Books Reviews

A-Z of Botanical Flowers in Watercolour – Book Review

By Angela Youngman Oct 29, 2012, 17:38 GMT

A complete guide to botanical illustration-from dissection to framing work-this traditional teaching workbook is penned by Michael Lakin, a keen gardener and an experienced and enthusiastic tutor whose teaching methods follow simple, step-by-step, six-stage techniques. Stressing the importance of the sketching process, artists are shown how to develop accomplished pictures from initial beginnings and observations right through to the drawing and final painting stages. With an entire alphabet of flower examples ...more

A fantastic book. Michael Lakin is both a keen gardener and a skilled botanical artist.  In this book he shares some of the secrets which have made his work much sought after.  He shows how to paint twenty six botanically accurate flowers including Aquilegia, Rudbeckia, Pelargonium and Orchid. 

What makes this book so special is that it includes many unusual flowers not often covered by books showing how to paint flowers such as the Uvularia, Yucca and Echinacea.

Although the use of Latin names can be a bit off putting for many artists, the drawings and instruction is so superb that you can quickly recognize the plants. None of the plants are so rare that you are unlikely to find them in a garden.  Well thought out and illustrated, it offers training in a style that many artists are keen to try.