcrum Books after reading information about what Fulcrum looks for in non-fiction books. At the time, Fulcrum was in the process of launching a natural science category and a children’s book division. Marianne was signed by Fulcrum and her Deserts book was one of the first books to be published in the new natural science category. Marianne says the great thing about small publishers is that authors receive more personal attention than they would at one of the big publishing houses.

When her Deserts book was published in 1996, creative non-fiction was not as prevalent as it is now. Marianne says the problem with this category today is that these books are often not written by biologists and, unfortunately, this makes the dissemination of misinformation more of a possibility. Marianne checks all of her scientific names and checks her facts very carefully to ensure the information in her books is as accurate as possible. In spite of one’s best efforts, though, mistakes are part of the business and when a mistake is found, both Fulcrum and Marianne take note. Reader feedback is filed and becomes part of the editing process each time a book is reissued.

These days, Marianne shops for publishers on Amazon.com. She looks for books she likes and jots down the names of publishers.

Including The Necessities

The books in the America’s series are as comprehensive as they are because they equip the reader will all he/she needs. We’re not talking just content here, we’re talking tools to enhance understanding. Simple tools too. Think rulers and maps. Marianne felt strongly that rulers and maps be included in her books. Rulers are important to Marianne because they enable readers to make comparisons between species and record accurate information. Maps are important to Marianne because she wants kids to understand how species are distributed and where habitat is located.

Another necessity was the inclusion of scientific names. Marianne felt it was important to passively educate people about the use of common names and scientific names. She wants people to understand the difference between common names and scientific names. The example she provides addresses how “puma”, “cougar”, and “mountain lion” are three common names for the same animal. These animals share one common name and this is Puma concolor. The same situation occurs with “peccary” and “javelina” – two common names, one animal (Pecari tajacu).

The Big Picture on Two Pages

The landmark features in every book in the series are the two-page spreads featuring the common plants and animals within a given habitat. To create the spreads in each book, Marianne asked people what to include. She asked educators and nature guides what people ask about the most. She researched the primary literature and spoke to experts. She also traveled a lot because she felt it was important to visit the places she wrote about. If a not-so-common species made it onto a two-page spread, it was included specifically to engage kids (e.g., an animal with warning colors accompanied by a cautionary tale). And Marianne admits, if she became really excited about a species, this served as a clue she may need to include it in the book.

Creating The Big Picture

When you’re the author and illustrator of a book, which comes first, the words or the illustrations? For Marianne, neither the words or the illustrations came first. Both were created simultaneously. The spreads in the America’s books were the most difficult illustrations to plan and create. Each two-page spread contains anywhere from 35 to 50 species of plants and animals. To create each two-page spread, Marianne completed the line art first in pen-and-ink. She then photographed the line art and added color (gouache). The plants and animals that were going to be on each spread for sure, were placed on the spread first. They served as place holders. Other sketches were added as necessary. Rocks and other features were added last. Imagine the time it took to repeat this process for each of the six spreads in a book!

As for the illustrations to be placed in other areas of each book, they came with their own set of instructions. Because the publisher prints 4-over-1 (full color on the front and B&W on the back) and alternates color pages with black & white pages, not every plant and animal was printed in color. In fact, certain rules were in place about which illustrations are created in color and which illustrations are not. The lizards, amphibians, trees, and mammals in Marianne’s books did not get color. Flowers and insects always received color.

When the illustrations for a book were completed, Marianne gave them to the publisher. At this point, how her artwork was recreated was beyond her control. If the publisher wants to punch up a color, then this is what they do even if it makes a plant or an animal a different hue than originally intended. Over time, Marianne learned to accept how her work is printed. She says authors and illustrators have to learn they can’t be in control of everything.

An Author’s Dream Realized

Amidst the busy planning of each book’s content, creating the detailed two-page spreads, talking with experts, and writing, Marianne never lost sight of what she wanted most. She wanted people to use her books. She made the conscious decision to publish the America’s series only as a paperback. The drawback to having her books published only in softcover is that they are not considered for awards. Also libraries, as a rule, do not buy paperback books. Even so, the America’s books are widely read and each title in the series has been reissued. The Deserts book is the most popular among readers. Marianne found out her books are also used in social studies classrooms because they cover all of North America and address regional topics discussed in social studies class.

Marianne’s books resonate with adult naturalists, homeschoolers, adults who aren’t naturalists, and grandparents who buy books for family members living in other areas of the country.

Current Projects…

Marianne is currently taking a break from writing nonfiction. She wants to create a story grandparents can read to their grandchildren. She also wants to take a break from doing research. She is working on several ideas for picture books, including:

A counting book written from the viewpoint of a tarantula. This story will take place in the Mojave Desert.
A fictional story about a barn owl. The backdrop of the story is based on accurate natural history facts about birds.
Regional books for specific areas.

Posted in Education, Special Articles & Interviews |

Welcome to EE Week at ArtPlantae!

April 11, 2010 by Tania Marien

National Environmental Education Week begins today!

Meet natural science illustrator, Christine Elder, whose specialty is teaching children about nature. She will be holding office hours this week at ArtPlantae Today and will be answering questions from readers. Read more about Christine in the following post.

The theme for EE Week is Be Water and Energy Wise. There is no better way to begin this week than with telling you about Shane Burckle the force behind local outreach programs designed to educate the public about our global water crisis. The book, Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization, comes with Shane’s enthusiastic recommendation.

On behalf of all contributors to EE Week at the national level and here at ArtPlantae, thank you for your attention and for your participation in our collective efforts to increase environmental literacy.

UPDATE:
Feature Articles & Interviews Posted During EE Week 2010