June 2013 - Lizzie Harper

Natural History Illustration – A Passion for Minutiae

Posted on 27th June 201315th November 2018 in Showcase of themed natural history illustrations

Natural history illustration exposes you to a plethora of beautiful subjects; and often the real beauty lies in the detail, in the minutiae. At first sight a plant or animal may not seem particularly stunning, but once you get involved in its structure, and drawn into its details, it can become overwhelmingly awesome. The times […] Read more

Grass, botanical illustration, sciart, graminaceae, grasses

Glorious grasses

Posted on 21st June 201315th November 2018 in botanical terms

I have always loved grasses. Even as a child I marvelled at their different heights, shapes, and textures. I love the way fields of grass move and rustle in the wind, and I love the smell of new mown grass (it’s caused by green leaf volatiles (GLVs) and is actually a distress call from the […] Read more

Mistake, fixing mistakes, error, fixing it, mending, white gouache, natural history illustration, botanical illustration,

Natural History Illustration – Fixing errors

Posted on 15th June 201314th November 2018 in Illustration techniques

Scientific illustration and botanical art are similar to all other disciplines in one crucial way. Mistakes are made. This week’s blog explains how these happen, and how to fix those which are redeemable. Where relevant, I’ve marked up my illustrations with red to show where the mistakes are, or where alterations were called for. Fixing […] Read more

Cytisus, Hedgerow handbook, flower painting, step by step, sxs,

Botanical Illustration: Sketchbook study of Broom

Posted on 7th June 201314th November 2018 in Botanical Illustration step by step

As a natural history illustrator, I never know what species of plant or animal I’ll be called on to paint next. A good way to try and stay ahead of the game is to complete (copious) sketchbooks for lots of species. Each plant has a sketchbook study and written notes on colour, shape, and plant habit recorded. […] Read more