Botanical Illustration from Life: A Visual Guide to Observing, Drawing and Painting Plants

A visual guide to beautiful botanic watercolour painting from life for artists.

Botanical artists hold a unique status: they can record plants and show them to the world, unlocking science for people outside that world, enabling them to be seduced by the most beautiful images, drawn and painted by very skilled hands.

In this beautiful book, award-winning botanical artist, Işık G ner, shares with you her experiences of looking at wild species from around the world, how she does her research, and how she composes her illustrations from live specimens. She will guide you on your own journey, show you how to look for plant samples, and then record them. Straddling the scientific and art worlds, Isik's illustrations help to raise awareness of the valuable knowledge that scientists have been researching and discovering for many years and provide a wonderful inspiration for budding botanical artists.

Observe, draw, paint, explore and master this wonderful art under Işık's careful guidance. Being inspired by the nature around you is the first step to becoming a botanical artist.

Born 1983 in Ankara, Turkey, Işik Güner originally graduated in Environmental Engineering. However, instead of this she chose an entirely different path and has been working full time as a botanical artist for over 10 years. She is very glad she made this decision, though as the child of a botanist father and growing up surrounded by wild nature, her decision was easy.

Işık’s painting of Gunnera Tinctoria won an RHS Gold Medal and the RHS Best Painting in Show in Spring 2014. She has worked on various international botanical projects around the world. She is also a visiting tutor for the Diploma in Botanical Illustration at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh and delivers tuition through workshops in Europe.