Member Reviews

I’m pleased with the simple way this book is laid out and the detailed illustrations are very easy to follow. The “drawing the negative space” concept is very helpful. I plan to add more variety to the plants in my paintings and this gives me a lot to work with.

Was this review helpful?

A lovely, simple instruction on how to draw plants, leaves and flowers. From maple leaves, tulips, lavender and strawberry plants.

Perfect, clear illustrations to show how to do simple yet beautiful line drawings. Just right for a beginner

Was this review helpful?

"Draw Like an Artist: 100 Flowers and Plants" by Melissa Washburn is a very detailed drawing book for all things flora. It has 50 step-by-step flower variations she teaches you how to draw, then 20 vines, leaves and trees, and closes out with another 30 "other plants" such as mint, bamboo, prickly pear, and many others.

I think the power of this book is the extensiveness of it. There are so many different plants you can draw from this guide. The introduction, how to use this book, and tips for line control are all excellent resources for any aspiring artists learning to sketch and draw plants.

Practicing these many different and unique types of botanical sketches would keep one busy for a while, further adding to the worth of a unique book like this in your personal library.

I received this eBook free of charge from Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry Books via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I did not receive any fiscal compensation from either company for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

Was this review helpful?

Draw Like an Artist: 100 Flowers and Plants is a great art book for beginners or class rooms. There are some good techniques and advice offered in this book.

Was this review helpful?

I'm a pretty poor artist but would love to be able to draw, so I have a small collection of books which give guidance on drawing techniques. I can honestly say this is the best I've come across. It begins with advice on what to use and how to grip your pencil, and goes on to basic drawing techniques - observe, draw the outline, refine and fill in. The tone is friendly and helpful and you can really feel the author's enthusiasm.

After the introduction there are many examples of how to draw individual plants - usually 6 sketches per plant, from basic outline to finished drawing. The steps are easy to follow and understand. I can see where I've been going wrong - the outline is vastly important (e.g. it had not occurred to me that a fern leaf is a big triangle!).

Although the author is American, the plants used in the book were mostly familiar, although some such as rubber plant and aloe are usually found as houseplants in the UK. There was no 'plant discrimination' and quite a few weeds were featured. I'm looking forward to trying the dandelion as our garden has quite a few!

Thanks for the publisher and Netgalley for the digital copy.

Was this review helpful?

I thought that this book provided great and helpful examples for people wanting to play around with botanical drawing. I added sketches to my nature journal using the helpful models here.

Was this review helpful?

Draw like an artist: 100 flowers and plants provides step-by-step instructions on how to draw flowers and plants.

The book is divided into three sections:
Section 1 has 50 flowers like tulips, marigold, rose and hibiscus
Section 2 has 20 vines, leaves and trees, including willow, maple, and magnolia
Section 3 has 30 of other plants including bamboo,chive, palm and fern.

Most of them have six to eight steps till completion.

I really do feel that this book helps me to draw better flowers and plants, and am attaching a pic of my drawings done by following the instructions.

The more detailed ones can be a bit more difficult to follow though (example: the rose!) because of all the confusing lines. However, as with everything else, patience and practice can only result in better drawings. As you sketch along and learn how to start with basic shapes and how to fill up those shapes, you can even go on to draw other flowers and plants not featured in the book.

With so many people doing nature, art and bullet journals nowadays, this book would be great to help them draw flowers and plants to be proud of!

Thank you to Netgalley and Quarry for this ARC given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Draw Like an Artist: 100 Flowers and Plants is a step by step tutorial guide to drawing botanical subjects. Due out 25th June 2019 by Quarto on their Walter Foster imprint, it's 112 pages and will be available in paperback format. Author Melissa Washburn is a professional artist and illustrator and her tutorials are clear and pretty easy to follow.

This guide provides a short introduction followed by 100 specific line drawing tutorials (see cover) arranged by different species and type of plant. The tutorial pages are similar to the drawings on the cover and have 3-6 steps each.

There is no index in the eARC I received for review, however the table of contents is quite detailed and specific. This is a very bare bones streamlined collection. There is no detailed written instruction here, just the line drawings with refinements.

Three and a half stars. This is for artists who know how to draw and need some help with perspective, composition, and positioning.

Was this review helpful?

This is a great reference book for anyone wanting to draw realistic flowers and foliage. Particularly good for illustrators, artists, and anyone just beginning to draw. All the tips and instructions are at the beginning and all the plant drawings are literally step by step sketches, which is brilliant. The contents pages lists all the plants covered in the book so it is easy to find what you want draw. Overall a great reference book resource.

Was this review helpful?