I thought I'd give a bit of a shout-out to a recently published book that readers of this blog might find interesting - Natural History Illustration in Pen and Ink by Sarah Morrish (www.illustratingnaturesdetails.com), published by The Crowood Press. Sarah is an artist, illustrator and tutor, and has a working background in ecology and conservation.
After an introduction there is information about subject matter, including using museum collections and collecting, storing and preserving your own reference materials, and about working in the field. Materials and equipment is another section, and covers pens, inks, and paper, plus other useful bits and pieces along with advice on setting up a comfortable working area and even a recipe for making your own oak gall ink.
Next comes a chapter about sketchbooks and study pages, including things to consider when choosing a sketchbook and tips for recording information. Mark-making techniques and creating form are then discussed, along with a look at some of the problems you might encounter, and solutions, and composition has its own chapter.
Following on, there are several subject-specific chapters, focussing on botanical subjects, strandline and marine discoveries, fossils, insects and other invertebrates, birds, feathers and nests, and mammals. There are loads of examples, including step-by-step exercises and case studies so that you can see an illustration evolving. The final two chapters cover combining pen and ink with other media, and protection and presentation of the artwork.
The book has the strapline 'Combine science with art, and journey through nature', which I think is a great call to action, and Natural History Illustration in Pen and Ink inspires you to do just this. The content is very well supported by text and images, and there are contributions from a number of other artists (including me!). There is practical advice, and lots of excellent examples and demonstrations of processes and materials. It's a book I'll go back to again and again. It's a great resource, and if I didn't already have a copy, this book would definitely be on my wish list for Christmas!
https://www.facebook.com/NaturalHistoryIllustrationPenandInk
https://www.nhbs.com/natural-history-illustration-in-pen-and-ink-book
https://www.crowood.com/products/natural-history-illustration-in-pen-and-ink-by-sarah-morrish
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Natural-History-Illustration-Pen-Ink/dp/1785009222
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