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
Latest blog is all about illustrating autumn fruits for an identification chart...last spring:
https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2024/11/autumn-fruits/
This posed problems in terms of getting fresh materials, but the blog explained how to navigate around these challenges.
There`s a wide range of species illustrated, from pine cones to spindle berries, sweet chestnut to Plane trees.
it`s a commission I very much enjoyed. And I`m also really happy with the finished guide,
https://www.field-studies-council.org/shop/publications/autumn-fruits-and-seeds/, now available from the FSC shop.
#botanicalillustration #autumn #fall #fruits #botany #fieldstudiescouncil #botanicalart #sciart
This is the Blunt-fruited water-starwort Callitriche obtusangula.
It`s an unobtrusive water plant, but I think it`s emergent rosettes are really pretty.
Like a lot ot aquatic plants it has leaves with different shapes depending on how far submerged they are.
The trick with plans in water is to suggest the correct areas are submerged- without compromising detail.
Completed for an FSC chart of Waterside plants
#waterstarwort #callitriche #waterplants ##aquaticplants #botanicalillustration #sciart
Snippet on today`s work - doing a natural science illustration of the plum weevil, and the danage this beetle does to apples & stone fruit.
I like the damaged apple most, probably because I thought it would look rubbish but turned out OK.
A treat to illustrate a beetle - I mostly get commissioned to do plants.
#plum #plumweevil #insects #insectart #pest #farmer #orchard #insectpest #naturalhistoryilliustration #sciart #conoteachelus nenuphar #cropdamage
I`ve just set myself up on Bluesky as I`m moving away from Twitter. My handle there is lizzie-harper.bsky.social. Come and join the migration!
This is the Devils Horsewhip, Achyranthes aspera.
It`s a medicinal plant that grows in the Caribbean and which I recently completed for the British Overseas Territories Conservation Trust (Montserrat) in conjunction with Montserrat National Trust.
Each of the species illustrated also had a line drawing completed, which will be used in an educational setting.
#bluesky #botanialillustration #botanicalart #sciart #caribbeanflora #medicinalplants #montserrat
New blog out, this one is all about the Campion wildflower family, the Caryophyllaceae:
https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2024/11/wildflower-families-caryophyllaceae-the-campion-family/
Take a look to learn a bit about the basic botanical traits that unite these species, and to see some examples of Caryophyllaceae species like the Campions, Stitchworts, Chickweeds, and Carnations
#chickweed #carnation #Caryophyllaceae #campion #wildflowers #wildflowerfamilies #botany #botanicalillustration #botanicalart
This is Juniper Juniperus communis, a plant I illustrated recently for a commission.
I`m fond of Juniper, I like its` bi-coloured needles and the waxy bloom on the black berries, making them blueish.
I was walking in Yorkshire yesterday, through loads of low Juniper bushes and bracken.
Despite there not being a Juniper berry in sight, when I crushed the tips of the foliage between finger and thumb it smelled very aromatic, and of gin.
Hopefully the close up shows my way of showing the berries and that bloom, a mix of white gouache and blue watercolour. It`s not perfect, but I think it gives the approximate feel.
#Juniper #juniperuscommunis #botanicalillustration #botanicalart #gin
New blog out, it`s a step by step of me illustrating the Water violet, Hottonia palustris.
https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2024/10/water-violet-step-by-step/
The challenge with all aquatic plants is how to show the water level, and especially how to show an emerging stem. This blog explains how I approach the problem. It also shows how easy filamentous leaves are to paint - it`s just the drawing of them that`s a killer!
#botanicalillustration #waterviolet #hottonia #aquaticplants
Completed Knight Bishop apple.
Thanks to @pollyolearyartist I`ve figured out how to show red flush and streaks without it looking clunky. Who knew you could (and should!) stipple with watercolour!
Now I just have to wait til spring to illustrate the blossom from the same tree.
#apples #paintingfruit #afal #botanicalillustration #botanicalart
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.
