Orchid Botanical Illustration Step by step

[@nancyjohnson7193]

I don't know how to express what a privilege it is to watch and listen to you paint. So I will just say: What a privilege!!!! Thank you.😊💚

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Nancy, you flatter me. But thank you so much, it's lovely to hear this.

[@EmerPower]

Awe inspiring - just beautiful work thank you

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Thank you so much!

[@Ljblossom]

Your sense of humor and gardening fingers makes it even better. Quite patient to handle such detail.

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Oooh, Im not sure my family would say I'm patient! But thankyou.

[@naticaleb123]

Lizzie….. so glad to have found your channel! I have an admiration and it’s captivating to see you work in such small details!!! Oh, and Thank you for teaching us how to fix mistakes and to keep calm because there’s always a solution!!!! Love your tutorials and I’m subscribing!!!

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Thank you so much! Im really glad you like my films. Now I have to get my arse in gear and make some more of them!

[@Gypsisoul1111]

I love your video's Lizzie, you are a fantastic artist! And so wonderful to listen to.

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Aww cheers for that. Lovely to have an appreciative audience!

[@LauraCourtneyette]

I really appreciate all the botanical information!

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Aww thanks. I have to say it all out loud or I instantly forget all the stuff I've researched!

[@LauraCourtneyette]

@@LizzieHarperillustrator All that Latin!

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

@@LauraCourtneyette oh man. Dont I just KNOW that youre telling the truth there. Its like a foreign language, it really is.

[@nanaoas368]

I love all the lines it looks like a drawing.

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Thanks! Yes, the way I paint does make it more like a drawing. That's a great point.

[@brightflower144]

Great tutorial, inspirational and educational ❤

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Cchouette]

Lizzie, it's always quite relaxing to watch you paint 🎨👀 Thank you for sharing and your good advice 👍🏻😊

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Merci Chouette

[@teresamitchell-banks2286]

Your paintings are brilliant. Your teaching is clear and very vert helpful. Your commentary is hilarious. You are absolutely my favourite. I love the lengthy videos💕🇨🇦

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Teresa, this has put such a broad smile on my face. Thank you so much x

[@dizzylizzy7582]

Did they (the people commissioning the painting) love the painting when you finished it? Were the colours you were concerned about right? Fascinating to watch you paint, but also to hear your thought process as you produce your painting. Thank you.

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Hiya, I often don't hear much about the response to my work. I just get paid for it, which is fine. In general, I assume that unless they tell me the colours are all wrong (and this does, rarely, happen) and ask for a re-paint that it's ok. In general, by the time they see the final piece, they've already seen and made alterations to pencil roughs, so know exactly what they're getting. It's only the intricacies of the colour that I can mess up, if the reference is unclear or, as sometimes happens, I follow what a botany book says or can't get my hands on an actual specimen. Good question, thanks for asking!

[@dizzylizzy7582]

@@LizzieHarperillustrator thank you for responding. This makes a lot of sense.

[@rh165]

So lovely to watch on a Sunday morning in bed with tea 😊 you’re so funny too 😂

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Aww thankyou. I like the idea of that. x

[@suewegert2323]

Amazing detail work.

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Thank you very much!

[@sharonblac]

I wish I had more of your concise controlled technique! Very Nice!

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Wow, thanks! Im lucky in having a steady hand. But Im far from being a still and patient person, so maybe the concise and controlled side of me all goes into painting things like orchids? Thanks so much for the comment.

[@janinegaylard9233]

Thanks for such a lovely surprise for a Friday evening in South Africa 🇿🇦

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Aww, I love the idea of you watching all the way across the world. Thankyou

[@susannesamuelsson2930]

It's wonderful to watch you paint and listen to your talking about the subject you paint 🎨 and everything else! Thank you Lizzie and big warm hugs to you from me in Sweden 👋🥰🤗❤🇸🇪👍!

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Aww thankyou. And so lovely to think of you watching my films in Sweden!

[@susannesamuelsson2930]

@@LizzieHarperillustrator I enjoy watching them, so I will continue following you Lizzie with great joy! 👋❤👍

[@ELP979]

Какая вы классная женщина с юмором - спасибо за ваши уроки !

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Мое абсолютное удовольствие! Так рад, что вам понравилось.

[@fernandagarcia8119]

Fantástico!

[@irmabenus7001]

Thank you so much for this! So very interesting en wonderful to watch! Amazing work!!

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Thanks Irma, Im so glad you enjoyed it

[@aimeelawrence-bespokefurni575]

I love your work. It's also fascinating hearing uou talk about pollination.

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@peterlittle6651]

A great instructional video Lizzie. Regards Peter

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Peter, thankyou X

[@maris5279]

lovely video thanks 😌

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

My pleasure

[@yvonneparker1588]

Thank you Lizzie, wonderful work as always.

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Thanks so much Yvonne

[@janehodgett959]

Awesome Lizzie 🎨🙏🏻✨🌈🌺

[@janehodgett959]

Beautiful work wow! 🥰✨👌🎨🌈

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Thank you Jane!

[@emanuelalonati9010]

wow!!!! wonderful

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Many thanks!!

[@gardengirl6636]

Thank you, Lizzie! You continue to amaze and inspire me! I’m closely following your quest for the “perfect” synthetic watercolor brush and look forward to your next update. 🎨🖌️

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Hopefully one coming soon.....and thanks

[@MoiAussie1]

Thanks for sharing with us Lizzy. I’m feeling a bit out of my depth but I enjoyed the live stream. My forthrightness and humour doesn’t seem to be ‘usual’ in such a serious subject. Ah well I’m not a purist I just love painting and I love your down to earth approach.🙏🏼

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

I think humour and reality are so important, let's strip away all this nonsense and fluff about talent and it all being a mysterious and impossible craft. Just pick up a pencil and crack on! And the more we do it, the better we get

[@MoiAussie1]

@@LizzieHarperillustrator and with life goingon around us, it doesn’t stop to let us spoil ourselves in our art though I confess during the day now being retired and I’m not disturbed I can lose a whole day in my studio and wonder why it’s dark outside when it can only be lunchtime 🤣 and it’s purely for myself and I don’t feel one bit guilty either😉

[@susanasmith8596]

Thanks so much for this video Lizzie. This was very helpful as we're about to start on the orchid module in our Diploma course. I was interested to know how you go about doing the drawing of such a complex arrangement of flowers and bracts on this type of orchid. You did say earlier in the video that you don't use calipers to measure so how did you do this drawing? What measuring tool do you use?

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

That's a great question. With this one, I didnt have the specimen in front of me. I was working from a lot of photo ref, which is never much fun. So I lifted different elements of the photos and combined them, being sure to be botanically accurate. Now then, if I HAD had the orchid in front of me. I would still have done it by eye, although spent a long time plotting the space that each flower would fill, and making sure they related correctly to one another. I'd also take an individual flower and bract off and examine it in full detail, dissecting it out. then take that knowledge to every other flower on the stem. I find doing this is enormously helpful before drawing complicated flowering heads. I do take rough measurements, holding my pencil up as a gauge, checking the inflorescence is more or less symmetrically balanced around the main stem. But mostly I do it by eye. When it comes to insects though, its all about the callipers. Weird, huh? Enjoy your orchid module. Beautiful plants, but beastly to untangle and draw. Thanks for the comment!

[@AmandaK399]

Hi Susana, Where is your Diploma Course located?

[@aimeelawrence-bespokefurni575]

How long should I wait for watercolour to dry? Would you also use the same drying time for gouache watercolour?

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Ok. So it depends on the weather (she says helpfully). On a hot day in summer, in direct sunlight they'll be dry in minutes, even a wet wash. On a gloomy wet October day (today, anyone?) they can take an hour or so. Try using a hair dryer or hold a fan heater to the painting to speed u.p the process. I thin gouache dries a little faster unless it;s applied really thick. Generally, you can feel if watercolour is dry by touching it very lightly with your fingertips. Touch dry is good enough. Also, move the paper around and see if it catches the light. If it does, the paint is still wet. Hope that helps a bit

[@janieart]

I saw a previous video and noticed your hands. I told my daughter "she's probably a gardener." I know because I too garden.

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

I do garden and my hands are TRASHED! Im so jealous of the other illustrators whose hands look like they could do nail varnish adverts! Glad you understood straight away, and thanks for your understanding.

[@janieart]

@@LizzieHarperillustrator yeah I've got some videos and my handa are always trashed too. But nature is worth it!!

[@AMIR-nm7fo]

WE???.....I ALSO SAY ALL THE TIME WE.....BUT I'M THE ONLY ONE IN THE ROOM... THANK YOU FOR YOUT TIME, YOUR VIDEOS AND YOUR KNOWLEDGE. THANK YOU

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

My absolute pleasure.

[@MoiAussie1]

Drawing with tinted water

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

So true!

[@pintobean8509]

Curious question: why when you show the books, they look as if the picture is reversed.

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Hiya, I don't know. Even worse, I hadn't noticed! Perhaps I had the phone (which i film with) on the wrong camera? I'm sure it was me making a mistake. Sorry f that's made the text heard to read. Thanks for taking the time to leave a ccomment .

[@ernestd927]

Promo>SM

[@MoiAussie1]

Sounds awesome Lizzie, it’ll be 10pm hhere in Western Australia so depends how tired I am. Presumably the tutorial will stay available after. It’s so wonderful to be reminded of the beautiful countryside in Blighty ❤🌿🌸🌼🪻

[@LizzieHarperillustrator]

Yes, the film will be up for normal viewing after the premiere, the only thing missing will be my typos and answers as I try to answer any questions as the film rolls....

[@aaronestdav]

Good morning! An affectionate greeting from Mexico and from the Collective of Science and Nature Illustrators, main promoters of botanical illustration in our country. Thank you very much for these fabulous moments that enrich our knowledge.