Botanical Art

The Society of Botanical Artists’ ELIZABETH HELLMAN has all the answers, from lighting tips and brush advice to whether your subject needs to be painted on a white background

- Elizabeth Hellman

Where do you find or source some of your more exotic specimens?

I’m always keeping my eyes open for interesting and inspiring subjects. I visit gardens, I love Nymans and Wakehurst in West Sussex, and the Walled Gardens at Mells in Somerset. I also browse florists and grow some of my own plants and flowers.

You mention on your website that a single painting can take up to 100 hours, yet plants are liable to wilt, bloom or change over time. Do you have any advice for ways around this?

Plants changing over time is a constant difficulty for the botanical artist, hence I tend to use photographs to draw and paint from. I am a very slow painter, but some people seem to manage quite well.

Keep plants and flowers in a cool room if possible, and make sure they’re somewhere safe where they’re not going to get knocked, or even nibbled (cats love nothing better than chewing a prize specimen, I’ve discovered). It’s often helpful to take photographs for reference and make preparatory sketches.

Are there certain pitfalls or things to consider when using reference photography?

I often paint almost entirely from photos as some of my paintings take so long. Taking good photographs is essential, especially if you will not be able to see the original specimen. If using for reference, I’d advise paying attention to details such as leaf joints rather than just concentrating on the more engaging parts of the plant.

Take photos in good light, and from lots of different angles – both close up and at a distance. Make sure you will have enough information to understand how the plant “works”. For example, whether the leaves are opposite each other or alternate, what pattern the veins of a leaf take, or how the flowers are attached to the stems.