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
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 real-time film out of me doing a botanical illustration of the Daisy Bellis perennis a couple of weeks ago.
https://youtu.be/TJZZV6DU7zI
The film shows me adding watercolour to my pencil drawing of the common daisy, explaining my techniques, colour mixing, equipment, and approach as I get on with the painting. I also touch on the anatomy of the plant, and talk a bit about thefolklore of daisies.
As usual, I struggled with the autofocus a bit (its impossible to turn off on my phone!) but hope I edited out the worst of the blur...
Make a nice cup of tea and take a watch. Unusually for me, this one comes in at just under an hour (instead of closer to 2!), so feel free to use it as a bit of an escape from the flurry of day to day life and the news cycle
#botanicalillustration #howtopaint #stepbystep #daisy #bellisperennis #wildflowers #watercolour #watercolor #artlessonsonline
Come and find me on Bluesky. It`s a lovely friendly platform full of sciencey and arty people. I`m lizzie-harper-bsky-social.
I will still post on Insta but have already moved away from Twitter. Bluesky is a gentler place and isn`t into AI copyright infringement.
See you there! Xxx
This week`s blog is another in my series of Wildflower families.
This time it`s the turn of the Rose family, Rosaceae:
https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2025/01/wildflower-families-rosaceae-the-rose-family/
My blog covers the variety of this family, which includes plants as diverse as plums to piri-piri burs, as well as roses.
It also discusses the anatomy & botanical features that unite members of this family, and touches on the incredible variety of fruit types in the Rosaceae.
#roses #apples #Rosefamily #rosaceae #botanicalillustration #botanicalart #wildflowers #botany #sciart
Brooklime Veronica beccabunga botanical illustration, completed for Field Studies Council, for their identification guide to plants of waterways and riverside.
This is one of my favourite aquatic plants and one of my favourite latin names of a plant.
#Veronica #veronicabeccabunga #brooklime #aquaticplants #botanicalillustration #sciart
Here`s #RedAdmiral #Vanessa atalanta #butterfly, completed as a side project to V&As Beatrux Potter exhibition a few years back.
I`ve posted this before, but it`s one of my illustrations I`m happiest with, so thought I`d pop it up again.
I love this species, the flash of orange & dash of blue, & spent ages watching them on buddleja in the garden when I was a kid
#sciart #naturalhistoryilliustration
This week`s blog is another on the Wildflower families, in this case the Brassicaceae or Cabbage family.
https://lizzieharper.co.uk/2024/12/wildflower-families-brassicaceae-the-cabbage-family/
I`m doing a series of these, this is the 3rd. Brassica are a pretty easy family to spot, with their four-petalled flowers and familiarity as garden vegetables. They`re also a lot of fun to illustrate.
Often the leaves have a bloom on which gives the plant a blueish hue, and this is always a lovely colour to try and capture.
#wildflowers #wildflowerfamilies #plantidentification #botany #plantfamilies #brassicaceae #brassica #cabbage #cabbages #CabbageFamily #botanicalillustration #sciart #vegetables
This is an Adonis Blue butterlfy Polyommatus bellargus on a Carthusian carnation Dianthus carthusianous.
In September I visited Cluny, near Lyons in France. We walked in the woods and amongst the vineyards nearby, and these Adonis blues were everywhere, it was stunning.
I`d not seen the Carthusian carnations before, and the blue butterflies on the magenta petals was wonderful.
Watercolour illustration completed as a birthday card for @twmpacycles
#butterfly #adonisblue #polyomattus #naturalhistoryilliustration #sciart #botanicalillustration #carnation #dianthus #Cluny
I`ve just published a Youtube film showing me completing a pencil illustration of pears in real time, and explaining how I use graphite to show tonality and detail:
https://youtu.be/aSgeW6k11CQ
The pears were drawn for a packaging design job, and now grace the labels of bottles of sparkling Cabalva perry produced by Cabalva Mill Cottage & Cwm Pelved
#pear #Perry #pyrus #pyruscommunis #packagingdesign #botanicalillustration #pencildrawing #pencil #stepbystep #drawingfruit #fruit
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
