ArtPlantae Today

Selfridge, Gail. 2008. Drawing from your collection. Cactus and Succulent Journal. 80(1): 7-11.

“You don’t have to be a professional artist to enjoy drawing plants, any more than you have to be a professional writer to compose an e-mail or write a letter.”
— Gail Selfridge

Scientific illustrator, Gail Selfridge, shares how she was inspired to start collecting and documenting Stapelia after reading a book about these South African succulents. While she had prepared countless illustrations for books, journals, and museums, she had never prepared extensive illustrations for herself. Her Stapelia project took two years to complete.

Selfridge describes how she created her colored pencil illustrations and shares images of her work in progress. She lists the materials she used and leads readers through the steps necessary to go from preliminary sketch to finished drawing.

A copy of Volume 80, No 1 of the Cactus and Succulent Journal can be purchased for $8 from the Cactus and Succulent Society of America.

Also in this issue is a brief history about the work of May Blos, a scientific illustrator who, in the 1950s and 1960s, contributed to the Cactaceae section of the Flora of Peru.

Learning opportunities will be plenty in 2009. Filoli has published its entire program schedule for next year and it looks great! The Filoli certificate program will feature classes taught by founders Lee McCaffree and Catherine Watters, as well as Susan T. Fisher, Martha Kemp, Dana and Leila Lyons, Linda Ann Vorobik, and Gary Greene.

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden has also updated its class schedule. Go to Classes Near You>California for more information about the courses available at both gardens.

Will you be teaching a botanical illustration course in 2009? Do you have information about a local workshop you would like to share? Tell us!

Brief demos by Australian botanical artist, Helen Fitzgerald, have been posted. Click on the Tutorials tab above to view the short video segments Helen has posted for sharing on YouTube.com.