This beautifully illustrated and gently progressive guide will help you produce flower paintings that are both realistic and detailed.

Botanical painting can be a highly technical subject that requires dedication and years of study to learn. Here, Billy Showell takes you through the processes of painting specimens that will satisfy even the most demanding general viewer, but without the scientific jargon that often accompanies the subject.

The secret is lots of step-by-step demonstrations, each with plenty of stages, as well as hints, tips and technical exercises. You'll be working with an enormous variety of different flower and plant types, each one chosen for the particular challenges it presents. In this way, your range and repertoire are being cunningly developed at the same time. You'll also learn tricks for portraying water droplets, sheen and texture - all subtle details which add those all-important touches of realism that make a painting sing.

Botanical illustration is a subject that can, not unjustifiably, seem daunting. Billy makes it manageable without trivialising it and, with her help, you'll be able to produce results you can be proud of. Her previous books have been understandably popular, but this one is in a magnificent league of its own.

Book: Search Press. Hardback. 192 Pages. Colour Throughout.