rhs watercolour botanical art: a practical guide for artists

Author: Sarah Howard and Rachel Pedder-Smith
Format: Hardcover
Publication date: 12 March 2026
240 pages

A practical, must-have handbook for botanical artists that can be returned to time and time again, in association with the RHS and created with the input of its team of botany experts.

Unlike botanical art books that focus only on painting techniques, and botany books that do not take account of the artist's method, Watercolour Botanical Art balances both botany information and the painting practice used to depict it.

The intended reader is any artist who wishes to be more informed about botany; who needs to tackle the challenges of painting complex and particular botanical structures; who wants to learn what to look out for; and discover variations and morphological parts that are not obvious.

Part One focuses on botanical forms and considerations. Each entry in the directory of morphological terms will include:
Diagrams and text describing the plant morphology
Artists' Considerations: a checklist to follow when examining a plant
Paintings from celebrated botanical artists

Part Two focuses on practical considerations for artists describing painting techniques in step-by-step detail. This section also includes practical tips for working outdoors, visiting plant collections, and collecting or photographing plant specimens for study.