Artiste Botanique
I have been painting a lot of Ginkgo biloba leaves, some from my own tree in the garden, others from the beautiful pair of trees outside the orangery in West Dean Gardens. There is something fascinating about a prehistoric tree. You can just imagine it surrounded by Diplodocus and Stegosaurus in the fading Jurassic light,… Continue reading Ginkgo leaf part 1: drawing
Order: Asparagales Family: Asparagaceae Subfamily: Scilloideae Genus: Muscari Common Name: Grape Hyacinth Type: Perennial bulb Soil: Chalk, clay, sand, loam Ph: Acid, alkaline, neutral Aspect: Full sun / partial shade Propagation: Seed of bulb division Native to: Central and… Continue reading Plant of the month – April 2018 – Muscari
The Artists & Illustrators Magazine May issue is out! I have another article in there, and this time it's not about botanical art: it's called "The Ethical Artist" and it's about looking at where our art materials come from and what they are made off. I did quite a bit of research and got in… Continue reading The Ethical Artist – New article in Artists & Illustrators Magazine
If like me you do a lot of erasing before you can be happy with a drawing, then drawing straight on watercolour paper is not really an option. Because botanical painting is cut to white, any trace of erasing, smudging, or marking on the paper will stand out and completely ruin the feeling of freshness… Continue reading How to transfer a drawing
This question comes from Bing Aling on my YouTube channel and is about erasing, an all important part of drawing: Which is the best rubber to use? I have several rubbers for different purposes, but the one thing they have in common is that none of them are made of rubber. A rubber rubber can… Continue reading Which is the best eraser?
Sandrine Maugy 