Sarah Simblet
Writer/Presenter
Books
Presenting
Books
Dr Sarah Simblet is a trained fine artist who specialises in drawing, and has written and illustrated three major art reference books that are published worldwide by Dorling Kindersley. (See below.) Sarah exhibits her work through her publications. As an academic consultant she has co-selected or contributed to national and international art and science exhibitions at venues such as the Wellcome Trust and Science Museum, and in broadcasting she contributes regularly to BBC radio and television debates about the relationship between science and art. In 2005 she presented Life Class on BBC 3 and was a judge of the Jerwood Drawing Prize. Sarah is an academic member of Wolfson College, Oxford.
Sarah wrote her Ph.D (Bristol 1998) on the European art history and social history of human dissection. She is Tutor in Anatomy at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, University of Oxford, and a guest lecturer at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, where as part of the ‘Performing Medicine’ programme organised by the Clod Ensemble, she teaches morphological anatomy and physiology through drawing and art history to medical students and professionals. Sarah has a passion for teaching and public speaking. She works with children and adults at the National Gallery and The Royal Collection, and also surgeons at the Royal Society of Medicine, youth offenders at Feltham Prison and looked after children in Oxfordshire.
PRESS QUOTES
“Elegant and graceful, Simblet’s illustrations depict movement, energy, and life. So much so, they really can’t be called “plant Portraits”. Simblet’s plants are living and breathing and so full of form, they should make crunching sounds when the book is closed”. Tania Marien, Director of Art Plantae Today, USA. May 2010.
“For a start, Sarah Simblet’s delightful illustrations highlight the structure and function of plants from some truly original viewpoints. They’re also an absolute joy to look at, deftly demonstrating not only her extraordinary skill but also her passion for her work. They are interspersed with clearly written, easily navigable text on the theory of art. […] What really sets this book apart, however, is Simblet’s ability to entwine the science of botany with practical advice, while retaining the romance of art history. It’s a new and exciting angle to take and gives a level of detail and sense of entirety that cannot fail to inspire.” Felicity Rose Cole, BBC Wildlife Magazine. April 2010
“…I read this book cover to cover, and I can imagine using it again and again, which is perhaps the highest praise I could give”. Maeve Clancy, The English Garden. April 2010.
“I’m not saying Dr Sarah Simblet is necessarily a genius, even though I may think it. She didn’t make me pencil out proportions and all that stuff: she simply asked me to go for it, again and again, and after two hours there was, admittedly, a change, in that the result was simply bad rather than actionable.” Euan Ferguson reporting on his drawing lesson, in The Observer, 2005.
Non-Fiction
| Publication Details | Notes |
|---|---|
2001 Dorling Kindersley | Anatomy for the Artist was published by Dorling Kindersley in 2001. English language editions: UK, US, Canada and Australia. Foreign editions: French, Swiss, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian Federation, Polish, Taiwanese, and Korean. This has become a leading reference book in its field. |
2005 Dorling Kindersley | The Drawing Book: An innovative and practical approach to drawing the world around you was published by Dorling Kindersley in hardback 2005, paperback 2009. English language editions: UK, US, Canada, Australia. Foreign editions: Russian Federation, Polish, French, Swiss, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish. This is a leading art reference book widely used in schools. |
2010 Dorling Kindersley | Botany for the Artist was published by Dorling Kindersley in 2010. English language editions: UK, US, Canada, Australia. Foreign editions to date: German and Dutch (more anticipated). |
Presenting
Dr Sarah Simblet is a trained fine artist who specialises in drawing, and has written and illustrated three major art reference books that are published worldwide by Dorling Kindersley. (See below.) Sarah exhibits her work through her publications. As an academic consultant she has co-selected or contributed to national and international art and science exhibitions at venues such as the Wellcome Trust and Science Museum, and in broadcasting she contributes regularly to BBC radio and television debates about the relationship between science and art. In 2005 she presented Life Class on BBC 3 and was a judge of the Jerwood Drawing Prize. Sarah is an academic member of Wolfson College, Oxford.
Sarah wrote her Ph.D (Bristol 1998) on the European art history and social history of human dissection. She is Tutor in Anatomy at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, University of Oxford, and a guest lecturer at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, where as part of the ‘Performing Medicine’ programme organised by the Clod Ensemble, she teaches morphological anatomy and physiology through drawing and art history to medical students and professionals. Sarah has a passion for teaching and public speaking. She works with children and adults at the National Gallery and The Royal Collection, and also surgeons at the Royal Society of Medicine, youth offenders at Feltham Prison and looked after children in Oxfordshire.
PRESS QUOTES
“Elegant and graceful, Simblet’s illustrations depict movement, energy, and life. So much so, they really can’t be called “plant Portraits”. Simblet’s plants are living and breathing and so full of form, they should make crunching sounds when the book is closed”. Tania Marien, Director of Art Plantae Today, USA. May 2010.
“For a start, Sarah Simblet’s delightful illustrations highlight the structure and function of plants from some truly original viewpoints. They’re also an absolute joy to look at, deftly demonstrating not only her extraordinary skill but also her passion for her work. They are interspersed with clearly written, easily navigable text on the theory of art. […] What really sets this book apart, however, is Simblet’s ability to entwine the science of botany with practical advice, while retaining the romance of art history. It’s a new and exciting angle to take and gives a level of detail and sense of entirety that cannot fail to inspire.” Felicity Rose Cole, BBC Wildlife Magazine. April 2010
“…I read this book cover to cover, and I can imagine using it again and again, which is perhaps the highest praise I could give”. Maeve Clancy, The English Garden. April 2010.
“I’m not saying Dr Sarah Simblet is necessarily a genius, even though I may think it. She didn’t make me pencil out proportions and all that stuff: she simply asked me to go for it, again and again, and after two hours there was, admittedly, a change, in that the result was simply bad rather than actionable.” Euan Ferguson reporting on his drawing lesson, in The Observer, 2005.
