CONTEMPORARY BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION
With The Eden Project
Rosie Martin & Meriel Thurstan

This imaginative new book, from a tried and tested team, examines areas of botanical painting that are frequently glossed over.

Flowers and plants are, quite literally, a riot of colour and some of them, when you look closely, can be quite outlandish. Rosie and Meriel look at some of the colours that are more difficult to reproduce, including the many and subtle shades of green as well as blues and pinks. They also look at the use of black, something that is often regarded as a forbidden subject!

As well as colours, the authors also tackle the tricky subject of texture. Books on texture usually concentrate on grained timber, weathered stone and gnarled faces but ignore the much subtler textures of flowers and plants. This is a shame because the same requirements and techniques apply, just on a smaller scale. Ever wondered why your flower paintings look more two-dimensional than you'd like? The answer is texture. Get those tiny hairs (no, you don't have to paint them individually) and the subtleties of folds and wrinkles right and suddenly your work will spring to life like a bursting bud!

The book covers pencil drawing, sketching and composition as well as colour - in more than a little depth - and Rosie and Meriel bring their fresh and enthusiastic approach to a wide variety of flowers, leaves, roots and fruit. Inspiring.