What Is Botanical Illustration?

Discover the origins of botanical drawing and how it differs from scientific illustration

Long before becoming a decorative trend and even an aesthetic style of its own, botanical illustration was the only way to accurately capture what plants and trees looked like.

As the development of technologies such as the camera and the microscope enabled us to observe nature more closely, botanical illustration took on a different role.

Rather than a means of identification, it became a way to celebrate nature using an artistic language. But, botanical illustrators adopt a scientific approach when looking for inspiration. Find out how and why below.

Scientific illustration as a starting point

According to Mexican designer and illustrator Paulina Maciel (@pau_maciel), to understand the evolution of botanical illustration, it's essential to clarify the difference between it as an artform and strictly scientific illustration—as well as how both disciplines complement each other.

The main difference between these types of illustration, she explains, lies in the objective.

Informative, educational illustration aims to instruct us, therefore it's usually accompanied by written information giving data and details on:

- Types of plants and trees.
- Geographical origin.
- Applications.
- Growing conditions.
- Characteristics of each part.
- Scents and textures.

In scientific illustration, composition isn't a significant feature. These drawings are typically a set of schematic outlines, often indicating key details such as measurements. The information included is more relevant to the field of knowledge than to the art world.

For a long time, most herbaria contained these types of technical illustrations. However, as time went by, illustrators began to demonstrate their talents and express their appreciation for plants through artistic and even imaginative depictions and interpretations of plants.

Botanical art

According to Maciel, if we remove all written information from a scientific illustration and focus on the colors and textures, we can then consider it botanical art.

In botanical art, it's about aesthetics over information. The illustrator or painter moves away from technical representation to concentrate on the emotional and personal aspects of an illustration.

Botanical art and scientific illustration, however, do not have to be entirely at odds. Botanical art can be precise, and scientific illustration can have artistic touches. In fact, this combination is behind some of the best pieces of botanical art.

One example is Swedish botanist and illustrator Carl Linnaeus, seen as an icon in both fields. Born in 1700 and considered the father of modern botany, Linnaeus used to mix art and science in a masterful way.

After observing that certain flowers opened and closed at particular times of the day, for example, he set about drawing them in their various stages giving viewers an artistic but educational picture of the plants' solar choreography throughout the day.

Combing art and science

According to this broader vision, those who want to get into botanical illustration should begin by dissecting the plant they will use as a subject. Paulina recommends starting by studying basic morphology.

Dissection can be divided into three steps:

1. Start by detaching a leaf from your chosen plant with a utility knife. You'll also need to cut open the flower—as all plants have very subtle differences between them, this step will help with your observation.

2. Remove the petals from the flower to see its reproductive system. This will help you learn to identify and distinguish the female and male parts of the plant. Carrying out this process on a white background will help highlight the details and colors of your plant.

3. Draw or take photos of what you observe.

When did our fascination with plants begin?

Although it may seem that we’ve always been painting flowers, botanical illustration as a discipline began relatively recently as an art form.

The emergence of agriculture was what first inspired humans to depict plants in illustrations. However, it was not for aesthetic reasons, but rather to educate around which plants could harm or help us.

One of the oldest examples of the use of botanical illustration is found in a book written by Dioscorides in 50 AC, De Materia Medica, that uses the studies of ancient Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Theophrastus to classify plants according to their use: medicine, poison, or food.

Find out more about the fascinating and complex history of botanical illustration in the video below:

If you want to delve into botanical illustration, check out Paula Maciel's online botanical watercolor course, in which she will help you explore both scientific and artistic perspectives to achieve unique pieces.

English version by @acesarato.

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