nature Archives - Page 2 of 2

Step by step illustration of a Robin

Posted on 24th December 202124th December 2021 in Zoological step by step

Step by step blogs can be tricky to write – I often don’t know where to begin the explanation. In this blog, I’ll explain how I add colour to a pencil drawing of a Robin Erithacus rubecula. Completed Robin Step by step: Getting reference To get your drawing done, look for royalty free photos online, […] Read more

Cow Parsley: All about an Umbellifer

Posted on 12th November 20211st July 2024 in Botany: Telling species apart, Current projects and news

Cow parsley Anthriscus sylvestris was on the list of plants I recently illustrated for FOR Sweden. These plants are invasive in Scandinavia, and particularly troublesome in Iceland. Sketchbook studies All the botanical illustrations I do for FOR are in a sketchbook format. I love working this way; it gives me the opportunity to include tons […] Read more

Wood Ants: Illustrating a guide to the wood ants of the Cairngorms

Posted on 22nd July 202122nd July 2021 in Current projects and news

Earlier this year, I had one of the hardest and most wonderful jobs. I was commissioned to illustrate all the Wood ants species that occur in the UK for an identification guide which has just been published by the Cairngorms National Park Authority . The physical guide is now available (and a classy item t is […] Read more

Illustrating a Wild Welsh Meadow of Butterflies

Posted on 16th July 202016th July 2020 in Current projects and news

Illustrating a wild Welsh meadow complete with clouds of butterflies was a wonderful commission. Not only do I know the location well, but the landscape was a leaving present for the director of Radnorshire Wildlife Trust, who is a good friend. He’s obsessed by butterflies, so including a whole ton of these seemed sensible. Working […] Read more

Feet int the garden original watercolour illustration for sale

How Love for Nature can Make an Individual Optimistic

Posted on 24th April 2020 in Uncategorised

This guest blog on how love for nature can make us optimistic is by Hassan Khan. Nature is precious and we can never be thankful enough for it, no matter what. It starts teaching us right from the moment we open our eyes. We learn a lot from nature and it makes us who we […] Read more

halophytes Coastal seaside plant flowers

Halophytes: Salt Tolerant Plants

Posted on 6th March 202029th September 2022 in Biological terminology: Definitions, botanical terms

Halophytes: Salt Tolerant Plants Halophytes are plants that tolerate or thrive in salty conditions. I recently finished the illustrations for a chart of seaside flowers, and got to wondering how these plants can survive in these hostile habitats? Another job, illustrating stamps for a Seaside flowers issue, added to my interest. This blog had me […] Read more

Coastal Flowers: Illustrating a Flower Guide

Posted on 21st February 202016th March 2022 in Current projects and news

I’ve recently completed a series of thirty three botanical illustrations of coastal flowers for Field Studies Council Publications. What I love about these jobs is the enormous amount you learn about species you may never have noticed before. In this blog, I’m going to showcase a few of these lovely plants, and what seaside habitats […] Read more

Illustrating a Coastal Hay Meadow Landscape

Posted on 27th September 201914th October 2019 in Current projects and news

Illustrating a Hay Meadow: The Commission A recent commission to illustrate a hay meadow landscape down on the coast of Devon was a wonderful job. The client is North Devon Area of Natural Beauty (NDAONB) and the illustration will be used on an interpretation board on site. Currently, the area is scrub land; it’s over-grazed […] Read more

Three spined stickleback natural history illustration by Lizzie Harper

Inspirations: The Wildlife Trusts

Posted on 11th April 20143rd December 2018 in Scientific Illustrator out and about

Much of my work as a scientific illustrator and botanical artist comes from a wonderful network of wildlife charities which encompass the entire UK. They are the Wildlife Trusts; and they are an inspiration. Pentrospha Mire illustration, a reserve run by Radnorshire Wildlife trust (RWT) What are the Wildlife Trusts? There are 47 of these trusts; each […] Read more

Deer illustrations, watercolours, ducks, and snow!

Posted on 21st January 201318th October 2018 in Current projects and news

Tweaking the Deer illustrations There were some alterations required on the Whipsnade Zoo finals, oh the joys of process white gouache. Here are the “before and after” shots; see if you can tell what’s been changed… For more on this job, check out my blogs on the deer, the mara, and painting a hog deer. […] Read more

Botanical illustrations, coccolith, and a peacock

Posted on 14th January 201318th October 2018 in Current projects and news

I have finished the last of the illustrations for ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, and am just waiting to hear if any alterations are needed before sending them off. By far the hardest illustration in the set was the pair of peacock, whose complexity dwarfed any of the deer and antelope. Peacock trouble I think the problem with […] Read more

Deer scientific illustrations and a sparrow

Posted on 7th January 201318th October 2018 in Current projects and news, Showcase of themed natural history illustrations

This is a half week of work, but I’m pretty pleased with what I’ve got done. I’ve finished the last of the deer for ZSL Whipsnade; a grand total of eleven animals. If you’d like to see them all in one place, I’ve popped up an album of them on my facebook site: Deer and Antelope […] Read more

Botanical illustration of hawthorn berries y Lizzie with her paintbox

Step by step Botanical illustration of Hawthorn berries

Posted on 1st January 201317th October 2018 in Botanical Illustration step by step

In this blog I’ve broken down the steps involved in painting the berries of the Hawthorn Craetegus monogyna. This approach works just as well for any red shiny berry, although you’ll need to take care with what hue of red you mix. The real secret to getting these berries looking properly shiny is to ensure you […] Read more

Christmas botanical illustrations

Posted on 19th December 201211th January 2019 in Showcase of themed natural history illustrations

I’ve not been working this week, it’s the holidays. There are five illustrations outstanding for the Whipsnade Zoo commission, but the deadline isn’t for a fortnight so I’ll have plenty of time to complete them ahead of schedule. Instead, I’ve assembled a variety of seasonal illustrations, done over the years. Christmas plants There are lots […] Read more

Mara, wallaby, and a christmas illustration

Posted on 19th December 20123rd December 2018 in Zoological step by step

Christmas is coming! This week has been rather more to do with preparing for Christmas than illustrating. However, I have completed the remaining four roughs of deer for Whipsnade Zoo, and painted a mara and a Bennet’s Wallaby. Mara The mara is an animal that I’d not heard about until this commission came through. I took […] Read more