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.

flower shapes

Flower Shapes: Terminology

Posted on in botanical terms
There are a whole load of different botanical terms used to describe flower shapes.  In this blog, I’ll go through a few, explaining what the term means.  Ill try to find one of my botanical illustrations to demonstrate each shape.  Could be a challenge! This chart of flowers of walks and the wayside shows a […] Read more
barn swallow

Step by Step Barn Swallow

Posted on 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 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
learning difficulties

Art and children with learning difficulties

Posted on in Illustration techniques
This Guest blog is by Lillian Brooks.  Get in touch with her on lillian@learningdisabilities.info According to psychologist Dr Gail Saltz, learning difficulties are better thought of as brain differences — minds that process information in a different way. While often thought of as detrimental, there might be benefits, too.  The same differences that make standard classroom learning more […] Read more

Rushes: An Introduction

Posted on in Biological terminology: Definitions
Having recently written blogs about the anatomy of grasses and sedges; this week I’ll be examining rushes.  As with the Cyperaceae and Graminaceae, these common and beautiful plants are frequently overlooked.  Many seem to favour of wild flowers with florid petals and bright colours.  However, rushes deserve a closer look. Hairy Wood rush Luzula pilosa Anatomy of Rushes:  Overview […] Read more

Grass: An introduction

Posted on in botanical terms
Grasses (Poaceae) are one of my favourite botanical illustration subjects.  I adore drawing and painting them.  I have written a blog on my passion for this family of plants before.  However, I wanted to take another look at the way grasses are put together.  I also want to introduce beginners to basic grass anatomy and terminology.  This […] Read more

Support the Bees & Save the World: by Gus Stewart

Posted on in Showcase of themed natural history illustrations
Support the Bees and Save the World by Guest blogger Gus Stewart.  (For Gus’s guest blog on creating an eco-friendly lawn, click here) Bees and food Apples, peaches, pears, strawberries, onions, hazelnut, green beans, celery, coffee, watermelon, walnut – no, this isn’t a grocery list. These are just a few of the fruits, vegetables, and nuts […] Read more
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