sciart Archives - Lizzie Harper

Wildflower families: Rosaceae, the Rose family

Posted on 10th January 2025 in Wildflower families

Wildflower families: Rosaceae, the Rose family is the latest blog in a series on common wildflower families, thanks to my online Field Studies Council course. Learning about the botany of a plant and its family, and similarities within a family, is very useful when it comes to being a botanical illustrator. This series talks about […] Read more

Wildflower families: Brassicaceae, the Cabbage family

Posted on 20th December 202420th December 2024 in Wildflower families

Wildflower families: Brassicaceae, the Cabbage family is another blog I’m writing in a series on wildflower families, inspired by my online Field Studies Council course. Adding botanical knowledge of flower families to my observations of plants helps to increase the accuracy of my illustration work. White mustard Sinapis alba These blogs discuss some common wildflower […] Read more

Autumn fruits

Posted on 24th November 202424th November 2024 in Current projects and news

Autumn fruits is a recent project I’ve worked on with the Field Studies Council, (FSC). I’m lucky enough to do a lot of work with them, for their wonderful fold-our identification guides. I discussed working on a guide to coastal flowers a while back, this time let’s focus on autumn fruits and seeds. (The finished […] Read more

Red campion Silene dioica natural history illustration by Lizzie Harper

Wildflower families: Caryophyllaceae, the Campion family

Posted on 8th November 2024 in Wildflower families

Wildflower families: Caryophyllaceae, the Campion family is another of the blogs I’m writing on wildflower families, inspired by my online Field Studies Council course. Learning the similarities between members of the same plant family is really useful for my illustration work. These blogs cover some of the commoner wildflower families. It might help to look […] Read more

Water violet Step by Step

Posted on 25th October 2024 in Botanical Illustration step by step

Water violet step by step explains the stages involved in illustrating the aquatic plant Water-violet Hottonia palustris. It’s one in a whole series of about 50 step by step blogs, many accompanied by films on my Youtube channel. Water-violet Hottonia palustris The Water-violet is a native UK aquatic plant, also known as Featherfoil. It features […] Read more

Wildflower families: Ranunculaceae, the Buttercups

Posted on 20th September 2024 in Wildflower families

Wildflower families: Ranunculaceae, the Buttercups is the first of a series of blogs I’m doing based on the online course offered by Field Studies Council. Although I’ve picked up a fair bit of botany over the years, I’m interested in building on my observations, and learning to look for similarities between plants who are in […] Read more

Trees: Horse chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum

Posted on 27th July 2024 in Trees

Trees: Horse chestnut is one of a series of blogs I’m writing on common British trees. You can also see blogs on the Elder, the Yew, the Ash, the Oak, the Holly, the Sycamore, the Rowan, the Hawthorn, the Lime, Scots pine, and the Beech. The Horse chestnut is easily recognized, with distinctive palmate leaves […] Read more

Red Deer stag step by step

Posted on 14th June 2024 in Zoological step by step

It’s been a while since I did an animal step by step blog, so I thought I’d share a quick one on illustrating this Red deer stag Cervus elaphus. Reference I took a decent photo of a young Red deer stag a long time ago, and based the illustration on this. The advantage of using […] Read more

British Thrush Species

Posted on 24th May 2024 in Showcase of themed natural history illustrations

There are six species of thrush regularly seen in Britain. Some are year round residents while others overwinter here, often in large flocks. All are members of the Turdidae family of birds. Turdidae have over 60 species living on every continent on the globe except for Antarctica and Australasia. All our thrushes are a similar […] Read more

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

Spotted fish

Posted on 15th March 2024 in Patterns in nature

Spotted fish is another of my blogs on patterns in nature. You can find them all here or click for an overview of pattern in nature, more on stripes, leaf variegation, spots on plants and fugus, and a step by step of a variegated geranium leaf. How spots are formed According to Study.coms post on […] Read more

deocration, natural history for decoration,

Trees: Scots pine Pinus sylvestris

Posted on 9th February 202422nd March 2024 in Trees

Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris Scots pine is one of a series of blogs I’m writing on common British trees. You can also see blogs on the Elder, the Yew, the Ash, the Oak, the Holly, the Sycamore, the Rowan, the Hawthorn, the Birch, the Lime, and the Beech. The Scots pine is one of only […] Read more

Researching a wildflower

Posted on 12th January 202413th January 2024 in Botany: Telling species apart

Researching a wildflower involves gathering information on the anatomy, distinguishing characteristics, family, and appearance of a plant. The first stage is to know about the plant you are illustrating. Feel free to use the English name, but do all research using the Latin or scientific name. This avoids confusion as some plants are called different […] Read more

Spotted Plants and Fungi

Posted on 20th November 202323rd August 2024 in Patterns in nature

Spotted plants and fungi is one of a series of blogs on patterns, follow the links for an overview of pattern, more on stripes, leaf variegation, and a step by step of a variegated geranium leaf. How are spots formed? Spots in plants are caused by areas of darker pigmentation, usually red anthocyanins. Plants sometimes […] Read more

leaf, leaves, leaf shape, compound leaves, simple leaves, botany, botany terms,

Trees: Small-leaved lime or Linden

Posted on 17th November 202317th November 2023 in Trees

Small-leaved lime Tilia cordata and other Lime or Linden trees This is one of a series of blogs I’m writing on common British trees. You can also see blogs on the Elder, the Yew, the Ash, the Oak, the Holly, the Sycamore, the Rowan, the Hawthorn, the Birch and the Beech. There are 10 […] Read more

Geranium Variegated Leaf Step by Step

Posted on 16th November 202310th May 2024 in Botanical Illustration step by step, Patterns in nature

Geranium Variegated leaf step by step I love geraniums, and am especially fond of the variegated leaves some types have with their circles of cream, green, and red. I think a geranium like this one is my favourite house plants which shows leaf variegation. Ninety percent of all wild geraniums come from South Africa, and […] Read more

Potatoes

Posted on 6th October 2023 in Current projects and news

Potatoes are ubiquitous vegetables, a staple in the west since their introduction from South America in 1590. They’re bought in shops, planted in gardens, made into crisps and fries; but as well as being a vital food crop, they’re also rather beautiful plants. Varieties of Potato There are hundreds of different potato cultivars. Some bear […] Read more

Patterns in Nature: A quick overview

Posted on 8th September 20239th October 2023 in Patterns in nature

Introducing patterns One of the things in nature which is worth taking a really close look at is pattern. Spots, stripes and splotches decorate loads of living things; from beetles to reef fish, snakes to zebras, orchids to sunflower seeds. Peacock Pavo pair with male tail on display They have always amazed and delighted me, […] Read more

Variegation: Patterns on leaves

Posted on 8th September 202331st October 2023 in Patterns in nature

What is Variegation? Many of the patterns you see on plant leaves, especially on garden and house plants, are caused by variegation. Variegated leaves have areas of paler yellow or white on them, and vary widely form species to species, and between individual plants. Some variegated leaves even have dark red or scarlet areas. So […] Read more

Striped Patterns in Nature

Posted on 8th September 202315th December 2023 in Patterns in nature

Stripes Stripes are seen across the animal and plant kingdoms. Although the first stiped animals you think of may be zebra and tigers, there are lots of striped beetles, snakes, birds, and loads of stripy fish. Stripes for Camouflague Stripes are a brilliant way of providing camouflage. They break up the edges of an organism, […] Read more

Sand hill Screwmoss: An illustration challenge

Posted on 8th September 2023 in Current projects and news

Sand hill Screwmoss Syntrichia ruraliformis ruraliformis is one of the species completed for a recent commission. There were thirteen species of plant I had to illustrate which were growing on Braunton Burrows sand dunes, and the one that occupied me most was certainly this lovely moss. For an overview of the other species illustrated, please […] Read more

Great Burnet Step by Step

Posted on 25th August 2023 in Botanical Illustration step by step

Recently, I’ve illustrated the Great Burnet, Sanguisorba officinalis for an interpretation board, to be cited on Jubilee Pasture, in Bugthorpe, Yorkshire. This blog is a step by step explanation of the process. For step by steps of other botanical subjects, please click here, and visit my Youtube channel for real-time films of me illustrating plants […] Read more

Yorkshire fog Holcus lanatus natural history illustration by Lizzie Harper

Common Grass species identification: Some easy shortcuts

Posted on 14th July 202322nd September 2023 in Botany: Telling species apart

As you may have noticed, I’m rather obsessed with grasses, and have blogged on them often. From an introduction, to learning about them, to celebrating their beauty , discussing the ecological significance of Maram grass (guest blog), and more recently, to telling them from Rushes and sedges And, of course, I do botanical illustrations of […] Read more

Wildflowers of Braunton Burrows

Posted on 15th June 202311th August 2023 in Current projects and news

A recent commission involved illustrating 30 species for Braunton Burrows, a very beautiful sand dune system in North Devon’s AONB. The main challenges were the timing of the job, during winter when none of the flowers were in bloom, and their unfamiliarity to me. However, I really enjoyed illustrating such a pretty and diverse selection […] Read more