An experienced natural history and botanical illustrator, Lizzie’s work appears in books and magazines around the world, on postage stamps and mugs.
She lives very happily in Hay on Wye, and works her garden studio surrounded by plants and birds.
Finding out what I’m working on,
follow my blog or find me on instagram.
New blog out, this one is all about the Asteraceae, the Dandelion and daisy family of wild flowers:
https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2025/11/wildflower-families-asteraceae/
It`s an incredibly diverse and prolific family, and the fact that each "flower" is actually hundreds of tiny florets still amazes me.
#asteraceae #composite #compositeflowers #compositaceae #Dandelion #daisy #daisyfamily #botany #botanicalillustration #wildflowers #wildflowerfamilies #plantfamilies
Booking for my 2026 illustration workshops @CambridgeUniversityBotanicGarden are now open.
The first is:
Pen & Ink stippling workshop March 24th - 26th
https://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/.../pen-and-ink-stippling.../
The second is:
Painting Blue flowers May 20th - 21st
https://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/.../painting-blue-flowers.../
And the final one is a day of grasses July 7th:
https://www.botanic.cam.ac.uk/.../courses/drawing-grasses/
This is the only teaching I`m planning on doing in 2026, and I`d love to see you there!
(Copy the links or visit CUBG education page to book)
#stippling #botanicalillustration #sciart #paintingplants #teaching #botany
This is the endemic Bottlebee Melipona lautipes, on a Tridax daisy. This endearing bee is from Montserrat in the Caribbean.
It`s pouring with rain here, so I`m posting a summery insect illustration to remind me of tropical sunshine
The bottle bees have no sting, are fluffy and friendly, and make nests in the shape of bottles. What`s not to love? I was lucky enough to see them going about their business, visiting flowers, when I visited Montserrat back in February
#bottlebee #naturalhistoryillustration #sciart #naturalscienceillustration #melipona #bee
Latest blog is all about illustrating thebeautiful grasses of Montserrat for UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum and Montserrat National Trust
https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2025/11/grasses-of-montserrat-and-the-eastern-caribbean/
Grasses are amongst my favourite subjects, so this was a dream of a job.
#botanicalart #botanicalillustration #sciart #Poaceae #graminaceae #montserrat
These are Red-rumped agouti, Dasyprocta leporina nobelie.
They fill the same ecological niche as rabbits, and are a common sight in Montserrat, grazing on grasses and fallen fruit.
As with all mammals, the challenge is to build enough colour and texture into the fir using tiny brush strokes.
Other challenges include figuring out the anatomy of the feet and the ears, and trying not to give the animal a n expression.
I have failed on the last point. One looks scared and hopeful, the other looks irritable. What can you do?
These are one of the 17 illustrations I completed for the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum for Montserrat earlier in the month.
#naturalhistoryillustration #naturalscienceillustration #nature #agouti #dasyprocta #sciart #montserrat
Lizzie Harper Newsletter October 2025
Take a look, October`s newsletter is out. Fancy catching up with what Lizzie`s been working on, accessing her films and blogs, and having the chance to buy originals? You know where to look...
Well, that`s this week done.
For various reasons I had a whole lot to get through, and I`ve managed to knock out 16 full watercolours in one week. Very pleased, relieved, and surprised.
They need tweaking, scanning, cleaning and filing. But getting them done means I can start on the next set on Monday.
(I`ll probably post them separately at some point, so you can see them a bit clearer. Suffice to say they`re all animals from Montserrat and, even at high speed, were a total joy to work on.
#naturalhistoryillustration #sciart #notahobby
My latest blog is out, it`s on the Lamiaceae, or Dead-nettle family of wildflowers:
https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2025/10/wildflower-families-lamiaceae/
It`s one of a series on common flower families I`ve been doing, featuring my botanical illustrations and attempts to simplify the complexities of botany and classification.
So come and have a look at the mints, bee-balm, dead nettles, and wild thyme that feature in this family; and learn what features put them all under the same classification umbrella.
#wildflowers #wildflowerfamilies #botany #botanicalart #botanicalillustration #sciart #naturelovers #flowerart #illustration
