The value of drawing

The value of drawing

For much of 2025, in my teaching and e-booklets, I have focused on the fundamental techniques required in botanical art in the three mediums I use in my own practice, graphite, coloured pencil, and watercolour. My workshop participants spent a lot of time creating...
A bold and blatant brush-stroke-for-brush-stroke rip-off

A bold and blatant brush-stroke-for-brush-stroke rip-off

Two recent Instagram posts tell the story of a bold and blatant brush-stroke-for-brush-stroke rip-off of an award-winning chestnut painting by renowned botanical artist, Dianne Emery. With Dianne’s permission I’m showing her chestnut painting above but...
A landmark catalogue from a landmark exhibition

A landmark catalogue from a landmark exhibition

If you draw inspiration from paging through beautifully-illustrated botanical art books with seemingly endless examples of outstanding contemporary and award-winning botanical works, then I have something you should know about. It’s the Society of Botanical Artists...
Green: source versus screen

Green: source versus screen

Three years ago, I posted an article about the use of digital versus natural greens in botanical art. Unfortunately, it’s an ongoing issue. Artists who have sourced all their information about a subject from a screen (hand-held devices or computer monitors) are most...
Botanical art in a war zone; it’s a battle

Botanical art in a war zone; it’s a battle

By Michael Best Creating botanical art in a war zone is a battle. And Ukrainian botanical artist, Alona Hrinchuk, is living that battle. She’s creating botanical art in circumstances unimaginable to those of us whose daily lives do not include air raid sirens,...