Botanical Sketchbook E-Book

Mary Ann Scott

• Herausgeber: Batsford
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 99

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

This is the story of one woman's journey from amateur painter to botanical artist, told through the sketchbooks and paintings she produced for the Distance Learning Diploma Course run by the Society of Botanical Artists. Packed with advice and tips, this book will serve as a guide and inspiration to anyone wanting to embark on life as a botanical artist. This book is both a showcase of Mary Ann Scott's work and a record of her achievements, including first-hand accounts of the joys and challenges she faced as she progressed. It contains work from every assignment she undertook, from her first attempts at drawing a tulip to the triumphant paintings she made for her diploma portfolio. Along the way are delicate floral compositions, juicy fruit and vegetables, botanical dissections, and her adventures out in the field. Margaret Stevens's comments on each assignments are also included, giving an insight into the assessment process and an all-round view of Mary Ann's successes and (very rare) failures. The book ends with a glorious selection of Mary Ann's ongoing work as a botanical artist.

Leseprobe

Botanical Sketchbook

Mary Ann Scott

with Margaret Stevens PSBA

in association with

The Society of Botanical Artists

Contents

FOREWORD

by Sir Roy Strong

INTRODUCTION

by Margaret Stevens and Mary Ann Scott

ASSIGNMENTS

Drawing

Leaves

Flowers

Single Flower Study

Fruit

Vegetables

Botanical Illustration

Working in the Field

Working from Photographs

Mixed Flowers

Diploma Portfolio

MOVING ON

SHADE CARDS

Author’s note: Colour Abbreviations

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Iris graminea and Jerusalem sage.

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Foreword

The revival of botanical painting during recent decades is one which has given me great personal joy and delight. As we now live in an age when the teaching of drawing from life as part of art-school training has been virtually abandoned, the art of botanical drawing and painting keeps alive a rare and disciplined skill. This, therefore, is a timely and beautiful book, which opens a door to its acquisition. As in the case of anyone wishing to acquire such a talent, it calls for patience, discipline and application. For any student it will also have its ups and downs, which is an enlivening part of what is recorded here.

This is a book strong on practicalities and constructive comment. Everything from paper, pencils and paint to the problems of composition are discussed and carefully considered. I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone tempted to try their hand at acquiring this skill. It also works from that wonderful premise, encouragement. Start by reading and studying this publication from start to finish and then, undaunted but under proper instruction and guidance, begin.

Sir Roy Strong

Introduction

This book is based upon the Distance Learning Diploma Course run by the Society of Botanical Artists. The course started as the result of a chance remark by my commissioning editor at Harper Collins, Cathy Gosling, when I completed The Art of Botanical Painting in 2004. Cathy said that it would make a great textbook on which to base a course, so my colleague Pam Henderson and I put our heads together and the first course began in January 2005. Over the course of 27 months, the student is taken through all aspects of botanical art in a series of assignments which are marked by tutors who are all SBA members and experts in their particular field. Currently, 30 tutors mentor approximately 180 students, who come from all over the world.

Mary Ann Scott joined the third course in January 2006. She showed promise in the early assignments but we were not prepared for what was to come. After a tricky patch, during which she could so easily have become disheartened and given up, it was as if a light was switched on. Her marks shot up and by the time we examined her Diploma Portfolio it was obvious that she was genuinely gifted. Her sketchbook was a joy, and special thanks go to Cathy Gosling and publishers Anova for having the vision to put into print what I hope will inspire others to persevere and draw out their hidden talent.

Margaret Stevens PSBA

Looking back, I can see two threads weaving through my life and gradually coming together. One is my love of painting and the other is my affinity with the natural world, in particular flowers and gardens.

The first thread began to form with the paintboxes and colouring books of my childhood. The second had more recent origins. When I left university I went to live at Benton End in Suffolk, the former home of the influential artist and plantsman Sir Cedric Morris. Sadly, the gardens had become a wilderness after his death, yet many shrubs and resilient perennials had managed to survive. Here I began learning about plants, and I have many memories of that enchanted place.

The threads began to converge when I moved to Denmark and started an apprenticeship at the Royal Copenhagen porcelain factory. I was hoping to join the select group employed in painting the Flora Danica service, and with this in mind I worked hard at home painting flowers and trying to improve my technique. I also began attending evening classes in botanical painting taught by Victoria Friis. Victoria had worked at Kew as a botanical illustrator and was an excellent teacher. We became friends, and I am grateful to her for gently setting my feet on the path.

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Iris graminea seedhead.

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I then moved to northern Italy and spent the next few years looking after my two children, working with horses and teaching English. It was only when a series of unfortunate events convinced me to give up riding that botanical painting took precedence again. However, I now felt that I needed to learn how to depict flowers accurately from life rather than copying from photographs, as I had done before. I bought The Art of Botanical Painting and read about the Distance Learning Course. My first reaction was to say, ‘I’ll never manage this!’ but my husband was confident that this was the best way forward – so in January 2006 I found myself putting my first assignment into the now familiar brown SBA envelope, my feet set well and truly on the path of botanical painting again.

The course taught me the fundamentals of botanical illustration. It also brought me into contact with many people with whom I could share my enthusiasm for this beautiful art form. At the seminar held halfway through the course I met my fellow students and many of my tutors. Here, for the first time, I met Margaret, and was instantly struck by her extraordinary energy and insight. I will always be grateful for her perspicacity, which helped to create the marvellous experience of turning my sketchbook from a working tool into a book that I hope will encourage other aspiring botanical artists.

Mary Ann Scott

Nasturtium.

ASSIGNMENT 1

Drawing

Margaret Stevens:A wise student realizes that the first assignment is arguably the most important, whereas a less astute one sees it instead as a chore to be got through quickly. A question such as ‘Do I need to use my “good” paper for this?’ is a sure indicator of the latter attitude, to which my reply is: ‘Drawing is not inferior to painting but its equal.’

From the elegant 15th-century lily by Leonardo da Vinci to the outstanding contemporary botanical drawing by artists such as Julie Small SBA, there are many examples to prove that a good drawing can be as valuable and sought after as a painting. Moreover, drawing is the foundation on which to build, because it encourages the essential skills of observation and eye-to-hand coordination, and an appreciation of tonal variation.

Mary Ann Scott: For the first assignment we were asked to produce three pieces of work, each demonstrating a different technique. The first was to be a simple line drawing and the second a small study of a single flower with attached leaf and stem, either hatched or stippled, both in either pencil or ink. The third piece was to consist of a complete study in pencil of a subject of our choosing, using the continuous-tone technique.

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Pine cones.

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I launched myself into this brimming with confidence. I may not be the best watercolourist, but I knew how to draw – or so I thought! As it turned out, my self-confidence was not wholly warranted, and pride took a fall at this first hurdle. In retrospect, my real regret is that I didn’t try harder, especially in the first two pieces. My rather cursory approach to the humble pencil resulted in a wasted opportunity. Since then I’ve had the chance to look at some striking works in pencil and ink in books and galleries, and my respect for this simple yet beautiful and difficult medium grows constantly.

MATERIALS

Before starting on the suggested exercises I bought a selection of good-quality graphite pencils that would produce a variety of tones ranging from the light grey of 2H to the velvety-black B grades. Paper was more of a problem. Most of the assignment work was carried out on cartridge paper, but I have since found that a sheet of 300gsm (140lb) HP watercolour paper provides a more sympathetic surface. I rest my hand on a scrap of the same paper, which protects my work from smudges, absorbs any grease from my hand and is useful for testing a pencil. I like to sharpen my pencils to a long point with a craft knife. For taking measurements I prefer to use dividers rather than a ruler, holding them at right angles to my hand and at arm’s length.

THE EXERCISES

A series of exercises to improve basic drawing skills was given. The first involved filling small squares with horizontal lines, lifting the pencil at the end of each stroke and using a progression of pencils from H to 2B. Other exercises included cross-hatching with an HB or different combinations of pencil grades, stippling and shading various shapes with the lines following the contours. A useful exercise for practising long, curving lines consisted of starting with the pencil at the bottom of the paper, looking at a point at the top and aiming for it in one smooth action.

TULIP

When I had worked my way through the exercises and felt that I was beginning to develop a feel for the tonal and textural possibilities of my pencils, I decided to make a start on the line drawing. This should show a nice flowing line, so it was important to choose a flower or leaf with simple, sculptural qualities.

I attempted a hellebore leaf and then a pansy, but eventually I settled on the ubiquitous tulip. I tried hard to make my line ‘flow’, but it seemed to be more of a stutter. Perhaps I needed to practise the long sweeping curves more to relax my arm and produce the confident, clear line the tulip deserved. As my tutor later observed, the result was rather messy, as I had not taken care to erase the construction lines, which gave a ragged look to the drawing. I had taken careful measurements and tried to make an accurate representation, but in doing so I had lost the sense of movement, and the graceful curve of the stem and leaves.

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Tulip.

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A well-made line drawing is the foundation of a successful watercolour painting. I sometimes find myself tearing up a painting when I realize that it is not working because of mistakes in the original drawing. Errors of perspective or proportion are often at the root of the problem, or perhaps I had not spent enough time in careful observation before I began. I have learnt that it is important to study the plant carefully, moving it through 360 degrees and using a magnifying lens when the structure of something is difficult to understand.

PANSY

For the second piece of work, a small study of a flower such as a pansy or camellia was suggested, stippled or hatched. I chose a pansy as I thought I would enjoy drawing its flounced petals, which remind me of velvet drapes. Unfortunately I became obsessed with the elaborate ‘coastline’ of the petals, and my attempts to depict every crease and bump made me lose sight of the overall structure. Imprecisions in the leaf attachments and flower centre were pointed out by my tutor, which again underlined the importance of careful observation. When tiny details of a plant are unclear, I find it can be useful to sketch them while looking through a magnifying lens before including them in the final drawing.

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Pansy.

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CHRISTMAS ROSE

I had never drawn continuous tone, so the third study enabled me to explore this new technique. I looked for something that would make an interesting composition and provide opportunities to investigate texture and tone without being too challenging. In my wintry garden I caught sight of the leathery green foliage of Helleborus niger, the Christmas rose, with its small fat buds just beginning to unfold between the bare twigs and withered leaves. I knew that in this post-festive season the nurseries would be full of pots of unsold Helleborus