With the publication of the first comprehensive guide to Britain’s bees for more than a century, the illustrator considers the challenges, and pleasures, of depicting this important group of insects.
Whether it is the intricacies of the wings of a dragonfly or the dazzling iridescence of a Rose Chafer’s elytra, illustrating insects is a challenge, and each insect order requires a slightly different approach. The combination of shape, colour and texture, the three elements that combine to make life-like portrayals, are in abundance in the world of invertebrates, and it is something that has preoccupied and fascinated me throughout my working life.