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  • Published: 3 March 2020
  • ISBN: 9780241426425
  • Imprint: Dorling Kindersley
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 256
  • RRP: $65.00

Botany for the Artist



Combines practical teaching, inspirational drawings, and an in-depth look at the structure of plants


Join artist Sarah Simblet on an inspirational journey of discovery as she makes drawings of every type of plant.

From the tiniest mosses to exotic flowers and majestic trees, this book shows how understanding botany will give your portraits of plants vibrancy and life. In Botany for the Artist, Sarah Simblet takes you on a personal tour of the kingdom of plants, encouraging you to observe them more closely and draw them more accurately. Complemented by beautiful photographs, Sarah's drawings reveal the structure of roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits as she explains how plants breathe, feed, and produce fruits. If you have ever wondered how photosynthesis works, why leaves change colour in the autumn, or how seeds know when to grow, Botany for the Artist has all the answers.

Step-by-step drawing classes and detailed pages from Sarah's sketchbooks guide you through all the techniques that you need to draw plants successfully. Masterclasses by famous artists - from Renaissance masters to contemporary illustrators - showcase different approaches to botanical illustration over the centuries. Botany for the Artist is a visual feast, not just for anyone wishing to master drawing plants, but for gardeners, photographers, and everyone who is passionate about plants and how they are portrayed in art.

  • Published: 3 March 2020
  • ISBN: 9780241426425
  • Imprint: Dorling Kindersley
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 256
  • RRP: $65.00

About the author

Sarah Simblet

Sarah's expertise, enthusiasm, and innovative approach to drawing give her books a vitality that appeals to a wide audience. Sarah teaches at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, University of Oxford, and at the Royal College of Art in London. She has studied and worked in Oxford, Cheltenham, Heidelberg, and Madrid, and was awarded her PhD by the University of Bristol.
Her drawings are in national and private collections, including the Royal Academy of Art in London and the Ashmolean in Oxford. Sarah is the author of the highly acclaimed Anatomy for the Artist and has had three solo shows of her large-scale work. She has given interviews on BBC Radio 4 and has acted as a consultant for Watchmaker and for Discovery Channel's Art-Science documentaries.
Her latest book, The Drawing Book (DK, 2005) reveals a unique blend of practical teaching, inspirational sketchbooks, and insights into a range of masterpieces.

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