I've created a new Squidoo lens about Botanical Art and the resources that are available for artists.Regular readers of this blog will know that I'm very keen on flowers, fruit and vegetables as objects for my artworks (see my galleries for flower and botanical drawings, flower paintings and fruit and vegetables on my website). I also love going to shows involving flowers, fruit and vegetables - and you can't keep me away from visiting gardens. My big love being the kitchen gardens!
It isn't such a big jump then to get wondering about whether to study botanical art on a formal basis. I've been accumulating a lot of information in the last year in the form of visits to gardens, shows, books and links. Unfortunately I lost most of the links from this blog in "the great links loss" while I was away in July (hence the development of squidoo lens for links!).........
This morning I published my new Squidoo Lens for Botanical Art and am really enjoying being able to write a bit more about each link this time around. This new lens is still very much a work-in-progress and will be developed over the next few months. So far, I've included modules on:
- Botanical Art Societies
- Botanical Art Instruction Books
- Examples of Botanical Art - by members of the national botanical societies
- Books of excellent examples of Botanical Art - both historical and contemporary
- Botanic Gardens and Horticultural Societies
I've got quite a few links saved but still have to include them. In the meantime if there are any links you'd like to suggest please leave a comment here. Thanks.
Links:
- NEW Squidoo Lens: Botanical Art - Resources for Artists
- My flower drawings
- My flower paintings
- My frui and vegetable still life
Katherine your drawings are wonderful. I threaten to get my sketch book out of moth balls once again because of you. Seeing these may have done it. How inspiring they are. I'll see if I can't start a new habit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the links.
Katherine, can you suggest a pen... a ball point? a dip? or fountain pen? What would you suggest I start sketching with?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments Nancy. If you go to my squidoo lens on Drawing and sketching you'll see a number of websites which provide guidance on how to sketch.
ReplyDeletePersonally I'd start with a pencil and then move on to a pen. It really doesn't matter what it is so long as it 'feels right' to you, is comfortable to hold, is flexible in use and the ink flows freely. I wouldn't advise anything like dip pens until much later.
I'll do a blog post on this topic this week!
Katherine I am thrilled you are covering the botanical arts, do include my online forum for botanical artist...and please join us!
ReplyDeleteBotanical Art & Natural Science Illustration. Dedicated to the realistic portrayal of plants, flowers and natural science subjects. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/botanicalart
Thanks for the link Cynthia - I'll check it out.
ReplyDeleteIt hadn't occurred to me to include a new category for on-line forums as I wasn't aware there were any. Although having said that the (very) old brain cells are protesting and I'm beginning to think I might have come across another one that I had a link to before they all went west - must go and dig around a bit more in my existing bookmarks.
Just to clarify a bit further:
(1) I haven't got much beyond thinking about the existing categories and I'm really only interested in links for these at present.
(2)Suggestions for new categories are however welcome.
(3)Anybody thinking of nominating an "outstanding botanical artist" who is still living needs to know I'm thinking along the lines of gold medal winning standard as a minimum.
(4)By and large I also don't promote the work or commercial concerns of individual artists (other lenses and advertising can do that) as I'm trying to avoid very long lists of artists which I then have to check out.
(6)On the whole I only include work I personally like or something I've experienced and valued or I know that a lot of others have.