The 2005 winner of the Artists Choice Award - now new in paperback - reveals the secrets behind her stunning and luminous plant portraits. Using simple techniques that produce breathtaking results, and packed with inspirational ideas for botanical artists, the chapters cover: the botanical artist: a brief history of botanical illustration; comfort and confidence: the right environment, paint, paper and brushes; a technique to imitate nature: the wet-in-wet technique; flowers - colour and form: projects and demonstrations arranged by colour, from exotic orchids to wild flowers; foliage - colour and form: how to capture the subtle variations in hue and tone; fruit - colour and form: creating the three-dimensional forms, rich colours and textures of fruit; details: secrets of the finishing touches; completing the picture: step-by-step demonstrations, plus information on framing, presentation and selling your work; plant characters in compositio- n: how to experiment; and, the trials and tribulations of a botanical artist.