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    Showcase of themed natural history illustrations

    A showcase of natural history illustrations will be organised according to a theme. These blogs are like little galleries, or separate showcase blogs, of illustrations based around one subject.  You’ll find a showcase of fish natural history illustrations, a showcase of butterflies, a mossy showcase, lots of bees in a blog about saving pollinators…and many other themed blogs.

    Grasses in Cambridge Collections: Combating grass blindness

    Posted on in Scientific Illustrator out and about, Showcase of themed natural history illustrations
    Grasses in Cambridge Collections: Combating grass blindness discusses an amazing day I spent recently, looking at herbarium specimens and illustrations of grasses held in Cambridge collections.  The collections were gorgeous, but the accompanying talks and interchange of ideas will leave the longest lasting impression. Guinea grass Megathyrsus maximus As many who read this blog regularly […] Read more

    Grasses of Montserrat and the Eastern Caribbean

    Posted on in Botany: Telling species apart, Showcase of themed natural history illustrations
    I was recently commissioned to illustrate some common grasses of Montserrat and the Eastern Caribbean by UKOTCF.  As regular readers will know, this is something of a dream job for me. I first illustrated grasses way back in 2014, for the HarperCollins Flower Guide by David Streeter.  Not knowing that I was planting the seeds […] Read more
    F japnica botanical illustration

    Unearthing the Enigma: Japanese Knotweed’s Unstoppable March

    Posted on in Showcase of themed natural history illustrations, Uncategorised
    Unearthing the Enigma: Japanese Knotweed’s unstoppable march is a guest blog written by Matt from Japanese Knotweed Removal Specialists, JKWS  For more on Japanese knotweed, including blogs discussing my illustrations of the plant, a step by step sketchbook study, and comparing it to other knotweeds, please check out my earlier blogs.  You could also buy an […] Read more

    Beatrix Potter: Illustrator and Inspiration

    Posted on in Scientific Illustrator out and about, Showcase of themed natural history illustrations
    Beatrix Potter is known to people the world over as the creator of the Peter Rabbit books.  These are indeed wonderful, but there’s so much more to explore.  This blog examines a little of the extraordinary skill and illustrative mastery of this Victorian writer and illustrator, thanks to a recent visit to the Beatrix Potter: […] Read more
    Botanical illustration for the Brecknockshire Flora

    The Brecknockshire Flora

    Posted on in Current projects and news, Showcase of themed natural history illustrations
    The Brecknockshire flora is written by John Crellin and Mike Porter, and is a detailed overview of the plants growing in Brecknockshire, along with their geographical distribution.  It covers everything from Charophytes through eudicots, and most things in between.  Although it will be, when completed, an academic volume aimed at botanists, the authors are keen […] Read more

    Illustrating Bracken and Ferns

    Posted on in botanical terms, Illustration techniques, Showcase of themed natural history illustrations
    Illustrating bracken and ferns may seem to be a really difficult job.  However, the challenge lies in the drawing, not in adding the colour. I recently completed an illustration of Bracken Pteridium aquilinum for a forthcoming Field Studies Council Guide to the flora of Woodlands.  I thought this was the perfect chance to explain the […] 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
    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
    Pen and Ink Illustrations of Tree Details

    Pen and Ink Illustrations of Tree Details

    Posted on in Illustration techniques, Showcase of themed natural history illustrations
    The Living Wisdom of Trees: Commission   In the summer, I completed lots of pen and ink illustrations of trees and their details for “The Living Wisdom of Trees” by Fred Hageneder. The commission involved illustrating fully grown trees, along with details specific to each species such as blossom, leaves, or fruit.  I’ve written a […] 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
    Buttercup

    Botanical Illustration: Buttercup Species

    Posted on in Botany: Telling species apart, Showcase of themed natural history illustrations
    Looking through my botanical illustrations recently, I realised I’d completed quite a few watercolors of flowers in the Buttercup genus (family Ranunculaceae).  Like the botany ingénue I am, I assumed I’d covered most of the British buttercups, and decided to write this blog.  Little did I know, I wasn’t even half-way through them! Ranunculus family […] Read more

    Illustrating Invasive Plant Species

    Posted on in Showcase of themed natural history illustrations
    Natural history illustrators have to do natural science and botanical illustrations of both beneficial and of problematic invasive species. Many times, the reason a plant or animal is causing problems within an ecosystem is because it doesn’t belong in that system.   It hasn’t evolved in equilibrium with the other species there, and thus out-competes them.  […] Read more
    euglena

    Marvellous micro-organisms 3: Euglena

    Posted on in Showcase of themed natural history illustrations
    This final blog on micro-organisms, features the Euglena.  Like the Ameoba and Paramecium, the euglena is a free-living unicellular organism. Introduction to the Euglena It is found in fresh water (often in puddles or ponds) and differs from ameoba and paramecium in being able to photosynthesize, and so produce its own source of food.  The euglena appears green […] Read more

    Marvellous micro-organisms 2: Paramecium

    Posted on in Showcase of themed natural history illustrations
    Natural history illustration involves painting plants, animals, and other wonders of the natural world.  Micro-organisms fall under this umbrella, and although extremely small they are still deserving of our attention (and illustrations).  Last week I looked at the Ameoba.  This week it’s the turn of the Paramecium. Introduction to the Paramecium Like the amoeba, the Paramecium […] Read more
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    Marvellous micro-organisms 1: Amoeba

    Posted on in Showcase of themed natural history illustrations
    Scientific illustration involves drawing all sorts of natural history specimens; botanical, animal, and even microscopic.  In this series of three blogs I’ll give a brief introduction to three common (and very cool) micro-organisms.  The first is the Amoeba. Amoeba: an introduction Amoeba are free-living aquatic creatures, and can be seen in any drop of standing […] Read more
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    Lizzie Harper