Blogs - Page 14 of 15 - Lizzie Harper

Here are the blogs I’ve written over the years. Subjects range from step by step painting tutorials, to botanical anatomy, to current projects.

They appear in the order they’ve been written. However, if you scroll down the page you’ll find they have also been organised into categories to make browsing a little more focused.

There are even some guest blogs in amongst. I hope you enjoy them, and do please feel free to leave a comment.

sweetpea, sweet pea, Step by step, process, tutorial, how to, art teaching, art tutorial, sxs, sketchbook, sketchbook study,

Step by step – Painting a Sweet Pea

Posted on 19th July 201315th November 2018 in Botanical Illustration step by step

I’m currently working on a series of sketchbook style illustrations of common cultivated garden plants (like the sweet pea); there’s a possibility these will illustrate a book on foraging in the garden in the next year or so. One of the plants needing illustrating was the sweet pea. While visiting a friend, I espied her sweet peas, […] Read more

Step by step, process, tutorial, how to, art teaching, art tutorial, sxs, sketchbook, sketchbook study,

Step by step sketchbook study of a rose

Posted on 12th July 201315th November 2018 in Botanical Illustration step by step

I recently did a botanical illustration sketchbook study of a rose for a natural history illustration project I’m working on. This proved really tricky; partly because the flower and foliage were very dense and lush, but mostly because by the end the rose had shed all its petals! Step 1: Set up the Rose and […] Read more

entomology, entomological illustration, illustrating stamps, natural science illustration, dragonfly,

Dragonfly Postage Stamps

Posted on 7th July 201315th November 2018 in Current projects and news

As a natural history illustrator, sometimes you’re commissioned to do the most wonderful jobs. This was the case with Jersey Post’s series of stamps; damsels & dragons. Lots of dragonfly and damselfly illustrations. Past stamp issues completed for Jersey Post I’ve worked with Jersey Post before. I completed a series of botanical illustrations of roses for them back […] Read more

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

Natural history illustration, decoration, decorative,

Natural History Illustration for decoration: Cards and Gift Wrap

Posted on 31st May 201314th November 2018 in Showcase of themed natural history illustrations

Scientific illustration often results in beautiful imagery; and there’s a lot of joy to be gained from knowing that every hair on the stem of a plant or every vein in a dragonfly wing is in the correct place. A lot of the glory of nature is to be found in its details, and this […] Read more

reference, scientific illustration, chiroptera

Scientific illustration: Getting reference

Posted on 24th May 20133rd December 2018 in Illustration techniques

It is a trueism that “you are only as good as your reference.” As a practitioner of scientific illustration, I am always searching for good reference of both plants and animals. You never know what the next job will ask for, so need to be prepared for any request. Plants get sketched and details noted, […] Read more

deocration, natural history for decoration,

Natural History Illustration for decoration

Posted on 17th May 201314th November 2018 in Showcase of themed natural history illustrations

One of the treats of being a scientific illustrator is that you can use your skills in a less exacting manner when the opportunity arises. This can be useful for jobs which want to use natural history illustration for decoration, as a way of creating gifts or mementos, and as a means to decorate your […] Read more

River management, sketchbooks study, sxs, impatiens, invasives, step by step, Himalayan balsam,

Botanical illustration of a Himalayan Balsam Flower

Posted on 10th May 201314th November 2018 in Botanical Illustration step by step

Overview of Himalayan balsam One of the invasive plants I was asked to paint by Summersault Communications is the Himalayan balsam Impateins galndulifera, which is growing out of control along many of Britain’s water courses, out-competing native plants and clogging up drainage channels. Although a truly problematic invasive species here in the UK, it is also […] Read more

Japanese knotweed, Fallopia japonica, invasives, step by step

Japanese knotweed sketchbook study

Posted on 3rd May 20133rd December 2018 in Biological terminology: Definitions, Botanical Illustration step by step, Illustration techniques

Japanese Knotweed job I’ve been working on a series of three scientific illustrations of invasive plants this week, for Summersault Communications. This blog is about doing a Japanese knotweed sketchbook study. The article accompanying my illustrations will explain how to identify the plants and why they pose a threat. I am fortunate in that the […] Read more

Pen and Ink Techniques – Colour

Posted on 26th April 201327th November 2018 in Illustration techniques

Last week’s blog explained the importance of pen and ink techniques to scientific illustration, and showed how to use line and stippling. This week explains how to use colour with pen and ink illustrations. Introducing colour to pen and ink Sometimes monochrome illustrations can feel gloomy, but the commissioner still needs accurate line illustrations. A good […] Read more

Scientific Illustration: Pen and Ink Techniques

Posted on 18th April 201314th November 2018 in Illustration techniques

As a scientific illustrator, you need to be able to feel confident using pen and ink. Often pen and ink is the best medium for a diagram as it’s exact and clear. Other times, commissioners like the traditional look of pen and ink illustrations. This week and next week’s blogs are an overview of […] Read more

Edible Plants and Botanical Illustration

Posted on 8th April 201314th November 2018 in Scientific Illustrator out and about

The winter has crept into spring, and it’s only now that that the woodland plants I associate with the beginning of the new year are beginning to appear. It’s a time to get drawing, and eating edible plants. Many of the common British wild plants can be eaten raw, or cooked; and some are truly […] Read more

ateraceae butterbuts coltsfoot harpercollins

Botanical Illustration – Tips on painting Composite flowers

Posted on 6th April 201314th November 2018 in botanical terms

When doing a botanical illustration of a flower, a bit of basic botany helps enormously. This week, I’m going to discuss a really abundant plant type; the members of the daisy family (the latin term for these plants is Asteraceae, formerly known as the Compositae). The terminology of flower parts can be complex, so below is a […] Read more

Natural History Illustration: A Stag Beetle in Woodland

Posted on 31st March 201327th November 2018 in Current projects and news

I had a wonderful comission recently; to do a natural history illustration of a stag beetle to accompany a poem by Chris Meredith. Starting the job I began by reading the poem carefully (I’ve transcribed it at the end of this article) to get the atmosphere right, and to list what species I’d be […] Read more

Illustrating Iridescence

Posted on 24th March 20133rd November 2018 in Biological terminology: Definitions, Illustration techniques

Mechanics of Iridescence There are many subjects in nature which are extraordinarily beautiful. Animals which glint and gleam with iridescence are definitely one of them. However, in order to take on the (not inconsiderable) challenge of illustrating iridescent creatures it’s important to have a basic grasp of the processes that cause these animals to shine […] Read more

Drawing disgust: illustrating revolting animals

Posted on 16th March 201325th October 2018 in Showcase of themed natural history illustrations

As a scientific illustrator, I sometimes get commissioned to illustrate animals that scare people, or fill them with disgust. They say the beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and this is certainly true with a variety of natural history illustrations I’ve completed. None of these animals evince a reaction of revulsion in me. […] Read more

Botanical Illustration: Tips on mixing greens

Posted on 9th March 201325th October 2018 in Illustration techniques

This week I’ve been mixing greens and painting ivy leaves, as have many members of the Botanical Art for Beginners group. Comparing the dark greens of an ivy leaf with those of a yellow butterwort leaf got me thinking. A crash course in mixing greens could be handy. Watercolour paints First, I think it needs […] Read more

Botanical Illustration: Tips on leaf shapes

Posted on 3rd March 201324th October 2018 in Biological terminology: Definitions

Although you can always draw the leaf shapes that you see, and get lovely results; sometimes a bit of background botany can prove invaluable when undertaking a scientific illustration of a plant. Leaf shape: Monocot or Dicot? One of the main aspects to consider is the leaf of the plant. The first thing to […] Read more

Botanical illustration tips on painting leaves

Posted on 22nd February 201324th October 2018 in Biological terminology: Definitions

I’ve been doing botanical illustrations this week, and think perhaps some ideas on how to undertake a scientific illustration of leaves might be useful. Most of these examples are from my botanical sketchbooks (always keep sketchbooks!); although the final pieces are completed works for clients. Getting Reference before you start It goes without saying that […] Read more

Botanical illustration tips on painting white flowers

Posted on 15th February 201311th January 2019 in Illustration techniques

Painting White flowers: A problem needing a solution I was painting a snowdrop the other day, and wrestling, as always, with the best way to paint the petals of white flowers. There are as many different approaches to this troublesome aspect of botanical illustration as there are scientific illustrators; so I thought it’d be worth […] Read more

Illustrating a Beetle in Watercolour

Posted on 11th February 20133rd December 2018 in Zoological step by step

As a natural history illustrator, I get asked to undertake lots of different scientific illustrations. Completing a botanical illustration requires a different approach from animal illustrations; and the shiny, metallic iridescence of a beetle is pretty much confined to these incredible insects alone. Drawing up the beetle When I draw a beetle, firstly I get […] Read more

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