Blogs - Page 7 of 16 - 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.

Drawing for beginners: Learning plants

Posted on 5th October 201814th January 2019 in Illustration techniques

I was recently asked to write a few words about how drawing plants helps you to learn about them for a lovely new book I’ve illustrated, and how even if you’re not confident, or have never tried drawing from life before, turning your hand to a bit of basic botanical illustration can be very worthwhile. […] Read more

Gardening: An Eco-Friendly Lawn by Gus Stewart

Posted on 21st September 20187th May 2019 in Scientific Illustrator out and about

This blog is guest-written by Gus Stewart, who generously wrote another blog on the importance of bees recently. In light of the hot, dry weather we had here in the UK at the start of the summer, here are his tips for the garden for the next time the weather burns hot. All illustrations by me, Lizzie. Maintaining […] Read more

Cowslip botanical illustration: Sketchbook study

Posted on 7th September 201814th January 2019 in Illustration techniques

Late this spring, I completed a private commission to illustrate the Cowslip, Primula veris, as if doing a sketchbook study. Sketckbook study sheet of the Cowslip These are almost my favourite sort of commission as I can spend time really getting to know the plant, examing it from different angles, dissecting out its structures, checking out […] Read more

Illustrating a Cross section of Hay Meadow

Posted on 31st July 201814th January 2019 in Current projects and news

I had a wonderful natural history illustration commission recently, for BBC Countryfile Magazine. Their article in the June 2018 issue, “The Secret Life of the Hay Meadow” by Phil Gates , needed an image of a cross-section through a busy and idealised hay meadow. They also needed a selection of grasses commonly found in hay meadows. I […] Read more

Guest Blog: Seven drawing exercises by Nathan Hughes

Posted on 21st July 201813th May 2022 in Illustration techniques

This week’s blog is all about ways to hone your drawing skills, and is by guest blogger Nathan Hughes. I’ve provided the illustrations, and my annotations on Nathan’s blog are in italics. 7 Simple Drawing Exercises to Help Improve Your Illustrations Are you looking to improve your drawing skills? The typical advice is “just practice.” However, […] Read more

Rushes: An Introduction

Posted on 19th July 201814th January 2019 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

Sedges: An introduction

Posted on 13th July 201814th January 2019 in Biological terminology: Definitions, botanical terms

I frequently get asked to illustrate plants which many see as a little dull, and one of these families is the sedges (Cyperaceae). Sedges, however, are far from dull but are elegant and beautiful plants. Perhaps all it takes to make people love them is a little information on their anatomy and diversity? Like grasses […] Read more

Field Vole step by step illustration

Posted on 28th June 201811th January 2019 in Zoological step by step

A recent natural history illustration commission was to paint a Short-tailed or Field vole (Microtus agrestis). This natural science illustration is for an information board to be erected in a nature reserve. Illustrating voles I’ve painted voles before, and I’ll be brutally honest and acknowledge that these illustrations have been far from my best. Voles […] Read more

Grass: An introduction

Posted on 7th June 201814th January 2019 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 22nd May 201814th January 2019 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

Telling Bluebell species apart

Posted on 15th May 201819th April 2022 in botanical terms, Botany: Telling species apart, Scientific Illustrator out and about

May is Bluebell time! May is a really wonderful month for botanical illustration; all the spring flowers are in bloom and there’s almost too many subjects to illustrate! I always like to visit our local bluebell woods at this time of year, and thought it might be an idea to write a blog on how […] Read more

Botanical Illustration: Cheating doesn’t exist

Posted on 10th May 201811th January 2019 in Illustration techniques

Cheating When I chat to people who are just beginning botanical illustration, I quite often get questions about whether or not certain things are “cheating”. This annoys and upsets me. Everyone should be encouraged to draw and paint, and to use whatever tools are available to them. There seems to be a strange idea that […] Read more

Pansy step by step sketchbook study

Posted on 10th May 201811th January 2019 in Botanical Illustration step by step

Pansies and violas are one of the loveliest garden plants to study through botanical illustration; they’re also common, affordable, and quite easy to paint. This blog will talk you through the basic steps in completing a sketchbook study of a viola or pansy. For lots more of my botanical illustration step by steps, click here. […] Read more

Step by Step pencil illustration of a bean leaf

Posted on 29th March 201811th January 2019 in Botanical Illustration step by step

Using Pencil to understand tonality In order to complete a decent botanical illustration, you need to understand about lights and darks. You must be able to see where your shadows fall. One of the excersizes I recently got my flower painting workshop to try was to complete a detailed pencil study of a relatively simple […] Read more

Woodpecker Skull Biomechanics: Natural History Illustration

Posted on 16th March 201811th January 2019 in Biological terminology: Definitions

Sometimes I get asked to complete natural history illustrations on topics that are as fascinating as they are random. Last week, Bloomsbury Publishers got in touch to ask me to do a diagram for one of the books in their “Spotlight” series of natural history titles, this book will be all about woodpeckers. (I’ve done diagrams […] Read more

Step by step Botanical illustration of an orange

Posted on 2nd March 201811th January 2019 in Botanical Illustration step by step

Choosing a subject to paint in winter: Why an orange? In the middle of winter it can be hard for a botanical illustrator to find good subjects to paint; so for my Monday Botanical illustration drop-in class in Hay on Wye I chose to work on a sliced orange as a subject. The process of […] Read more

Illustrating a Honey Label

Posted on 16th February 201810th January 2019 in Zoological step by step

I love it when I’m asked to produce botanical illustrations and natural history paintings for packaging. That was the case for this honey label. It’s a different side to what I do and I find the change refreshing and challenging. Sleeping Bear Honey Farm in the USA have commissioned me before to produce artwork for their […] Read more

Exhibitions: Step by step guide

Posted on 2nd February 201810th January 2019 in Illustration techniques

Every once in a while I get around to putting on an exhibition of my illustrations. In many ways I’m incredibly fortunate, as all I need to do is to flick through the past year or two of botanical illustrations and natural history paintings and decide which ones might look good framed up, or might […] Read more

Step by Step illustration of Tupelo & Sweet orange

Posted on 19th January 201810th January 2019 in Botanical Illustration step by step

A recent natural history illustration commission was to complete two botanical illustrations for labels on jars of honey. The plants in question were Sweet orange Citrus sinensis and Tupelo Nyssa ogeche. Neither plant grows wild here in the UK, and there was quite a tight deadline so I needed to work from other illustrations and photos. For more […] Read more

Autumn Illustration workshop at Cambridge Botanic Gardens

Posted on 2nd January 201810th January 2019 in Painting workshops

In the autumn I was lucky enough to do two day’s teaching at Cambridge University Botanic Gardens teaching a botanical illustration course with a focus on drawing autumn fruits, berries, and leaves, to a class of twelve adults who varied from quite experienced to complete beginners. The first day we looked at leaves, and collected a wonderful assortment from […] Read more

Step by step botanical illustration of a Holly leaf

Posted on 15th December 20176th November 2024 in Botanical Illustration step by step

As it’s Christmas time, I thought it might be a nice idea to do a seasonal step by step blog. Holly leaves are one of the few winter subjects that look just as good in the middle of winter as in summertime, and since they’re pretty easy to come by and defiantly seasonal, I chose […] Read more

Step by step Painting Bloom on a Fruit

Posted on 30th November 20179th January 2019 in Botanical Illustration step by step

In this blog, I’ll go through the steps involved in creating a life like botanical illustration of a fruit with a “bloom” or cloudiness on its skin, such as these Sloes (Prunus spinosa). These feature on a series of stamps completed for Jersey Post in their Fruit and Berries issue, out now. (Click here for a […] Read more

Hereford Art Week

Posted on 17th November 20179th January 2019 in Current projects and news

Back in September, I took part in Hereford Art Week for the first time. Hereford Art Week logo Going under the name of Beautiful Botanicals , Lea Gregory (another botanical illustrator) and I set up in her gorgeous hill-top studio. We opened our doors to whoever chose to visit. Busy working desk during Hereford Art week Preparing for Hereford Art week […] Read more

Natural history illustration of Gull anatomy

Posted on 5th November 20179th January 2019 in Current projects and news

Sometimes commissions for natural history illustration or botanical illustration can be really straight-forward and simple. I recently had a job for Bloomsbury Publishing which fell into this category. Bloomsbury needed a few simple illustrations for their upcoming publication, “Gulls of the World” by Klaus Olsen. These were to be pen and ink line drawings for anatomical reference. […] Read more

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