This book was received as an ARC from Timber Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was so mesmerized by this book that I think I spent more time looking at the beautiful photos than actually reading the book. I was so blown away of the techniques displayed in this book and we definitely appreciated the detailed explanations of how to perform each technique properly. The art lovers in our community will definitely appreciate this book with the different forms, materials and techniques used in this book. Also our gardeners and florists will appreciate the display of the variety of flowers featured in this book as well. Our art collection is one of the areas of expansion in our library collection and this book will be a great addition to it.

We will consider adding this title to our Art collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

This book is beautiful. I will definitely keep it around to continue practicing. If my no talent art self can get something out of this book, so can you, especially if you are even a little bit artsy. The instructions are easy, even for a beginner. The book is well designed and just stunning.

Botanical Art Techniques is a very informative guide of how to capture a variety of botanical subjects through various art mediums. Some of the tutorials provided are definitely for a more advanced artist than myself but I did like taking various lessons to practice and try new methods. This book is available now!

Wow! I think this should be renamed “The Complete Book of Botanical Art Techniques” or perhaps “The Botanical Art Bible”. It has everything you could possibly want or need to know about botanical illustration. Usually these types of books only show the techniques in one or, at the most, two mediums. But here the author shows how to complete projects in a variety of mediums. And they are beautiful let me tell you!
This is definitely a complete guidebook on the subject and needs to be in every artists’ library.

This book is beautiful and covers an incredible range of material for everything you need to know to start drawing or painting botanical illustrations. I have an art degree and am certified in art education and I would recommend this book be used in certain college art courses, but it could also be used by an ambitious art student in high school or even middle school. It covers everything from picking and preserving plants, basic botany, foundational drawing and painting, drawing in graphite or ink, to painting with watercolor, colored pencils, and more! Also includes step by step tutorials. This is a very well thought out guide to botanical art!

While the art was lovely, I did not find this easy to follow as an instructional guide. I was disappointed in that regard.

I really enjoyed this and highly recommend it. There were tutorials by more than 50 artists. The book is full of beautiful illustrations with many examples. Step by step it helped me along.
I thought this was just going to be a “how-to”with lots of beautiful pictures but this was quite in-depth.
I’ve been painting at home for about two years and now I’m learning hand lettering. I learned a lot from this book and can’t wait to start some of my projects. This book was so much more than I thought it would be.


Thank you NETGALLEY and the publisher for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review. ♥️

*I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. As an art teacher and professional artist, I would definitely recommend this book to students and fellow artists interested in botanicals. It is extremely thorough with tutorials in several media and chock full of information and beautiful illustrations. I read the e version but this is a book I will look into purchasing in print, I would love to have it on my bookcase.

I’ve seen some beautiful botanical tattoos that inspired me to pick this one up and I have a daughter who’s finding her artistic talents and wanting some inspiration.

This is a perfect step-by-step guide on how to create gorgeous watercolors, especially if love nature and anything floral!

This is certainly not what I expected but it was a nice surprise. The book is very detailed with some beautiful drawings. I thoroughly enjoyed just flipping through the pages and found myself going back to others multiple times. Overall this was a great book and I appreciate the opportunity to get an advanced copy.

Outstanding book, the art techniques explained in this book are just fabulous. Whilst drawing botanical art seems very regimented and technical, this book show the other side of drawing/painting realistic plants, leaves, flowers and seeds.
anyone that wants to beginning with botanical art should read this book, for those that are more free with their details - this book really show the bases 0f botanical art which can be built one and expanded to create beautiful art.

I love botanical art. I’d love to have a house filled with this artwork. If you want to attempt a drawing/painting, this book is one to emulate. There are details that I have not found in other books. Enjoy the book for the lessons provided or just for the lively art work.

“Botanical Art Techniques” makes a lot of big promises in the back cover copy…and delivers on every one and then some! I have been fascinated by the botanical art being produced at the moment. Being an artist, I’ve wondered at the detail created and thought “how did they do that?!”…a whole lot of work is how! This book unpacks all of that work.

It begins where most art does, in observation of the subject, but, being botanically precise, it takes it to a new level including a section on the anatomy of plants as well as how to study in the field.

Once you have your subject lined up, the book unpacks the vast array of equipment needed to achieve the technical requirements of this kind of art. Historically, botanical art worked as we use photography now, to accurately capture a specimen, and so the tools include magnifying glasses, gloves, and speciality paper. I’ll admit, I found the extent of tools overwhelming!

The book then breaks down into media segments: pencil, pen and ink, watercolours and so on. With incredible detail, beautiful photos and a lot of expert guidance, the reader is walked through how to create these masterpiece. One such explanation is a lesson in itself and I picked up hundreds of tips!

I have, now, no intention of creating artwork with this level of exquisite and time-consuming detail. However, I loved reading this book, it created in me a new appreciation for the art form whilst sharing principles I will enjoy applying to my future, more impressionistic artworks. I read it as an e-book but would recommend purchasing a hard copy, it is an excellent reference and would be great to have alongside you as you work. It’s a five out of five on the enJOYment scale.

This book is an amazing resource for me as I learn to improve on creating botanical art via watercolors. It is a must buy for artists of many mediums who are interested in botanicals.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher.
This is an absolutely fantastic art instructional book, and one that will be useful whether or not you intend to be a botanical illustrator/artist. I will absolutely end up purchasing a copy for myself, as it is one of the rare books which thoroughly covers subject, technique/tutorial, materials, and which also gives salient advice for implementing these skills. The American Society for Botanical artists does not fail to deliver on its promise to cover watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, pen and ink, egg tempera, oils, printmaking and vellum arts.

As a book, the Botanical Art Techniques is structured: "Getting Started," introduces the basics of actually dealing with the subject matter - plants! It covers the ethics of working outdoors and in nature, how to care for cut flowers, set up your studio, and grasp the basics of botany (understanding structures of plants). Then Part 1 is black and white renderings of botanical subjects, Part 2 is subjects in color, and Part 3 is "Specialized Techniques and Composition." My only (somewhat minor) quibble with this layout is "Part 3" feels somewhat like a catch-all, as there is no logical reason why oil painting, gouache, casein, acrylics, and egg tempera isn't included in "Subjects in Color," but instead as a specialized technique. That designation makes sense for etching or metalpoint (for a non-paint or drawing based medium). I consider this a minor quibble because Part 2 could easily become just "Botanical Subjects in Color Drawing and Paints," and Part 3 could be "Specialized Techniques and Supports." I would've added sketch-journals and composition discussions to the beginning.
However, each section is broken up into "basics," then "applied tutorials," and finally "Advanced tutorials," covered by artists who specialize in the particular medium.

Again, I feel this is overall a relatively minor quibble. But aside from that, the book is fantastic in all other respects. It's direct, clear, and the photos are always relevant to illustrating the steps involved. Each section begins with the basics any beginner would need, like identifying light sources, keeping your pencils sharp, and so on. But I believe even more advanced artists will find plenty of meaty material here to improve upon their skills - whatever their normal subject may be. And this book certainly proves botanical art is a field with immense skill, creativity, and knowledge that all of us can benefit from. There's also a wealth of little techniques I had never thought of that will make any project easier - such as cleaning kneaded erasers with enamel board, or using a jewelry cleaner ultra-sonic bath for clogged pen nibs that need extra cleaning.

After reading this book, I'm definitely going to try illustrating in my own patio garden.

Wow, just wow. Amazing illustration and step by step explanation. I loved how the book is made: illustration, step by step, finished work illustration.

Sadly, I don't have much talent but with such a book, I can start train to get better.

Not only were the illustrations within this book beautiful but the designing and layout of each page was excellently done. The information provided on each page of instruction was divided and labeled in methods which clearly answered all the questions that I pondered along the way. The first sections provided insight into the studios of various botanical illustrators. For most established artists this may seem redundant or unnecessary, however I find that this is helpful in understanding how other creators organize their space. Utilizing the natural light provided in a studio can alter the way In which we perceive our work at various times of the day.

Many tools shown to be used by the illustrators were new to me and answered questions I had in regards to using mediums of which I am not familiar. As an illustrator, my go to medium has continued to be acrylic, and although much of the book focused on water color, graphite and color pencil illustration techniques, there were still methods and materials which I believe could be utilized across any practice. My first impression after learning that many sections would be based on how to draw various plants in detail was that I might not get much information that would be general enough to apply to a broad range of illustrated subjects. I was wrong in my assumptions as I quickly learned that in each chapter, though it was a walk through of the artists process, each artist presented a new skill set that was multifaceted for an array of artistic processes. In-between sections were mini chapters that provided ways of understanding color theory, caring for materials and ways in which to select proper materials. Though these were not new to me, they were helpful in giving me ideas on how I can provide this information concisely to my illustration students. I will be referencing this book in my own studio. Thank you for the advanced reader copy!

Fantastic, Detailed, and Beautiful Book

If you want to improve your plant drawing and painting skills, this is the book for you. After an introductory section, the book is broadly divided into black-and-white drawing, color techniques, and specialized techniques and composition. The bulk of the book focuses on color techniques, which include working with colored pencils and watercolor on paper and vellum. The introductory section looks at details like preparing cut flowers before drawing/painting and broader topics like working in the wild. The black-and-white section focuses on graphite and pen-and-ink techniques. Each section has what the author calls applied and advanced tutorials. The book is visually stunning. The illustrations alone make the book worthwhile if you love detailed drawings of plants, but the level of detail the authors go into about all the techniques is amazing. They truly show you step-by-step how to break down a technique and help you get the different effects you may desire. There are sections, too, that tell you how to combine media for even better effect. If you like to draw or paint flowers, leaves, fruits, and vegetables, this book will certainly help you improve your skills.

This book is wonderfully thorough. I am an absolute beginner in visual arts just looking for somewhere to start, and this book gave me all the detail I could ever want and more. An absolute feast of techniques, terminology, and inspiration.

This is an attractive and helpful book for creating botanical art using various media. The techniques are shown well, and the topic is popular.