Working as a Scientific Botanical Illustrator Part 1: Taking instructions from a botanist
Scientific botanical illustrations depict a particular plant, showing all the necessary features that distinguish it from other plant species. They are usually published for a specific audience. The type of publication determines the level of detail needed in the illustration. For example, an illustration depicting a species that is being described as newly known to science, may be more detailed than one included for identification purposes in a general flora (a flora is an account of the plants growing in a particular region).
Most of my scientific illustrations are done for botanists at the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The first step in any scientific illustration is to meet with the botanist and find out exactly what it is they need shown. They hand over all the material available to use for the illustration. This is often herbarium specimens which have been collected, pressed and dried in the field; before being frozen in the herbarium (to remove any pests) and accessioned into the collection. Specimens may also have been collected in “spirit” (alcohol) and stored that way in a jar - unlike herbarium specimens, these are not dried and flattened.
The illustrator should make detailed notes when discussing the project with the botanist, including such information as specimens to be used (each specimen has a unique identifier, in the form of the collector’s name - may be shortened to initials - and a sequential number); what characters to look out for in the plant, and any other information. This discussion is really important for getting a good result - communication is key. A botanist who is experienced in commissioning artwork may have a clearer idea of what should be included than one with less experience. At this point the illustrator should come away with a good idea of everything that needs to be included in the illustration, although this may change once the illustrator’s own investigations begin.
It is really useful for an illustrator if the botanist can supply examples of other illustrations made of similar plants. There are often conventions to be followed for particular plant families or genera that are important for the illustrator to know.
A typical sketchbook page of notes may look like this: (note, the space around the notes has since been covered in drawings - that will be covered in the next post!).
Next post - assessing the material and designing the illustration.
