FSC Archives - Lizzie Harper

Paul Reubens Artist level Youlan series Watercolour box: Review

Posted on 17th March 202412th April 2024 in Illustration Equipment

Paul Rubens artist level YouLan series of solid watercolours is a set of 24 paints in half pans aimed at both amateur and professional artists. I sometimes get asked to trial products by art material manufacturers, so I was pleased to have the chance to give these paints a try. In exchange for my free […] Read more

Natural History Illustration and Life Long Learning: The Field Studies Council

Posted on 19th October 2022 in Current projects and news, Scientific Illustrator out and about

Natural History Illustration and Life-long learning: Field Studies Council Courses is my blog all about how much I love the FSC courses I attend. And no, they’ve not paid me to wax lyrical, honest! I draw and paint a wide range of different species for publishers, charities, packaging, ad companies, and design agencies. I am […] Read more

Ants in the UK: Four subfamilies

Posted on 26th August 202226th August 2022 in Biological terminology: Definitions, Current projects and news

Having recently written a blog on the anatomy of ants, and been on three marvellous FSC courses about these fabulous insects, I’m going to try and share what I’ve learned about telling the four UK subfamilies of ants apart. To get anywhere with ant identification, you need a basic grasp of ant anatomy, and a […] Read more

Ant anatomy for Beginners

Posted on 13th June 202222nd July 2022 in Biological terminology: Definitions, Current projects and news

I’ve recently gone on a couple of fabulous courses with Field Studies Council (FSC). Two of these focussed on Ants. They were taught by Gino Brignoli, and the second by Mike Fox, both ant experts. These courses are open to anyone with an interest, and are always an excellent way to learn an enormous amount […] 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

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

Beautiful Bryophytes: Botanical moss illustrations

Posted on 2nd February 201730th December 2018 in Current projects and news

I’ve been working on lots of botanical illustrations for the Field Studies Council recently. A lot of the plants on the list of heathland species are bryophytes, beautiful mosses. I’m lucky enough to have had an enormous amount of help assembling species to work with (see my blog) and have been working on the painted finals over the […] Read more

Botanical Illustrations of Mosses

Posted on 21st October 201619th December 2018 in Current projects and news

Sometimes a botanical illustration commission appears that calls for something totally new. In all my days of natural history illustration, I’d never been asked to do a whole lot of mosses before. The closest I’ve been was illustrating two mosses for the FSC Churchyard Plants leaflet Moss: Grimmia pulvinata and Tortula muralis The commission came from the Field Studies Council’s […] Read more

Illustrate and forage: Eat what you paint!

Posted on 20th May 201619th December 2018 in Scientific Illustrator out and about

Recently I took an edible plants identification chart I’d done the natural history illustrations for on a walk, to test it out with friends. I’ve written blogs on foraging before as it’s something I do a fair amount of, but this “road test” of one of my i.d. charts was a first. FSC Guide to Edible Plants On a forage for […] Read more

Illustrations for Foraging for Edible Plants Chart

Posted on 8th April 201618th December 2018 in Current projects and news

I’ve recently been working on natural history illustrations for The Field Studies Councils publications department. They appear on a fold out chart of edible British plants which has only just come out. I’m delighted with the result. They’ve used my illustrations beautifully, and the way the information is included is innovative and clear. Finding reference Despite it being November […] Read more

Botanical Illustration: Step by step Hazel

Posted on 16th October 201514th December 2018 in Botanical Illustration step by step

I’ve recently started painting up some botanical illustrations for FSC Publications, including the Hazel Corylus avellena. I worked for FSC before, on the Caring For Gods Acre illustrations). One that I knew would take some time, but was seasonally appropriate, was the Hazel Corylus avellana. I drew the leaves and nuts from reference gleaned from a local hedge, and […] Read more

Illustrating lower plants in a churchyard

Posted on 6th February 20157th December 2018 in Current projects and news

Natural history subjects to draw and paint abound. Many relish the tranquility of the British churchyard. The Field Studies Council know this, and have recently commissioned my botanical illustrations for a fold out chart. Lower plants love the damp stone of a churchyard. You find many ferns across the UK in churchyards and cemeteries, including this Hart’s […] Read more