Workshop:
Botanical Illustration
Gülnur Ekşi Bona
View from the exhibition Anatolian Plant Legacy, Salt Beyoğlu, 2025
Photo: Metean Bars (Salt)
Photo: Metean Bars (Salt)
Walk-in Cinema
Botanical illustrations serve to depict the organic characteristics of plants, such as color, texture, and form, highlighting their distinguishing features with scientific accuracy. Each work reflects the botanical illustrator's careful observation to understand the specific traits of a plant, capturing multiple stages of its life cycle within a single composition. With their methodical approach, these illustrations play a crucial role not only in introducing newly identified species but also in raising awareness about the conservation of rare and endangered plants.
In this workshop led by Gülnur Ekşi Bona, participants will explore how to depict plants using a range of techniques, including watercolor, graphite, dry watercolor, acrylic, and gouache. Encouraging participants to see nature from the perspective of a botanical illustrator, the workshop will also address the balance between technical accuracy and personal style.
Organized as part of Anatolian Plant Legacy, the workshop will take place on Sunday, June 1 between 13.30-16.30 in the Walk-in Cinema at Salt Beyoğlu. The free-admission program will be held in Turkish and is open to everyone. Participants are kindly asked to bring their own drawing materials for the session.
*Limited seats. No reservations.
Gülnur Ekşi Bona graduated from the Department of Biology Education at Hacettepe University. From 2007 to 2015, she worked as a botanical illustrator for the Plants from the Woods and Forests of Chile project at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Between 2009 and 2015, she received five gold medals at international scientific botanical illustration exhibitions (RHS and BISCOT) in London and Edinburgh. She held exhibitions and taught courses in Chile, the UK, and Türkiye. She completed her PhD in Pharmaceutical Botany at Ankara University in 2018. She currently teaches at Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa and serves as art editor for the Illustrated Flora of Turkey project.
Botanical illustrations serve to depict the organic characteristics of plants, such as color, texture, and form, highlighting their distinguishing features with scientific accuracy. Each work reflects the botanical illustrator's careful observation to understand the specific traits of a plant, capturing multiple stages of its life cycle within a single composition. With their methodical approach, these illustrations play a crucial role not only in introducing newly identified species but also in raising awareness about the conservation of rare and endangered plants.
In this workshop led by Gülnur Ekşi Bona, participants will explore how to depict plants using a range of techniques, including watercolor, graphite, dry watercolor, acrylic, and gouache. Encouraging participants to see nature from the perspective of a botanical illustrator, the workshop will also address the balance between technical accuracy and personal style.
Organized as part of Anatolian Plant Legacy, the workshop will take place on Sunday, June 1 between 13.30-16.30 in the Walk-in Cinema at Salt Beyoğlu. The free-admission program will be held in Turkish and is open to everyone. Participants are kindly asked to bring their own drawing materials for the session.
*Limited seats. No reservations.
Gülnur Ekşi Bona graduated from the Department of Biology Education at Hacettepe University. From 2007 to 2015, she worked as a botanical illustrator for the Plants from the Woods and Forests of Chile project at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Between 2009 and 2015, she received five gold medals at international scientific botanical illustration exhibitions (RHS and BISCOT) in London and Edinburgh. She held exhibitions and taught courses in Chile, the UK, and Türkiye. She completed her PhD in Pharmaceutical Botany at Ankara University in 2018. She currently teaches at Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa and serves as art editor for the Illustrated Flora of Turkey project.
Share