Drawing Botanicals

at Montalvo Art Center

Class:4
Ink Wash
Thursday, 4/3/08
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
“Scientific Illustration”, by Phyllis Wood
 Run back

Difficulty with “wet in wet” technique

Wet in wet produces beautiful gradation in value
Outline of grape leaves

E.C.Rooks
Add light grey wash and let it dry before adding darker values

E.C.Rooks
Ink wash without an outline
First place the larger geometric shapes
The original artwork
Use spiral guides for bud

Use oval guides to shape and place bud scales, leaves and petals
Use negative shapes as guides
Erase guidelines and prepare your ink and brushes
Notice the dark and light value design
The original artwork
Apply a light, dark-grey wash
to the stems, leaves & gonads
Apply light, light-grey wash
to the petals
 Apply a dark, dark-grey details to
the shadow side of the leaves, stems
and gonads. Lightly shade petals.
 Apply a dark-grey wash to the stems
and a dark, light-grey wash to the petals
Books used in Edward Rooks’ presentation on Drawing
Botanicals
Books on Botanical Art
* 1) “Botanical Illustration in Watercolor” by Eleanor B. Wunderlich
2) "How to Draw Plants: The Techniques of Botanical Illustration" by Keith West
3) “Flowers & Botanicals” by Diane Cardaci
4) "The Art of Botanical Painting" by Margaret Stevens
5) “The Guild Handbook of Scientific illustrators” Edited by Elaine R.S. Hodges
6) “Scientific Illustration”, by Phyllis Wood

Other Reference Books:

1) “Sketching your Favorite Subjects in Pen & Ink” by Claudia Nice.
2) “The Book of Botanical Prints” by Basilius Besler
3) “Native Shrubs of the San Francisco Bay Region” by Roxanne S. Ferris
4) A Guide to Field Identification: “Trees of North America” by C. F. Brockman
5) “The Watercolorist’s Essential Notebook” by Gordon MacKenzie
6) “Chinese Painting Techniques” by Alison Stilwell Cameron