The Kew Book of Botanical Art in Coloured Pencil

The ultimate step-by-step guide to creating realistic and delicate botanical art in coloured pencils, from Co-President of the Society of Botanical Artists, Emma Tildesley (@emmatildesleybotanicalart), in collaboration with The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

By studying individual botanical elements - 5 leaves, 5 stems, 5 flowerheads and then 1 extraordinary final project - Emma will show you how to achieve your own stunning floral artwork in manageable steps.

Inside this thoughtful and inspiring guide you will find:

• An overview of a botanical art: Emma takes you through the history of the subject and the importance of anatomical accuracy.
• An insight into the history of botanical art: from John Grimshaw, Editor-in-Chief of Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, published by Kew.
• Everything you need to get drawing: selecting the right pencils, paper and lighting to achieve the best results; choosing your subject; colour matching; and achieving the right pencil pressure.
• Essential coloured pencil techniques: including shading, stippling, blending and embossing.
• 15 illustrated exercises: focusing on a variety of stems, leaves and flower heads, including smooth and textured stems; monocot, dicot and variegated leaves; and a range of elegant flower heads including a tea rose, calla lily, fuchsia and pansy.
• 1 breathtaking floral composition: a step-by-step project that encompasses all the botanical elements covered in the exercises.

• Full-size templates: to get you started quickly and with confidence!

THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW is a world-famous scientific organization, internationally respected for its outstanding collections and scientific expertise in plant and fungal diversity, conservation, and sustainable development in the UK and around the globe. Kew’s extensive collections include 200,000 botanical illustrations assembled over the last 200 years.