The Process of Illustration
Lizzie works traditionally, by hand.
After researching the species she’s illustrating, she gathers reference (preferably specimens not images)
Working from a variety of sources, and being sure to emphasise species-specific traits, she draws up her illustration in pencil
Once the client approves this, she’ll complete the illustration in tonal pencil, pen and ink, pen and ink with watercolour wash, or full watercolour
Botanical Illustrations in Watercolour
Lizzie starts by plotting in her dark areas, then blends to lighter colours.
Finally, she picks out her darkest shadows with a deep mix of purple and blue
For more detailed information, check out her step by step blogs
Botanical Illustrations in Pen and Ink
Lizzie begins by drawing in pen and ink outlines
Next, she plots in the darkest areas with patches of solid ink
Finally, she blends these sharply distinct areas with endless stippled dots
If required, she’ll apply a top wash of watercolour
For more detailed information, check out her step by step blogs
Animal Illustrations in Watercolour
Working with specimens from her freezer whenever possible, Lizzie carefully colour matches paint to fur or feathers
Using lots of tiny strokes to add texture, she plots in her darkest shadows
With paler, diluted tints she blends these to lighter colours.
A top wash unifies the illustration and adds vibrancy
Lastly, she plots in the darkest shadows with a deep mix of blue and purple
For more detailed information, check out her step by step blogs
Animal Illustrations in Pen & Ink
First, Lizzie draws in the outlines
She next blocks in the darkest shadows with solid ink
Stippling, she tries to create an easy visual transition between dark areas and the white page
A top wash of colour can be added once the ink is dry
The process is very similar to her botanical pen and ink work
Watercolour Landscape Illustrations
Working from a client list, Lizzie collects species info and visual reference for all the plants and animals involved
Pencil roughs help position each species in the landscape
A more detailed pencil version is sent to the client, with annotations
Once approved, Lizzie “colours in” from distant landscape to foreground
She completes all the plants first
Finally, she will add the “jigsaw pieces” of the animals
For more on this process, check out the following blogs:
Illustrating a Coastal Hay Meadow
Illustrating a Water Meadow Landscape
Illustrating Malham Cove
To see Lizzie’s work as she completes it, follow her on Instagram
She often posts photos of her works in progress in her “Stories” and has links to her blogs, many of which are step by step explanations
I`ve just completed an illustration of the Harebell, Campanula rotundifolia, for a packaging company in Scandinavia.
As sometimes happens with design jobs, there`s a tendency to sacrifice botanical accuracy for colour. I`ve never seen a harebell with this number of flowers on it, although the reference from Sweden does show far more blooms than I`ve seen on British Harebells.
This used to make me anxious, but I`ve learned to see design work as a slightly different beast than the accurate illustrations I complete for identification guides. Within the remit of the brief, "lots of flowers", I stay as honest to the plant as I can. And the finished piece is still a valid illustration, just of a rather bountiful plant!
#botanicalart #botanicalillustration #wildlfowers #packagingdesign #flowrs #harebell #campanula ...
This is the Prickly poppy, Papaver argemone.
It grows on chalk soils and unimproved meadowland. Like several of the species I illustrated for The Field Studies Council identification chart for Cranbourne chase, I`ve not seen this plant growing in the wild so had to work from photo ref. This makes the job trickier.
Besides the petals which don`t touch, the spiny seed capsule is a good species indicator.
#botanicalart #botanicalillustration #poppy #pricklypoppy #papaver #papaverargemone #chalkland ...
Work in progress. An Alder Alnus glutinosa sprig showing fresh leaves and residual cones from last year.
Part of a current commission of botanical illustrations of autumnal fruit, nut, cone and berry species.
#wip #workinprogress
#botanialillustration #botanicalart #alder #alnus #cones ...
This is a recent illustration of the Common European frog, Rana temporaria
The colour varies a lot between individuals, from yellows to browns to greener shades.
The dark patch behind the eyes and striped leg markings are a good identifying feature, but (as the name suggests) the majority of UK frogs are this species.
Frogspawn is laid between December and April (depending on the weather) and a female can lay up to 4000 eggs each season.
Illustrations of amphibians are tricky as my usual technique of layering tiny brush strokes to build up depth and texture doesn`t work on smooth amphibian skin, so it`s always an excellent challenge.
#frog #commonfrog #rana #ranatemporia #naturalhistoryillustration #sciart ...
Apple blossom season. I`m meant to be drawing up 15 plants found in the Caribbean, but the apple blossom distracts me every year.
And every year I don`t quite manage to catch its fresh colour and delicate structure.
Anyone else have one plant that you HAVE to stop and draw every year, when it blooms?
#spring #springtime #blossom #appleblossom #malusdomesticus #botanialillustration #botanicalart #apple ...
This unobtrusive little plant is Bastard-toadflax Thesium humifusum.
It flowers in June and July, but is unlikely to be noticed when not in flower as it sprawls hidden amongst the grass on chalky turf sites. It has tiny leaves, sometimes less than 1cm long by 1mm wide. The flowers are also very small, about half a cm across.
It`s an indicator of high-quality habitat, and likes well-grazed habitats, which are increasingly rare.
Like lots of grassland species (Yellow-rattle, Eyebright, Lousewort, Bartsia, and Cow-wheat) this plant is hemi-parasitic, meaning it adds to its` energy supplies by taking nutrients from the grasses is grows with.
This illustration will appear on the FSC Publishing fold-out guide to the flora of Cranbourne chase, a high quality chalkland turf site, which will be published later this year.
#botanicalillustration #botanicalart #bastardtoadflax #chalkland #wildflowersuk #thesiumhumifusum ...
I`ve just made a film and blog reviewing Paul Reuben`s "YouLan Artist Watercolour set" which they gave me to try.
I was impressed; they`re good quality and reasonably priced.
To see my honest, unbiased review; watch me painting an Early gentian in real time; and access a limited time 10% discount code; please take a look:
https://youtu.be/OjDVVFmbWbU
and read the accompanying blog:
https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2024/03/paul-reubens-artist-level-youlan-series-watercolour-box-review/
#artequipment #review #paulreubens #watercolour #watercolorpainting #paintbox #botanicalillustration #botanicalart #gentian #paulreubens
@paulrubensart ...
This is the Juniper Juniper Juniperus communis, one of a recent set of wildflower illustrations completed for The Field Studies Council
It`ll be used on one of their fold out identification guides, this time a guide to the flora of Cranbourne chase. It`s an area of chalkland, a habitat I`m not very familiar with, so many of the plants on the species list were new to me.
The juniper was not, I`ve painted it several times before because there`s something so appealing about the blue-black berries and their leaves. These have a distinctive white stipe on the top half and surprisingly sharp points.
Juniper is useful not only in cooking, but (as I`m sure you all know) is has also been used to flavour gin for centuries.
#wildflowers #juniper #juniperuscommunis #botanicalillustration #botanicalart #identification #floral #gin ...
Sketchbooks
Most of Lizzie’s work is done direct to order
However, when she gets the chance she loves sketching for pleasure
Below are some pages from her sketchbooks