Botanical Illustrator

Job Description: Botanical artists illustrate countless species of plants and botanical life. They’re work wouldn’t be described as being for the arts or for artistic expression, but rather scientific purposes. Detailed and accurate drawings of these flora and green-life, usually accompanied by a blank background, look like something you’d find in a textbook. This work requires knowledge in multiple fields.

-Award winning Botanical Illustrator, Lucy T Smith

Salary:Botanical Illustrators can get paid anywhere from 25,000-88,000 dollars a year. Depending on expertise and art skills, their salary can increase. The average is around 35,000-50,000.

Occupational Outlook:

Botanical Illustrators can be employed in a variety of different establishments.
From museums, to having your art in textbooks.
There are also workshop opportunities for both Botanical art and illustration. This helps people interested in the job hone their skills and practice to see if they might consider a job as a botanical artist.
With the recent decline in the career, a botanical illustrator would be a helpful, and enjoyable job. This is made possible by workshops and exhibits, just like the “Botanical resurgence” by Stifel Fine Arts Center.

Links to Learn More About This Career:

Stifel Arts Center:

Stifel Fine Arts Center.

Botanical art and artists:
https://www.botanicalartandartists.com/what-is-botanical-illustration.html
National History Museum:
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/endeavour/
National Tropical Botanical Garden:
https://ntbg.org/news/the-science-of-art-why-botanical-illustration-matters/

Educational Requirements:

Degree in Print making
Degree in Drawing
A very good understanding of the morphology of the plant - shapes and form are a great help in distinguishing one plant from another
Work with expert botanists who can provide the necessary advice for the science behind the illustration.

University of kentucky

Address:

112 McVey Hall Lexington, KY 40506-005

Website:

https://www.uky.edu

Information on the Major:

https://finearts.uky.edu/savs/printmedia

University of Cambridge

Address:

Trinity Lane, Cambridge CB2 1TN United Kingdom

Website:

https://www.cam.ac.uk/

Information on the Major:

https://www.bio.cam.ac.uk/departments/plant-sciences

University of Lousiville

Address:

ShelbyHurst Campus Address. Louisville, KY 40222

Website:

https://louisville.edu/

Information on the Major:

https://louisville.edu/art/Undergraduate/bfa-in-art-or-design/cad.html

Soft Skills, Characteristics, and/or Abilities Need For This Career:

Observation of living plant material.
Reconstitution of dry plant material if possible.
Inspection of plant features using a microscope.
Get started just going to see the art, and examine the wildlife around you, this makes you analyze the subjects better.
Appreciate the wild-life.

Software Knowledge Needed For This Career:

Adobe Photoshop

Pros and Cons to Choosing This Career

Pros

Has a decent salary.

Allows for demonstration of art skills

Perfect for people who love nature

Cons

Work must be perfected to scientific accuracy

The art must be realistic, not the best for stylized artists

You must be very attentive to the form of the plant, and look at it from a scientific standpoint rather than artistic.

Typical Working Conditions For This Career:

Work is not only done inside for the making of the art, but observation also takes place outside. This helps the artist analyze the subjects of their drawn models better, and learn to appreciate their job. Most Botanical Artists have some sort of nearby park/reserve where they can find the plants they are drawing.