The Unsung Hero of Botanical Art: Why Surface Matters in Precision Illustration
In the world of botanical art, where every line, hue, and tonal shift must speak to the truth of nature, materials are not merely tools; they are creative partners. At the heart of every lifelike rendering of flora lies not just the artist’s skill, but also the subtle interplay between medium and surface. For acclaimed botanical illustrator Simon Williams SBA, the decision to work with the Strathmore 500 Series Illustration Board for Wet Media is not incidental; it is foundational. As a freelance artist with decades of experience and Course Director for the Society of Botanical Artists Distance Learning Diploma Course, Simon has built his career on both artistic and pedagogical excellence.
The nature of botanical illustration demands more than an attractive finish; it calls for a seamless fusion of artistic expression and scientific observation. Illustrators working in this space often start with pencil-drawn skeletons of their subjects, which require careful planning, multiple refinements, and frequent erasing. Most papers degrade under such pressure, but the Strathmore 500 Series board holds its surface integrity, allowing graphite sketches to evolve naturally without loss of texture or smoothness. This level of durability becomes a key asset when working with delicate details such as venation in leaves or the intricate petal structure of wildflowers, where precision can’t be compromised.
Simon’s approach often involves transitioning from graphite to fluid washes, using both traditional watercolours and newer media like Turner Acryl Gouache. These stages demand a board that behaves predictably under both wet and dry conditions. The Strathmore 500 Series board proves itself at each step, absorbing pigment cleanly, resisting warping, and preventing unwanted pooling of paint. This reliability fosters confidence in each stroke, giving artists the freedom to explore fine tonal gradations or bold contrasts without fear of surface failure.
Bridging Art and Science Through Surface Stability
Botanical illustration occupies a unique intersection between science and fine art. It is a genre defined not only by beauty but by accuracy and depth. Every illustration serves as both an artistic composition and a scientific document. This dual purpose means that every material choice must support both aspects of the discipline. For Simon Williams, the right board must be able to endure countless subtle adjustments and layering techniques without buckling, blotching, or degrading over time. The Strathmore 500 Series Illustration Board has emerged as a clear favorite because it meets these needs head-on.
From the very first mark, the board offers reassurance. When laying down light pencil guidelines or erasing to refine shapes, its surface doesn’t buckle or show signs of wear. This abrasion resistance is crucial when creating the foundational stages of a botanical plate. Whether he’s mapping the twisted symmetry of a clematis vine or the overlapping geometry of a daisy’s petals, Simon can work and rework areas without sacrificing surface quality.
Once the skeleton is complete, the real test begins: building up color and texture. Here, the Strathmore board shows its real character. Washes of watercolor are evenly absorbed without lifting previously applied layers or creating pigment backruns. It allows for a clarity in color that is often lost on less absorbent surfaces. In the later stages, when tight, controlled strokes are needed to render the velvety fuzz of a leaf or the glistening sheen of a petal’s edge, the board remains perfectly responsive, offering a clean platform for exacting detail.
This becomes even more critical when working with gouache. Gouache is notoriously demanding—it dries fast, has a matte finish, and behaves differently than transparent watercolor. Yet, Simon has found that the Strathmore 500 board handles gouache with elegance, allowing for rich, opaque coverage that retains sharpness even after multiple layers. The board’s surface supports these characteristics, making it easier to achieve the high contrast and minute details essential in realistic botanical work.
Perhaps most compelling is how the board accommodates a hybrid approach mixing wet and dry media, switching between delicate washes and stippling, or adding highlights atop dried layers without disturbing what’s underneath. This ability to adapt under the pressure of such technical requirements makes it not just a support but a silent partner in the creative process.
Cultivating the Next Generation: Teaching Technique Through Trustworthy Materials
Beyond the studio, Simon Williams is also a mentor and educator, currently authoring an in-depth book on botanical painting using gouache. This project aims to demystify one of the most nuanced painting methods in the artist’s toolkit, helping students and emerging illustrators develop a working knowledge of gouache techniques. But writing about gouache is only half the battle; the surface on which it's demonstrated plays a crucial role in the instructional process.
To ensure that his demonstrations are reliable and replicable, Simon turns to the same board he trusts in his professional work. The Strathmore 500 Series Illustration Board brings consistency to each page of his book, reinforcing the message that quality materials can elevate technique and encourage mastery. In teaching settings, where students may be trying gouache or watercolour for the first time, having a surface that behaves predictably under various conditions eliminates one variable from the learning curve. This lets them focus on brush control, color theory, and layering without being sabotaged by unpredictable warping or paint absorption.
Simon often showcases side-by-side comparisons of similar techniques applied to different boards, and the Strathmore board consistently outperforms its competitors. Whether it’s the velvety blend of green tones in a fern’s frond or the fine stippling used to indicate pollen textures on a flower’s center, the surface plays a vital role in translating the artist’s intent to the viewer’s eye. In classroom settings, these differences are not abstract; they are practical and immediately observable.
In recent years, Simon has also been exploring Turner Acryl Gouache, a contemporary medium known for its vibrant pigments and fast drying time. This paint requires a board that can support quick applications while preserving fine edge definition. Again, the Strathmore board stands out. It absorbs just enough pigment to prevent glossiness or cracking, yet remains firm enough to allow multiple layers without degradation. As artists push the boundaries of what media can do, having a reliable support that can handle these experiments becomes more than helpful; it’s essential.
Through his book and his role at the Society of Botanical Artists, Simon continues to emphasize one key principle: in botanical illustration, the medium and the message are intertwined. The materials used must align with the discipline’s demand for fidelity and detail. The Strathmore 500 Series Illustration Board doesn’t just allow for this harmony it actively enhances it. It’s a material that both beginners and seasoned artists can trust, regardless of whether they're exploring wet-on-wet techniques or intricate dry-brush detail.
Ultimately, great botanical illustration is a dialogue between nature and the artist. The Strathmore board ensures that this conversation is never interrupted by technical limitations. It allows brushstrokes to flow freely, pigments to rest accurately, and detail to shine through. More than just a piece of paper, it becomes the very ground upon which botanical beauty is brought to life.
Blending Legacy and Innovation: The Evolving Practice of Botanical Illustration
In the rich tapestry of botanical illustration, a delicate balance must be struck between timeless artistic tradition and the subtle integration of modern innovation. At the forefront of this evolving discipline stands Simon Williams SBA, a master illustrator whose work exemplifies the perfect union of classical craftsmanship and thoughtful experimentation. With decades of dedication to the botanical arts, Simon has refined a technique that respects the precise detail and aesthetic elegance essential to the genre while simultaneously embracing the benefits of new materials and mediums.
One of the most significant evolutions in his practice is his choice of working surface. For Simon, the Strathmore 500 Series Illustration Board for Wet Media is not just a material, but a crucial creative partner. Unlike conventional watercolor paper or tracing vellum, this high-quality board offers a hybrid performance, combining the surface sensitivity needed for intricate pencil work with the structural integrity required for successive layers of water-based media. The result is an ideal platform for the full spectrum of his artistic techniques, allowing him to bridge the historic legacy of botanical documentation with the nuanced demands of contemporary expression.
The process always begins with intense observation. Each plant subject, be it the soft blush of a petal, the crisp edge of a serrated leaf, or the textured bark of a stem, is studied through multiple sketches. While traditional illustrators may have relied on preparatory papers and transferred compositions to a final surface, Simon often moves directly onto the illustration board from the earliest stages. The board’s resilience allows for this shift, as it withstands the pressure of repeated erasing, reworking, and refinement without compromising surface quality. It facilitates a seamless transition from the spontaneity of initial drafts to the clarity of the final painting, preserving the emotional immediacy of each mark.
The tooth of the Strathmore board is subtle yet sufficient, catching pencil pigment cleanly while avoiding the coarseness that can obscure fine line work. This allows for precise rendering of details such as veining in leaves or the soft gradation of color found in petals. And when pigment is finally introduced, whether in the form of transparent watercolor washes or more opaque applications the board responds with both grace and integrity. Its absorbency allows colors to bloom naturally while maintaining chromatic consistency, avoiding the patchiness or backruns that can plague lesser surfaces.
Material Mastery: How Tools Shape Technique in Botanical Art
In any field where precision meets creativity, the quality of materials can define the outcome. For botanical illustrators, who must achieve scientific accuracy without sacrificing artistic flair, every choice matters from the weight of the pencil to the absorbency of the surface. For Simon Williams, the importance of selecting the right board cannot be overstated. In his studio, and in the advice he gives to students across the globe through the Distance Learning Diploma Course, he often likens the choice of surface to that of a musician choosing an instrument. The harmony between tool and intention must be exact.
One of the most important tools in his contemporary practice is Turner Acryl Gouache, a revolutionary paint that fuses the vibrant opacity of traditional gouache with the permanence of acrylics. Unlike conventional gouache, which can reactivate and smudge when rewetted, Turner Acryl Gouache dries to a matte, water-resistant finish. This innovation is especially advantageous in layered compositions where the risk of disturbing underlying work can pose serious setbacks. The combination of this medium with the Strathmore 500 board produces extraordinary results, as the board grips the pigment evenly and prevents unwanted pooling or streaking.
This synergy gives Simon the freedom to explore complex layering techniques. He builds tonal richness with meticulous veils of color, achieving a kind of luminous realism that captures the spirit and science of his botanical subjects. The board supports delicate dry brush methods and subtle transitions in value techniques that require an unyielding yet receptive surface. It’s this very balance that enables the textural realism for which Simon’s work is renowned. The board neither buckles under wet washes nor resists the controlled abrasions of dry techniques.
Additionally, the structural integrity of the illustration board eliminates one of the more laborious and time-consuming aspects of traditional watercolor preparation: stretching and taping paper. Because it stays flat under even the heaviest applications of water or paint, the board removes the need for cumbersome support structures. This not only improves efficiency in the studio but also allows the artist to focus entirely on the subject at hand, without the constant worry of technical interference.
For Simon’s students, who range from aspiring hobbyists to serious professionals, understanding these material relationships is central to developing a reliable workflow. His philosophy emphasizes that mastery is not solely a matter of skill but of knowing one’s materials intimately. Each pigment, each stroke, and each layer interacts uniquely with the board, and the illustrator must adapt accordingly to bring their subject to life with authenticity and vitality.
A Living Tradition: Preserving Craft in the Digital Age
In an age where digital tools increasingly dominate artistic and scientific arenas, Simon Williams remains a firm advocate for the enduring value of hand-rendered botanical illustration. This isn’t to say that he shuns innovation; in fact, his embrace of new paint formulations and superior substrates speaks to a progressive mindset but rather that he holds steadfast to the belief that tactile engagement with the medium brings a level of insight, discipline, and sensory connection that no digital tool can replicate.
Each illustration Simon produces is not only a visual study but a conversation with nature. Through layered washes, erased lines, rebuilt shapes, and tonal adjustments, the subject becomes intimately known. The tactile qualities of the Strathmore 500 board amplify this dialogue, serving as an interface between hand and eye, brush and blossom. The board’s resilience ensures that even after hours or days of manipulation, the surface remains intact, reflecting the same vibrancy and precision as in the first stroke.
In his forthcoming book on botanical painting with gouache, Simon continues to showcase this confluence of time-honored methodology and contemporary technique. Every illustration within its pages is a testament to the way materials shape the outcome. Readers will not only witness the breadth of his technical ability from wet-on-wet blending and dry brush detailing to the lifting of highlights and creation of crisp edges, but also come to understand the integral role of a dependable surface in achieving these effects. The book aims to serve both as a visual delight and a practical guide, particularly for those interested in the potential of gouache as a botanical medium.
Through his teachings and publications, Simon cultivates an appreciation for tradition while gently guiding his audience toward innovation. He encourages illustrators to explore modern materials not as replacements but as enhancements to question, experiment, and ultimately evolve while maintaining respect for the discipline’s roots. This balance is where true mastery lies.
What emerges from Simon’s approach is more than a technique; it’s a philosophy of craft. One that insists on the marriage of detail and depth, of structure and spontaneity. In each finished piece, you can trace not only the anatomy of the plant but the meticulous journey of observation, iteration, and artistry that brought it to life.
And at the heart of that journey lies a trusted surface a board that quietly supports each decision, each nuance, each layer. The Strathmore 500 Series Illustration Board for Wet Media isn’t just a tool in Simon Williams’ process; it’s a silent partner in preserving the future of botanical illustration, one brushstroke at a time.
The Unseen Order: Nature’s Geometry in Botanical Composition
In the realm of botanical illustration, true mastery lies in capturing more than the external beauty of a plant. It involves unveiling the rhythm beneath the surface, the subtle, structured order hidden in leaf arrangements, the pulse of symmetry within blossoms, and the graceful proportions echoing in root patterns. For artist and educator Simon Williams SBA, this intrinsic order isn’t just an aesthetic curiosity; it is the foundation of his artistic philosophy. Through years of detailed observation and meticulous practice, he has come to recognize nature as an architectural language, one governed by geometry and harmony. His compositions aren't merely visual records; they are visual meditations on the balance and structure embedded in the botanical world.
This intimate relationship with natural geometry calls for more than just technical skill. It demands an artistic medium capable of supporting the nuanced expression of these intricate structures. For Simon, that trusted medium is the Strathmore 500 Series Illustration Board for Wet Media. It’s not just a surface; it’s an essential part of the storytelling. With every leaf, stem, and petal he illustrates, the board becomes a silent collaborator, absorbing graphite, gouache, and intention alike. Its reliability allows him to explore the visual logic of plants with confidence and consistency.
Nature rarely presents perfect symmetry, yet there's a kind of asymmetrical equilibrium that permeates its every form. This natural balance is something Simon consistently aims to mirror in his artwork. His approach involves spatial planning that considers not only what is drawn, but also what is left untouched. This is where the Strathmore 500 shines, not just in how it holds pigment, but in how it frames absence. The board supports delicate pencil work that glides with subtle resistance, offering control without friction. It allows for repeated erasures without tearing or scarring, giving Simon the flexibility to refine compositions without compromise.
The interaction of surface and subject becomes especially significant as the drawing progresses. Each adjustment to negative space, each carefully placed wash, becomes part of a dialogue between artist and material. In this way, the board is not merely passive. It listens. It responds. And crucially, it holds clarity where it matters most, edges remain crisp, transitions remain clean, and each element of the composition retains its distinct voice amidst a chorus of form and color.
The Role of Material in Capturing Botanical Complexity
As Simon’s compositions evolve, so too does the complexity of what he captures. Botanical subjects, especially when layered or overlapping, pose significant challenges in terms of spatial depth and tonal separation. The slightest misstep in medium application can collapse dimension or muddy subtle transitions. Here, the Strathmore 500 Board continues to prove indispensable. Its surface manages water-based media with a steadiness that allows for precise layering, giving Simon the ability to create both transparency and opaqueness as needed. Turner Acryl Gouache, with its unique balance between acrylic and traditional gouache characteristics, finds a stable home on the board. Early washes settle without bloom or feathering, and denser applications build with remarkable smoothness.
This responsiveness becomes vital when controlling focal points within a composition. Whether guiding the viewer’s gaze through the upward thrust of a stem or drawing attention to a specific curvature of a petal, Simon uses visual emphasis sparingly but effectively. The board’s ability to hold pigment in fine detail or allow it to bleed gently into the background offers him control over both movement and stillness within the work.
Another essential trait of the Strathmore 500 is its white luminosity. While subtle, this brightness enhances the full range of Simon’s palette. Whether he is using subdued earth tones to render bark textures or bold, high-chroma hues to capture vibrant florals, the surface acts as a neutral amplifier. It neither dulls nor exaggerates. Instead, it provides a stable and faithful ground for pigments to reveal their truest tones. This fidelity is especially critical with gouache, where surface reflectivity can alter the perception of color. On a lesser board, the interaction between media and substrate might skew tones or reduce layering potential. But with Strathmore, Simon experiences a rare harmony; his color decisions remain intentional and intact.
It’s this alignment between artistic vision and material behavior that encourages deeper creative risk. Because the board does not impose its own texture or character too strongly, it becomes a receptive environment for complexity. It doesn’t fight the artist’s hand; it follows it. This allows Simon to focus on capturing the essence of his subjects their logic, their form, and their quiet stories without technical distraction.
This compatibility also extends to Simon’s educational philosophy. As Course Director for the Society of Botanical Artists Distance Learning Diploma Course, he urges students to move beyond mere observation and into analytical seeing. He speaks passionately about the mathematical underpinnings of natural forms, Fibonacci spirals in sunflower seeds, the golden ratio in leaf arrangements, and the fractal elegance of branching systems. The Strathmore board supports not only his professional work but also his teaching, offering students a reliable surface as they develop their understanding of visual order and artistic discipline.
Composition as Conversation: Anchoring Nature with Intention
To compose is to converse. And in Simon’s work, each composition is a dialogue not only between plant forms, but between artist, material, and viewer. His process often begins with a central visual anchor a dominant bloom or branching element around which the rest of the image orbits. These supporting elements aren’t placed randomly; they follow an internal structure that echoes the natural environment. This dynamic arrangement, structured but not rigid, is only made possible through a surface that can hold such complexity without interfering.
The Strathmore 500 board becomes a partner in this structured spontaneity. Its surface allows for confident mark-making, whether in precise graphite or bold gouache. Its sturdiness means Simon never has to hesitate or second-guess the integrity of his material, even when introducing aggressive techniques or multiple reworkings. This stability is more than convenient; it’s essential when dealing with compositions that rely on subtle visual tension and carefully balanced weight.
As Simon progresses with his current book project, this idea of intention-driven composition continues to guide his teaching and personal practice. He doesn’t simply explain how to draw a botanical subject, he demonstrates how to place that subject in a space that breathes, that speaks, that resonates. Every page becomes a stage for interaction between concept and execution. And in each demonstration, the Strathmore 500 board remains a constant supportive, unobtrusive, and trustworthy.
The relationship between artist and material is not unlike that between plant and soil. One nourishes the other. And in the case of botanical art, where capturing life depends on capturing structure, the quality of the surface cannot be overlooked. Simon’s choice of board is never arbitrary. It is a considered, essential decision rooted in years of trial, error, and refinement. It is a choice that allows his art to sing in its fullest voice.
Nature’s geometry is a silent symphony, complex yet calming, intricate yet grounded. It asks for patience, reverence, and precision. To echo it truthfully in illustration requires not only a trained hand and eye but also a surface that understands the subtleties of natural design. Through his work and teaching, Simon Williams continues to illuminate this balance. And through every line drawn and every pigment placed, the Strathmore 500 Series Illustration Board remains an indispensable partner in this exploration of the organic and the eternal.
Where Precision Meets Poetry: The Emotional Depth of Botanical Illustration
At the highest tier of botanical illustration, technical accuracy is only the beginning. The finest works in this delicate art form do not merely depict, they communicate. They hold space for memory, atmosphere, and feeling. A single petal rendered with care can recall a childhood garden, a beloved place, or a fleeting season. In the practice of Simon Williams SBA, this deeper layer, the emotional undercurrent of each composition, is essential. His art seeks not only to inform the viewer but to move them. He captures plants with a reverence that goes beyond replication; he evokes the soul of his subject.
This kind of evocative imagery is rooted in more than technique. It is the result of intention, empathy, and a careful choice of materials. One surface that plays an especially pivotal role in Simon’s work is the Strathmore 500 Series Illustration Board for Wet Media. This premium board becomes more than just a substrate; it becomes a quiet collaborator in the storytelling process. With its fine-toothed texture and ability to hold water-based media without buckling or bleeding, it allows for emotional nuance to emerge, layer by delicate layer.
In Simon’s hands, the board does not merely receive paint; it reflects sentiment. It allows the whisper of a plant’s life cycle to be heard through line, wash, and hue. His subjects are often infused with metaphor—a wilting iris may reflect the grace of aging, a reaching stem may echo longing. These symbolic interpretations would be flattened without a surface capable of articulating such subtleties. The board’s exceptional responsiveness ensures that mood and meaning are never lost to imprecision or technical compromise.
This harmonious interaction between artist and surface brings a lyrical quality to each botanical study. Time itself seems to slow across the textures of the board, allowing quiet meditations on change, fragility, and resilience to unfold in pigment. Simon’s work becomes a meditation not just on plants, but on the human experience mirrored within them. His pieces gently invite the viewer into a space of reflection on loss and renewal, on beauty held in transience, and on the often-overlooked eloquence of the natural world.
Each composition, therefore, transcends its subject matter. What appears at first as a rendering of flora soon reveals itself as a dialogue between artist, material, and viewer a conversation held in silence, in shadow, in softness. The Strathmore 500 Board, with its capacity to honor even the most nuanced of gestures, becomes indispensable in this dialogue. It invites vulnerability. It holds space for pauses, for contemplative brushstrokes, for decisions made as much from the heart as the hand.
Ultimately, what Simon achieves is a fusion of observation and emotion so seamless that it transforms the act of illustration into something nearly sacred. Through the synergy of skill, surface, and spirit, botanical art is no longer confined to classification or scientific record it becomes a vessel for memory, empathy, and timeless storytelling.
The Alchemy of Light, Shadow, and Surface in Botanical Storytelling
One of the most defining characteristics of Simon’s botanical art is his ability to sculpt tone, not just in the sense of light and dark, but in terms of emotional atmosphere. He does this through careful manipulation of watercolor and gouache, mediums known for their transparency and fluidity. The Strathmore 500 Board’s smooth-yet-subtle texture becomes essential in this process. It provides a surface where pigment can glide when needed, or settle into crevices to create shadows as soft as sighs. This tonal control is not merely aesthetic; it shapes the entire feeling of a piece.
Simon often uses tone to convey more than form. A cluster of leaves may not only show natural variance in shade and hue they may also hint at solitude, serenity, or seasonal transition. The play between defined edges and dissolving washes, a signature in many of his works, creates a tension that mirrors the fragile line between control and surrender. This dance between precision and looseness is mirrored in the very nature of the materials he employs. On lesser boards, such contrast could easily become muddied or uneven. But the Strathmore 500 holds its integrity, supporting even the most subtle gradations and sudden shifts in tone.
This ability to carry both crisp detail and fluid movement makes the board an irreplaceable component of Simon’s storytelling approach. When a flower’s petal melts into its surroundings, it feels deliberate rather than accidental. When a stamen is rendered with razor-sharp clarity against a whispering backdrop, the effect is not just visual it’s emotional. The contrast becomes a narrative device, echoing themes of presence and absence, clarity and mystery.
Color, too, serves as a potent narrative tool in Simon’s compositions. His cooler-toned works lean into introspective blues, silvery greens, and hushed grays, forming quiet vignettes of contemplation. The Strathmore board captures these cooler hues with a luminous quality, never dulling or flattening their emotional resonance. In warmer illustrations celebrating bloom, vitality, or abundance, the board faithfully supports layers of intense pigment without sacrificing transparency or vibrancy. Deep ambers, lush crimsons, and golden ochres remain true across applications, allowing the story to unfold in rich, chromatic language.
A Surface of Intention: Teaching, Craft, and the Quiet Role of the Right Board
As an educator as well as an artist, Simon Williams often speaks to the transformative power of attention. To draw a plant is not merely to observe it, is to engage, to honor. Botanical illustration, in his view, is a deeply relational practice. Each line, wash, and mark is an act of respect for nature’s design. The choice of surface, therefore, becomes a reflection of that respect. The board must be strong yet sensitive, resilient yet receptive. For Simon, the Strathmore 500 Series meets that criterion with quiet confidence.
In workshops and classrooms, Simon encourages students to consider not only what they see but what they feel. A flower may be symmetrical and anatomically perfect, but what does it whisper when you look at it? What memory does it call forward? How does it carry its weight, its bloom, its decline? These are not just questions of observation; they are invitations to empathy. And to translate such layered insight into an image, artists need tools that respond with equal depth.
The Strathmore 500 Board becomes a silent partner in this process. It does not overpower the work or leave its mark. Instead, it holds space quite literally for the artist’s vision to unfold. It supports washes that must be lifted, corrections that must be made, and details that need to endure. It welcomes the push and pull of creativity, offering stability without resistance. Like a trusted friend, it does not demand attention, but it is always there, reliable and gracious.
In Simon’s forthcoming book on botanical illustration, this philosophy is woven throughout each chapter. It is not simply a manual of technique, but a meditation on process. The chapters offer a blend of practical instruction and reflective inquiry, guiding readers not just in how to paint a leaf or render a petal, but how to inhabit the mindset of the botanical illustrator. The Strathmore 500 Board features prominently in these demonstrations, not just as a technical recommendation, but as a symbol of the foundational support needed in any expressive pursuit.
Perhaps the most poignant example of this relationship between artist and material comes from one of Simon’s more introspective works: a single iris, slightly wilted at the edge. It is not a symbol of loss, but of dignity, of time passing with grace. The pigments settle into the natural textures of the board like water into sand, filling the spaces not with sorrow but with reverence. On a lesser surface, such a subtle narrative might evaporate. But here, the illustration breathes.
Art, especially in a genre as delicate and intimate as botanical illustration, is shaped as much by what is left unsaid as by what is rendered. The spaces between brushstrokes, the untouched whites, and the ghost of a gesture all contribute to a larger emotional tapestry. For Simon Williams and the community of artists he nurtures, the Strathmore 500 Series Illustration Board for Wet Media has become an essential part of that tapestry. It does not simply hold paint. It holds presence.
In a world where speed and immediacy often dominate, Simon’s work and the materials that support it—invite slowness. They ask us to linger, to look again, to feel. The board becomes not just a technical ally but a philosophical one. It supports the artist’s hand, yes, but also the artist’s heart. And in doing so, it helps transform botanical illustration from a study of nature into an experience of it, rich, reflective, and profoundly human.
