About
“ I love my job. I love being surrounded by gorgeous countryside and wild flowers. Each day brings a new species to draw and learn about ”
Lizzie Harper is a free-lance natural history and botanical illustrator with a keen love of nature.
Her scientific training as a zoologist helps complement her illustrations.
Please get in touch to Commission Work
She works in watercolour, pencil, and pen. With over 25 years experience as a free-lance illustrator, she has a broad range of clients.
Publishers, environmental charities, postage stamp designers, packaging firms, design companies, and private individuals have all commissioned her illustrations.
“ Lizzie was great to work with! She was enthusiastic and efficient with excellent attention to detail. ”
Recent books illustrated include “A Life on Our Planet” by David Attenborough, “The Hidden Universe” by Alex Antonelli, and “30 Animals that made us Smarter” by Patrick Ayree.
Her tree illustrations feature in “The Treeline” by Ben Rawlence and “The Living Wisdom of Trees” by Fred Hageneder
She’s illustrated The Hedgerow Handbook, The Garden Forager, The Tree Forager, and Foraging with Kids by Adele Nozedar.
Her work is in HarperCollins Flower Guide by Streeter, and The Bumper Book of Nature by Stephen Moss.
Her illustrations appear in National geographic and BBC Countryfile Magazine.
Lizzie’s work pops up on information boards and nature reserves around the country.
For more information on her work, visit her
“ I've used Lizzie's wildlife illustrations in my work for many years. The quality of her illustrations is always superb. ”
Shop
New blog out, all about the Horse Chestnut tree, Aesculus hippocastanum:
https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2024/07/trees-horse-chestnut-aesculus-hippocastanum/
It`s another in my series on trees of the UK and has tips on how to identify the tree, what its uses have been, possible threats and pests, and links to the other trees I`ve looked at in the series
Any tree that produces both beautiful conkers and those lovely turrets or candles of blossom deserves some love and attention, it`s one of my favourite British tree
#horsechestnut #aesculushippocastanum #britishtrees #trees #botanicalart #botanicalillustration
This is a detail of the leaf of a London plane tree, Platanus × acerifolia.
It`s one of a series of leaves and fruits recently completed for an upcoming fold-out I.d. guide to be published by @field_studies_council.
It`s funny to think that about 30 years ago I never looked too closely at leaves, assuming plants were less interesting than the invertebrates I was studying for my Zoology degree.
Now I`m as obsessed by leaf venation and shades of green as I am by the shine on a beetle`s elytra.
I`m so lucky to have a job where I get to learn all the time, and to be shown so many wonderful things to be delighted about. Including leaves of the London plane tree.
The fruits are not bad either, although a challenge to draw, geometrically.
#botanialillustration
#botanicalart #plantart #londonplane #trees #sciart #platanus #lovemyjob
Here`s another review of a set of watercolours sent to me for free for testing:
https://youtu.be/Zb1UWtjUEks
Despite being given the paints I always strive to provide an honest review.
This time I painted a Guelder rose, Viburnum opulus, with its` lovely scarlet berries. This was one of the Autumn fruits series completed for the Field Studies Council`s fold-out guide.
The paint set is called Lightwish Madisi 24 Colors Nano Watercolor and you can look it up on Amazon.
The paints were good, and since making this film I`ve used them alongside my normal Winsor and Newton ones, mostly as individual (enormous!) pans removed from the main box.
They`re not a bad option if you`re looking for a far cheaper alternative to the more well-known brands, although I don`t know how fade resistant they will turn out to be.....
#botanialillustration #lightwish #guelderrose #botanicalart
This illustration of a field full of Meadow buttercups, Ranunculus acris, was recently completed for Roselyn seeds as a package design for wildflower seeds.
I start by plotting in the design elements - logos, text, margins; then work around these constraints.
This one was a real joy as I literally just went and sat in a field of Buttercups for 4 hours drawing the flowers all around me. it isn`t always quite such a rustic idyll!
The bees, common pollinators of buttercups, were added later as each of the seed packet designs features a pollinator that you`ll be encouraging by planting these wildflower seeds.
#buttercup #ranunculs #ranunculusacris #meadowbuttercup #sleepycarpenterbee #bees #pollintors #redmasonbee #Chelostomaflorisomne #Osmiabicornis #byhand #handpainted #botanicalillustration #naturepainting #naturalhistoryillustration #sciart
New blog out - all about Japanese knotweed, why it`s a aproblem, and what to do about it. It`s a guest blog, but with my illustrations:
https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2024/07/unearthing-the-enigma-japanese-knotweeds-unstoppable-march/
Have a lovely weekend
#knotweed #japaneseknotweed #fallopia #Reynoutriajaponica #Reynoutria #fallopiajaponica `botanical art #botanicalillustration #natureillustration #naturalhistoryillustration #sciart
This extraordinary plant is called Shepherd`s needle, Scandix pecten-veneris
It`s in the Apiaceae family, the umbellifers, and grows on roadside verges and farmland in the UK. Saying that, Im yet to see it in real life...
The long beaks on top of the fruit are what give the flower it`s English name, and seem pretty unique.
With its divided leaves, white flowers in umbels, and ridged stems it looks much like lots of other Apiaceae species...but with the beaks!
#botanicalillustration #botanical art #apiaceae #umbellifers #umbelliferaceae #shepherdsneedle #scandix
Lizzie Harper Newsletter June 2024 -
https://mailchi.mp/8d64bfddcfc2/lizzie-harper-newsletter-june-2024
Read about my latest projects and jobs, with insights on their challenges and joys; check out recent films and blogs, and browse some of the many original natural history and botanical illustrations I have for sale.
#newsletter #botanicalillustration #naturalhsitoryillustration #sciart #Illustration
New blog out, it`s a step by step showing me illustrating a red deer:
https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2024/06/red-deer-stag-step-by-step/
It mostly shows how to build depth and colour into the texture of the fur, by building onto base washes of colour.
#stepbystep #deer #cervuselaphus #reddeer #naturalhistoryillustration #sciart
Exhibitions
Lizzie has recently shown in Exhibitions at the following venues:
Herford Art Week 2019
Association of British Botanical Artists show 2018
Shepherd’s Parlour, Hay on Wye 2018
Booth’s Bookshop, Hay on Wye 2018
Hereford Art Week 2017
Obsidian Gallery, Oxfordshire 2017
Hunt Institute of Botanical Studies, Pittsburgh 2015
Teaching Workshops
“ Lizzie was a wonderful tutor. Dynamic, encouraging, and friendly. ”
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about inspiration, how Lizzie started out, and illustrations vs photographs often come up.
Click here for Frequently Asked Questions (and answers)
Lizzie loves nothing more than spending a day immersed in the beautiful landscape round her home in Wales; where she investigates slugs and mosses, and does sketchbook studies of the wild flowers she finds.
She works from her garden studio in Hay on Wye where she lives very happily with a long-suffering husband and two lively children.