Instagram Influencer Spotlight On: Lizzie Harper @lizzie_harper_illustrator

1) Tell us a little about yourself. What are you doing now and where do you come from?

I’m a British freelance botanical and natural history illustrator, and I spend my time painting accurate watercolors of plants and animals for clients like publishers, charities, wildlife organisations, and private individuals.

2) What are your topics of interest? What do you post on Instagram the most?

I’m fascinated and in awe of the complexity and beauty of the natural world that I get to draw, paint, and illustrate. I’m currently very into painting mosses, but also love beetles, birds, and grasses. Actually, anything I get asked to illustrate I tend to fall in love with. I post my illustrations, (both completed and in progress), on instagram and am ever so touched by how kind people are about my pictures. I like to show the finished natural science illustration as well as the processes involved, these seem to appeal to different groups of my instagram followers, which I like.

3) How did your Instagram name come about?

My instagram name is Lizzie Harper Illustrator, no mystery there, I’m an illustrator called Lizzie Harper!

4) What are some apps you use to edit your photos? Share with us your photo-editing routine!

I don’t touch the photos of my work, I avoid putting any filters on my scans or photos of work in progress as it’d feel dishonest to make my sciart illustrations glossier and better than they are in real life. So I tend to take a photo of my desk, rotate and crop it, then tag and post. I also upload scans from my PC, but again, I avoid altering the illustration’s colors or lighting.

5) Any Instagrammers whom you really like? Which Instagrammer inspires you the most?

Gosh, there are so many! There’s an amazing network of fascinating illustrators and zooological and botanical illustrators out there. I really like the posts from Inky leaves, and the sketches from Jordan Spillman. I love the way you can reach out across the world to other people who share my passions and career, I follow illustrators from Turkey, Russia, Japan, Indonesia…..

6) If there’s one thing your fellow Instagrammers just gotta try now, what’s it gonna be?

Well, since I don’t use filters I can’t give any fun technological advice. Something which is fun to do is to hashtag a really random phrase (something like “at work as it snows outside” or “I can’t believe I gt paid to paint moss”) and then click on it to see if anyone else has been silly enough to come up with the same phrase. It introduces you to a whole new set of exciting Instagrammers!

7) What’s your favorite part about being an influencer?

I’m not sure I do have much influence, but I take the comments and feeback I get very seriously, and think it’s really vital to answer questions about materials and artistic techniques. I like to include posts in my feed which act like mini lessons, explaining a step of a painting process I’m busy working on. This is often how to get the lights and darks on leaves looking right, or links to my blogs which are often step by step tutorials.

I’m incredibly flattered and surprised to have quite a few followers, there’s so much talent out there that I’m properly touched to know that people are choosing to follow my work and illustrations. It means a great deal, and I want to thank all my followers for their interest.

8) What are some of your top tips to brands for running campaigns? How do you maintain authenticity?

Gosh, again, this isn’t really something I know a lot about. Maintaining authenticity I think comes from being passionate about what you do, keeping your followers informed about your projects, and being really respectful of their time, so only post something that you know will be of interest; don’t just post something in the hope that you’ll make a sale, people’s time is worth more respect than that, I think.

9) What would your advice be on the importance of quality and original content?

I’d say don’t post anything that you’re not happy with, unless you mention that in the post. Keep your feed fresh with new stuff, try to avoid recycling the same images. Put something of yourself into your feed, especially if you feel positive or passionate about what you’re posting. I’m in a very lucky position, every day I paint a new plant or animal, or work on a fresh botanical illustration. This means I’m forever creating fresh and original material as content for my feed, so I’m very lucky to have a job that provides this for me.

10) What do you like best about partnering with brands?

I haven’t partnered with any brands as yet, but if anyone out there is interested in using my illustrations on packaging design, in books, or even ordering a limited edition fine art print of any of my illustrations, I’d be happy to hear form them!

Topics:

• Animals & Pets
• Art
• Design
• Education
• Gardening
• Health & Fitness
• Nature & Outdoors

Country:

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland