Flower-pressed plants feature in Templar debut

Big Picture Press, an imprint of Templar Publishing, has acquired A Year in the Wild, a debut non-fiction title by illustrator Helen Ahpornsiri using nothing but pressed plants. 

In a deal made directly with the illustrator, the book will be "an intricately crafted journey through the four seasons of flora and fauna" using flower-pressing techniques. In this way, Ahpornsiri's artwork will transform foraged leaves, petals and seeds into "bounding hares, swooping swallows and blossoming trees" and "capture the wonder and magic of the natural world", according to Bonnier Publishing.

Lisa Edwards, publishing director at Templar Publishing, said she had been "immediately captivated" by the artist's craftsmanship on her Instagram feed. "I knew it would make a truly beautiful book and it has been a delight to receive each handmade piece from Helen," she said

Ahpornsiri added: "Working on this book has been a wonderful journey. The plants which make up each illustration were collected from adventures both big and small; from far across the country or as close as the blades of grass at my doorstep.”

The book will publish in March 2018.