Comments on: Botanical Illustration: Why it’s still relevant

By: askMID

askMID — Thu, 07 Aug 2025 12:36:58 +0000

In reply to Katherine Fox. Thank you for sharing such a deeply personal and inspiring journey. Your passion for both science and art is truly powerful — it’s clear you’re not just drawing flowers, you’re uncovering their inner world. I believe you’re already well on your path to becoming a brilliant botanical illustrator. Wishing you strength and creativity as you move forward.

By: Lizzie Harper

Lizzie Harper — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 09:00:07 +0000

In reply to Katherine Fox.

Dear Katherine

I just read your comments on Youtube and am still feeling shaken by the enormity of your loss. And I entirely see and understand why losing yourself in the infinitely complex structures and minutae of flowers is a good place to station yourself. Ye. You are entirely right. Working from photos is incredibly irritating. its so so much easier to slide a stamen under the dissecting mictroscope, or to dissect out a sepal to figure out where the hell it attaches to the stem. Some flowers are almost impossible to illustrate from images. Aquillegia being a case in point, Oh my, all those convoluted elements of the corolla! And when you go in with your hand lens, staring at one grass spikelet; looking out for whether or not the awns twist and how the stamens emerge, and the “oh my gosh but the anthers are VIOLET!” moments… You can’t beat those. I bet you’re going to love and excel in your botanical illustration courses. And like I said on Youtube, you are FAR from being too old to start. The thing with botanical illustrators is they never retire, so you may have scores of years of dabbling with flowers, learning structures, and meticulously recording them visually ahead of you. There’s also a glut of work out there, scientists and advertisers/ packaging companies are crying out for accurate illustrations done by hand. I think its a response to the computerization and automation of the world around us, and a craving for something else, something which viscerally links humankind with the ecosystems and planet the we’re a part of. Man, you’re going to love this. And I’m so pleased to be able to be a tiny part of your journey, and your change of direction. I hope it brings you endless joy, and a little peace, too. Enjoy it, Katherine. XXX

By: Katherine Fox

Katherine Fox — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 23:14:57 +0000

As a fairly new artist I struggle immensely with photographs of flowers. I’m over here with the magnifying glass, photoshop apps and still not getting to see what I need and what’s going on with the stamens. It’s not enough for me to just draw from the photo and paint/color it. That’s incredibly simple & okay for decoration, but I want MORE!! Maybe it’s my 20+ year background in microbiology and KNOWING there’s so much more involved in plants, flowers, leaves, insects etc., that can’t be seen with a naked, nor can a photo properly show me the bits and pieces hidden in the flower or shadowed by the surroundings. The work I’m most proud of has come from me either holding what I’m drawing or drawing it where it is.
Mark my words, one day I will also be a botanical illustrator. I have the science background but will be taking some Botany & art courses this fall (hopefully ON CAMPUS). I told you on YouTube, but my life was tragically altered with the loss of my only child. I find peace in art and nature that I’ve not found anywhere else. I’ve spent most of my life studying pathogens, but it’s time for a change. I’m in my early 40’s and I know it’s an odd time to change directions, but I don’t feel like I’m straying far from my love of science, I’m just changing the focus. I have a LOT of work cut out for me, but that drive is what keeps me motivated and literally breathing from one minute to the next.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and gorgeous illustrations. I can’t get enough of them!!