Botanical Art Guidelines for NESBA Artists

The subject plant must be the prominent feature of the work and be scientifically accurate.  Insects or other animals may be shown, particularly if they pertain in a significant way to the plant’s life cycle but the focus of the work must be botanical.

All plant parts need not be shown, however what is shown should be botanically accurate.

Work can be of any scale, and background can be any color.

Supports such as vases, tablecloths, other still-life objects should not be included.  

Background images are allowed if they place the plant in its native habitat and are not the focal point of the work.

Artworks must be original works created by the artist only and may not include digital components.

For More: ASBA Exhibition Guidelines

The following are elements on which submissions to a juried show are evaluated. Please note, NESBA member shows are not juried. The following is provided for information only.

Botanical artists seek to understand the structure of plants and to communicate this knowledge to their audience in an aesthetically pleasing manner, thus combining science and art.  The botanical artist has three important factors to consider in creating a successful piece of botanical art: scientific accuracy, artistic proficiency, and aesthetic quality.

Scientific Accuracy: Are all the plant’s parts that are visually apparent shown clearly and accurately? We do not ask for one-to-one scale, however, we do ask for correct proportionality regardless of scale used. Is the artwork botanically and structurally correct? Are botanical details overly sketchy, generalized, or formulaic?

Aesthetic quality: Is the artwork’s composition aesthetically strong and is perspective proficiently depicted? Is the three-dimensionality of the plant believably conveyed? If in color, is color accurate and lifelike? Do all the elements of the artwork conform to the same high standard?

Artistic proficiency: Has the artist demonstrated a superior control of and comfort with their medium? Has the whole been executed with professionalism, and with a high standard of practical and technical application? If in paint, has the artist shown expertise in handling the paint? If in ink, are the techniques well mastered? If in pencil, is there adequate contrast between light and darkness, and is refinement shown? If lettering is included, is it proficiently done? 

Source: ASBA Exhibition Guidelines, page 9