The Process of Illustration
Lizzie works traditionally, by hand.
After researching the species she’s illustrating, she gathers reference (preferably specimens not images)
Working from a variety of sources, and being sure to emphasise species-specific traits, she draws up her illustration in pencil
Once the client approves this, she’ll complete the illustration in tonal pencil, pen and ink, pen and ink with watercolour wash, or full watercolour
Botanical Illustrations in Watercolour
Lizzie starts by plotting in her dark areas, then blends to lighter colours.
Finally, she picks out her darkest shadows with a deep mix of purple and blue
For more detailed information, check out her step by step blogs
Botanical Illustrations in Pen and Ink
Lizzie begins by drawing in pen and ink outlines
Next, she plots in the darkest areas with patches of solid ink
Finally, she blends these sharply distinct areas with endless stippled dots
If required, she’ll apply a top wash of watercolour
For more detailed information, check out her step by step blogs
Animal Illustrations in Watercolour
Working with specimens from her freezer whenever possible, Lizzie carefully colour matches paint to fur or feathers
Using lots of tiny strokes to add texture, she plots in her darkest shadows
With paler, diluted tints she blends these to lighter colours.
A top wash unifies the illustration and adds vibrancy
Lastly, she plots in the darkest shadows with a deep mix of blue and purple
For more detailed information, check out her step by step blogs
Animal Illustrations in Pen & Ink
First, Lizzie draws in the outlines
She next blocks in the darkest shadows with solid ink
Stippling, she tries to create an easy visual transition between dark areas and the white page
A top wash of colour can be added once the ink is dry
The process is very similar to her botanical pen and ink work
Watercolour Landscape Illustrations
Working from a client list, Lizzie collects species info and visual reference for all the plants and animals involved
Pencil roughs help position each species in the landscape
A more detailed pencil version is sent to the client, with annotations
Once approved, Lizzie “colours in” from distant landscape to foreground
She completes all the plants first
Finally, she will add the “jigsaw pieces” of the animals
For more on this process, check out the following blogs:
Illustrating a Coastal Hay Meadow
Illustrating a Water Meadow Landscape
Illustrating Malham Cove
To see Lizzie’s work as she completes it, follow her on Instagram
She often posts photos of her works in progress in her “Stories” and has links to her blogs, many of which are step by step explanations
New blog out, about grasses and grass blindness, & my day spent The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge & University of Cambridge Museums Herbarium, alongside lots of fascinating academics and researchers, exploring why we ignore the Poaceae:
https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2026/04/grasses-in-cambridge-collections-combating-grass-blindness/
I do lots of botanical illustrations of grasses and really love their beauty and diversity, but why are they overlooked by so many, and how can we change that?
So have a read to find out how Darwin`s Voyage of the Beagle, and a 14 metre long photo of a grass seed added to the excitement of the day.
#naturalscienceillustration #Poaceae #graminaceae #botanicalillustration #grass ...
Two more natural history illustrations completed for Montserrat National Trust and UK Overseas territories Conservation forum.
This time it`s frogs. The smaller one is a common amphibian, very pretty, with lots of little bumps. It`s the Montserrat whistling frog, or Antilles coqui, Eleutherodactylus johnstonei.
The second is the Montserrat mountain chicken frog Leptodactylus fallax. This frog was as good as extinct across the Eastern Caribbean, thanks to Chytrid, but has been successfully re-introduced. Amazing efforts have been undertaken in Montserrat to get this endemic amphibian back, and it`s paying off. It`s wonderful to see conservation in action.
(For more: (see https://www.mountainchicken.org/conservation/montserrat/).
Painting frogs is tricky, nuances of browns and greens and often a lot of smooth skin, which is tricky to build up to make stronger colours. But I enjoyed these two.
#leptodactylus
#frog #mountainchicken #naturalscienceillustration #noai ...
This week`s blog talks about the illustrations I`ve done for colouring-in books over the years:
https://lizzieharper.co.uk/.../illustrating-colouring-in.../
I love producing line drawings in pen, and on reflection it seems there are lots of projects that have needed them.
From humming birds to snowflakes, butterflies to puffballs, any plant or animal can be a good subject for colouring-in.
#penandink #linedrawing #botanicalillustration #sciart #coloring ...
This is the Great green bush cricket Tettigonia viridissima, in watercolour.
I`ve seen these insects in the wild, but although large they`re amazingly well camouflaged.
I loved painting the the network of wing veins, and the sweep of the antennae. I only realised they had a thin scarlet line on their thorax and wing when I came to illustrate them.
Drawing up something like a bush cricket requires a lot of reference, they`re built like robots and you need to have plenty of angles so you can understand how the plates and parts interlock and work together.
#greatgreenbushcricket #tettigoniidae #insectart #sciart #naturalscienceillustration ...
New blog out, it`s on Ginseng. I illustrated this crop plant, and a few others, for The Crop Trust, then decided I wanted to know more about it:
https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2026/03/crop-trust-illustration-ginseng/
#ginseng #botanicalart #botanicalillustration #byhand #sciart naturalscienceillustration ...
Just been sent a lovely book on landscape painting, with step by step projects published by @quartobooksuk.
Its called "Painting landscapes: Connect to calm through the beauty of watercolour", by @inga.buive
They`ve also sent me an exciting set of brushes to try, made by @fuumuuibrushes_official
I`m yet to try the brushes or one of Inga`s projects, but am looking forward to doing both, not least because I`m rubbish at landscape painting, and need all the advice and posh equipment I can get!
If youre tempted to try the brushes yourself, Fuumuui have offered a 20% off code for my lovely followers: INGA20.
Hope to update this once Ive had the chance to try the brushes.
Ah, the perks of being an illustrator. Freebies! I love it. Thanks Quarto! ...
Just been sent a lovely book on landscape painting, with step by step projects published by @quartobooksuk.
Its called "Painting landscapes: Connect to calm through the beauty of watercolour", by @inga.buive
They`ve also sent me an exciting set of brushes to try, made by @fuumuuibrushes_official
I`m yet to try the brushes or one of Inga`s projects, but am looking forward to doing both, not least because I`m rubbish at landscape painting, and need all the advice and posh equipment I can get!
If youre tempted to try the brushes yourself, Fuumuui have offered a 20% off code for my lovely followers: INGA20.
Hope to update this once Ive had the chance to try the brushes.
Ah, the perks of being an illustrator. Freebies! I love it. Thanks Quarto! ...
This is the Polka dot wasp moth Syntomeida epilais, also known as the Oleander moth.
Mates are attracted when the female emits vibrations which are carried through the stems of the plants she sits on.
The yellow caterpillars with their (harmless) long black setae feed voraciously on Oleander and Desert rose. This species is found across the Caribbean and South America.
The illustration was completed for the National Trust of Montserrat, & UKOTCF. It`s used in a colouring book, in a section about patterns in nature.
#polkadotwaspmoth #syntomeida #oleandermoth #sciart #naturalhistoryillustration naturalscienceillustration paintingnature ...
Sketchbooks
Most of Lizzie’s work is done direct to order
However, when she gets the chance she loves sketching for pleasure
Below are some pages from her sketchbooks
