Who are WSBI?

We are an enthusiastic group of illustrators ranging from total beginners to accomplished and exhibited artists. Established in late 2019, our plans were put on hold by the Covid pandemic. 2022 marked the start of a programme of highly successful events and meetings. We welcomed renowned botanical and natural history presenters Penny Brown, Cath Hodsman, Jackie Isard and Julia Tricky. We held our first exhibition in the beautiful Orangery at Tredegar House, Newport. We ran and continue to hold regular afternoons of drawing, painting and socialising most Saturdays. Throughout this period National Trust Wales has been very supportive and our continuing close association with Tredegar House offers the Society the opportunity to reach a wider audience.

Activities

We offer the opportunity to people of any ability, from complete beginners to established artists paint, draw, learn and socialise. We work in partnership with Tredegar House (National Trust Wales) where we meet on a regular basis. If you would like to come and see what we do and talk to some of our members, please drop in to the Laundry Training Room. We have welcomed visitors from across the UK and look forward to continuing to promote our interest and enthusiasm for the art of botanical art and illustration.

OUR LOGO IS THE SNOWDEN LILY. CRITICALLY ENDANGERED, IT IS THOUGHT THAT FEWER THAN 100 PLANTS ARE IN EXISTENCE.

Until recently Wales, unlike Ireland, Scotland and many English counties did not have a botanical illustrators’ society. We recognise that recently there has been an increase in popularity of this art form. If your interests involve botanical and natural history subjects, you may be interested in the work of our Botanical Illustrators’ Society. Our members are often gardeners, growers and plant lovers. Some of us come to the Society with an art background, but the majority are members who have a fascination for plants and who delight in learning more about both artistic techniques and botany. If this sounds like the ideal activity for you, drop us a line to find out when you can join us for an afternoon.

Wales Society of Botanical Illustrators

The work that you see here is a compilation of paintings and drawings by some of our members. Some of us have been botanical illustrators’ for 10 years or more, while others have only recently started to paint or draw botanical specimens. We use a variety of media from watercolour, pen and ink, graphite to coloured pencils and pastels. Drawing underpins all the work and getting to know your plant is key to a botanically accurate composition. You will no doubt spot butterflies and a naughty caterpillar. Some societies do not include insects or birds etc. in their work as it is not considered strictly botanical. However, we are more than happy to break the rules!

Autumn Workshop

Jackie Isard 28th & 29th October

Painting leaves, shapes, colour and form
2 days
Watercolour experience needed
Leaves are the trickiest things to paint and I have to admit they are not one of my favourite subjects! It is, however, very good to know the techniques to make a leaf look realistic with the correct colours and form. On this two-day workshop, I will show you the techniques to accurately paint leaves. Bring a selection of leaves. Includes detailed course notes for you to keep.

Jackie Isard

For pricing and booking information please contact WSBI.

WSBI Summer Exhibition 2023

The WSBI Summer Exhibition in the Tredegar House Laundry Building took place from 26th August to the 2nd September.

We welcomed visitors from as far away as New Zealand and South Sudan as well as many more from around the UK.

Our visitors book reflects the success of the exhibition and the overwhelming interest in and appreciation of our work. We were also pleased that some of our new members exhibited their work with us for the first time.

As well as original paintings and drawings we exhibited sketchbooks and work in progress. Prints, gift cards, coasters, mugs, handmade note & sketch books and bookmarks were for sale.