Blogs - Page 7 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.

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 201710th January 2019 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

Botanical Illustration: Comparing HP Watercolour Papers 3

Posted on 20th October 201715th December 2020 in Illustration Equipment, Illustration techniques

Introduction to the watercolour paper quest This is the third of three reviews of Watercolour Hot Press papers for botanical illustration. This time, I find the holy grail…a replacement! Please check out the first and second in this series for more tests and results. As a natural history illustrator and someone who does plenty of botanical illustration, […] Read more

Step by step: Blackberry

Posted on 4th October 20179th January 2019 in Botanical Illustration step by step

I love doing botanical illustrations of blackberries. So I was thrilled when Jersey Post commissioned an illustration of the Jersey Bramble Rubus caesarius as one of the postage stamps on their “Fruits and Berries” issue. I thought I’d break down the steps involved in painting a ripe juicy blackberry in watercolour, and write a step by step blog. All illustrations […] Read more

Botanical Illustrations of Fruit for Jersey Post

Posted on 22nd September 20179th January 2019 in Current projects and news

I love doing botanical illustrations of fruit, so when Jersey Post commissioned a series of “Fruits and Berries” for a postage stamp issue I was delighted. The fruits and berries that needed illustrating were the Dewberry Rubus caesius, the Elderberry Sambucus nigra, the Wild strawberry Fragaria vesca, the Jersey bramble Rubus caesarius, Sloes Prunus spinosa, and Black bryony Dioscorea communis. All the botanical illustrations in […] Read more

Botanical illustration: Sedges Workshop

Posted on 8th September 20179th January 2019 in Scientific Illustrator out and about

In my career as a botanical illustrator, I sometimes come across whole groups of plants or animals that I know very little about. The sedges fall into this category, a fact which became increasingly clear to me as I completed a whole swathe of these plants for the Field Studies Council’s leaflets. I managed to complete […] Read more

Flower Anatomy workshop

Posted on 1st September 20179th January 2019 in Painting workshops

Why learn botany? I recently taught a workshop at the wonderful Walled Garden in Treberfydd on flower anatomy. I think it’s vital for botanical illustrations to be well-informed about their subject matter. To this end I think botanical illustrators need to learn some of the basics of how flowering plants are put together. One of the best […] Read more

Botanical Illustration trip: Breckland flora

Posted on 18th August 20179th January 2019 in Scientific Illustrator out and about

A recent field trip to Norfolk with a botany group I’m a member of, the Institute for Analytical Plant Illustration (IAPI), was a wonderful way to spend a hot July weekend. Poring over plants in the sun, and doing sketchbook botanical illustrations of the Breckland flora on site. What’s not to love? For more on […] Read more

Natural History Illustration of a Chironomid Midge

Posted on 4th August 20179th January 2019 in Current projects and news

I recently was commissioned to complete a natural history entomological illustration for an expert in fossilized midges at the Natural History Museum in London, as a surprise retirement present. Studying Chironomid midges The recipient is Steve Brooks, who examines the fossilized heads of non-biting midges (Chironomids) to examine climate change through time. For an overview of his […] Read more

Botanical Illustration trip: Wicken Fen

Posted on 10th July 20179th January 2019 in Scientific Illustrator out and about

I recently went on a botany fieldtrip to Norfolk with the Institute for Analytical Plant Illustration (IAPI). It was a fabulous way to spend a sunny July weekend, and to discover a whole new area of Britain. Wicken Fen and land management Our first day was an exploration of Wicken Fen. This is a gorgeous nature […] Read more

Slugs: Workshop on slug identification

Posted on 7th July 20179th January 2019 in Scientific Illustrator out and about

Why slugs? As a botanical illustrator who does lots of natural history illustrations too, it’s important to learn about the animals and plants I get asked to draw. I realised recently that not only did I know almost nothing about slugs, but I also had never done a decent illustration of one. One of only […] Read more

Botanical Illustration: Comparing HP Watercolour Papers 2

Posted on 21st June 201715th December 2020 in Illustration Equipment, Illustration techniques

This is the second of three reviews of watercolour Hot Press papers for botanical illustration. Please check out the first and third in this series for more tests and results! As a botanical illustrator, having a good hot press watercolour paper to work on is really important. Unfortunately, recently the paper I used to use, Fabriano […] Read more

Illustrating a Water Meadow Landscape

Posted on 12th June 20179th January 2019 in Current projects and news

Getting started on a Water meadow landscape I was recently commissioned to complete a large natural history natural science watercolour illustration of a landscape. Woodstock is a water meadow habitat; the illustration would feature my wildlife and botanical illustrations of the species there. This illustration will be used on an interpretation panel, and was a […] Read more

Fungal Diseases of Wheat Crops

Posted on 26th May 20178th January 2019 in Current projects and news

I was recently commissioned by Farmer’s Weekly Magazine to do some botanical illustrations of both Wheat (Triticum aestivum) and three common diseases of wheat crops. Common wheat plant (Triticum aestivum), free of disease. The first one is the fungus Septoria, the other two are rusts. Septoria Septoria triitici is a fungus that affects the leaves and stems of wheat […] Read more

Step by step Great Willowherb

Posted on 19th May 20178th January 2019 in Botanical Illustration step by step

One of the botanical illustrations I was recently commissioned to complete for the Field Studies Council is the Great willowherb, Epilobium hirstutum. This will feature in an upcoming leaflet on Wayside wild flowers. Here is an explanation of the steps involved in creating a botanically accurate illustration which is also visually appealing. It needs to allow a novice to identify […] Read more

Botanical Illustration: Comparing HP Watercolour Papers 1

Posted on 5th May 201715th December 2020 in Illustration Equipment, Illustration techniques

Hot press water colour papers and botanical illustration This is the first of three reviews of Watercolour Hot Press papers for botanical illustration. Please check out the second and third in this series for more tests and results! As some of you may know, there’s been a bit of a panic in the Botanical illustration […] Read more

Botanical Illustration of Red Clover- step by step

Posted on 20th April 20178th January 2019 in Botanical Illustration step by step

This botanical illustration of Red clover Trifolium pratense was completed recently for the Field Studies Council who are producing a leaflet on identifying plants and wild flowers of the wayside and hedgerows. You’ll see the same basic approach is taken with all my step by step blogs; it’s only the details and colours that very. Gathering reference […] Read more

Telling Gorse species apart

Posted on 6th April 201725th February 2020 in Showcase of themed natural history illustrations

Whilst working for The Field Studies Council on charts of Heathland and Wayside plants, I needed to illustrate the three species of Gorse (Ulex) found in Britain. Having discussed the differences between the common Uk species of heather, I thought I;’d take on this prickly subject. Introduction Gorse is a shrubby, spiny family of plants in the […] Read more

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