Botanical art in coloured pencils

Four of the Five coloured pencils works exhibited by Janie Pirie

all works copyright the artists/all photos copyright Katherine Tyrrell

For coloured pencil artists, one of the best aspects of the Society of Botanical Art's Annual Exhibition is the opportunity it presents to see a significant amount of good quality botanical art in coloured pencil - with some of it being quite exceptional. The quality of the pencil work and the intensity and the subtlety of the colour achieved through the use of coloured pencils has to be seen to be believed.

This post features work by three of those exceptional people - Ann Swan, Susan Christopher Coulson and Janie Pirie. All three are also proud owners of a Gold Medal for their botanical artwork from the Royal Horticultural Society.

This year Janie achieved a Certificate of Botanical Merit for excellence in the botanical aspects of one of her works - which you can see in yesterday's post.

Five coloured pencils works by Susan Christoher Coulson

I noted last year the huge increase in coloured pencil artwork in this exhibition (see The biggest exhibition of coloured pencil artwork in the UK). This has been maintained this year and there's a lot to see.

This increase has been due in no small part to Ann Swan's longstanding contribution as a tutor and provider of workshops in botanical art in coloured pencils and the inspirational standards set by artists such as Susan Christopher Couclson who have been working in coloured pencil for a long time.

Ann's new book published this month Botanical Portraits with Colored Pencils will also doubtless contribute to many more people trying botanical artwork with coloured pencils. I've got a copy and will be posting a review online this week

Three coloured pencil works by Ann Swan

If you'd like to see Ann and her work she is demonstrating live at the exhibition tomorrow - Tuesday 20th April. [UPDATE: Both Ann Swan and Billy Showell are currently stranded in Sri Lanka due to the current problems with flights. Arrangements have been made for substitute demonstrators]

Artists using coloured pencils for botanical art and flowers depicting plants and flowers are:

• Susan Christopher-Coulson SBA SFP GM CBM (5 CP drawings)
• Janine M Doulton (2 drawings in watercolour pencils)
• Dianne Frank (4 CP drawings)
• Diane Gould Assoc SBA (4 CP drawings)
• Brenda M Green Assoc SBA (4 CP drawings)
• Amber Halsall SBA (3 acrylic ink and CP drawings)
• Sue Henon SBA (2 CP drawings)
• Charlotte Hodgson (3 CP drawings)
• Mary Lasserson SBA (3 CP drawings)
• Jean E Lowe (4 CP drawings)
• Eileen Maddison ATD NDD SBA CBM '02 (1 CP drawing)
• Sue Manton (1 CP drawings)
• Rachel Munn SBA (5 CP drawings)
• Janet O'Connor Assoc SBA (2 CP drawings)
• Wendy Penson (1 CP drawing)
• Janie Pirie SBA UKCPS SGM (5 CP drawings)
• Roger Reynolds SBA CBM'04 (2 CP Drawings)
• Bobbie Spicknell DipSBA (4 CP drawings)
• Ann Swan SBA GM CBM (3 CP drawings)
• Katherine Tyrrell (2 CP drawings) - that'll be me!
• Sue Vize SBA (2 CP drawings)
• Janet Wilkinson SBA (5 CP drawings)
• Irene Wood DipSBA SFP (2 CP drawings)

I make that a total of 69 drawings in coloured pencils out of a total of 746 works on display.

If you'd like to find out more about coloured pencils or botanical art try any of the websites of the artists highlighted above or my information websites below.

Links:

• Coloured Pencils - Resources for Artists
• Botanical Art - Resources for Artists
• The Best Botanical Art Books