Cactus Botanical Illustrations

When learning a new skill I often craft a collection of items that will allow me to use the new skill over and over again to create a group of works. This does two things. It brings constraint & flexibility to the artistic work and facilitates better learning of the new skill.

In this case, the constraint was the image trace tool inside Adobe Illustrator. Recently, I read an article about the dying art of botanical illustration and I was inspired to create this series of art. I sourced old botanical illustrations from late 1800's to early 1900's and image traced them creating a unique style. I paired a retro font with the illustrations. The slice across the design represents the "break" in the continuity of the art. The advent of photography has changed how we document our natural world. These designs represent my personal contribution to keeping the beautiful art of botanical illustration alive.