Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI) | Science Illustration & Visual SciComm

Wendy Hollender is a world-renowned botanical artist and author whose work has been exhibited at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and published in the New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, and numerous other outlets.

A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Hollender is the author of the best-selling books The Joy of Botanical Drawing and Botanical Drawing in Color, and teaches botanical drawing at the New York Botanical Garden and other beautiful venues around the world.

See more about Wendy at www.wendyhollender.com and her educational website www.drawbotanical.com.

Materials List
Materials list:

Pencil sharpener (Recommended:
Desktop pencil sharpener from Muji or other portable pencil sharpener)

Pencil (Recommended: Tombow H graphite 4 pencil)

Eraser (Recommended: Kneaded eraser, Tombow Mono round Zero)

Small see thru Ruler for measuring (Recommended: Westcott See–thru ruler)

Colored pencils (Recommended: Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils—list below refers to Polychromos numbering system, but equivalents are fine.)

Primary and secondary colors:

Cadmium Yellow Lemon 205
Cadmium Yellow 107
Pale Geranium Lake 121
Middle Purple Pink 125
Madder 142
Ultramarine 120
Cobalt Turquoise 153
Dark Cadmium Orange 115
Purple Violet 136
Earth Green Yellowish 168
Permanent Green Olive 167
Earth Green 172

Darks to mix for deep shades:

Dark Sepia 175
Dark Indigo 157
Chrome Oxide Green 278
Red Violet 194
Olive Green Yellowish 173

Lights for tints, highlights, and burnishing:

Warm Grey IV 273
White 101
Ivory 103
Salmon 130
Earth Tones
Burnt Ochre 187
Venetian Red 190
Light Yellow Ochre 183
Burnt Sienna 283

Watercolor pencils or your preferred watercolors (Recommended: Faber-Castell Albrect Dürer watercolor pencils)

Brushes (Recommended: Interlon sizes 0/3, 0, 6, or similar, Pentel waterbrush)

Pens (Recommended: Pieni ballpoint pen, Micron size 05 or smaller)

Palette (Recommended: Sheet of Duralar film)

Embossing tools

Hot press watercolor paper (Recommended: Stonehenge Aqua hot pressed watercolor paper, any size, block or sheets of paper cut to a size between 7 x 10 inches, 12 x 16 inches, 15 x 20 inches)

Verithin pencils:

Dark Brown
Black
Gray 70%

Learn how to use Adobe Illustrator, the industry standard vector graphics software. This program is an essential tool for the professional scientific illustrator. It is the ideal software for design projects, such as illustration layouts, creating infographics, designing logos, and adding titles, labels, and leader lines to illustrations. In this workshop you will learn how to use the important features of Illustrator and develop proficiency with vector graphics.

Recommended experience level: No prior experience through intermediate users

Workshop duration: 8 hours

Registration fee: $120

Rick Simonson is the Founder and President of Science Lab Studios, Inc. With 23 years of experience as a professional scientific illustrator, he specializes in finding creative solutions to visual problems within the scientific and technical industries.

Rick's work has been published in science magazines, research journals, textbooks, laboratory and technical manuals, and featured in gallery exhibits. Furthermore, he has over two decades of university teaching and research experience. He also manages an online learning community that provides training for aspiring and experienced scientific illustrators, as well as those interested in improving their nature artwork skills.

The hit workshop from 2025 Bridgewater returns virtually!

During this two-day workshop, students will be introduced to the history and practice of illustrating fish for scientific purposes from the 18th century to today. The day will begin with a presentation addressing the chronology of scientific illustration specific to fish, with an emphasis on why traditional illustration is still important. Students will then be introduced to the tools, procedures, and best practices for working with specimens in the studio space. The second half of the workshop will be dedicated to guided illustration in a variety of media working with fish specimens.

Participants will be introduced to the history, importance, and contemporary relevance of illustrating fish for scientific purposes. They will also gain the knowledge to both acquire and work with specimens in their own studio using best practices, tools and procedures.

Recommended experience level: No prior experience needed

Workshop duration: 8 hours

Registration fee: $120

This workshop is an overview of my techniques for creating realistic 3D insect models using freely available scan data from antscan.info. The process involves acquiring scan data from antscan.info and importing it into digital sculpting software. I will demonstrate my techniques using Maxon ZBrush as well as a parallel workflow using Blender.

Right now is the perfect time to dive into the world of digital insect modelling! There are so many sources for high quality scan data and the technology improves every day. 3D digital modelling is a great way to explore and promote biodiversity for the scientific community and the general public.

Recommended experience level: Basic, intermediate, or advanced

*Note: This workshop is not a complete introduction to Blender or ZBrush, so while all attendees who have at least a basic familiarity with the software can benefit, some parts of the lesson may feel advanced for inexperienced sculptors.

Workshop duration: 6 hours

Registration fee: $95

I am an Emmy nominated visual effects artist (Wednesday Season 1) who has 25+ years experience as a digital artist for the entertainment industry and the scientific community.

I started out animating science lectures at HHMI in the late 90s and began to focus on entomology around 2010. I have worked on projects for E O Wilson as well as museum displays and the planetarium show "Signs of Life" for Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. I have worked on many Hollywood productions for TV and feature films. Recently I have worked with Thomas Van Derkamp on a series of workshops on how to use high quality 3d scans of insects to create models for illustrations, animation, and 3D printing. I have also given workshops for artists at the Smithsonian Institute.

I currently live in La Rochelle, France with my wife and daughter.

Mark is a scientific illustrator and information designer who joined Quanta Magazine as Graphics Editor in 2024. His background as an astrobiologist working with NASA Ames inspired his passion for using visual storytelling to convey complex scientific ideas. Mark’s work has been featured in publications such as Scientific American and Nautilus Magazine, as well as in scientific journals, institutional campaigns, and museum exhibitions worldwide. Originally from Canada, he owns and operates "artsci studios", where he aims to make science more accessible through a variety of visual media ranging from illustrations to interactive web experiences.

In this workshop, I will share my approach to developing illustrations for publication, focusing on how scientific ideas are translated into clear, engaging visual narratives. I will walk through my process for thinking about science literacy, from initial research and gathering visual references to brainstorming and refining concepts into final compositions.

Using selected portfolio pieces, I will demonstrate how complex scientific information can be shaped into compelling, accessible graphics. The session offers an inside look at my design methodology and invites discussion around the challenge of balancing accuracy, clarity, and visual impact in scientific illustration.

Recommended experience level: No prior experience needed

Workshop duration: 1 hour

Registration fee: $20

Visual SciComm Conference

Workshops

Creating a Detailed Botanical Painting with Colored Pencil & Watercolor in a Multi-Focal Point Composition

Adobe Illustrator for Beginners

Illustrating Fishes—History and Techniques

Introduction to 3D Digital Insect Modelling with AntScan

Beyond Accuracy: Creating Compelling Scientific Illustrations

Materials List

Materials List

Materials List

Materials List

Materials List

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