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.

Comparing Goldenrod Species

Posted on in Botany: Telling species apart
Comparing Goldenrod species was one of my tasks in a recent commission  for a Horticultural company in Sweden.  All the illustrations were sketchbook studies.  Every plant was an invasive. Overview of Canadian Goldenrod Solidago canadensis and Early Goldenrod Solidago gigantea The focus of the illustration is the Canadian goldenrod. Most Goldenrods are native to the […] Read more
Lupin

Garden Lupin Sketchbook study

Posted on in Botanical Illustration step by step, Botany: Telling species apart, Current projects and news, Illustration techniques
The Garden Lupin, Lupinus polyphyllus, is one of the invasive plants I was recently asked to illustrate for FOR Sweden.  This blog talks you through the steps involved in creating a finished botanical illustration of this flower.  There seems to be an enormous amount of confusion over the English name of this plant: Blue bonnet […] Read more

Sketchbook illustrations of Invasive Plants

Posted on in Current projects and news
I’ve recently completed work on a series of sketchbook illustrations of invasive plants.  The client is FOR Sweden, and the botanical illustrations will be used on a big poster at a horticulture conference. Project overview There are eleven plants in total, and each species needed certain aspects illustrating.  In all cases I need to supply […] Read more

Jersey Post: Coastal Flowers Stamp issue

Posted on in Current projects and news, Showcase of themed natural history illustrations
Jersey Post recently brought out their “Coastal Flowers: Post and Go” stamp issue, which I was lucky enough to have illustrated.  (All illustrations in this blog are copyright Jersey Post 2020). Illustrating stamps Each stamp issue involves illustrating six stamps, a presentation pack, an envelope for the First Day Cover, and a date stamp.  This […] Read more
halophytes Coastal seaside plant flowers

Halophytes: Salt Tolerant Plants

Posted on in Biological terminology: Definitions, botanical terms
Halophytes: Salt Tolerant Plants Halophytes are plants that tolerate or thrive in salty conditions.  I recently finished the illustrations for a chart of seaside flowers, and got to wondering how these plants can survive in these hostile habitats?  Another job, illustrating stamps for a Seaside flowers issue, added to my interest. This blog had me […] Read more
illustrating butterflies

Illustrating Butterflies Workshop

Posted on in Painting workshops
Illustrating butterflies is wonderful, but has its challenges.  I recently taught a two day workshop to Northamptonshire Botanical Artists’ Society which focused exclusively on painting these gorgeous insects. Introduction to Butterflies We began with handouts and an introduction to the variety of insect life.  Touching on complete and incomplete life cycles, we also learnt their […] Read more
Pied wagtail

Pied Wagtail Illustration

Posted on in Zoological step by step
Pied Wagtail   The Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba yarrellii is a common garden and urban bird here in Wales.  I love the way they trot about, wagging their elongate tail up and down and cocking their black-capped heads inquisitively to one side.  We have a regular garden visitor who spends a lot of time scampering from […] Read more
Pen and Ink Illustrations of Trees

Pen and Ink Illustrations of Trees

Posted on in Illustration techniques, Showcase of themed natural history illustrations
The Living Wisdom of Trees: Commission   In the summer, I completed more than a hundred pen and ink illustrations of trees for “The Living Wisdom of Trees” by Fred Hageneder. The commission involved illustrating 54 species of fully grown tree, along with details such as blossom, leaves, or fruit.  Illustrating the botanical details was […] Read more
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