Botany for the Artist

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

This beautifully illustrated guide to botany in art explores the extraordinary world of plants and inspires you to try drawing them yourself.

Understanding botany helps any artist to draw plants better. In Botany for the Artist, celebrated artist Sarah Simblet takes you on a journey of discovery through the kingdom of plants - from tiny ferns and mosses to exotic flowers and majestic trees - encouraging you to observe them more closely and draw them more accurately. Complemented by beautiful photographic plant portraits, 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, where plants store food, 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 drawing and painting plants over the centuries. Botany for the Artist is a visual feast, not just for anyone wishing to create fresh, vibrant, drawings, but for gardeners, photographers, and everyone who is passionate about plants and how they are portrayed in art.

About the Author

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.