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Illustrating a Bumble bee

Posted on 31st January 20143rd December 2018 in Zoological step by step

Bumble bee commission I was commissioned to do a natural history illustration of a bumble bee for an interpretation board on flight. The client is Anglezarke Dixon Associates, for Yorkshire Dales National Park. They wanted a White tailed bumble bee (Bombus lucorum). This would accompany my scientific illustrations of the pipistrelle bat and peacock […] Read more

tutorial, art tutorial, botanical illustration, flower art, watercolour lesson, watercolor, natural history illustration, scientific illustration, sciart, botanical illustration, step by step, sxs, quince,

Step by step Sketchbook study of a quince

Posted on 15th November 201327th November 2018 in Botanical Illustration step by step

My botanical illustrations being done for The Cultivated Forager (follow up to The Hedgerow Handbook, also by Adele Nozedar) are, inevitably, going to take a back seat over the colder months of the winter. However, this sprig of quince was still looking fresh, and the fruit in perfect condition. Drawing up a quince As before, this […] Read more

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Gardening illustrations: Drawing hands

Posted on 8th November 201325th November 2018 in Illustration techniques

As scientific and botanical illustrators; it’s unlikely that you’ll choose to draw hands doing the steps involved in various gardening techniques unless you’re getting paid for it. Why draw hands? However, there are benefits to taking on this sort of work. It can be quick, the pay’s not too bad, and I know a great […] Read more

bat, bats, microchiroptera, Bechteins, echolocation, nocturnal, small mammals,

Scientific Illustration of Bechstein’s bat

Posted on 18th October 201324th November 2018 in Zoological step by step

Problems with illustrating bats One of the more difficult animals I’m asked to do natural history illustrations of is bats. This is because getting reference of them in flight can be tricky. It involves being nice to lots of extremely talented photographers. Also, getting the different details on their body is vital. Here’s the approved […] Read more

Sxs, step by step, demo, tutorial, art tutorial, online tutorial, entomological illustration, process, fritillary, butterfly, natural history illustration, scientific illustration,

Illustration of Silver Washed Fritillary Butterfly

Posted on 3rd October 201326th November 2018 in Zoological step by step

I’ve been working on natural history watercolour illustrations for Buckinghamshire, Bedforshire & Oxon Wildlife Trust this month, and one of the species they wanted me to paint was the beautiful Silver washed fritillary butterfly, Argynnis paphia. This butterfly is instantly distinct from the other fritillaries because of the striking markings on its underwings; greens, golds, and some […] Read more

Nasturtium, sketchbook study, Garden forager, Tropaeolum, watercolour,

Step by step Nasturtium illustration

Posted on 27th September 201326th November 2018 in Botanical Illustration step by step

I need to paint a nasturtium! We recently got the wonderful news that The Cultivated Forager (follow up to Adele Nozedar’s best-selling The Hedgerow Handbook) will be published, probably in late 2015. Working on a list of illustrations This means that I have to get painting; 49 garden plants to illustrate in the sketchbook studies style, which is […] Read more

Sxs, step by step, art tutorial, watercolour techniques, online class, tutorial, botanical, botanical art, flower painting, sketchbook, sketchbook style, sketchbook study, honeysuckle,

Botanical Illustration of honeysuckle

Posted on 9th August 201321st November 2018 in Botanical Illustration step by step

As mentioned in earlier blogs (Step by step illustration of a rose, Step by step painting a sweet pea), I’m currently working on a series of common cultivated plants which are also edible. Honeysuckle is on the list. Honeysuckle I love honeysuckle (wild and cultivated), I love the way the pinks and reds flush on the […] Read more

Hawkmoth, lepidoptera, Achenrontia, deaths head, deathshead,

Scientific Illustration of a Death’s Head Hawkmoth

Posted on 3rd August 201321st November 2018 in Zoological step by step

I received a private commission to do a scientific illustration of the Death’s head hawkmoth, Acherontia atropos for someone who is passionate about moths. Normally the first step is to get a specimen to work from, but alas in this case there were none at the local museum, and the deadline was tight. Gathering reference I collated […] Read more

sweetpea, sweet pea, Step by step, process, tutorial, how to, art teaching, art tutorial, sxs, sketchbook, sketchbook study,

Step by step – Painting a Sweet Pea

Posted on 19th July 201315th November 2018 in Botanical Illustration step by step

I’m currently working on a series of sketchbook style illustrations of common cultivated garden plants (like the sweet pea); there’s a possibility these will illustrate a book on foraging in the garden in the next year or so. One of the plants needing illustrating was the sweet pea. While visiting a friend, I espied her sweet peas, […] Read more

Step by step, process, tutorial, how to, art teaching, art tutorial, sxs, sketchbook, sketchbook study,

Step by step sketchbook study of a rose

Posted on 12th July 201315th November 2018 in Botanical Illustration step by step

I recently did a botanical illustration sketchbook study of a rose for a natural history illustration project I’m working on. This proved really tricky; partly because the flower and foliage were very dense and lush, but mostly because by the end the rose had shed all its petals! Step 1: Set up the Rose and […] Read more

Cytisus, Hedgerow handbook, flower painting, step by step, sxs,

Botanical Illustration: Sketchbook study of Broom

Posted on 7th June 201314th November 2018 in Botanical Illustration step by step

As a natural history illustrator, I never know what species of plant or animal I’ll be called on to paint next. A good way to try and stay ahead of the game is to complete (copious) sketchbooks for lots of species. Each plant has a sketchbook study and written notes on colour, shape, and plant habit recorded. […] Read more

River management, sketchbooks study, sxs, impatiens, invasives, step by step, Himalayan balsam,

Botanical illustration of a Himalayan Balsam Flower

Posted on 10th May 201314th November 2018 in Botanical Illustration step by step

Overview of Himalayan balsam One of the invasive plants I was asked to paint by Summersault Communications is the Himalayan balsam Impateins galndulifera, which is growing out of control along many of Britain’s water courses, out-competing native plants and clogging up drainage channels. Although a truly problematic invasive species here in the UK, it is also […] Read more

Natural History Illustration: A Stag Beetle in Woodland

Posted on 31st March 201327th November 2018 in Current projects and news

I had a wonderful comission recently; to do a natural history illustration of a stag beetle to accompany a poem by Chris Meredith. Starting the job I began by reading the poem carefully (I’ve transcribed it at the end of this article) to get the atmosphere right, and to list what species I’d be […] Read more

Illustrating a Beetle in Watercolour

Posted on 11th February 20133rd December 2018 in Zoological step by step

As a natural history illustrator, I get asked to undertake lots of different scientific illustrations. Completing a botanical illustration requires a different approach from animal illustrations; and the shiny, metallic iridescence of a beetle is pretty much confined to these incredible insects alone. Drawing up the beetle When I draw a beetle, firstly I get […] 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

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

Dragonflies and pond landscape

Posted on 28th October 201218th October 2018 in Illustration techniques

Illustrating the background I had a wonderful week working on the Dragonfly landscape commission. Once I’d got the go-ahead I put in the sky and the distant landscape, keeping it light and working from far to near, giving closer shrubs and water a bit more colour. Illustrating the plants and animals Then I worked into […] Read more

Step by step Salmonberry watercolour painting

Posted on 18th December 200113th September 2019 in Botanical Illustration step by step

One of the loveliest plants I had to paint for FSC Publications latest chart on invasive species is the Salmonberry, Rubus spectabliis. I’d not seen this plant before, and was amazed by the big pink flowers, and the striking similarity to blackberry and raspberry. Not surprisingly, I tackled painting the berries in a similar way. Pencil […] Read more