Penny Brown - Botanical Drawing: A Step-by-Step Guide to Drawing Flowers, Vegetables, Fruit and other Plant Life

PENNY BROWN trained and worked as

a theatre designer for ten years before an

increasing love of painting and drawing

led her to illustration. She works in

watercolour, graphite and most recently,

cut paper collage. She has illustrated

many books on craft, textiles, design,

natural history and gardening.

Penny exhibits her botanical

paintings and drawings with the

Society of Botanical Artists in London,

Frankfurt and Spain. She has won

several awards including the prestigious

Presidents Prize at the SBA exhibition.

She is also a member of the

South West Society of Botanical

Artists in the UK, and opens her studio

regularly for art weeks. She looks

forward to continuing her parallel

careers in botanical art and illustration.

Botanical Drawing touches on the history

of this fascinating art form, its rules

and practicalities, and includes an

accessible, basic study of botany for the

absolute beginner.

The aim of this book is to give you the

confidence and enthusiasm to tackle your

own projects, to show you how broad

a subject botanical drawing is, and how

satisfying and enjoyable it can be.

Study nature diligently, be guided by

nature for truly art is hidden in nature

and he who can draw it out possesses it.

Albrecht Drer

Dedication

To Tim and our children, Eleanor and Sam.

PENNY BROWN

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO DRAWING FLOWERS, VEGETABLES, FRUIT AND OTHER PLANT LIFE

Thank you to my editor, Beth Harwood, for all her

help and encouragement, and to Katie French

at Search Press. Thank you also to friends and

colleagues who have been generous with their

ideas and advice, in particular Margaret Tebbs,

who checked the specific botanical pages

for accuracy.

Lastly, thank you to the natural world for providing

such an abundance of subject matter!

Page 1

Dendrobium Dancing Flora Bamboo Orchid

Orchids make good subjects to draw as they are long

lasting. I start by drawing the buds, as they open and

change first, then work my way up the stem, drawing the

open flowers. I love the contrasting dark and light petals

on each flower and the curving twists of the leaves.

297 420mm (11 16in) hot-pressed watercolour paper.

Full range of graphite pencils.

Page 2

Echinacea Cone Flower

This enlarged study of the opening bud of an echinacea

flower relies on three different areas of pattern to achieve

the composition. The tightly packed ranks of developing

stamens at the centre of the bud are encircled by the

spiky, elongated forms of the unfolding petals. These both

emerge from the curving, spiny sepals. Enlarging the bud

gives it a sculptural almost architectural quality.

297 420mm (11 16in) hot-pressed watercolour paper.

Full range of graphite pencils.

Page 3

Phalaenopsis Moth Orchid

See page 75.

297 420mm (11 16in) hot-pressed watercolour paper.

Full range of graphite pencils.

First published in 2018

Search Press Limited

Wellwood, North Farm Road,

Tunbridge Weils, Kent TN2 3DR

Illustrations, photographs and text copyright

Penny Brown 2018; except page 37 (top) copyright

Search Press Ltd 2018

Design copyright Search Press Ltd. 2018

All rights reserved. No part of this book, text, photographs or

illustrations may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

or by any means by print, photoprint, microfilm, microfiche,

photocopier, internet or in any way known or as yet unknown,

or stored in a retrieval system, without written permission

obtained beforehand from Search Press.

Print ISBN: 978-1-78221-260-7

eBook ISBN: 978-1-78126-611-3

The Publishers and author can accept no responsibility for

any consequences arising from the information, advice or

instructions given in this publication.

Suppliers

If you have difficulty in obtaining any of the materials and

equipment mentioned in this book, then please

visit the Search Press website for details of suppliers:

www.searchpress.com

I firmly believe that drawing is supremely important, and the bedrock of all art. As a direct and immediate response to a subject, a drawing often comes alive, with a raw energy of its own. Drawing is also extremely enjoyable and satisfying, and can result in images with a distinctly contemporary feel.

However, there is much more to it than that: an under-drawing may provide the basis and structure for a painting; a quick sketch made in the field can provide essential information to work from later, or can capture perhaps better than any other medium the feel and character of a subject. A drawing can be a finished work of art in its own right, conveying the subject with as much interest and skill as a painting. With so much visual stimulation available to us nowadays, it is pleasing to see that there is an increasing fascination with drawing for its own sake.

Botanical drawing has a long history. Early plant hunters had to make detailed line drawings, including dissections, of new specimens. These drawings were archived, and are today considered invaluable as scientific documents. On the pages overleaf, I present a consideration of the history of botanical drawing; ultimately, though, my focus throughout this book is on botanical drawing as a way of making accurate, yet pleasing and decorative, images.

Within this volume, you will find a section on the materials and equipment required for botanical drawing, and the potential use of technology such as tablets and digital cameras. I have included simple exercises to familiarise you with graphite pencils; to encourage you to experiment with line and tone and to draw from life. Indeed, observation and learning to really look at your subject are primary drawing skills. I discuss the importance of composition: how to approach and lay out your subjects to create compositions that are vigorous and exciting but stay true to the individual character and nature of the subject itself.