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This is a recent commission for a chinaware company. It`s the Small tortoiseshell butterfly, Aglais urticae.

Painting this insect is a real treat as the colours are so vivid. I love the way the blue areas look against the orange, they almost glow. This is probably because the colours are opposite each other on the colour wheel.

There are also glorious details, like the black and white stripes on the antennae, and the yellow and black mottling on the top of the costal cells of the forewings.

The species name is urticae because the Latin name for the common stinging nettle is Urtica dioca. The caterpillar of the Small tortoiseshell often feeds on stinging nettle. So too do the caterpillars of the Peacock butterfly, the Red admiral, and the Comma butterflies. So next time you`re considering "tidying up" the nettles in the garden, think of the poor caterpillars and leave a few where they are?

#butterfly #smalltortoiseshell #smalltortoiseshellbutterfly #natureart #sciart #naturalscienceillustration #naturalhistoryillustration #traditional #insectart ...

This is the Chinese bramble Rubus tricolor, completed for The Field Studies Council . It appears on the Urban plants of Scotland fold our chart, on sale through FSCs website.

I loved illustrating the textured leaves and shiny berries.

#botanicalart #botanicalillustration #rubus #bramble #blackberry #chinesebramble #rubustricolor ...

New blog on wildflower families out:

https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2025/06/wildflower-families-plantaginaceae/

Flowers in this family shown in this post are (in order): Lousewort Pedicularis sylvatica, Greater plantain Plantago major, Spiked speedwell Veronica spicata, Ivy leaved toadflax Cymbalaria muralis, Foxglove Digitaria purpurea, Bucks horn plantain Plantago maritima, and Wood speedwell Veronica montana,
This one is on the varied (& recently re-jigged) plantain family, plantaginaceae.

With my botanical illustrations, it discusses common features of flowers as diverse as foxgloves, speedwell, & plantains. One of a series I`m doing on common UK wildflower families.

#wildflowers #botany #botanicalillustration #botanicalart #plantain #Plantaginaceae ...

I`ve just published a film which is all about the shapes and terminology of leaves, along with links to free handouts:

https://youtu.be/dUSbwYRWpKk

it was suggested by one of my Youtube subscribers - thankyou!

I hope it`ll be a helpful introduction to leaves for people interested in botanical illustration. It covers lots of things to think about when looking at and drawing plant leaves. I don’t draw or paint in this film.

Information includes what type of plant the leaf belongs to, if it’s a compound or a simple leaf, leaf structure, leaf shape, leaf margin variety, how leaves attach to a plant stem, leaf arrangement, and touches on cool things like stipules and tendrils.

There are several free downloadable resources to accompany this film, available from my website:

ttps://lizzieharper.co.uk/leaves-an-overview-for-botanical-illustrators/

I am not a botanist, so although I hope there aren’t many mistakes, apologies if you stumble across any!

#botanicalillustration #botanicalart #botany ...

This is a series of photos of the illustration of the Meadow cranesbill in a meadow, done for a seed packet design.

I love the blue purples of this flower, it`s one of my favourite meadow wildflowers, so it was a joy to work on.

The photos show the thumbnail sketch, then how I paint the sky and background, before finally adding the flowers.

#meadow #cranesbill #geraniumpratense ##wildflowers #geranium #botanialillustration #packagingdesign #BotanicalArt ...

https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2025/05/medicinal-plants-of-montserrat-illustrations-vs-reality/

Here`s my latest blog, about comparing illustrations done from reference to the plants growing wild in real life. It`s a nerve-wracking business!

Have a read to see how I got on and to compare my illustrations with photos of the plants themselves, taken when I was in Montserrat.

#botanicalillustration #caribbeanplants #montserrat ...