January 2019 - Lizzie Harper

Step by Step winter jasmine sketchbook study

Posted on 15th January 201922nd February 2019 in Botanical Illustration step by step

Winter jasmine, Jasminum nudiflorum, is one of the only flowers in bloom in Hay on Wye in January. I decided to do a sketchbook study of it, along with some notes on composition. Thinking about composition When you have a plant with a distinctive straggly shape, like the Winter jasmine, you want to consider how […] Read more

Step by Step Barn Swallow

Posted on 14th January 2019 in Zoological step by step

Illustrating birds is always wonderful. When it’s for a friend, is a bird you love, and when you have specimens to work from, it’s even better. Pencil roughs As always, the first step in a natural history illustration is to source your reference material and draw up a pencil sketch. I do this directly onto […] Read more

Japanese Knotweed: Botanical illustrations and diagrams

Posted on 14th January 201921st February 2019 in botanical terms, Current projects and news

My botanical illustrations and diagrams have recently been published in a book all about Japanese knotweed. It’s called “Japanese Knotweed: Unearthing the Truth” by Nicolas Seal , and is rather a fascinating tome. It was a fun job to work on, with a wide range of illustrations needing completing. The author saw a sketchbook study I’d done of […] Read more