Meriel Thurstan – författare

Botanical Illustration Course - published with the Eden Project - is your personal guide to the study of botanical drawing and watercolour painting. Devised by an award-winning botanical artist who teaches at the Eden Project, this course takes you from basic drawing techniques to advanced skills required for the analysis of complex forms in watercolour. Following the syllabus of the botanical illustration course at the acclaimed Eden Project in Cornwall, this book offers you the opportunity to perfect the many techniques used to produce beautiful and informative plant portraits.Full of practical information, and with easy-to-follow exercises, the book includes: Pencil Drawing; Shapes in Nature; Plant dissection and bisection; Perspective; Use of tonal contrast; Line drawing and pencil shading; Colour and pigment mixing; Application of watercolour; Highlights and shiny surfaces; Composition and arrangement.

An exciting approach to botanical illustration featuring exotic and extraordinary plant specimens. Striking plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables provide new challenges in colour, texture and form. Stunning finished paintings accompany simple instructions and step-by-step projects for a beautiful book that both guides and inspires.Strange and unusual specimens have never been more accessible – as more and more exotic fruit and vegetables appear regularly in our shopping baskets and our florists fill with flowers from every corner of the globe, this practical and beautiful guide to capturing strange and striking plants on paper has never been more timely. There is something for beginners and more experienced botanical illustrators alike, whether you wish to paint  more familiar bananas, pineapples and other exotic fruits that are now widely available, or more complex orchids and even carnivorous plants.Acclaimed artists Rosie Martin and Meriel Thurstan (authors of the bestselling Contemporary Botanical Illustration and Botanical Illustration Course) run the popular botanical painting course at the Eden Project and are thus uniquely placed for this exciting take on the genre.The unusual colours and complex textures of exotic plants present a new challenge to the botanical artist, but this book guides you through each stage of the painting process with plenty of exercises and step-by-step projects. Fantastically illustrated with worksheets, colour swatches, sketches and stunning finished paintings this practical and inspirational guide is a must-have for botanical artists of all levels.

A unique and exciting approach to botanical illustration, this beginner guide demonstrates everything you need to know about capturing beautiful botanical specimens on paper.Each exercise guides the reader through a different aspect of botanical illustration, breaking the whole process down into simple, easy-to-follow stages. Whether you are a beginner looking for advice on composition and how to plot out your initial drawings, an experienced artist looking to develop your skills at colour mixing and working with unusual colours, or an old hand looking to capture more challenging and complex textures and shapes, there is something for botanical artists of all levels.Acclaimed artists Rosie Martin and Meriel Thurstan ran the popular botanical painting course at the Eden Project and have filled this fantastically illustrated guide with practical and inspirational worksheets, colour swatches, sketches and stunning finished paintings.

Discover the professional way to colour in with this masterclass from leading artists and art teachers.The colouring-in craze has left many people looking for more interesting creative work that simple colouring in does not satisfy. Masterclass in Colour offers readers ways to take their colouring to a new level and even start on the road to watercolour work. Award-winning artists and tutors, Meriel Thurstan and Rosie Martin, explain simple colour theory in an easy-to-understand language. They will talk you through which colours look good together; demonstrate how colours can vibrate together or make each other more muted. They explain the materials of coloured pencils, water-soluble coloured pencils and fibre pens (felt tips) and how to mix colours together in all three media.The book is arranged by colour, with sections on red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, pink and finally greys and browns, including a brief description of each and examples of what you can add to it to make secondary colours. There are demonstrations to show how to master shadows, texture and pattern, highlights and even water droplets. Each page of techniques and demonstration is followed by a companion page for you to practice the technique and do your own experimenting. There are also full-page drawings throughout the book to colour in, as well as advice on what to do if you want to turn one of the drawings into a beautiful watercolour painting.

A practical guide to painting nature's flora and fauna from award-winning botanical painting authors Meriel Thurstan and Rosie Martin.Recording the wildlife that surrounds us is an age-old art. The authors, in collaboration with the Eden Project, show us how to accurately and beautifully capture the natural world on canvas and make the most of the revival of this art form.Step by step, they take you through the whole process of capturing the essence of some of the most beautiful things on earth. From dinosaur skeletons and fossils to birds, butterflies and frogs. Learn how to paint the subtle scales on a fish, the iridescence of a feather or the lustre on a shell.The authors take you through the full range of skills and techniques you need to undertake natural history drawing and painting. Key techniques are explained with practical step-by-step demonstrations. Beautiful illustrations by the authors are featured throughout and will inspire you and illuminate the techniques you are learning.Painting Nature’s Details is a stunning book on an art form that is fast becoming the new botanical illustration.