wildflowers Archives - Lizzie Harper

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

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

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

Orchid Botanical Illustration Step by step

Posted on 5th May 202315th June 2023 in Botanical Illustration step by step, Current projects and news

Orchids have always been a bit of a mystery to me, so when I was confronted by the Early Marsh Orchid, Dactylorhiza incarnata ssp coccinea my heart did not leap. It’s one of 13 plants I’m illustrating for a wildflower identification guide to the Braunton Burrows sand dunes system which will be published by FSC Publications. […] Read more

Paintbrushes: Exploring synthetics Part 2

Posted on 29th March 20228th May 2023 in Illustration Equipment, Testing Synthetic Watercolour brushes

This blog is a follow up to one I wrote a while ago on Paintbrushes, and accompanies the series I’ve done on art equipment. There’s an accompanying Youtube film showing me trialling these four synthetic brushes. In my last blog (and accompanying Youtube film review of brushes ), I ended up recommending Rosemary and Co. […] Read more

Comparing Goldenrod Species

Posted on 28th August 202028th August 2020 in Botany: Telling species apart

Comparing Goldenrod species was one of my tasks in a recent commission for a Horticultural company in Sweden. All the illustrations were sketchbook studies. Every plant was an invasive. Overview of Canadian Goldenrod Solidago canadensis and Early Goldenrod Solidago gigantea The focus of the illustration is the Canadian goldenrod. Most Goldenrods are native to the […] 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

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

Desk with finished botanical illustration, sweet peas, and paint box

Step by Step Everlasting Sweet pea botanical illustration

Posted on 26th July 201924th January 2023 in Botanical Illustration step by step

Sweet peas are beautiful flowers, and a joy to paint. This blog is a step by step guide to painting the Two-flowered Everlasting Sweet Pea Lathyrus grandiflorus. About Sweet peas Members of the legume family; Sweet peas are classed alongside peas, gorse, beans and lupins. Lots of food crops are members of this family; alfalfa, […] Read more

autumn, fall, harvest, wild flowers, wildflowers, watercolour, botanical illustration,

Autumn fruit and flowers

Posted on 13th September 201322nd November 2018 in Showcase of themed natural history illustrations

I thought this week it might be a good idea to cut down on text, and just pop up some of my illustrations of wildflowers you may still be able to find as autumn comes. All of these species are pretty widespread and common (except for the Somerset Redstreak apple and autumn crocus). Try scouring […] Read more

RHS day out, a lizard, and a magazine

Posted on 26th November 201218th October 2018 in Current projects and news

RHS Library trip This week was mostly spent away from the studio. On Wednesday I had a day trip to the Lindley Library at the RHS in London. Our group, The Institute of Analytical Plant Illustrators (IAPI) were given a tour of some of the wonderful treasures held there. Seeing the original paintings done by heroes such as Ehret, […] Read more