ArtPlantae: Lighthipe Reviews

Marien, Tania. 2003. Books aimed at enhancing your drawing abilities & an encyclopedia for all artists. Southern California Botanical Artist. August. Vol. 2(3): 6. (Reprinted with permission)

As enthusiastic students of botanical art, many of us have taken the same path to where we are today - we take that basic drawing class that focuses on how to draw leaves, stems, roots, and flowers, and then we dive head-first into more "advanced" learning situations without developing our plant-drawing skills 100%. Ever wish you could sit in the privacy and comfort of your own studio and work through exercises that would enhance your drawing ability and your observation skills? If you have ever wished this, or would welcome a brief break from taking classes, you might want to investigate the drawing books written by Mindy Lighthipe, Program Coordinator for the Botanical Art & Illustration Certificate Program at the New York Botanical Garden. I share these books with you because both contain exercises that are different from the exercises encountered in either of the southern California programs (at least when I went through them; I have happily devoured information in both programs). There is value in thinking through these new exercises (as well as the more familiar exercises) and deciding whether or not to apply what has been learned to your own work.

Lighthipe, Mindy. 2000. Foundation Drawing for Botanical & Scientific Illustration.

This book contains a practical, structured set of exercises that introduce artists to the use of graphite pencils. Artists are given instruction on how to create continuous tone scales and textural tone scales, as well as how to place what they observe in aerial perspective. Lighthipe gives suggestions on how to create light on the form and leads artists through an exercise which requires them to draw and shade a clay pot from different angles. She also offers insight on one- and two-point perspective, negative space, and measuring. Artists at the beginning of their artistic journey may find this book to be an interesting and helpful reference to complement what they are learning in their beginning drawing class.

Lighthipe, Mindy. 2000. Drawing on the Beauty of Plants.

This book is a helpful guide providing artists with several exercises and recommendations on how to approach drawing all parts of a plant. Lighthipe offers recommendations on: 1) how to draw the front and back of a leaf, 2) how to draw a leaf curved in space, 3) how to draw a branch with leaves, 4) how to draw roots, and 5) how to draw a sunflower. This guide offers artists a chance to strengthen their drawing skills and their "seeing" skills at their own pace. If artists combine the practical exercises in this book with what they've learned in class, they will no doubt reap the benefits of taking the time to process this information and of doing so at their own pace. Like the book above, artists may enjoy this book as a reference to complement what they are learning in their classes.