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Book Review - Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 20:57:43 GMT

Little Beasts has abundant, detailed images and essays tracing European natural history’s evolution from the 15th–17th centuries. It highlights Flemish artists Joris Hoefnagel and Jan van Kessel’s influential work, showing how art helped document and disseminate knowledge of nature’s diversity during the Renaissance.

Cover of Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World

By Alexandra Libby, Brooks Rich, and Stacey Sell (editors) with essay by Brian W. Ogilvie. Published: May 20, 2025 by The National Gallery of Art in association with Princeton University Press

More than two thirds of this lovely publication is filled with full pages of images and details of the watercolors, oil paintings, etchings, engravings, and woodcuts selected to illustrate Little Beasts’ central themes: the evolution of natural history in Europe beginning in the 15th century, and the work of Joris Hoefnagel and Jan van Kessel the Elder, two Flemish artists and contributors to the discipline of descriptive natural history during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Several illustrations of work by Dürer, Hooke , Aldrovandi, Gessner, Bol, di Liagno, and others are included in the publication to highlight the types of images that were being produced and incorporated into the growing number of books being acquired by universities, naturalists, collectors, catalogers, and classifiers of animals, plants, and minerals as interest in natural history grew during the Renaissance period of Western Europe. These illustrations and books played a significant role in disseminating information about exotic, non-European flora and fauna that were being brought into Europe from all over the world. Illustrations, reprinted in multiple publications and copied multiple times by multiple artists, were sought after by collectors and creators of cabinets of curiosity.

Jan van Kessel the Elder, Insects and a Sprig of Rosemary, 1653, oil on copper. 4.5" x 5.5"(11.5 x 14 cm) National Gallery of Art, The Richard C. Von Hess Foundation, Nell and Robert Weidenhammer Fund, Barry D. Friedman, and Friends of Dutch Art. 2018.41.1

Hoefnagel (1542–1601) and van Kessel (1626–1679) accessed these prints and publications as they explored the intersection of art and science through their interests in depicting denizens of the natural world—insects, reptiles, mammals, fish, birds—as realistically as possible. Images from these artists’ brushes are included as endpapers, as hidden double fore-edge paintings under the gilt edges of the book block, as delightful little beasts crawling across pages of text, and as full-page cited illustrations plus details from their works of art.

Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World was published as the companion to the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., exhibit of the same name. The exhibit, curated by Alexander Libby, Brooks Rich, and Stacy Sell, was comprised of specimens from the collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 80 works of art, and The Four Elements —four volumes containing hundreds of Joris Hoefnagel’s original watercolors on parchment from the drawing collection of the National Gallery. Several images and details of Hoefnagel’s original watercolor paintings from the volumes are included in Little Beasts the book. The original paintings in the volume Ignis (fire) are life-size depictions of insects, sometimes incorporating complete dragonfly wings or transfer prints of butterfly wings—a technique known as lepidochromy. Images in the other three volumes, Terra (earth), Aqua (water), and Aier (air), are miniatures of multiple animals depicted in somewhat naturalistic settings and classified by the element in which they were found. Terra covers “elephants to insects”, Aqua has “water animals”, and Aier includes birds and bats. Ignis, inexplicably, is the element containing primarily insects. The illustrations in Ignis were painted directly from live or preserved insects. Animals depicted in the other volumes were copied mostly from other sources and arranged to create vignettes enclosed in ovals drawn with gold paint. The insects are also arranged aesthetiacally and framed in gold ovals. The Four Elements was created as a personal project by Hoefnagel that he shared with friends and colleagues.

Joris Hoefnagel, Hairy Dragonfly and Two Darters (Ignis, Plate 54), c.1575/1590s. Transparent and opaque watercolor, dragonfly wings, oval border in gold on parchment. 5.625”x 7.25” (14.3 x 18.4 cm). National Gallery of Art, Gift of Mrs. Lessing J. Rosenwald 1987.20.5.55

Detail of Ignis, Plate 54, (lower right Darter) showing dragonfly wings (degrading) adhered on top of watercolor painting of body and shadow.

In his opening essay “Natural History in the European Renaissance” Brian W. Ogilvie, professor and chair of the Department of History at University of Massachusetts Amherst, takes the reader through the origins and early advancements of natural history. Ogilvie reminds us of the fundamental role art played in the development of the new science of studying the natural world while pointing out that the curiosity and wonder driving the growth of science and art during Europe’s Renaissance period were fueled by the flood of unfamiliar plants, animals, pigments, and other goods coming into Europe from colonial and commercial expansion and exploitation—there is a moral cost of curiosity that deserves awareness and recognition.

Stacey Sell, associate curator of old-master drawings at the National Gallery, provides an overview of the artists and scientists who influenced the life and work of Joris Hoefnagel in her chapter “‘Through Such Variety, Nature is Beautiful’: Joris Hoefnagel, The Four Elements , and Natural History”. Sell covers details about the references, techniques, and materials Hoefnagel used to create his paintings in The Four Elements. For Ignis , Hoefnagel departed from the then-customary themes of natural history to concentrate on the uncharted topic of little beasts, i.e., insects. Along with his use of watercolors to illustrate these little beasts, Hoefnagel experimented with the use of metallic paints to create the look of iridescence, the use of tinted resins and gums to impart shine to insect eyes and wings, the incorporation of wings and scales in depictions of Odonata and Lepidoptera, and painting insects on blank backgrounds where the shadows they cast were painted in to create a life-like quality to the illustrations.

Jacob Hoefnagel, after Joris Hoefnagel, part 1, plate 1 from Archetypa studiaque patris Georgii Hoefnagelii, 1592, engraving 6.125” x 8.1875” (15.5 x 20.8 cm). National Gallery of Art, Gift of Mrs. Lessing J. Rosenwald. 1987.20.9.2

In the chapter “Survival of the Finest: Animals in Early Modern Intaglio Print Series”, Brooks Rich, associate curator of Old Master and 19th century prints at the National Gallery, looks at Hoefnagel’s move toward monetizing his original work through use of the intaglio printmaking techniques of etching and engraving. Working with his printmaker son, Jacob Hoefnagel, the images printed were not direct copies from images in The Four Elements but compositions depicting animals and little beasts with plants and other creatures. The Hoefnagels’ approach diverged from the style of animal prints of the time with the inclusion of “flower, fruits, and nuts” and a selection of other organisms. Beginning in 1592, a series of these compositions were reproduced and made accessible and affordable to a wide audience including print collectors. Hoefnagel was just one of several artists of his time to embrace working with printmakers. Rich provides a history of the growth of printmaking and use by artists through the 17th century and points out how creating and distributing prints of original work provided many artists with a source of income, increased fame, and contributed to their legacy. The distribution of printed images also contributed to growth and transfer of knowledge and natural history as a discipline.

Circle of Jan van Kessel the Elder, Study of Birds and Monkey, 1660/1670, oil on copper, 4.25” x 6.75” (10.5 x 17.2 cm). National Gallery of Art, Gift of John Dimick. 1983.19.1

Alexandra Libby, senior administrator of collections and initiative for the National Gallery of Art, provides the closing chapter “‘Monstrous Creatures and Diverse Strange Things": The Art of Jan van Kessel”. Van Kessel was a talented painter, a member of the renowned Brueghel family of artists, and was registered as an apprentice in the Antwerp Painters Guild when he was eight years old. Born well after Joris Hoefnagel’s death, van Kessel was nonetheless influenced by Hoefnagel’s work and became a celebrated painter of insects and little beasts in his own right. Van Kessel painted his insects life size on postcard-size copper plates using oils and metallic pigments. Painting from real, possibly some live, specimens van Kessel depicted insect behaviors, sexual differences, life stages, non-European insects, and groups of different species together along with plants, shells, and other creatures. Although it is not known what magnification tools van Kessel may have used, it is likely that he had access to advanced optical technologies that were not available during Hoefnagel’s life. Van Kessel worked during a time of “early modern luxury culture” when premiums were paid for rare, foreign, and finely crafted items that collectors wanted to include in their rooms and cabinets of curiosities. About 120 van Kessel small paintings on copper are known to still exist out of the more than 700 he created. Libby points out that van Kessel’s work in natural history was an extension of the tradition of exchanging of ideas, observations, and knowledge between artists and natural scientists.

This book, Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World , is a pleasure to hold, flip through, closely look at the multitude of illustrations, as well as read. The list of illustrations provides useful information on materials used by the various artists represented. Little Beasts should be of interest to artists, illustrators, art historians, historians of science and natural history, and book arts enthusiasts. Available as a hardback and in electronic formats, Little Beasts the book will remain relevant and memorable long after Little Beasts the exhibit has been taken down and packed away.

Edge painting on the pages of the book.

Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World

By Alexandra Libby, Brooks Rich, and Stacey Sell (editors) with essay by Brian W. Ogilvie

Published: May 20, 2025 by The National Gallery of Art in association with Princeton University Press

Size: 8 x 9 inches, 224 pages, 150 illustrations

Hardcover: ISBN 978-0-691-27130-9

eBook: ISBN 978-0-691-27131-6

Available in hard copy or electronic form from The Gallery Shop , National Gallery of Art and Princeton University Press . The exhibit Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World was on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. May 18th through November 2nd, 2025.

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 57, No. 2, 2025.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 57, No. 2: Abstracts

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 01:56:27 GMT

Welcome to the second edition of 2025!

This issue highlights the breadth of contemporary natural science illustration—from personal sketchbook practice to anatomy education, climate-science communication, art history, and bioarchaeological reconstruction. Articles explore teaching comparative vertebrate anatomy online, creating effective climate visuals, understanding early natural-history illustration through a review of Little Beasts , and using illustration, genetics, and 3D modeling to reconstruct a medieval skull.

Log into your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2025 Vol. 57, No. 2

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Pages from my Sketchbook — Jennifer Lucas

Jennifer Lucas shares sketchbook pages that act as a visual diary of daily observations, walks, travels, and teaching moments. Her sketches blend memory, place, and personal reflection, demonstrating how sketchbooks support both artistic growth and connection to the natural world.

Teaching Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy — Dino Pulerà

Dino Pulerà describes designing and teaching a new online course on comparative vertebrate anatomy for artists, combining traditional drawing, digital media, and classic anatomical references. He details the curriculum, resources, challenges of remote teaching, and his process of creating original anatomical illustrations to deepen student understanding.

Book Review: Little Beasts: Art, Wonder, and the Natural World — Review by Julianne Snider (open access)

This review explores a richly illustrated book examining early European natural history and the detailed insect and animal paintings of Joris Hoefnagel and Jan van Kessel. Julianne highlights how the book contextualizes Renaissance curiosity, the growth of scientific illustration, and the artistic techniques that shaped early natural-history documentation.

Visuals as a Catalyst for Climate Science Communication, Part 2 — Kalliopi Monoyios, Kirsten Carlson, Taina Litwak, Tania Marien, Fiona Martin

The authors explain what makes climate visuals effective, emphasizing emotional engagement, cultural relevance, transparency about scientific processes, and the use of metaphor and storytelling. They argue that thoughtful visual communication can combat climate fatigue, build trust, and inspire action when paired with community-centered approaches and hopeful solutions.

Resurrecting the Past: From Medieval Skulls to 3D Faces — Victoria Kayser-Cuny

Victoria Kayser-Cuny outlines her interdisciplinary process for reconstructing a medieval skull using osteometry, ancient DNA analysis, observational drawing, 3D modeling, and facial reconstruction techniques. She also introduces her broader research into “genomathematics” and mirror-genome models, which expand illustration into a tool for visualizing alternative evolutionary possibilities.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 57, No. 2, 2025.

Visuals as a Catalyst for Climate Science Communication - Part 1

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 06:55:24 GMT

Visuals as a Catalyst for Climate Science Communication - Part 1

/July 15, 2025

Speaker: Taina Litwak (featured) and Fiona Martin

During the pandemic, five GNSI members (Kalliopi Monoyios, Kirsten Carlson, Taina Litwak, Tania Marien, and Fiona Martin) coauthored article about visual climate science communication, published in an open-access book by Springer. We’ll delve into our process behind the article, and our analysis of what is working and what is not. As SciComm professionals, we have a unique opportunity to transcend language and cultural barriers, learning differences, and knowledge or skill gaps.

Well-designed visuals can deepen engagement, combat climate issues fatigue, improve decision-making, and encourage people to act in a way that makes sense to them and their community. Taina, a Science Illustrator recently with USDA and Fiona, Graphic Artist and Science Illustrator at The Seattle Time will discuss visual science career paths with communication teams in academia, government, and formal and informal education and the growing need for illustrations and visualizations of climate science. They will break down some practical strategies for creating more effective, engaging climate visuals, and how to represent abstract, often invisible processes. They will share examples of successful (and unsuccessful) climate graphics, as well as opportunities for collaboration.

Visuals as a Catalyst for Climate Science Communication - Part 2

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 06:53:27 GMT

Visuals as a Catalyst for Climate Science Communication - Part 2

/July 15, 2025

Speaker: Taina Litwak (featured) and Fiona Martin

An Artist Guide to the AI Landscape

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 06:12:08 GMT

An Artist Guide to the AI Landscape

July 14, 2025

Speaker: Jordan Jefferson

We’ll introduce the fundamentals of generative AI, exploring the technology, terminology, and history. We’ll also examine the current legal landscape and address ethical issues, including privacy, copyright, and accountability. Participants will leave with a foundational understanding of generative AI and its ethical implications, which will help to equip attendees to navigate the complexities of using generative AI tools in their work.

Biography:

Jordan Jefferson is the Director at the Lynne L. Pantalena Law Library and an Associate Professor at the Quinnipiac University School of Law. She writes and presents issues surrounding technology, pedagogy, and service improvement in law and law libraries, and envisions academic law libraries as being at the crossroads of community and knowledge. Professor Jefferson’s legal research interests have a particular focus on criminal justice and access to justice, military and veterans’ issues, and LGBTQIA+ and women’s rights. She currently teaches the courses, Understanding AI: Promises and Pitfalls in the Legal Profession and Introduction to Legal Research and Information Literacy.

Member Spotlight: Deborah K. Haines (Deb)

Sat, 17 May 2025 01:20:15 GMT

Deb Haines. Portrait by Phil Snow-UTCVM medical photographer

Those of us who have a love of science and art—and refuse to give up one for the other—eventually find the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI), or their compadres in Europe through AEIMS (1) . Those specializing in human medicine in North America gravitate to the AMI (2) , or in Europe to the IMI (3) and MAA (4) .

I was fortunate to find the Guild early when seeking how I could combine both loves. I was the kid who loved biology, geology, dissection, and researching to figure out how things worked, whether in the physical or the mechanical world.

I also loved to draw. My influences have been varied and include artisans, instructors, faculty, peers, and people who like to experiment with new media (whether traditional or computer). The Guild has been crucial in the role of education and sharing knowledge. The beauty of the Guild is the variety of expertise and how others are using their skills to promote science.

A STORIED CAREER

Timing, location, and a bit of luck go into career endeavors, but to achieve anything one must be willing to explore, take some risks, and adjust. Before heading down the path we call scientific illustration, I was looking at three different paths: would I choose art administration, art therapy, or medical illustration as my choice of vocation? After undergraduate school I worked in a regional hospital in an innovative Cultural Arts Program and with the Rehabilitation unit (PT/OT/Speech). Tasked with researching art therapy, I developed the ART CART. This program created an art gallery within the hospital focused on regional artists and brought hospital patients out of their rooms for weekly cultural presentations.

Internal Mandibular Anesthesia Block. Illustration shows innervation of location to administer anesthesia with open-mouth procedure.Designed to teach DVM students proper placement of anesthesia for an internal mandibular block. Created for Dr. Ralph Harvey by Deborah K. Haines ©2015 The University of Tennessee.

Goniometric Studies of the Equine Limb. One of a series of line drawings created to show range of motion (extension and flexion) of both forelimb and hind limb for Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. All illustrations drawn to scale to ensure accuracy along with goniometric scale. Use of pen and ink, scanning and Adobe Illustrator for the goniometer. Series created by Deborah K. Haines for a research article written by Drs. Steve Adair (UTCVM) and Denis Little (at the time NC State). ©2013 The University of Tennessee

I soon realized my interests gravitated toward medical illustration as a goal. I moved to Indianapolis, met well known teacher Craig Gosling, and—with some perseverance—was hired as a Graphic Artist at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Gosling introduced me to GNSI. I had taken a scientific illustration course and realized it wasn’t only about the ability to draw—there was so much to learn. I added courses to increase my knowledge. Around 1985, Gosling purchased the first Mac SE. He placed it near my workstation, so off I went exploring and taught myself the first version of Cricket Graph®, PageMaker®, and Adobe Illustrator®. It was a great experience as I worked with three medical illustrators, five graphic artists, four medical photographers, a medical sculptor, and a variety of doctors from all specializations (clinical and research).

It was through hard work and kindness of others that I was able to attend the MFA program in Medical and Biological Illustration at the University of Michigan under Professors Denis Lee, Gerald Hodge and Christopher Burke. Faculty and students were exploring first versions of computer graphics. From these explorations I gained an interest in animation. Post graduation I traveled to Tucson, Arizona, to work for a small innovative company doing accident reconstruction and medical-legal work. This was when all 3D computer generated objects were developed from scratch and straight from code. I researched and created storyboards and medical illustrations for various courtroom animations and demonstrative evidence boards. My next jump was back east to Knoxville to work at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Tennessee in 1993.

My goal has always been to be in environments that allow me to stretch, sometimes fall forward, but always to grow. By volunteering with professional organizations like GNSI, I have developed skills that I would have typically avoided. I encourage all our members to consider volunteering as much as they are able. I have been fortunate to have great mentors and friends, but the most valuable will always be the professional friendships. In most cases I have been the sole medical-scientific illustrator and bio-visualization specialist in my work. My peers have kept me current on trends and issues, provided constructive criticism, and advised me when an outside perspective was required.

Look to others to not just pat you on the back, but also for the reviews and comments that we need to grow. Even a seed, when watered, must push its way through dirt to see the sunlight and from the sunlight be energized to grow and flourish. As the cycle continues, the plant gives back by throwing out more seeds. Whether you are a new seed just planted, being watered, and starting to germinate, or sharing seeds of your expertise, please participate in any way you feel comfortable. Come develop amazing, talented friendships as a member of the Guild.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

You may ask, “Who is Deb Haines?” I grew up in the land of the Buckeyes (5) to a mother who emphasized education and a father who said, “Have you solved the problem? What are your options?” At four years of age, I wanted to be a doctor and carried around my plastic medical bag, while my cousin wore his complete cowboy outfit. I cannot remember a time when my family didn’t have a dog or wasn’t taking care of birds. There were always pets in the extended family, both large animals and small. I continue to collect both domestic animals and wildlife. I still have Encyclopedia of Animals, the first book that my older brother and I pored over as children. He was a much better artist than me. (Healthy competition, criticism, and praise never hurt anyone.) The book had a dictionary at the back with black-and-white coquille illustrations of animals. Did I know what a coquille drawing was at the time? No, but I would look at them for hours. What was my first scientific illustration? I copied the nervous system of the grasshopper at age 11.

As I continued through middle and high school I had amazing math, science, and art teachers. But my education wasn’t just in the classroom; my brother and I experienced it. Our family camped across America (United States and Canada) which is how I experienced history and geography. On one camping trip out west, we stopped in Nebraska or Kansas (6) and by the end of the two days I had “collected” over 50 pounds of sandstone rocks that I put in the trunk (boot) of the car. (Not something that would be acceptable today—do not take things out of state or national parks please.) Mom wanted to throw them out, but Dad said, “Leave her be; it’s not hurting anything.” The car hauled those rocks further west and then back home. Now that I think about it, the trunk wasn’t as low when we arrived back home. Mom may have dropped some out along the way. Another memorable camping trip was at age 13 in the Tetons (7) . At dusk, while Mom and Dad were setting camp, my brother and I went exploring. We took a shortcut through a grove of woods back to our campsite and came upon a moose. We were about 10 feet apart and I was mesmerized. This was no Bullwinkle, and I was stoked!

Equine Regenerative Medicine. First of three panels for an educational display on use of stem cells in veterinary medicine. Created by Deborah K. Haines for Drs. Dennis Geiser and Madhu Dhar, UTCVM Regenerative Medicine Research. ©2012-2013 The University of Tennessee.

More siblings came along, and at that time we were a one-income family. Summers were for planting and growing—digging in the dirt, planting seed. We were what people call urban farmers, and as kids we could choose our favorite vegetable or fruit to grow and tend. The earliest science question: What happens when you don’t water your plant? I think around that time I created my first botanical illustration, a painting of a dandelion in the style of a famous artist; I chose van Gogh.

LESSONS LEARNED

I was told from an early age that learning was my responsibility. I have been fortunate that I was encouraged to learn from whoever was the most talented, within reach. There was a small public library across the field from our house where I borrowed books once a week. Our summers were outside, but when it rained we were inside reading. If we asked for an answer from Mom, we knew her response would be, “Have you looked it up?”

I had to learn, as an introvert, that my fear was often mistaken as ego by others. That appearance of ego (my fear) had to be placed on the back burner to excel. Striving for perfection could be a goal, but mistakes made along the way were part of the learning process; in other words, let curiosity pursue discovery. My uncle used to tell me, “One size doesn’t fit all, find your best fit.” Recognize that interest and focus may change over time, adapt. For instance, I have watched veterinary students as they began the curriculum tell me their career goals, but often with other experiences they redirect to a different path.

They also ask my favorite question: WHY?

Why does it work that way?
Why should we do it one way over another?
Why did they make that decision?
Why was that question on the test? That diagram doesn’t make sense.

This can lead to their next question: WHAT?

What would make it better?
What makes things tick?
What made them go in that direction instead of another?
What is the purpose of the [fill in the blank]?

Whiplash. Researched, wrote script, storyboarded and developed the base art for animation incorporated into whiplash video. Illustrations show base art used in animation reveal of the muscles in the human neck and shoulders, posterior view. Canson Mi-Tientes® and Crescent® board, airbrush, cut paper, Berol-Prismacolor® pencils. ©1992 Deborah K. Haines.

I believe we are born with curiosities embedded in our DNA. From watching my Dad build a tail-dragger biplane and letting me design the paint job, to helping measure a car so I could draw a figure to scale within the cross section showing the process of injury for an accident reconstruction case, or by dissecting a bird to understand how the amazing avian respiratory system works—the WHY, the WHAT, and the HOW questions are at the core of our work. To paraphrase Buzz Lightyear, we are natural explorers whether on the micro, macro, or universe level and beyond. As scientific/medical illustrators and biovisualization specialists we hope by asking those questions, it pushes us to create illustrations that illuminate. Sometimes the simplest illustration is the hardest to create because in its simplicity a flaw stands out. Decisions on what to include and what to take away are essential for the essence to be conveyed. But that is also part of the process of learning, improving, and sharing knowledge. Are we asking the right questions? Have we used the most current knowledge, and does our scientific illustration help someone understand the concept, the problem, or analyze a potential outcome/solution?

Third Eyelid Repair- Nictating Membrane. Final suture step to close repair. One of a series of ophthalmological surgical illustrations to accompany book chapters by Drs. Dan Ward and Diane Hendrix in Gelatt’s Veterinary Ophthalmology, 2nd–4th editions and Essentials of Veterinary Ophthalmology, 1st edition. Carbon pencil and Faber-Castell® pencils on BFK Rives® paper.Illustration by Deborah K. Haines ©1997 The University of Tennessee.

Avian Crop Anatomy. Part of a series of five illustrations for an article by Dr. Isabelle Langlois of North American Clinics about the anatomy and physiology of the avian gut. Pen and ink on Denril®. Illustration by Deborah K. Haines ©2002 The University of Tennessee.

Cartoon illustration “Who’z Bad?” created for Dr. Michael P. Jones, Avian/Exotics DVM, to describe behaviors of different avian species. Final image created in Photoshop. Illustration by Deborah K. Haines ©2007 The University of Tennessee.

Is WHY still my favorite question? Yes, and I still collect a rock, shell, or bone from wherever I have visited or lived. I still love to figure out how things tick and to dissect anything and everything (animal, plant, or mineral). I never thought veterinary medical illustrations would be my vocation, but it’s been 31 years and counting. Any critter, domestic or wild, will do. I love to travel to learn about different cultures; we may live in different places, but we still have the same basic needs and desires. Technology and other factors often drive change, but don’t forget to get outside, go exploring, do your research, take a sketchbook, and make some observations. My grandfather saw the first airplane fly and built a model; my other grandfather helped build Secret City (Oak Ridge, Tennessee). My parents saw the transformation of land speed records and space exploration. As a child I saw the first man walk on the moon, the space station built, and huge leaps in science, medicine, and technology. History tells us humans can create and solve problems. Let’s illustrate solutions for our time. Hmm…I wonder, can I one day collect a moon rock?

1 AEIMS: Association Européenne des Illustrateurs Médicaux et Scientifiques, https://www.aeims.eu/

2 AMI: Association of Medical Illustrators, https://www.ami.org/

3 IMI: Institute of Medical Illustrators, https://www.imi.org.uk/

4 MAA: Medical Artists’ Association, https://maa.org.uk/

5. Ohio is known as the Buckeye State.

6. Locations for Niobrara Chalk formations: https://www.nps.gov/niob/learn/nature/geologicformations.htm https://www.nature.org/en-us/search/? q=Little%20Jerusalem%20Badlands%20State%20Park https://outdoornebraska.gov/location/indian-cave/ https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nebraska/sandstone-formations-toadstool-park-ne/

7. The Teton Range is located in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Article originally from the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 57, No. 1, 2025

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 57, No. 1: Abstracts

Fri, 16 May 2025 01:21:52 GMT

Welcome to the first edition of 202 5!

Welcome to the Journal of Natural Science Illustration Volume 57, Number 1, 2025. Bea Martin opens the issue with her reflections on sketching in Alaska’s Kootznoowoo Wilderness, blending sustainability and deep observation. Kalliopi Monoyios, along with Kirsten Carlson, Taina Litwak, Tania Marien, and Fiona Martin, delivers a compelling argument for the power of visuals in climate communication and the vital role of visual science communicators in today’s world. Emma Regnier and Karin von May celebrate the creativity and precision of CSUMB’s 2024 science illustration graduates, while Stephen DiCerbo invites us to reconnect and learn at the upcoming Visual SciComm Conference. We also meet incoming GNSI president Deb Haines, profiled by Deborah K. Haines, whose career bridges medicine, veterinary science, and leadership.

Log into your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2025 Vol. 57, No. 1

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Editor’s Note — Fiona Martin

Fiona Martin reflects on the evolving role of science illustration, emphasizing its power to communicate complex ideas in an emotionally resonant, accessible way, highlighting the importance of this now in the midst of a challenging and unpredictable political and social climate.

Sketching On Location — Bea Martin

Bea Martin recounts her time as an artist-in-residence in Alaska’s Kootznoowoo Wilderness, where she embraced minimal equipment and sustainable practices. Her experience highlights the power of daily sketching and immersion in nature to build observational skills and deepen environmental awareness.

Visuals as a Catalyst for Climate Science Communication, Part 1 — Kalliopi Monoyios, Kirsten Carlson, Taina Litwak, Tania Marien, Fiona Martin

This comprehensive article explores how visual science communicators make climate data accessible, memorable, and emotionally compelling. It emphasizes the urgent need to integrate illustrators into science communication teams across academia, government, and media to foster public engagement and drive action.

Illustrating Nature: CSUMB Science Illustration Graduate Program Class of 2024 — Emma Regnier and Karin von May

This feature showcases the diverse, imaginative work of graduates from California State University Monterey Bay’s science illustration program. The students blend technical skill and artistic flair to interpret complex natural subjects, demonstrating the next generation’s creative potential.

A Look Ahead at the 2025 Visual SciComm Conference — Stephen DiCerbo

Stephen DiCerbo previews the upcoming in-person GNSI Visual Science Communication Conference at Bridgewater State University. The article highlights workshops, networking opportunities, and a renewed sense of community after years of virtual-only events.

Member Spotlight — Deborah K. Haines (Open Access)

This profile of new GNSI president Deb Haines traces her path from veterinary and medical illustration to leadership within the Guild. Her story underscores the importance of interdisciplinary skills and lifelong learning in a science illustration career.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 57, No. 1, 2025.

Yale Peabody Museum Natural Science Illustration Program

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 23:39:25 GMT

September 2024 marks the fifteenth year of the Yale Peabody Museum’s Natural Science Illustration Program. The program was launched in 2009 by four professional artists and members of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators: Cindy Gilbane, Susannah Graedel, Dorie Petrochko, and Jan Prentice.

Founders and instructors of the Yale Peabody Museum’s Natural Science Illustration Program. Bottom row: Jan Prentice, Dorie Petrochko. Top row: Linda Miller, Susannah Graedel, Cindy Gilbane.

Three of our founders earned their certificates in Botanical and Natural Science Illustration at the New York Botanical Garden. Dorie, Linda, and Jan were also long-time Peabody volunteers which led to their eventual collaboration with the museum. Classes were originally taught at the museum in New Haven and then at Yale’s West Campus Educational Center in Orange, Connecticut. In more recent years, the program has grown to include students from 38 U.S. states and 12 countries, as well as 16 instructors.

Classes have always been natural science–based, and students of all levels of ability are encouraged to participate. The program offers both online and in-person classes including Drawing, Watercolor, Colored Pencil, Pen and Ink, Mixed Media, Drawing and Painting Birds, Insects, Gems and Minerals, Vertebrate Anatomy, Plant Morphology, Digital Illustration, Marketing for Artists, Composition and Design, and others. Students taking classes at the museum may take advantage of the opportunity to use museum specimens from the Peabody’s vast collections as inspirations for their work.

Classes are challenging and the results are impressive. The program enjoys a large following of students, many of whom have previous art or science backgrounds. One student commented, “Each course has nudged me beyond what I thought myself capable of. I cannot say how valuable and important this program has become in my life.”

Learn More about Yale Peabody Museum’s Natural Science Illustration Program at peabody.yale.edu/education/adult-programs/nsi

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 56, No. 2, 2024.

Drawing Nature: The Creative Process of an Artist, Illustrator, and Naturalist by Linda Miller Feltner

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 18:24:03 GMT

The title seems to indicate this is yet another drawing instruction manual, but the author, Linda Miller Feltner, instead invites us to join her on a lifelong journey in artistic fulfillment through personal discovery.

Cover of Drawing Nature: The Creative Process of an Artist, Illustrator, and Naturalist, by Linda Miller Feltner. Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2024.

"Saguaro Sentinel.” Watercolor on Fabriano Artistico®, 2014. A old Saguaro is perfect for a roosting elf owl and hidden insect waiting for nightfall.

Elf owl (Micrathene whitneyi).

A ringtail in the classroom, a nocturnal native of Arizona.

The inspiration behind Feltner's prolific career is her childlike fascination with nature. She begins the book by examining a shed feather and asking why it is curved and how that might benefit its wearer. Feltner has a particular affinity for birds and will bring live raptors from a rehabilitator to her drawing classes. Although she offers some drawing tips such as proportional measurements and cognizance of internal structures, the primary purpose for these visits is for the students to fully realize the crucial necessity of drawing from the living animal. She cajoles her students to keep their pencils on the paper, for even the most unfinished gesture drawing can reveal the distinctive fluidity of an animal's motion.

Feltner then explains how raw sketches can be refined for inclusion in a painting. Museum specimens and photo references are invaluable for providing those important details that add to the credibility of an image. As the work progresses, she suggests the use of tracing paper overlays for corrections and additions, thus eliminating erasing and losing the spontaneity of the initial drawing beneath. Planning more complex paintings requires careful notan and value studies before color ever touches paper.

Feltner's paintings are executed primarily in transparent watercolor and sometimes gouache, but much of her career has involved producing commissioned illustrations on scratchboard. She outlines the steps involved in accepting an assignment, learning as much as possible about a subject (even to wading in a swamp to gather information), then collaborating with the curator/writer/designer and making many revisions as the work progresses and each stage is approved. Feltner's list of clients is impressive. She has done small illustrations for numerous publications to large interpretive signage and murals for local, state, and national parks, sometimes including portrayals of massive landscapes. She is involved in conservation efforts and has donated her artwork to natural restoration efforts.

The boxing caterpillar.

Regal horned lizard (Phrynosoma solare).

Not many artists would be willing to divulge their entire creative process, from the wellsprings of their deepest inspiration through the steps to final production. They might lack the command of language to do so, or feel too vulnerable by such exposure, leaving the artwork to speak for itself. Feltner not only enthusiastically shares her artistic journey, but she personalizes it by her own script that graces many of the pages.

This delightful romp through an artist's life is a feast for the eyes and an inspiration for the soul.

Contemplating insects on a thistle. Ink and watercolor.

Drawings and studies are on Canson Montval Watercolor Sketchbook. 140 lb. (300g) cold press, unless otherwise noted.

Drawing Nature: The Creative Process of an Artist, Illustrator, and Naturalist, by Linda Miller Feltner.

Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 2024.

Hardcover: 227 pages

ISBN-13: 978-0691255385

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 56, No. 2, 2024.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 56, No. 2: Abstracts

jlucjen@me.com — Sat, 28 Dec 2024 18:29:01 GMT

Welcome to the second edition of 2024!

The second 2024 issue of The Journal features a medical illustrator's journey into printmaking with step-by-step techniques, a review of Linda Feltner's book on her creative process, insights into Catherine Hu's mentorship of Scientific Illustration interns at the Field Museum, and an exploration of Yale Peabody's Natural Scientific Illustration program.

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Nature and Anatomy:

From the Computer to the Printing Press

— Caroline Erolin

Caroline's path to printmaking began with a passion for realistic wildlife art, developed further in medical illustration, and ultimately evolved into a deep engagement with printmaking. Inspired by anatomy and nature, this artist creates linocuts, wood engravings, and etching works that blend scientific detail with artistic expression. With renewed freedom, they depict wildlife subjects with anatomical twists, exploring complex themes through various print techniques and materials, while maintaining safety practices in each medium.

Book Review:

Drawing Nature: The Creative Process of an Artist, Illustrator, and Naturalist

by Linda Miller Feltner (open a ccess)

— Reviewed by Nancy Halliday, Member, SAA, GNSI, NAGMA

Linda Miller Feltner’s book goes beyond a simple drawing manual, inviting readers on her lifelong artistic journey fueled by a deep love for nature. With a particular fascination for birds, she emphasizes drawing from live animals to capture their essence and fluidity, and she guides students through techniques for refining sketches and planning paintings. Feltner’s book combines technical instruction with personal insights, offering both inspiration and practical advice on creating authentic, conservation-minded artwork.

Nurturing the Next Generation of Scientific Illustrators

— Catherine Hu

This story traces the author’s unexpected journey into scientific illustration, which began with observing plant details during an ecological internship and evolved into a rewarding career blending art and science. Now an ecologist at the Field Museum, the author supervises an intern program supported by a conservation grant, guiding early career artists to explore native plant and pollinator relationships through illustration. The program combines scientific accuracy with creative expression to raise public awareness and offers participants unique professional and artistic development opportunities.

Yale Peabody Museum Natural Science Illustration Program (open access)

— Dorie Petrochko

The Yale Peabody Museum's Natural Science Illustration Program celebrates its 15th anniversary in September 2024. Established in 2009 by four professional artists and Guild of Natural Science Illustrators members, the program began with a focus on natural science and botanical illustration. Originally held at the museum in New Haven and Yale's West Campus, it now serves a global audience with students from 38 U.S. states and 12 countries and offers a variety of online and in-person classes. Courses include drawing, watercolor, digital illustration, vertebrate anatomy, and more, using museum specimens for inspiration.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 56, No. 2, 2024.

Botanical Sketching at the U.S. Botanical Gardens: A Creative Reunion

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 02:06:54 GMT

On a crisp Saturday afternoon, November 16th, a group of enthusiastic artists and nature lovers came together in Washington, D.C., for a long-awaited botanical sketching event.

Organized by the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI) DC Chapter, this gathering marked a joyful return to in-person activities after several years of limited events, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nearly 20 participants, including GNSI members and friends, met at the stunning U.S. Botanical Garden, a glass-enclosed haven situated within view of the Capitol Building. The group included attendees from as far away as Richmond, Virginia, eager to spend three hours exploring and sketching the garden’s diverse biomes and plant collections.

Throughout the afternoon, participants roamed the gardens, settling to sketch the intricate details of the plants around them. Intermittent group check-ins offered opportunities to share drawings, exchange ideas, and reconnect with old friends—or forge new connections. Despite the collaborative spirit, the event also provided moments of quiet, meditative sketching that appealed to both seasoned and novice artists alike.

Top row, from left: Katie Sayers, Diana Marques, Nadya (Bella) Steare, Riley Cutler, Laurain Park, Jen Wang, Mesa Schumacher, Christin Perez

Bottom row, from left: Olivia Ambrogio, Kia Penso, Liz Sisk, Britt Griswold, Corynne Gamboa, Bailey Miky, Mia Nickell

Not pictured: Alice Tangerini

Afterward, the group adjourned to local eateries, where conversations continued over meals. Participants shared stories about their careers and hobbies, revealing a vibrant mix of medical and scientific illustrators, designers, and freelance creatives in attendance.

The event was a testament to the enduring power of art and community, bringing together a diverse group united by a love of nature and illustration.

Dinner Photo - names are, left to right: Alice Tangerini, Liz Sisk, Mesa Shumacher, Christin Perez, Diana Marques, Danielle Kunkel, Michelle Gates, Laurain Park, Katie Sayers, Britt Griswold, Mia Nickell, and Corynne Gamboa.

This article appears only online.

Book Talk with Linda Feltner

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 05:15:07 GMT

Book Talk with Linda Feltner

Monday, December 2, 2024

Hosted by GNSI’s Mark Kesling, this conversation features Linda’s new book Drawing Nature: The Creative Process of an Artist, Illustrator, and Naturalist, published by Princeton University Press.

Linda pulls back the curtain to her own process and allow members a chance to see how she creates art “from Spark to Finish.” Mark and Linda have an interactive session as they explore Linda’s art that celebrates curiosity and discovery in natural places.

Whether you’ve read the book or are just curious about the topic, this event promises to deepen your appreciation of art, nature, and the creative process. We hope you enjoy this first installment of our new book talk series!

Close Captioning starts at 6:45 min.

Scratchboard Illustration Techniques

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 09:48:41 GMT

Though scratchboard as a professional art began in the 1800s as black-and-white illustration reproduced for books and newspapers, many people have since experienced scratchboard in a grade school art class with black ink over crayons and a sharp tool scratching away differing amounts of ink, revealing portions of the colorful layer beneath. For children it was a memorable work of wonder!

Today’s scratchboard artists follow the same concepts, starting with a foundation board of Masonite® covered with kaolin China white clay with black India ink atop the clay. They then scratch the surface using an abrasive tool (often an X-Acto® knife blade) to remove the top ink layer in varying degrees with varying hand pressure—with light scratching exposing a bit of white, making a charcoal gray, to heavier scratching (or more layers of light scratching) exposing pure white clay. Because these steps take away rather than add to the prepared base, scratchboard is called a subtractive process. Today many scratchboard works are regarded as fine art, appearing in galleries, museums, exhibitions, and are sought by private and corporate collectors.

My scratchboard introduction was not as a child in grade school, but as an adult with master scratchboard artist Trudy Nicholson, a Guild of Natural Science Illustrators’ colleague who worked for the Smithsonian Institution. Decades later when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I used Trudy’s and other artists’ works as inspiration to teach myself scratchboard. Incredibly, it was a seamless transition. The stroke I use as a colored pencil artist—a stroke I call the “airplane stroke” because it approaches the paper gently connecting with the surface, then gently lifts from the paper (a pilot’s "touch-and-go")—is the exact stroke I use with scratchboard. I literally replaced the colored pencil usually found in my hand with the X-Acto knife and proceeded as if drawing, with the blade gently scratching the premanufactured, black ink–covered scratchboard panel, removing the ink, revealing the gray, lighter grays, and white beneath.

Figure 1: A clematis bloom and mulberry leaves distinctly exhibit the full value range from black (ink) to white (clay) with many grays between—a good introduction for those who have little experience with scratchboard. The mulberry leaf scratchboard won the Gold Award/Signature in 2023 at Tucson’s Arizona Sonora Desert Museum conference. All artwork and photos ©Rhonda Nass unless otherwise noted.

Because scratchboard is not (yet!) a common medium for botanical artists, I hope to encourage you to try it by modeling the step-by-step process I used to complete Beauty Amidst Damage (Fig. 9).

Step 1: Collect Supplies

My go-to scratchboard supplies (Fig. 2) include the following items:

A “sanity window,” a small window cut from paper
Two pre-inked scratchboard panels (I prefer 6” × 6,” but there are many sizes available)
X-Acto knife with extra blade (I use #11 style)
Red and black Pigma Micron® pens
Graphite (HB) pencil
Feather or brush to gently brush away scratched ink residuals
A bit of 150-grade sandpaper for woodworking
A rag to wipe the sandpaper-sharpened blade
Masking tape
Translucent tracing paper (I use Canson Tracing®)
Transfer paper, either manufactured (Saral®) or handmade (Canson Tracing plus soft HB graphite, or translucent vellum plus white colored pencil, applied in one direction on one side)
Lascaux® brand finishing spray (archival varnish with UV protection)

Figure 2: Scratchboard supplies. A “sanity window” (left middle) is a small window cut from paper which allows one to see an intentionally limited area of the reference photo, building confidence to proceed for even complex textures.

Figure 3: I shoot 30 or so photographs of my chosen subject, then enter them in Photoshop and alter lighting to my taste, translate color to grayscale (if graphite or scratchboard), then cut and paste what I want to include in a photo composite. The composite will be the reference guiding my drawing.

Step 2: Determine Concept/ Message/Subject Choice

Sometimes the allure of a subject inspires a work, e.g., the holes and resultant shadows created from dried, insect-eaten leaves. Or sometimes the birth of an artwork begins with an idea, e.g., “beauty despite brokenness,” and we choose a subject to communicate the concept.

Step 3: Create Reference/Source Material

Painting live for a black-and-white scratchboard has the disadvantage of requiring mental translation from color to value—a very challenging and usually inaccurate task. By using my own photography I can arrange dramatic lighting, change color to grayscale via computer/phone/photo studio, and cut and paste

to create an easily readable photo composite (Fig. 3).

Step 4: Design Composition

My usual composition go-to is the “rule of thirds,” placing the focal point at any intersection of lines created when the height and width of the format are divided in equal thirds. But for this layout I felt there was not one clear focal point, so I adjusted my approach.

Step 5: Trace and Transfer the Drawing

You may prefer drawing directly from your source material to paper. I most often trace outlines from my designed photo composite using a graphite pencil on tracing paper. Then with the inked panel down first, the transfer paper with graphite side down atop the panel, and the tracing paper with outlines atop that, I retrace graphite lines with a red Pigma Micron pen. If interrupted, red shows transferred lines. At times I make the transfer paper with white colored pencil on translucent vellum (Fig. 4).

Step 6: Plan for Aces

Aces are the polarized lightest light and darkest dark values of any medium. In scratchboard the ink is the darkest dark ace, so we address the white ace. By visually planning to remove the whitest white of your subject from your working palette, you typically preserve a pure white clay area later scratched at the very end of your drawing process. Despite the white background of this work, the aces principle still applies. (The concept of aces came in a class I took from Robert Bateman, conservationist and wildlife artist… best art lesson ever!)

Step 7: Create a Value-Match Guide

This lifelong tool will ensure accurate value transfers from photography to original art (Fig. 5).

Figure 4 : I transfer my preliminary drawing to the black scratchboard using transfer paper. I made this transfer paper with white colored pencil on one side of translucent vellum.

Figure 5 : I made the scratchboard "value match guide" once and have used it repeatedly to convey an accurate value range from black to white, with shades of gray in-between. I labeled each segment of this value continuum with the percent of black removed (e.g. black = 0% to white = 100%). This is useful when placed adjacent to the photo composite, and guides and gives confidence to the artist to know how much black to remove on the scratchboard to replicate the photo values. The close-up inset shows how I placed the value-match guide atop a portion of the photo, revealing how much ink I need to scratch off to match the photo value shown.

Step 8: Start the Scratching Process

I begin scratching using the airplane stroke described earlier, working from dark to light, and determining the direction of the stroke based on the subject’s contours (Figs. 6, 7, and 8). Remember, it’s always easier to remove more ink than to correct, but adding ink with a black Pigma Micron pen to the mistakenly over-whitened areas will allow re-scratching for the corrected value.

Step 9: Scratch the Aces

About a half hour from completion, I scratch the white aces at the focal point(s), which will magnetize viewers’ eyes to the light-contrasting center of interest (Fig. 9).

Step 10: Sign the Work

On black surfaces, I add my signature using a white ink pen or gray colored pencil so it will show up well. On white surfaces I sign using black ink pen.

Step 11: Seal for Protection

I spray about six coats of Lascaux brand archival and UV protection sealant on the final work.

Step 12: Frame the Work

My framing favorites include mounting the scratchboard art with double-sided tape on a 2- to 3-inch-deep birch wood panel, or floating the scratchboard art over an unscratched scratchboard panel in a black frame. Most professional scratchboard artists do not use glass or glazing.

Other artists’ steps will vary. Colored scratchboards use brushed watercolor, dyes, or colored inks atop the scratched work, re-scratching highlights for clean whites.

More inspiration for scratchboard can be found at scratchboardsociety.org. I encourage you to try scratchboard. Enjoy!

Figure 6 : Guided by the photo reference, then guidelines on scratchboard, sections at the outline of the leaf and “holes” within shadows are scratched layer by layer to reveal white clay.

Figure 7: The white background is created by scratching layer by layer following the directional guidelines, resulting in consistency throughout the piece. This was my first piece with a white background, and you’ll see the inexperience of trying to merge the white outline of the leaves previously scratched in one direction with the later white background scratching in another direction. Always learning!

Figure 8 : This triptych shows different stages of the artwork, displaying the parallel, side-by-side, closely aligned strokes that make up the tonal bodies of values and the direction of strokes that follow the curled leaf contours.

Figure 9: The intentionally reserved aces (darkest dark/black ink and lightest light/white clay) are usually added in the last half hour at the focal point to make the dramatic contrast that draws the viewer to the artist’s chosen focal point. But this piece was handled uniquely since the background was the whitest white and there were few highlights in the leaves themselves. The finished artwork, Beauty Amidst Damage, won the Gold Award/Signature from the International Society of Scratchboard Artists’ 2022 annual conference in Bradenton, Florida.

About the Artist

Rhonda Nass creates graphite, scratchboard, colored pencil, and acrylic works for private, gallery, museum, and corporate collections. Her work is published internationally.

Her drawings and paintings can be viewed at www.rnass.com/rhonda and in self-published books, Gifts from the Earth (graphite) and Scratchings of a Madwoman (colored pencil) are available via contact info on the website.

Mention "GNSI" and Gifts will be discounted to $15, Scratchings to $30.

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 56, No. 1, 2024.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 56, No. 1: Abstracts

Sat, 07 Sep 2024 00:51:46 GMT

Welcome to the first edition of 2024!

The Journal Team is happy to present this first issue of 2024! Enjoy Rhonda Nass' step-by-step introduction to scratchboard, Paul A. Krieger's experience transforming his modular anatomical and physiological books to interactive web-based books, and Taina Litwak's transformation of a space with discarded plastic and paint to make a powerful statement about climate change.

Log into your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2024 Vol. 56, No. 1

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Scratchboard Illustration Techniques (open access)

— Rhonda Nass

Scratchboard art began in the 1800s as a black-and-white illustration method and has since evolved into a fine art medium used by contemporary artists. The process involves scratching away layers of black India ink on a clay-coated board to reveal varying degrees of white beneath, creating detailed and textured images. This guide offers a step-by-step process for beginners, including supply gathering, concept development, and techniques for creating and finishing a scratchboard artwork.

My Book Transformation from Print to Digital

— Paul A. Krieger

The author describes their experience transitioning their educational books from print to digital, reflecting a broader shift in higher education publishing. Originally designed as two-color, modular books using visual analogies for anatomy, the digital versions now include interactive tools like 3D models, author videos, quizzes, and full-color illustrations.

Art Installation: Plastic and Electronics Pollution, Climate Change, and Biodiversity Loss

— Taina Litwak

In early 2024, the author participated in an art exhibit in Washington, D.C., creating an immersive installation focused on the environmental impact of plastics and climate change. Despite space constraints, the artist transformed a room into a visually striking commentary on human consumption, using a sea of painted plastic and collaged paintings to provoke thought and discussion. The experience led to meaningful interactions with the public, invitations to present their work, and a sense of hope for inspiring further change.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 56, No. 1, 2024.

Indian Botanical Art in the 21st Century

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 01:24:14 GMT

I call myself a botanical artist, but in truth I’m trained in neither botany nor art. When I first started out, about eight years ago, I was barely aware of the genre’s existence. I just wanted to paint plants.

– All illustrations © Nirupa Rao, unless otherwise noted.

You see, I grew up in the south Indian city of Bangalore. You may know it for its Information Technology (IT) industry, which has earned it the moniker “Silicon Valley of the East.” This probably brings to mind images of fast-paced lives lived in glass skyscrapers and rush-hour traffic—which is fairly accurate, but a relatively recent phenomenon. When I was growing up, Bangalore was better known as the “Garden City” of India—it boasted 70% green cover in the 1960s, which then dropped to about 40% during my childhood in the 1990s. Now, believe it or not, that number is down to less than 3%. 1 This was difficult for me to witness, and, feeling powerless to stop it, I turned to drawing the trees I saw disappearing from my city’s streets.

I always had a heightened awareness of plants: Bangalore is only a few hours away from the Western Ghats or Sahyadri mountain range, which snakes up the southwest coast of India ( Fig. 1 ). My extended family is full of botanists and horticulturalists who have worked in the region, so every school holiday we would drive down to this magical retreat filled with diverse habitats such as thick jungle, temperate grasslands, and swamps. In fact my maternal granduncle, Rev. Cecil Saldanha, was the first botanist to carry out a documentation of the flora of our home state, Karnataka, in the 1960s and 70s. Working in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, his team used my grandfather’s farmhouse in Hassan District as their base. My mother would tell me romantic stories of watching this entire expedition unfold. And, glossing over the undoubted tedium and hard work, I came to associate botany with adventure, discovery, and excitement.

As I grew older, I realised this wasn’t a sentiment shared by most increasingly urbanised Indians. I lost sleep over whether generations of children disconnected from nature would strive to save it when needed most, and I was desperate to somehow address this. My cousin Siddarth Machado was by then a practising botanical researcher, and so, in our early 20s, we decided to put our heads together. Combining our abilities, we created an illustrated book set in this same magical region we grew up around: the Western Ghats. We called this book Hidden Kingdom in reference to the fact that these plants are all around us, but we fail to pay them heed. They are hidden in plain sight.

Figure 1: The Western Ghats is a mountain range snaking up the southwest coast of India.

We selected species we felt would challenge readers’ basic perceptions of plants. For instance, that they have green leaves and chlorophyll. The ghost orchid ( Epipogium roseum ) fulfills neither of these criteria. Growing on dark forest floors where sunlight is scant, they share a symbiotic relationship with fungi that live in the orchids’ roots, which in turn derive nutrients either from dead organic matter or surrounding plants. Hence the name “ghost orchid,” inspired by the species’ deathly, spectral appearance and almost vampiric way of life.

The strangler fig ( Fig. 2 ) was a far more common but no less fascinating choice. A common sight in India, it isn’t really a species but an adaptation exhibited by members of the Ficus or fig genus. They often grow deep inside the jungles where competition is tough and sunlight is scant. So the strangler adopts a little strategy to cut in line and get ahead. Its seeds are dispersed by birds who drop them among the branches of existing trees. The little sapling will germinate atop a host tree, sending its branches upward to the sun, while its roots creep down below—all the while strangling its host tree, often to death. If the host tree dies and rots away, the strangler will persist as a hollowed out column of roots and branches.

Figure 2: A strangler fig reaching up for the sun (from Hidden Kingdom: Fantastical Plants of the Western Ghats).

We’re so used to thinking of plants as immobile, passive beings, aren’t we? But I began to see that it is this very rootedness that makes them fascinating— leading them to adapt to threats and opportunities in ingenious ways that boggle the imagination. Like these beautiful bejeweled, alien-like sundews ( Fig. 3 ). They grow in soils with poor nutrient levels, so they supplement their diets by luring, capturing, and ingesting insects using mucilaginous glands on their leaf surfaces. Small insects are attracted by the sweet secretions of these glands, but once they come in contact, they are ensnared in the sticky substance and then it’s game over.

The experience of creating the book Hidden Kingdom was both exhilarating and enlightening. For starters, I realised that despite my supposed botanical inheritance, I actually knew very little about plants, and even less about the Western Ghats. I had studied botany in school, of course, but our syllabus was bereft of local context. Yes, we had learned about carnivorous plants, but the example we were given was the Venus flytrap, an incredible plant native to North America. Unfortunately there was no mention of those beautiful sundews, which grow on the outskirts of Bangalore where I lived. How much more relevant and meaningful might high school botany have been if it reflected my own surroundings?

Figure 3: India’s three native sundew species—(top to bottom) Shield sundew (Drosera lunata), Indian sundew (Drosera indica) and Tropical sundew (Drosera burmannii) (from Hidden Kingdom: Fantastica Plants of the Western Ghats).

I’m sometimes asked how, as a botanical artist, I’m able to express my own individual creativity. There is a presumption behind this that botanical art, as a vehicle of science, is a neutral medium—carrier only of scientific information. But the more I learned of my newfound profession, the more I realised this was far from the truth. In fact, in India botanical art is conventionally known as “Company Art” or “Company kalam ”—a reference to its association with the Dutch or British East India Companies that once colonised the Indian subcontinent.

During the modern colonial period, as European travel and conquest of various parts of the globe increased, so too did the fascination with entirely new, seemingly exotic flora. Naturalists, botanists and artists often accompanied explorers on their journeys. The HMS Endeavour , for instance, set sail from England in 1768—ostensibly, a “research vessel” which we now know was also tasked with a secret mission: to locate and claim the so-called “unknown land of the South”—Australia—for the British crown. 2 Along with the naturalist Joseph Banks, the ship also carried artist Sydney Parkinson. He lived and worked aboard the ship, studying specimens and drawing day and night, battling off swarms of flies which ate his paints as he worked. He eventually died of dysentery before they managed to return to England. Such was the value attached to natural history illustration—it was a technology used to systematically catalogue the natural world in the service of both science and empire—a history with which botanical art is inextricably linked.

In India, most of these botanical art collections were commissioned by Company officials for European audiences keen to catalogue the flora of their colonial possessions, and so even today the work itself is treated as being foreign—despite the fact that its subjects, Indian flora, hail from India, as did most of the artists, who usually went unnamed ( Fig. 4 ). And yet, if we look closely at this work, it’s clear that this art form wasn’t just a foreign import: local artists brought with them the techniques of Rajput and Mughal miniatures, the styles of Tanjavur moochies and gudigars , combining them with a more European treatment of perspective, volume, and recession. 3,4 Every one of these images contains not only the botanical fact of a plant, but a complex well of history and meaning.

Figure 4: Plants of the coast of Coromandel: Selected from drawings and descriptions presented to the hon. court of directors of the East India Company by William Roxburgh (1795) from the Missouri Botanical Garden's Rare Books Collection.

A: Ceropegia acuminata , B: Periploca esculenta , C: Lagerstroemia reginae (now Lagerstroemia speciosa )

While we have very little information on Company artists, there is mention in some collections of the names ‘Rungiah’ and ‘Govindoo’. These names are not very revealing of their background or ethnicity, but certain clues have led historians to a group of south Indian painters known as ‘moochies’, based originally in Tanjore. Skilled in making religious and devotional paintings, they pivoted to the natural history drawings required by botanists and zoologists during British times. Historians similarly speculate that other paintings may have been made by ‘gudigars’ or sandalwood-carvers, who were also painters .

Early on in my career, I was lucky enough to meet two ecologists, Divya Mudappa and TR Shankar Raman, who live and work in the Valparai region of the Western Ghats—an area dominated by tea estates established by the British in the 19th century. In the process, vast forests were cleared to create plantations. They are now run by Indian corporations who leave those parts of their land that are unsuitable for cultivation ostensibly wild, but in practice are often dominated by tree species that were brought to India from South America or the Caribbean in the colonial period to beautify the landscape. Unfortunately, these species don’t serve the needs of local fauna. So Divya and Shankar Raman work towards encouraging landowners to grow native species on uncultivated land in an effort to create corridors of true forest connecting plantations. 5,6,7

They were looking to visually document these trees in some way, but the photographers they approached came up empty-handed. These species grow up to 43 meters tall, making them impossible to capture in a single camera frame. Besides, the surrounding foliage is too dense to clearly isolate a single specimen. So together, we decided to give good old painting a shot.

In truth, even while standing before them it was tough to see the entire tree. Instead, I’d study its buttress up close, then climb up a hill to see its crown rising above the canopy. With Divya and Shankar Raman’s help, we’d imagine the intervening bits, stitching it all together into one drawing. Over two years, we documented thirty of the region’s most iconic trees, along with their fruit, flowers, seeds, and leaves. For those who don’t know the jungles as well as these naturalists, these drawings are probably the only way they’ll see these trees in their entirety ( Figs. 5 and 6 ).

Through this process, I began to see these jungles differently. The landscape I had been visiting nearly every year since I was born—a region I thought I knew so well—morphed from an undifferentiated sea of green into individual species with individual characters. This had been a seminal moment in my own career—a moment of awakening, when my eyes were opened to what had been hidden all around me in plain sight.

Figure 5: Rough sketch of an Elaeocarpus tuberculatus tree, drawn on site.

Figure 6: Elaeocarpus tuberculatus final painting from the book Pillars of Life: Magnificent Trees of the Western Ghats .

Wanting to recreate this sensation, I decided to push the genre of botanical art far beyond its conventional limits. I wanted to breathe life into a landscape… to, well, animate it. Putting together a team of writers, researchers and animators, we created a short film called Spirit of the Forest. It tells the story of a little village girl who, through a magical encounter with a forest spirit, comes to see her home and traditions very differently. While taking a shortcut home from school, she stumbles upon a sacred grove: pockets of forest found all over India that have been protected by local communities for centuries, using folklore grounded in scientific principle.

This particular grove happens to be an endemic Myristica or wild nutmeg swamp ( Fig. 7 ). Besides its wonderful tangle of aerial roots popping up above the ground, what’s fascinating about these swamps is that their evolution parallels the very formation of the Indian subcontinent. Scientists suggest that key Myristica species may date back to the breakup of Gondwanaland, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and India was drifting towards its present position on the world map. 8 As the little girl journeys through this incredible history, she realises that the seed she holds in her hand is not just a trivial plaything, but a kernel that holds within it the past, present, and future. An infinite, deep well of meaning.

Figure 7: A still from Spirit of the Forest showing a Myristica fatua tree along with endemic fauna like the Malabar giant squirrel, lion-tailed macaque, Myristica swamp tree frog, Myristica sapphire damselfly and Malabar tree nymph butterfly.

Of course, this would not be the first animated film set in the Indian wild— Jungle Book easily comes to mind. But as much as I love the film, you’d be hard-pressed to find an orangutan like King Louie from India, to say nothing of the largely generalised background scenery. With our film, we set out to feature some of the lesser known plants and animals that actually live here ( Fig. 8 ). Visiting them onsite, I used these studies to hand-paint botanically accurate backgrounds for the film. I used the same techniques I had developed drawing trees with Divya and Shankar, but adapted them to suit an entire landscape. Botanist Navendu Page helped me to understand the land’s logic: which species were swamp-adapted and grew upon the water, or which species were swamp associates with only partial flood tolerance, therefore merging with the surrounding evergreen forests.

Figure 8: Movie poster, Spirit of the Forest.

The film’s story is composed of ecological tales derived from contemporary scientific research: for example, recent fieldwork has identified that hornbill birds are no longer the primary seed dispersers for nutmeg, as they often drop seeds in areas that once were swamps but have now been converted for agriculture or transport. Instead, researchers discovered tiny crabs burying seeds in their burrows, where they remain dry and germinate when conditions are ideal. 9 This forms the message of hope at the film’s conclusion: the chance for a new culture around plants to take root.

We continue to screen the film in schools around the country, hoping to show Indian children how the jungles of their own landscape came to be. It is that familiarity which, when celebrated, turns to love, which can then turn into an urge to protect.

I think botanical art in the 21st century—despite or even because of its history—can help us reflect upon our own landscape and surroundings. To me, this kind of representation isn’t necessarily about patriotism or what belongs to us, because the natural world belongs to no one. It is about understanding our own context, with all its nuance and individuality, because it is ultimately our duty to love and protect it.

References

Satellite images show green cover of Bangalore reducing alarmingly fast. (n.d.). Research Matters. https://researchmatters. in/article/satellite-images-show-green-cover-bangalore-reducing-alarmingly-fast.
HMS Endeavour 250. (n.d.). Natural History Museum. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/hms-endeavour-250.html
Reddy, S. (n.d.). Ars Botanica: Refiguring the Botanical Art Archive. Marg, December 2018–March 2019 (The Weight of a Petal), 15. ,4
Noltie, H.J., "Moochies, Gudigars and Other Chitrakars: Their Contribution to 19th-century Botanical Art and Science.." The Free Library. 2018 The Marg Foundation 18 Nov. 2023 https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Moochies%2c+Gudigars+and+Other+Chitrakars%3a+Their+Contribution+to...-a0571836876
T R Shankar Raman, Swati Sidhu, Hari Sridhar, Divya Mudappa, Vena Kapoor, Eleni K Foui, Claire F R Wordley, P Jeganathan, Ganesh Raghunathan, Akshay Surendra, T R Shankar Raman, Swati Sidhu, Hari Sridhar, Divya Mudappa, Vena Kapoor, Eleni K Foui, Claire F R Wordley, P Jeganathan, Ganesh Raghunathan, & Akshay Surendra. (2019, September 5). Wildlife in rainforest fragments. Nature Conservation Foundation - India. https://www.ncf-india.org/western-ghats/ wildlife-in-rainforest-fragments
Divya Mudappa, T R Shankar Raman, Atul Arvind Joshi, Divya Mudappa, T R Shankar Raman, & Atul Arvind Joshi. (2014, May 27). Whittled-down woods. Nature Conservation Foundation - India. https://www.ncf-india.org/western-ghats/whittled-down-woods
Chandran, M. D. S., & Mesta, D. K. (2001). On the conservation of the Myristica swamps of the Western Ghats. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259151683_On_the_conservation_of_the_Myristica_swamps_ of_the_Western_Ghats
Krishna, S., & Somanathan, H. (2014). Secondary removal of Myristica fatua (Myristicaceae) seeds by crabs in Myristica swamp forests in India. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 30(3), 259-263.
Jain, N. (2019, Nov 4). New species remain hidden in the myristica swamps of the Western Ghats. Mongabay.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Nirupa Rao is a botanical illustrator whose work is inspired by close collaboration with natural history scientists. A National Geographic Explorer and Fellow, Nirupa is the youngest artist featured in Kew Botanical Garden's Indian Botanical Art—An Illustrated History. She has illustrated two books: Hidden Kingdom—Fantastical Plants of the Western Ghats and Pillars of Life—Magnificent Trees of the Western Ghats, and the cover of Amitav Ghosh's latest novel, Gun Island. She co-directed a short animated film set in the Myristica swamps of south India titled Spirit of the Forest, screened at Annecy 2023. She was also 2022’s artist-in-residence at Harvard University’s Dumbarton Oaks.

niruparao211@gmail.com

www.nirupa-rao.com

Article originally from the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 55, No. 3, 2023

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 55, No. 3: Abstracts

Fri, 23 Feb 2024 10:54:04 GMT

Welcome to the last Journal edition of 2023!

Welcome to JNSI volume 55 number 3. In this issue, we say goodbye and honor member Dick Rauh. This issue also contains an interesting article about Indian botanical art from an artist from Bangalore, member spotlight featuring botanical artist and 2022 GNSI special projects award recipient Camille Werther, with an added bonus about her pandemic sketchbook project!

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In Memoriam: Richard (Dick) Rauh

-Gretchen Halpert

This article celebrates the accomplishments and of beloved member Dick Rauh, who passed at 98. His extensive career spanned film and animation, and once served as President of the NY screen cartoonist union, and of the Animation Community organization. The fields of Science and Botanical Illustration were greatly enriched by the second career of Dick Rauh. After retiring, he earned a Ph.D. in botany to enhance his knowledge and educate others about drawing plants. his knowledge and educate others about drawing plants. Rauh's legacy includes teaching, a distinguished service award, the publication of "The Science Behind Flowers," and numerous exhibitions showcasing his botanical art.

Indian Botanical Art (Open Access)

-Nirupa Rao

The author, who grew up in Bangalore, reflects on the environmental changes in the city and her connection to nature, stemming from family ties to botany. Frustrated by the disconnect between urbanized Indians and nature, Nirupa collaborates with a cousin to create an illustrated book, "Hidden Kingdom," featuring unique plant species from the Western Ghats, aiming to challenge perceptions and raise awareness. The article also discusses the historical context of botanical art in India and the author's efforts, including a short film, to inspire appreciation and conservation of the country's diverse flora.

Member Spotlight: Camille Werther

-Sara Taliaferro

Camille Werther, a Content Editor at the Journal of Natural Science Illustration (JNSI), received the 2022 GNSI Special Projects award for her innovative contributions to production management. Initially responsible for manuscript development, Camille revamped the production scheduling system, streamlining the process for assembling articles into a print-ready JNSI edition. Her career journey, rooted in Louisiana and connected to nature, includes teaching, extension work, and a notable exhibit that combined her love for science, storytelling, and botanical illustration to prompt discussions about nature and trees.

Sketchbook: Day/Night Journal

- Camille Werther

In response to the disconnection brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the author embarked on a small art project in late 2020 to reconnect with time and the natural world. Using a hand-bound journal with textured paper representing day and night, the author recorded observations of plants, insects, astronomical events, and environmental conditions for a month, aiming to ground themselves in nature and experimenting with artistic techniques like silverpoint and watercolor grounds.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 55, No. 3, 2023.

Three Dimensional Designs: How to Prepare Models

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 04:34:59 GMT

"In this article, I'm going to give you some insights into best practices with the actual printing of the models and how I look at 3D printing compared to illustration and 3D modeling."

Figure 1: 3D Printed Snail.

In this article, I'm going to tell you a bit about how to optimize your models to get the most out of three-dimensional (3D) printing. I am not going to tell you about all the different printers out there or all the different techniques there are, because those things you can look up in abundance on the Internet. What I will do, however, is give you some insights into best practices with the actual printing of the models and how I look at 3D printing compared to illustration and 3D modeling.

There are two main types of 3D printing: resin printing and filament printing. Most of my experience is in resin printing. This is because the details in resin are crisp and layer lines are almost invisible, contrary to filament printing. A model printed with resin also feels more “real,” something I find important.

In the example shown above—my right-handed (by now, almost famous) anatomical snail—you can see that I didn’t 3D-print everything in the model (Fig. 1) . Only the stuff that makes the model insightful. I removed half the shell and a lung to give people an understanding that they are still looking at a snail. Both the shell and lung are suggested by the shape of the rest of the structures—the organs follow the shell, and the veins follow the lining of the lung.

Filament printing has its advantages: it’s a lot cheaper, although that is changing rapidly. You can buy a 3D printer for as little as $100 (U.S. dollars) or as expensive as $40,000. The printers I am talking about are between $400 and $1,500. For most purposes, you don’t need to get more expensive than that.

Of course, if you print detailed structures, the model is more prone to damage. This is one of the reasons the current anatomy models are comparatively simple. But because you can 3D-print it yourself, you can always print a new one. So basically anything you can think of—plants, fossils, anatomy, or skeletons— can be 3D-printed. As with illustration, you can not only 3D-print an object as it is in natural life, but you can also show or hide structures for clarity.

The biggest advantage of 3D printing is, in my opinion, the fact that you can make stuff look realistic for people. It invites them to touch it, take it into their hands, turn it, and start investigating.

I have been 3D-printing since 2013 and have several printers. At this moment, only the Anycubic® resin printers are “live,” the rest are collecting dust. These Anycubic printers are affordable workhorses, and after an initial learning period, I only get perfect prints (Fig. 2) . The bigger the printer gets, the more prone they are to users’ mistakes.

Figure 2: Printers and prototypes in the studio.

In the coming months, I will add two additional printers: a Rocket® 1 Pro, which uses a different technique than most 3D printers: instead of pulling the print out of the resin after exposing the bottom of the resin vat (Fig. 3) , it prints by exposing the resin surface and sinking the print layer for layer down into the resin. It was a Kickstarter, so it’s going to be a gamble if the printer does what they claim, but if it does, it enables even more possibilities. Gravity is always an issue with 3D printing, especially resin printing.

Figure 3: Example of standard vat construction where the resin-based 3D model is built from the bottom up using an FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene) film as "table" where each layer of the model is printed. This is one of the common failure points in 3D resin printing.

The other printer is a Bambu® Lab X1 Carbon. This is my first filament printer in years, and it also came out of a Kickstarter. But this one is different: instead of using the Kickstarter campaign to develop a product, Bambu used it to market theirs.

There are already loads of Lab X1 printers in the field, and as a result there are a lot of people with experience using them. This printer is “plug-and-play” and is extremely fast for a filament printer. I will use this printer to experiment with detailed prints also, but I especially bought it because I can print in different colors with it. As with resin printing, I will experiment with it and stretch the limits of this printer too.

To be able to 3D-print a model, you need special software to prepare it. These are called “slicing applications.” What they do is cut your model into very thin slices. With filament printing, those slices are then interpreted and made into “walls” of a certain thickness—basically the outside of the model and an infill. The infill is there to make the finished model firm.

The reason for this is that the slicer app makes black-and-white images of each layer. (The white is what is getting printed.) If there's a hole in your model like I show you below (Fig. 4) , the slicer doesn’t know what to make white. So, make sure your model is clean and solid. Digital 3D models are 2D surfaces shaped in a 3D form. There is no actual way to do it differently than this. To be able to distinguish the inside from the outside, your model needs to be one complete surface without any intersections or holes. So, if, for example, you want to print a model that is made up out of different objects in one go, you need to make sure that the objects don’t intersect or are fused to form one object. This is easily done in ZBrush. For example, use Dynamesh® and set the resolution high enough for the objects to fuse and the details to still show. ZBrush also has a function where you can check the mesh volume. This is a very handy function because it makes sure the model is completely solid.

Figure 4: Hole in model shown in vector drawing in ZBrush.

Once you have optimized your model, you can export it. Most people export it as an STL file, but a lot of slicers can also handle OBJs, which are the preferred file format for 3D color printing. What you choose all depends on your preference. What I have encountered is that ZBrush doesn’t give a clear size to models. Often, I need to go through Blender® 3D modeler to give a model a proper size and even then, the slicer application still can have a problem with that. Even though that does not always happen, it’s something to consider. I solve that by noting the size I make it in the slicer and noting the amount I scale it. This way I’m sure everything fits if I print a model with separate parts, or if I want to redo the model for some reason.

Now that you are in the slicer application, you need to be aware of how a resin printer works. It fuses very thin layers of solidified resin. While printing, the resin will stick to parts of the model that are faced toward the build plate. This resin will partly solidify, making the details on that part of the model blur or even disappear. There will always be parts of the model that are faced to the build plate, so one of the most important things in getting a great print is how you position the model on the build plate.

To make matters more complicated, the larger the surface area that needs to be exposed per layer, the bigger the forces are on the model, making it prone to failure. Luckily, those two restrictions mostly have the same solution: which is to angle the model in such a way that the surface per layer is as small as possible, best accomplished by angling flat surfaces to the build plate. This enables the resin to slide off the model as much as possible. If you also want to minimize the visibility of the layers, most of the time an angle of 45° is somewhat okay for a layer height of 50 μm, which is the layer height mostly used in 3D printing. If very smooth surfaces are an issue, you need to calculate the Arctan for your specific printer. A video at the following link will explain how you do that: https://youtu.be/Qs2Rb0ExnIM .

Next, you can add supports to your model. The supports make sure your model is printed as you want it to print without distortion. The slicer app will calculate overhangs and most of the time the default settings are good enough to start with. Make sure you use the right thickness for the right model: tiny models need thin supports, and of course, larger models need thicker supports. If you use the default settings to add supports, make sure they aren’t too close together. Remove the ones that are too close, so you get a nice and even support “forest” (Fig. 5) .

Figure 5: Model C1 C2 with supports.

Having done all that, you need to make sure you have the right exposure time for your resin. The best way to figure that out is to use a calibration model. The best one I have found so far is the Ameralabs® Town (Fig. 6), which can be found on this blog: https://ameralabs.com/blog/3d-printer-calibration-part/. The blog gives you everything you need to know on how to interpret the model once you print it. You will probably need to do this several times with different exposure times. The best way is to start with the recommended exposure time for the resin you are using, and then go up or down in time depending on what you see when you print the calibration model.

Figure 6: Ameralabs calibration model. Image by Ameralabs.com

Now you are ready to put this value into your slicer application for that resin. Here are my recommended slicer settings for the Anycubic Mono X with Esun® plant-based white resin. First I make sure the speeds aren’t too high. Most of the time a slicer has a lot higher default settings, but those are prone to failure.

Second, it is better is to start with a low exposure and work your way up. This video, https://youtu.be/zO5DxVGWxXs gives good insight into what slicer settings do and why.

For me, 3D prints make science education much more interactive and a lot more accessible. It is relatively simple to get models out there and let students print them themselves. You don’t have to worry that a model breaks because you can print it again and again. It enables you to show stuff that isn’t easily explained in text or illustrations. Having said that, I approach 3D printing in a similar way to illustration. Because I can choose what to show and how to show it, I can make models both insightful and beautiful.

Even though 3D printing is a technique that has existed for decades, the evolution of the techniques is going at an astonishing rate. There are now 3D printers that can print objects in the same number of colors as you do with printing illustrations in magazines and such. The prices of those printers are still in the tens of thousands of dollars and the time it takes to print a relatively small object is insane, but affordable full-color 3D printers should become a reality in a matter of years.

In conclusion, I hope you can see that recent advances in 3D printing enable a new path for many illustrators to explore science education by enhancing interactivity and accessibility. 3D printing presents an intriguing opportunity for students, the general public, and even science colleagues to communicate complex concepts that are challenging to explain through text or a single image. The rapidly evolving nature of 3D printing techniques, with the promise of affordable full–color printers in the near future, suggest an exciting future for anyone ready to explore 3D art.

Mieke Roth is an animal scientist and information architect who now specializes in animal anatomy, in addition client work in the visual sciences. Her work is internationally recognized by both scientists and my scientific visualization colleagues. Mieke uses the latest techniques as much as possible in her work making anatomical 3d models processed into very accessible interactive apps that make learning anatomy fun. See more of her work at www.miekeroth.com .

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 55 No. 2, 2023.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 55, No. 2: Abstracts

Sat, 30 Sep 2023 00:33:04 GMT

Welcome to the second Journal edition of 2023!

To inspire you, we offer you excellent and innovative stories in this issue. The journal begins with an overview of an exciting new feature for our members-Portfolio+, a book review of a great resource Building Science Graphics, an introduction to Tradigital illustration, John Muir Law’s tips for creating a gouache field kit, the CSUMB exhibit, an article on the importance of typography in illustrations, an overview of 3D printing, and a glimpse inside a member’s Certified Wildlife Habitat yard. Thank you to all our contributors!

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GNSI’s Vision for Portfolio+

-Kalliopi Monoyios

Kalliopi describes what Science-Art.com was 25 years ago, and what GNSI would like to provide our members with today, asking important questions about the changes in our industry, and what do our members need for career development in this landscape? Enter Portfolio+/Artwork Archive. This is a great tool to display your work on the GNSI website. You do not want to miss this information!

Book Review: Building Science Graphics: An Illustrated Guide to Communicating Science with Diagrams and Visualizations, by Jen Christiansen (Open Access)

– Review by Diogo Guerra

Diogo gives a positive review of this book and shows appreciation of Jen’s inclusion of “illustrated explanatory diagrams” throughout the book, as opposed to only focusing on anatomical illustrations and data visualization. He gives a great summary of the chapters that cover important topics of creating science graphics.

Introducing Tradigital Illustration

– Scott Rawlin

Tradigital is a term that has been around for a while - coined by artist and educator Judith Moncrieff. It is the result of combining traditional and computer based techniques in one image. Scott touches on some old origins of this technique in Lithography and photography. Scott also discusses his history with the technique, pros and cons, and how he uses tradigital in his own work.

Limited Gouache Palette

– John Muir Laws

Have you shied away from using gouache in the field because of caking and cracking? Fear not! - this article will change your life (or at least your field painting). This article that covers some material from one of John’s GNSI conference talks from 2022, where he details how to make a field gouache sketching kit to supplement your watercolor field kit to easily paint in the light values that may have been painted over, or that are hard to obtain when using tinted paper. He also covers a step-by-step painting of a Kingfisher with the watercolor and gouache.

Illustrating Nature: CSUMB Science Illustration Graduate Program: Class of 2023

– Emily Fries

Every year, the Journal showcases the extraordinary artwork featured in the annual exhibition of student work from the CSUMB program. This year the exhibition opened May 19th at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History. The author touches on the background of the students and nature of this year’s term- but really the artwork speaks volumes about the quality of instruction and skill of the students!

Dissecting Typographic Components in Effective Science Visualization

– M. Genevieve Hitchings

A wonderful overview of science communication. M. Genevieve discusses information design, visual hierarchy, and the delicate balance of typographic design in infographics. Not only is type communicating meaning, it is also a design element in the overall graphic (think paragraph and title layouts, etc). The author shares an important 4 step process when designing these storytelling projects; this is gold!

Three-Dimensional Design; How to Prepare Models (Open Access)

– Mieke Roth

Mike gives an explanation of 2 types of 3D printing - resin and filament. This is not a “how to”, but a best practices article. The author covers the general cost of some printer models, the programs used, and some settings and things to be aware of when designing a 3D model. This is another method of science communication that is exciting because it is ever evolving with technology, cost, and availability to a broader spectrum of users.

The Certified Wildlife Habitat - Experiencing Both Nature and Art

– Gail Selfridge

Gail describes life on her city lot that has been a Certified Wildlife Habitat for the last 12 years. The author details the inspiration she drew from her garden for the Colorful Leaves program funded by ASBA and a grant. For the project that educates users how to do a scientifically accurate leaf drawing, Gail chose species outside of her habitat range, for more accessibility. A lovely ending to the article describes opening her habitat yard and heart to the stray cats, planting 10 different kinds of catnip, as well as a mini tallgrass prairie that the animals enjoy.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 55, No. 2, 2023.

Book Review: Building Science Graphics by Jen Christiansen

Tue, 16 May 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Building Science Graphics is a new practical guide written and designed by science communicator Jen Christiansen, Senior Graphics Editor at Scientific American, and published by CRC Press.

Building Science Graphics: An Illustrated Guide to Communicating Science with Diagrams and Visualizations by Jen Christiansen

Book review by Diogo Guerra, medical illustrator

Building Science Graphics is a new practical guide written and designed by science communicator Jen Christiansen, Senior Graphics Editor at Scientific American, and published by CRC Press. Contrary to what it may seem, this is not a book about charts or data visualization. As Jen clarifies in the early pages, the term “graphics” refers specifically to “illustrated explanatory diagrams”. (Cover Image) I was thrilled to hear this, since these types of diagrams are among the most frequently used figures in scientific publications but rarely receive the same attention as other types of visuals, such as seemingly more complex, purely figurative scientific illustrations (e.g. anatomical drawings) to more abstract data representations (e.g. data visualizations).

Figure 1: Chapter 3 includes a couple of step-by-step guides on building and adapting science graphics.

The book is extremely well-illustrated, featuring a variety of styles, topics, and showcased artists, demonstrating the book’s relevance to any field or deliverable in science communication. The content is organized into four main chapters:

Chapter 1, which is the longest one, covers a wide range of introductory technical topics – from design principles and visual style to storytelling strategies; topics that I would argue are as important, if not more so, than pure illustration skills when it comes to creating effective explanatory diagrams.
Chapters 2 deals with some special considerations for science graphs. I want to give a special shoutout to (a) the discussion about honoring complexity through clarification, rather than simplification, and (b) the several examples that illustrate the importance of and how to visually communicate uncertainty in Science.
Chapter 3 walks the reader through the creation process, supplemented by several case studies with real-world examples. Additionally, the chapter includes two detailed flowcharts that guide newcomers through each step of the processes of creating/adapting visuals (Fig. 1).
Chapter 4 features interviews with different professionals about their perspectives on Sciart collaborations. There are a couple of topics in this book that are worth highlighting. The first is perception science and how its insights can help us make more informed decisions on how to create visuals that effectively convey information. While this section is not incredibly detailed, it is still an excellent starting point that can hopefully inspire readers to explore this topic further.

Figure 2: Sketches (left) by Jen Christiansen for “The End of Orange Juice,” by Anne Kuchment, Scientific American (March 2013)

The second theme I want to highlight is knowing the audience of a graphic. Throughout the book, Jen emphasizes the importance of designing visuals that cater to the needs and characteristics of the target audience, such as their level of expertise, age, or cultural background. Unfortunately, the field of Visual Science Communication still lacks sufficient research on how audiences’ preferences and understanding vary with different illustration styles. Nevertheless, I found the emphasis on this topic very pertinent and refreshing, and these factors should definitely be kept in mind and guide decisions about the level of detail, tone, and visual style of the final work. Finally, it’s worth noting that, as Jen acknowledges at the beginning, her perspective is primarily from an American-centric viewpoint. Therefore, the presented style suggestions may not always translate well for international audiences.

Figure 3: Image Credit: Cherie Sinnen, sketch (left), and as published (right) in “The End of Orange Juice,” by Anne Kuchment, Scientific American (March 2013). Published here with permission from the artist.

This book feels like an excellent resource for scientific illustration students, scientists who want to improve their visual-creation skills, and science communication enthusiasts. Although the content may be too simplistic for experienced scientific illustrators, the book still contains valuable nuggets of information and recommended further reading that may interest even these seasoned professionals. Therefore, I recommend this book, particularly for those who are new to the field. Alongside some theoretical sections, Jen’s experience shines through her use of real-life case studies and useful practical tips. It would make an excellent introductory textbook for any visual science communication or illustration course/program, and it certainly belongs in the library of any sci-artist.

Diogo Guerra is a Lisbon-based medical illustrator and dataviz designer and consultant, with a background in Veterinary Medicine. Contact hime at:

illustration@diogoguerra.com /www.diogoguerra.com

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 55 No. 2, 2023.

Member Spotlight - Sara Lynn Cramb

Tue, 02 May 2023 02:33:33 GMT

Sara can often be found drawing in her studio with some tea, lazy cats dozing nearby, with a view of the Alaska Range out her window .

All images © 2023 Sara Lynn Cramb unless otherwise noted. 50 States map art from Smithsonian Young Explorers Fact Book & Floor Puzzle: 50 States, published by Silver Dolphin Books. Illustration © Silver Dolphin Books.

I like to say that I draw things for a living. It’s what I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember. I grew up in rural Ohio and had abundant time to explore outside when the weather was agreeable, and a wonderful library of beautifully illustrated children's books to pore over when it was not. I illustrated stories on loose sheets of paper that my mom helped me staple together into makeshift books. I wanted to be like my idols: children's illustrators Jan Brett, Eric Carle, and Charley Harper.

My family spent the summers traveling for work and I enjoyed many days of exploring campground trails all over the Midwest. I loved exploring outdoors almost as much as I loved learning about animals. I pored over animal fact books (Zoobooks were my favorite) and watched nature programs in awe (I particularly liked the combination of humor and education on Going Wild with Jeff Corwin). I preferred learning in a more visual way and disliked being in a classroom with dry, image-poor textbooks.

Knowing I wanted to do something related to art for a living, I went to college for graphic design and illustration at the University of Akron. My parents wanted me to pursue something that I was interested in that would also allow me to make a stable living. Graphic design seemed like a way to do art while having a steady income. While in college I took classes and independent studies in children’s book illustration, trying to learn as much about the subject as possible. During my last year at college I interned at both the Akron Zoo and the Summit County Metro Parks as a graphic artist, and my passion for working on projects that educate and inform the general public was ignited. I illustrated and designed many signs featuring the amazing animals on exhibit while at the zoo and spent my lunch breaks observing and drawing the animals. The metro parks internship allowed me to reconnect with spending time outdoors. Both were extremely valuable in helping to shape the direction of my future career.

Black-capped Chickadee illustration from If You Are a Kaka, You Eat Doo Doo, published by Tilbury House Nature Books.

The next few years after college were a bit of a blur as I secured an in house design job in Michigan. There, I further honed my design skills and created map illustrations for use on the company’s websites. It was during my time there that I realized that while I didn’t hate what I was doing, I wanted to draw more. I wanted to refocus and see if illustrating books for a living was really possible. So, I started to work on my illustration portfolio. I spent many nights and weekends building up my portfolio with the type of work I wanted to be creating, and I started to pick up small freelance jobs. Near the end of my time living in the Mitten State, I got married to my longtime partner before moving to Georgia so he could attend grad school.

In late 2013 I started freelancing full time. I worked on a mix of design projects and the occasional small illustration commission. I had a lot of map and animal artwork in my portfolio at the time. To my surprise, in November of that year, Silver Dolphin Books contacted me to illustrate an educational book and puzzle kit about the 50 states which lent itself very well to my skill set. To say that I was elated would be an understatement. I was getting to illustrate a children’s book for the first time! This was a dream come true for me. I’ve illustrated a number of other titles for Silver Dolphin over the years, but this one holds a special meaning for me.

Photo of Sara on the atoll of Rakahanga holding a mischievous coconut crab nicknamed ‘Citizen Snips’, who was found stealing water bottles at the dig site.

Over the next few years I slowly built up a robust client list of publishers, small businesses, museums, schools, and individuals. I added new work to fill in the gaps in my portfolio in between client projects. I kept my portfolio up to date and reached out to publishers with postcards, emails, and at conferences. Through trial and error I found my publishing agent and started to get a wider range of publishing projects through them.

I learned that my first agent didn’t seem to value my skill set shortly after signing on with them. They tried to push my portfolio in a direction I wasn't interested in and also pressured me to take on high volume, low paying jobs. I parted ways with them a few months after signing on. About six months later I found my current agency and sent in my work though their submission process. I was accepted for representation and we’ve developed a good working and portfolio building relationship over the last 5 years. It seems like the changes happened quickly looking back on it, but at the time I remember it feeling like slowly climbing a mountain. There were times of boom, when there were seemingly not enough hours in the day to get through all of my work, and bust, when all of my leads seemed to turn to dust and my inbox was distressingly empty. I learned to pick up more design work when the illustration work slowed and how to create personal projects that would generate passive income through licensing. I also learned how to gain a bit more work/ life balance over time by turning down projects that were not a good match for me. I’m still working on all of these skills today—portfolio building, marketing, personal projects, and trying to find balance.

2017 presented some unique opportunities and challenges. I joined my partner on a trip to do archaeological research for his doctoral dissertation in the South Pacific. We lived and worked in the Cook Islands for seven months, starting on the main island, Rarotonga, and then traveling by cargo ship to the coral atolls of Manihiki and Rakahanga, and then back to Rarotonga again before returning home. In addition to helping with the excavations, I also did all of the photography and the drawing of unit walls and special surface features, including several coral-lined courts (square or rectangular meeting places, lined with coral blocks and filled with small rounded pieces of coral to act as ground cover). It was an absolutely amazing experience which still informs my work to this day.

Tidal pool illustration from Search the Ocean: Find the Animals, published by Rockridge Press.

Shortly after returning home I started to prepare my presentation on "Creating Educational Illustrations for a Young Audience" for the 2018 GNSI Conference in Washington D.C. I was excited to share what I had learned these past several years about adding diversity, personality, and clarity to one’s educational illustrations. The presentation went well (even though I have terrible stage fright) and I received many wonderful questions from a room packed full of attendees. These conferences are a truly great way to connect and share information and experiences. I met so many amazing like-minded people at the conference, including many artists from Georgia that I had never met before. A small group of us, led by Olivia Carlisle, started to work on setting up a GNSI Georgia Chapter in the months after the conference.

Mammoth vs. Mastodon coloring page, licensed by the Illinois State Museum.

In 2018 I began taking on more publishing work than I ever had before. I slowly added to my publishing list, reaching a total of over 30 educational children’s books featuring my illustrations with a wide range of subject matter - dinosaurs, human anatomy, nocturnal animals, scat, ocean life, geography, history, and many more. I was lucky enough to work in many interesting book formats such as picture books, activity books, and interactive kits and puzzles. In addition to children’s publishing, I was able to work on a number of other exciting projects over the years. I created illustrations for mobile apps focusing on teaching scientific concepts, museum signage, websites, coloring pages, and character licensing, to name a few. Throughout all of this I continued to draw inspiration from being in nature, and from learning about the amazing plants and animals that inhabit our world.

“Thin Ice” textured style study.

I have been creating self-initiated work for my portfolio for many years to show that I am capable of doing the type of work I want to do. I came up with the idea in late 2019 for my most recent personal project, a series of educational coloring pages that I release to my newsletter subscribers on a bi-monthly basis. This project has allowed me to have a creative outlet in which I research and explore topics that I haven't had the chance to delve into in my client work. These nature coloring pages have led to working on several books with Rockridge Press, and a licensing deal and mascot commission with the Illinois State Museum. I am hopeful that even more opportunities will arise as I continue to create them.

“Use Less Everything” illustration created during the 2021 Our Planet Week illustration challenge.

In July of 2020 I moved to Fairbanks, Alaska leaving my home for the last 7 years behind in the heart of the early pandemic. My publishing work had started to slow as well, as everyone tightened their belts in the uncertain climate that existed throughout much of 2020. The isolation of the pandemic made adjusting to my new home challenging, but the abundance of natural beauty made it a little easier. The first natural phenomena I witnessed after my initial quarantine was the southern migration of sandhill cranes to Creamer’s Field. It was like nothing I had ever seen before, hundreds of giant graceful birds dancing, eating, and making calls so loud you could hear them for miles. Inspired by my new environment, I started experimenting with my work, developing a more textured style that I felt more in tune with. I’ve recently started to work on client projects in this new style.

Right now I’m working on the finishing touches for a book about the megafauna of Beringia. I’m also continuing to make nature coloring pages and have started developing licensing artwork featuring animals and other natural elements. I look forward to hopefully many more years of creating illustrations that educate, inform, and excite the general public about our natural world. I’m very pleased with how my recent GNSI conference presentation, Illustrating for the Educational Children's Market, went this past August and I am working on ideas for my next talk. I hope to see you there!

Cover art created for Where Giants Roamed.

Sara Lynn Cramb creates colorful illustrations full of personality for educational children’s books, websites, apps and other media with a focus on engaging and educating young audiences about the natural world. She also creates patterns, puzzles, and greeting card designs for art licensing. Sara currently lives in Fairbanks, AK. Sara’s portfolio can be viewed at www.saralynncramb.com . She can be followed at @ saralynncreative on Instagram to see current work.

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 55 No. 1, 2023.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 55, No. 1 : Abstracts

Mon, 01 May 2023 05:02:00 GMT

Welcome to the first Journal edition of 2023!

To inspire you, we offer you excellent and innovative stories in this issue. The journal begins with an introduction to illustrator and sculptor Victoria Fuller’s conservation-driven sculptures, Gail Selfridge’s day of teaching botanical observation and drawing to kids at the Flint Hills Discovery Center, the Member Spotlight on Sara Cramb, the process Diogo Guerra used to create his data visualization project on color, an informative copyright article from WM B. Westwood, and the process Maayan Harel used to create the cover art, and a 3-d facial reconstruction of a Denisovan girl.

Not yet a subscriber? To view the issue for free, become a GNSI member today!

Victoria Fuller: Inspiration Spurs Conservation

— Kathleen Marie Garness

Victoria Fuller is a natural science illustrator and sculptor whose work is inspired by nature and incorporates manmade objects to comment on human impact on the environment. Examples of her work include a giant decorated garden shovel and a life-size inflatable rhinoceros that inflates and deflates every three minutes to represent the ongoing species extinction. Victoria hopes to raise awareness about the loss of irreplaceable beings through habitat destruction, pollution, poaching, and other factors.

A Day at the Flint Hills Discovery Center

— Gail Selfridge

Gail Selfridge describes her educator du jour experience last March at the Flint Hills Discovery Center. Her faith in the art of simple observation and sketching in education was restored as she lead the children and adults through her Colorful Leaves program (JNSI 2017, vol. 49, No. 1) that she created in 2015. The tools and techniques for engaging the public in nature/science observation are reviewed.

Member Spotlight: Sara Lynn Cramb (Open Access)

— Sara Lynn Cramb

GNSI member Sara Lynn Cramb describes her early influences which included being enthralled with wonderful children's books. Later, her education and various positions led to her freelancing and finding the ins and outs of various publishing projects herself. Sarah also described her experience presenting "Creating Educational Illustrations for a Young Audience"at our 2018 conference in Washington, D.C.!

Off the Charts: How a Personal Project Fueled My Knowledge for Data Visualization

— Diogo Guerra

The article discusses the importance of data visualization (dataviz) as a tool for science communication in an era of information explosion and misinformation risk. The author, as a medical illustrator, created a personal project using colors extracted from fellow GNSI member Mesa Schumacher’s animal illustrations to create data visualizations. The project resulted in thirteen dataviz summaries and the author shares the main takeaways and useful resources for learning more about basic charts, finding inspiration, collecting and managing datasets, and using dataviz tools.

The Value of United States Copyright for Natural Science Illustrators

— WMB. Westwood

Portrait of a Denisovan Girl: Reconstructing Anatomy Without a Skeleton—
— Maayan Harel

Maayan Harel tells readers about the challenges and excitement of illustrating a skeletal comparison of a newly discovered hominid group - Denisovan hominid - not from a discovered skeleton, but from DNA in a tiny finger bone and a molar. Then after an exciting discovery of an actual jawbone that confirmed the measurements - Maayan started a facial reconstruction using traditional and digital materials.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 55 No. 1, 2023.

Book Review: The Cold Canyon Fire Journals: Green Shoots and Silver Linings in the Ashes, by Robin Lee Carlson

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 00:13:00 GMT

Robin Lee Carlson’s book is an up–close–and–very–personal study of fire’s relationship with Stebbins Cold Canyon ecosystems. Her familiarity with this canyon grew through many years of walking, observing, and sketching in the Reserve. She watched with sadness and grief as her familiar trails and forested canyons succumbed to wildfire. Her journey begins armed with her scientific background, creative and curious mind, while she devotedly recorded its recovery.

Pages from the Cold Canyon Fire Journals: Green Shoots and Silver Linings in the Ashes, flowers and pollinators.

Robin is a GNSI member and serves on the Board of Directors and the Conference Oversight Committee. With a background in evolutionary biology, stream ecology, and translating science processes into understandable stories, Robin weaves the complex stories of devastation and reemergence with consideration about the future of fires and our current culture that must now embrace it.

Pages from the Cold Canyon Fire Journals: Green Shoots and Silver Linings in the Ashes, narrow-leaf milkweed and beetles.

Her perseverance in numerous return trips, both day and night, revealed mysteries and answers to life within the canyon. With an observant eye and inquisitive mind, she records the first animals to return to the still–smoldering tree bark. She writes of newts who walk through fire, notes the undervalued wasps, and marvels at myriad animals and plants that adapt to cyclical fire. Even the world beneath the soil surface holds unseen secrets that aid the returning landscape.“I will always be profoundly glad that there is so much happening in the world right around us, above us, and under us that we will never know. This is perhaps the greatest beauty in the world—that we cannot know everything, and that every new discovery only reveals more mysteries.” (p. 190–192)

Pages from the Cold Canyon Fire Journals: Green Shoots and Silver Linings in the Ashes, fence lizards.

Curious behaviors of beetles, salamanders, birds, and plants emerge in her study and fascinated me throughout the book. I was fully engaged in the pathway of discovery she endured and embraced. With the diligence of a naturalist with a sketchbook, her pathway is revealed. This canyon became her laboratory and inspiration, walking, pausing, drawing, and carefully observing everything that caught her eye. The book is illustrated with her spontaneous and colorful illustrations. Direct and lively, they are as dynamic as her writing is engaging.

Pages from the Cold Canyon Fire Journals: Green Shoots and Silver Linings in the Ashes, lichen.

“I boggle at the thought of all the other adaptations to fire that we are unaware of and how rich the world must be to contain so many still–unseen wonders.”

Pages from the Cold Canyon Fire Journals: Green Shoots and Silver Linings in the Ashes, bobcat, coyote, chipmunk, and jay.

I want a signed copy of this book for my bookshelf to celebrate the power of observation and curiosity that opens our minds to Nature's mysteries, whether it is devastating or profound with marvels of the sustainability of biodiversity in our ever–changing environment. “We need diversity because it is only in diversity that we will find resilience.” “What my immersion in this process has taught me, though, is that the cycle of succession is not a targeted path with a final goal at the end. The so-called climax community of tall, mature trees and shrubs may feel like completion and the perfect end to the story, but every step along the way is the climax for a group of organisms.” (p. 212)

Pages from the Cold Canyon Fire Journals: Green Shoots and Silver Linings in the Ashes, moth collecting at dusk.

Publisher: Heyday
Paperback with Flaps, 7 x 9, over 100 full-color images, 288 pages. ISBN: 9781597145848

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Volume 54, No.3., 2022.

Creating a Fine Art Painting: From Research to Exhibit

Sun, 01 Jan 2023 03:43:00 GMT

by Erin E. Hunter

Erin E. Hunter’s most ambitious piece yet is “Look Closer,” a large painting of California native bees and wildflowers that anchored a 2022 solo show at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. She tells the story of its creation – inspiration to process – from the sketching, designing and painting, to presenting the piece in multiple formats to various audiences.

“… I had long observed the curious fact that people will look closely at something an artist has taken pains to paint faithfully when they will not give more than a passing glance to the thing itself, which in many cases is more beautiful and interesting. It is as though they say to themselves, ‘As someone bothered to paint it, it may be worth looking at.” —John Cody, Wings of Paradise: The Great Saturniid Moths.

Like most illustrators, I loved to draw as a kid. I read field guides and picture books, wishing I could draw and paint like a professional artist. I played with patterns, making designs within a circle using a compass or coloring squares of graph paper with bright jewel tones. As a traveling college student, I fell in love with the repeating architectural motifs of Spain’s Alhambra and the rose windows of Gothic French cathedrals. In my classes, I fell for typography and majored in graphic design. I learned to use my eye for symmetry and balance to combine text and imagery, and got interested in creating my own images as an illustrator. After working as a graphic designer and then freelancing in New York, I joined the science illustration program at UC Santa Cruz (now at Cal State Monterey Bay). It was thrilling to explore the detailed drawing and painting that I’d always loved, while being amongst knowledgeable and talented peers.

New ParagraphFigure 2 : Sketching plant specimens at the California Native Plant Society’s annual wildflower show, hosted by the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History.

I came to the science illustration program without a degree in fine art or science. What I did have was curiosity and willingness to learn. My teachers and classmates generously caught me up on things like scientific naming conventions and painting a smooth watercolor wash. Soon, I was painting portraits of plants and animals, mostly cultivated flowers and exotic birds and mammals. After my classmate, Erika Beyer, recommended the wonderful book The Forgotten Pollinators by Stephen L. Buchmann and Gary Paul Nabhan, I began combining wild plants with their native pollinators in my pieces—the first was a pair of orange-breasted sunbirds atop a pincushion protea. The plant is a common landscaping plant along the California coast, where I live. But until I read The Forgotten Pollinators, I had never wondered “Where are these plants from? Who pollinates them in their native habitat?”

Figure 3: Plant sketches on tracing paper.

Whenever possible, I sketch plants from life; these were sketches from the wildflower show. I started painting more portraits of the African or Australian plants common in California but pollinated by perching birds in their home habitats. I also interned as a botanical illustrator at Cal Academy, creating a botanical plate of a California wildflower with its own bird pollinator: migrating Costa’s hummingbirds visit chuparosa, or Justicia californica , as they move from Mexico through California. Later, I joined the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) and focused my artwork on local flora and fauna, particularly pollinating insects.

While happily working as an illustrator, I started thinking more like a fine artist with my personal work. In the science illustration program, I had learned about Margaret Mee and John Cody, painters who used their art and knowledge of the natural world to attract attention to ecological issues that mattered deeply to them. I wanted to do the same, especially as I learned more about habitat loss for native wildflowers and pollinators in my home state.

After completing a rose window-style painting of local hummingbirds and wildflowers, I was ready to do another fine art pollinator painting that focused on California’s native bees. Many of us can identify honeybees and maybe bumblebees, but not the wild array (1,600 species!) of solitary bees that live in California. My research was great fun. I sketched bee-friendly wildflowers at the local CNPS wildflower show (Fig. 2 and 3). I read books and looked at specimens. I emailed naturalists and bee scientists for suggestions, and I mooned over bee photos. I saw huge, 3-centimeter carpenter bees and tiny solitary bees only 5 millimeters long; metallic green and blue bees; bees with furry bellies and others with tiny leg tassels. I wanted to paint them all, but eventually I chose a tidy percentage of 40 bee species—that’s 2.5% of California’s 1,600 (Fig. 4).

Figure 4: Bee sketches and notes on tracing paper. My list of California native bees came from a record of observed bee species from Hastings Natural History Reservation.

My list of California native bees came from a record of observed bee species from Hastings Natural History Reservation.The layout initially stumped me. Then one day, my daughter came home from preschool with a tessellated design of triangles that she’d created (Fig. 5). I was inspired. I played around with designs in Adobe Illustrator® until I landed on a hexagonal design that seemed bee-ish and would accommodate my wildflowers. I printed out my tessellation, photocopied my flower sketches, and cut them out. I moved the flowers around on my kitchen table and taped them down once I settled on placement (Fig. 6).

Figure 5: I found design inspiration in my daughter’s school art project.

Figure 6: Using sketch photo copies, I cut out and composed the placement of the elements at twice life size; later, I scaled up to three times life size.

When I started sketching bees, I realized that some were too tiny to cut out and tape to my layout. So, I scanned the tessellation/flower design and imported it into Illustrator. Then I imported the bees, which I’d scanned in and silhouetted in Photoshop®. This step turned out to be crucial, as it allowed me to size each bee accurately. Because some of the bees were so tiny, I decided to paint the piece at 3 times’ life-size (40” x 30”) and I got a giant, bond paper printout of the composition at my local copy shop (Fig. 7).

Figure 7 (middle right): I scanned the results and added the bee sketches in Adobe Illustrator, then sent a pdf of the composition to a local copy shop, where it was printed on bond paper.

Now that I had my composition, I needed to get it onto my preferred substrate, watercolor paper. I bought a roll of oversize Arches® watercolor paper, soaked it in my bathtub to size it, and taped it to Masonite. (I had to do this three times before I got it right! An extremely though soaking is required, longer than expected.) Then I taped my drawing on top of this and transferred my composition using graphite paper (Fig. 8).

Figure 8: Using the graphite sheet transfer technique, I placed my sketch on the watercolor paper, making final positioning corrections as needed. Note my large Masonite board, the paper had to be soaked in the extreme to make it completely pliable throughout.

It was a tedious process, but it allowed me to correct a few mistakes I encountered along the way. When it was time to paint, I blocked in the color throughout the painting in thin washes of acrylic, with the tessellation and background colors in a blue-and-gold theme. This seemed appropriate for bees, since they can perceive these colors and tend to be attracted to flowers in this color range (Fig. 9).

Figure 9: I then blocked in basic washes for the base colors, using Liquitex acrylic thinned down with water.

I continued adding layers of paint to my giant bee painting, feeling confident that I could finish before long. I had lined up a solo show at the San Francisco Botanical Garden’s Library of Horticulture, and this painting was going to be the star of the show. But then Covid hit, and I found it hard to juggle painting time and regular illustration work with young children at home full time. Sometimes I forgot what bees I was painting (Fig. 10) and I’d have to go back to my notes and re-research the bees. Eventually, the show was deferred by a year. That gave me time to finish, while also documenting my progress on Instagram. Each time I posted a step, I had an opportunity to talk about what bee I was painting and tag related accounts like @the_bees_in_your_backyard or @ pollinatorpartnership.

Figure 10 : Final painting process. Once color was blocked in with thin washes of acrylic, I added more detail with several layers of more opaque acrylic. In some areas (for example, bee legs and antennae), I used very fine-point Copic Multiliner pens or mechanical pencil for sharp lines.

After more than two years, I finished my painting. I thought I’d done the hard part, but extra-large paintings on watercolor paper are complicated. I had to find a place that could flatten any wrinkles under glass while scanning the oversized painting. And I ordered large, expensive matting and plexi to frame it for the show, but the framer said the buckled paper was fighting the mat. He found a solution to hide some of the buckling with adjusted spacing between the mat and glass, but even the framer's skill couldn't completely conceal the painting's wavy edges. The finished piece was big. When I came to pick up the project, the 47” x 45” framed piece wouldn’t fit in my car. My husband returned with his truck and we delivered it to the SF Botanical Garden (Fig. 11).

Figure 11: The extremely large (47” x 45”) final painting framed and ready to hang in the San Francisco Botanical Garden’s Library of Horticulture. Paper buckling was an issue, which was minimized when the painting was fitted in between backing and the mat window with a bit of extra spacing, but not eliminated.

“Look Closer”, together with a panel listing the names of featured bees and flowers, anchored my “Wild Nectar” show. The painting was finally on display, communicating its thesis: native bees are beautiful, important, and worthy of our protection. To promote the show, and the message of the painting, I also shared videos, wrote blog posts, and did podcast interviews about this work.

I titled the piece “Look Closer” to call the viewer to look closer at the bees I had painted, and then turn around and explore their own surroundings with the same close attention. As I shared the painting online and in person, the number one thing I heard from people was, “I had no idea there so many other bees!” I was excited to hear people respond to the painting in that way, and I hoped they would take a new awareness away with them.

Unlike some of my other pieces, “Look Closer” isn’t ideal for notecards and it’s so large that I don’t expect to sell many prints of it. But, my goal was to open viewers’ eyes to the world that surrounds them. Like John Cody, I hope that drawing attention to my larger-than-life bees will communicate their value and show their true beauty.

About the Artist: Erin E. Hunter is an artist and science illustrator who splits her time between creating pollination–themed paintings, and technical illustrations for an academic journal (Annual Reviews). Erin’s fine art paintings highlight the impact that individual species have on the wider ecosystem, bringing attention to the significance of tiny bees, dazzling hummingbirds, delicate thistles, native plants, and other ecological treasures.

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 54 No. 3, 2022.

Journal of Natural Science Illustration Vol. 54, No. 3 : Abstracts

Sat, 31 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Journal of Natural Science Illustration Volume 54, No. 3

Welcome to the third Journal edition of 2022!
To inspire you, we offer you excellent and innovative stories in this issue. The journal begins with a recap of our third online Visual SciComm Conference, an introduction to 19th century author and illustrator William Hamilton Gibson, Erin E. Hunter’s process for creating a large pollinator piece of artwork, a book review about the Cold Canyon Fires, an article about modern Medical Illustrators’ challenges, some photoshop tips for your traditional illustrations, an overview of Kathleen Garness’ grant project identifying orchids, and a Memoriam to the late illustrator Peg Estey. Thank you to all our contributors!

Log in to your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2022, Vol. 54, No. 3
Not yet a subscriber? To view the issue for free, become a GNSI member today!

GNSI’s Third Online Conference a Success

-Kalliopi Monoyios

Kapi reviews the GNSI’s 3rd online Visual SciComm Conference, August 12-14 2022.

Who was William Hamilton Gibson?

-Mary Ellen Carsley

A short history of Connecticut-born illustrator William Hamilton Gibson’s varied career. One of his varied accomplishments was as illustrator and author for Harper’s Magazine of many articles depicting life, flora and fauna of New England - years after being advised during a 2-week work trial period at the publication that he should not pursue art!

< William Hamilton Gibson, Self Portrait, reprinted courtesy of the Gunn Historical Museum

Creating a Fine Art Painting: From Research to Exhibit ( Open Access)

-Erin E. Hunter

GNSI member Erin Hunter gives an overview of her career beginnings, her influences, and the processes that led to her creation of “Look Closer”; a large acrylic painting of California’s bee pollinators that marries her scientific illustration skills with her graphic design background.

Book Review: The Cold Canyon Fire Journals: Green Shoots and Silver Linings in the Ashes by Robin Lee Carlson ( Open Access)

-Linda M. Feltner

Linda M. Feltner gives an overview of Robin Lee Carlson’s book. Through text and sketchbook illustrations, Robin documents the devastation from wildfires, and remarkable resilience of nature at Cold Canyon in California, USA, from a naturalist’s point of view.

Illustrating the Unknown in Translational Research: How the Artist, the Investigator, the Engineer, and the Physician Collaborate to Create Medical Innovation

-Holly R. Zink and Suzanne Sadilek

An overview of various challenges a Medical Illustrator takes on as standards and methods of medical illustration have changed with new technology, and the dual roles needed to communicate complex concepts internally between engineers, grant investigators, and physicians, and then redirect that communication on these medical breakthroughs to the broader public audience.

Using Photoshop to Speed up and Refine Composition and Layout

-Gail Guth

Gail presents tips for using Photoshop to help her make a traditional illustration faster, using layers and different views in the program to decide on color and composition.

Intersections between orchids, science, and advocacy

-Kathleen Marie Garness

Kathleen describes her documentation of orchid species in the 4000-acre Chiwaukee-Waukegan lake plain of southeast Wisconsin, USA as a grant project, and the things she learned along the journey (including witnessing an emergency save of a threatened species’ habitat from construction during a bio-blitz!).

In Memoriam Margaret L. (Peg) Estey 1937-2022

-Jane Neroni

A remembrance of this wonderful scientific illustrator and instructor’s accomplishments.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 54 No. 3, 2022.

Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom Decal Project

Thu, 08 Sep 2022 03:50:28 GMT

The Finger Lakes Chapter of GNSI is based in central New York State, where 11 elongated, narrow lakes; the so-called Finger Lakes, are situated between rolling hills, nearly parallel in a nearly north-south direction. The region is home to gorges and forests and is abundant in wildlife, on both the land and in the waters.

Decal #1: (1) black crappie, ( Pomoxis nigromaculatus ), by Liisa Mobley; (2) brown trout, ( Salmo trutta ) by Thaddeus Zygarowicz; (3, 9) yellow perch, ( Perca flavescens ) and rockbass, ( Ambloplites rupestris ), by Stephen DiCerbo; (4–6) eelgrass, ( Vallisneria americana ), curly leaf pondweed ( Potamogeton crispus ), and elodea ( Elodia canadensis ) by Gretchen Halpert; (7–8) sturgeon ( Acipenser fulvescens ) and coontail ( Ceratophyllum demersum ) by Elizabeth Morales.

Project Inception

In July of 2019, our chapter had the wonderful opportunity to take an educational cruise on Cayuga Lake aboard the MV Teal. The cruise was conducted by Discover Cayuga Lake ( www.discovercayugalake.org ). For many years, this organization has offered a variety of fun and interesting boat tours including hands-on science and educational cruises to help inspire and engage children and adults in learning about the ecology and history of Cayuga Lake and its watershed. This project was called The Floating Classroom .

Our cruise was organized by Lucy Gagliardo. The purpose of the cruise was to gather information and prepare for an upcoming chapter show entitled: “Life in the Waters of the Finger Lakes.”

About 20 members of our group had a great time cruising the lake and learning about the plants and animals, including microscopic life, living in and around these beautiful waters. Bill Foster, the Executive Director and Director of Educational Programs, and his knowledgeable and friendly crew made us feel very welcome. In addition to sharing his appreciation for the fish and other macro-life of Cayuga Lake, he allowed us to help haul in some microorganisms with a plankton net. Thanks to dissecting scopes right there on the boat, we enjoyed looking at rotifers, water fleas, algae, and other tiny life forms.

In exchange for this cruise, we discussed an art project that we thought might add a visual component to this unique learning experience. We offered to paint scientifically accurate and colorful representations of some of the plants and animals of the lake region that could then be displayed on the inner white walls of the vessel. We felt that the philosophy behind the Floating Classroom was a perfect fit for our artwork. Here is a quote from the Discover Cayuga Lake website:

"Discover Cayuga Lake is invested in environmental literacy, not only as part of a good education, but as a key to long term social justice and sustainability. The Floating Classroom is where science on the water happens! Our boat, the MV Teal, is the perfect platform for children and adults alike to participate in scientific experiments and observations concerning our Cayuga Lake watershed. Every year we take thousands of people out on the lake to show them what we do and give them a chance to do it themselves."

Decal #2: (1) pumpkin-seed sunfish ( Lepomis gibbosus ) by Maureen Dunphy; (2) greater scaup ( Aythya marila ) by Lucy Gagliardo; (3) crayfish ( Procambarus acutus, Faxonius rusticus ) by Carla Elizabeth; (4–5) elodea ( Elodia canadensis ) and eastern painted turtle ( Chrysemys picta ) by Lynn Bertoia; (6) zebra mussels ( Dreissena polymorpha ) by Travis DeMello; (7–9) curly leaf pondweed ( Potamogeton crispus ), elodea ( E. canadensis ), and watermilfoil ( Myriophyllum spicatum )by Gretchen Halpert; (10) snapping turtle ( Chelydra serpentine ) by Thaddeus Zygarowicz.

Decal #3: (1, 3, 4) common bluet damselfly ( Enallagma cyathigerum ), green darner dragonfly ( Anax junius ), and ebony jewelwing damselfly ( Calopteryx maculata ) by Frances Fawcett; (2) hooded merganser ( Lophodytes cucullatus ) with yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ) by Amy Maltzan; (5) great blue heron ( Ardea herodias ) by Elizabeth Morales; (6) Canada geese ( Branta canadensis ) by Iva Lesky; (7) loons ( Gavia immer ) by Louisa Sandvik; (8) great egret ( Ardea alba ) by Liisa Mobley.

Decal #4: (1) North American beaver ( Castor canadensis ) by Mary Roche; (2) North American river otter ( Lontra canadensis ) by Amy Maltzan; (3, 4, 8) American mink ( Neovison vison ), firefly ( Lampyridae ), and American bittern ( Botaurus lentiginosus ) by Iva Lesky; (5) muskrat ( Ondatra zibethicus ) by Liisa Mobley; (6) common whitetail dragonfly ( Plathemis lydia ) by Frances Fawcett; (7) spring peeper ( Pseudacris crucifer ) by Elizabeth Morales.

In August 2019, Lucy sent an email to members about the Floating Classroom project. She had met with Bill earlier to photograph the areas he was proposing that we paint; she then shared those photos with the group.

At our group meeting, we discussed the best way to get our artwork on the walls of the boat. These areas are low to the ground and would be difficult to paint. Carla DeMello suggested, as an alternative to painting directly on the boat walls, having the images printed as high-quality decals on weatherproof UV-coated vinyl surfaces with good adherence. The group agreed that our chapter could contribute to covering the costs. We discussed looking into funding from other sources, such as the Education Fund.

Development of the Boat Decal Project

In November of 2019 at a group meeting, we discussed forming a committee to oversee the planning and development of the project. Several members volunteered: Carla DeMello, Marla Coppolino, Lucy Gagliardo, and Elizabeth Morales.

In August 2020, the boat project committee met with Bill Foster and Astrid Jirka, Director of Tourism and Outreach, to present both options: producing decals with color background or painting murals directly on the boat. We explained the difference in style.

We invited Brian Poulsen, a representative from a local print company, Dataflow of Ithaca, to our meeting. He had produced several decal samples from members' work. The results were outstanding, and everyone was convinced that the decals were the way to go.

We also discussed grouping the organisms in some way. We finally decided that there would be vignettes of different ecosystems of appropriately grouped organisms on 4 ft by 20 in sections, with a very subtle background color gradient to anchor the composition. We discussed the lifespan of decals. He was comfortable with an estimate of 4 to 5 years before needing replacement or restoration.

Bill provided a long list of animals and plants that he wanted to see represented. Chapter member Adrianna Hirtler, experienced in freshwater biomonitoring, advised some of the artists working on microorganisms.

We discussed ancillary items such as printed handouts and web-based images for Discover Cayuga Lake social media outreach.

Decal #5: (1, 4) Bald eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ) and Caspian tern ( Hydroprogne caspia ) by Carla Elizabeth; (2) snow geese ( Anser caerulescens ) by Louisa Sandvik; (3) osprey ( Pandion haliaetus ) by Elizabeth Morales.

Decal #6: (1) rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss )by Thaddeus Zygarowicz; (2, 10) landlocked Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar sebago ) and smallmouth bass ( Micropterus dolimieu ) by Stephen DiCerbo; (3) northern water snake ( Nerodia sipedon ) by Frances Fawcett; (4, 11) coontail ( Ceratophyllum demersum ) and starry stonewort ( Nitellopsis obtusa ) by Elizabeth Morales; (5–8) snapping turtle ( Chelydra serpentina ), coontail ( C. demersum ), North Eurasian milfoil ( Myriophyllum spicatum ) with zebra mussels ( Dreissena polymorpha ), and elodea ( Elodia canadensis ) by Paula Bensadoun; (9) freshwater jellyfish ( Craspedacusta sowerbii ) by Marla Coppolino; (12) elodea ( Elodia canadensis ) by Lynn Bertoia; (13) crayfish ( Faxonius rusticus ) by Margaret Corbit.

Decal #7: (1, 8, 9, 13) Diatoma, Melosira, Asterionella, and Rhizosolenia by Amy Maltzan; (2, 4, 10) Spirulina, Pediastrum, and Bosmina by Lucy Gagliardo; (3, 12, 15) Nauplius larva, Daphnia and Copepod (cyclops) by Elizabeth Morales; (5) Dolichospermum by Adrianna Hirtler; (6, 7, 11, 14) Cosmarium, Dinobryon, Closterium, and Straurastrum by Frances Fawcett.

Designing the decal panels

So, now we are all very excited about this project! Over several months, Elizabeth gathered the artwork from our members and designed the layouts, which she presented to the group for review and comment. We hoped to have 10 decal panels ready for installation by May 2021, when the MV Teal went back into the water for the summer season. By April 2021 we produced 10 panels of 82 plants, animals and microorganisms by 20 chapter artists. We also produced a beautiful catalog, designed by member Travis DeMello, which includes a key to the panels, biographies and contact information for the contributing artists.

Top left: The MV Teal. Photo by Elizabeth Morales.
Top right: Installation of the panels. (Left to right) Bill Foster, Hunter Zimmerman, Brian Poulsen. Photo by Elizabeth Morales.
Bottom left: Decals #4, #5, and #6 on the boat.
Bottom right: The GNSI Finger Lakes Chapter celebrates aboard the MV Teal. Credit: Astrid Jirka

Production and installation of decal panels

The production was overseen by Carla. She worked with the folks from Dataflow to produce high quality decals. In May 2021, several of us gathered with the Dataflow staff to install the panels on the walls of the MV Teal. The cost of the project was approximately $100.00 per panel.

Chapter members celebrate installation aboard the Boat

This collaborative art project was a great opportunity for our membership. It will provide our chapter with a permanent, floating exhibit of our work. Our art will be viewed by over 5,000 visitors annually and provide a valuable tool for educational programs for over 3,000 students. We are proud to carry out GNSI’s mission of communicating science visually.

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustration Vol. 54, No. 2, 2022.

GNSI Conference: Re-defining Scientific Illustration as a Profession

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 21:16:49 GMT

For the most part, scientific illustration is a comparatively conservative field.

Perhaps the most basic definition of scientific illustration is “images created to help facilitate communication among scientists.” If this were the sole definition, then accuracy, clarity, and an understanding of what scientists need and want might be the only “givens” to consider. However, almost since “true” scientific illustration emerged during the Renaissance, it is not scientists alone who were the recipients of the information that can be conveyed by drawings of scientific subject matter. Today, audiences for scientific illustration include children, adult members of the general public and students of all ages and levels, as well as scientists (natural, physical and social).

Pen and ink, once the mainstay medium for scientific illustrators, is still popular among both scientists and the general public. But how “pen and ink” drawings are produced has changed. Have they been created using a traditional flexible pen nib and India ink, or are they the result of weighted lines produced by a software program such as Adobe Illustrator? Experienced illustrators can fool viewers into thinking that computer-generated drawings are actually the result of using materials that were prominent two hundred years ago. This is the point: despite the conservative nature of scientific illustration, the field continues to evolve as new technology is introduced, new ways of thinking about science are adopted and the definition of “imaging” changes…and this is where the Guild Conference comes in.

One of the goals of every Guild conference is to help members stay abreast of changes in the field. These changes include, but are not limited to the following:

Changes in technology as they relate to both scientific research and the creation of illustrations and graphics.
Changes in the nature of the scientific information that is communicated.
Changes in the way images are prepared and distributed.
Changes in how scientific research is conducted.
Changes in tax laws and business practices as they relate to scientific illustrators.
Advances in science.

Through keynote lectures, scheduled presentations, workshops and informal discussions, Guild members who attend annual meetings are provided with numerous opportunities to remain au courant in the exciting world of “art as applied to science.”

We invite you to fill out (in part or in full) our scouting form if you have a cool location that would be able to host a conference.

SCOUTING FORM

If you have an idea for a workshop or presentation, or want to present one yourself, contact the conference committee directly with information: conference@gnsi.org

The GNSI’s Visual SciComm Conference event does not happen without the input of our talented members!

GNSI's Conferences keep your PULSE on your career!

Journal of Natural Science Illustration Vol. 54, No. 2 : Abstracts

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 05:45:00 GMT

Welcome to the second Journal edition of 2022!
To inspire you, we offer you excellent and innovative stories in this issue, ranging from affordable 2D and 3D renderers, an overview of the 2022 Visual SciComm Conference, a decal project at Cayuga Lake, selected artworks from the graduating class of CSUMB program, and watercolor paper tests by Kathryn Killackey. Thank you to all of our contributors!

Log in to your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2022, Vol. 54, No. 2
Not yet a subscriber? To view the issue for free, become a GNSI member today!

Rippped From The List: Affordable 2d and 3d Molecule Renderers
– Catherine Wilson, Gloria Fuentes, and Jeremy Swan

Looking to explore the world of molecular modeling? Review a list of online molecular modeling resources you can try out!

Visual Scicomm Conference 2022

An overview of the speakers, programs and workshops offered in this year’s GNSI annual meeting. The Conference is online for the third time, with participants and presented from around the world!

Cayuga Lake: Floating Classroom Decal Project ( Open Access )
– Elizabeth Morales, Mrla Coppolino, Carla DeMello, Lucy Gagliardo, and Annie Zygarowicz

The GNSI Finger Lakes chapter partnered with a local floating non-profit classroom to bring scientifically accurate images of the plants and animals of the Cayuga Lake region to the general public.

Illustrating Nature: CSUMB Science Illustration Graduate Program Class of 2022

Beautiful images from the annual exhibit showcasing program work by the graduating students of the California State University Monterey Bay’s Science Illustration Certificate Program.

Searching for My Perfect Match: Arches, Fabriano Artistico, Fluid 100, Saunders Waterford, Stonehenge Aqua, and Lanaquarelle

– Kathryn Killackey

Kathryn Killackey tests several popular watercolor papers for qualities of texture and appearance, dry brush and wash results, color vibrancy, glazing, color lifting, and erasing graphite lines.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustration Vol. 54, No. 2, 2022.

GNSI 2021 Special Projects Award: Joel Floyd

Sun, 12 Jun 2022 02:26:00 GMT

GNSI 2021 Special Projects Award: Joel Floyd

Established in 1994, this award is given to the person or persons who have demonstrated special determination to promote and develop major projects and initiatives that are instrumental in furthering the GNSI’s mission, and that required a special determination to pursue into being. This year we are pleased to present the Special Projects Award to Joel Floyd for his role in steering us through the turbulent waters of pandemic conferencing.

As Chair of the Conference Oversight Committee in early 2020, Joel was about ready to hang up his hat and sail into retirement when widespread quarantine orders dashed our plans just weeks before we were to open registration for our 52nd annual conference in Salt Lake City, UT. Without missing a beat, Joel deftly switched to steering our ship into virtual waters.

He instituted weekly meetings, kept everyone on task, identified holes that needed plugging, and was the steady organizational hand we needed amidst turmoil and uncertainty. The end result was a highly successful and totally innovative conference that was pulled together in just four months. When we asked him to rinse and repeat for 2021, he did so with his characteristic grace and determination.

As it turns out, both virtual conferences set attendance records and became models for accessibility, affordability, and international reach. We are profoundly grateful to Joel for helping us not just survive, but to thrive in the face of adversity, and help usher in a new chapter of online engagement for the Guild.

Thank you, Joel!

About Joel

Joel caught the “bug” for science illustration as an undergrad at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff when a museum curator noticed he could draw and asked him to illustrate entomological specimens. Later while pursuing an MS degree in entomology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, he enrolled in Don Sayner’s scientific illustration classes and illustrated a book on venomous animals of Arizona. He also took several classes from Jerry Hodge at the Scottsdale Artists School and learned a variety of techniques from many GNSI workshops at conferences.

Joel worked for a regulatory agency in the US Department of Agriculture for thirty-five years where he was an insect and plant disease identifier at international ports of entry, and later managed national invasive species programs, emergency programs, and plant pest diagnostics coordination. All along Joel has done freelance work for various nonprofit organizations, government agencies, publishers, and museums. He has taught natural science illustration at Montgomery College in Maryland, held drawing workshops for young people, and completed a large-scale indoor mural. Before the pandemic, he volunteered for several years at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural history, assisting in maintenance of the entomology department’s insect illustration archive.

Joel has been a member of the GNSI since 1981 and he served as President of the GNSI DC Chapter from 2015 – 2017. Prior to serving as Chair of the Conference Oversight Committee from 2019 – 2021, Joel chaired GNSI’s 50th anniversary conference in 2018 in our founding city: Washington, D.C.

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 54 No. 1, 2022.

GNSI Conference’s Role in Redefining Scientific Illustration as a Profession

Wed, 04 May 2022 23:35:52 GMT

For the most part, scientific illustration is a comparatively conservative field. Perhaps the most basic definition of scientific illustration is “images created to help facilitate communication among scientists.”

If this were the sole definition, then accuracy, clarity, and an understanding of what scientists need and want might be the only “givens” to consider. However, almost since “true” scientific illustration emerged during the Renaissance, it is not scientists alone who were the recipients of the information that can be conveyed by drawings of scientific subject matter. Today, audiences for scientific illustration include children, adult members of the general public and students of all ages and levels, as well as scientists (natural, physical and social).

One of the goals of every Guild conference is to help members stay abreast of changes in the field. These changes include, but are not limited to the following:

Changes in technology as they relate to both scientific research and the creation of illustrations and graphics.
Changes in the nature of the scientific information that is communicated.
Changes in the way images are prepared and distributed.
Changes in how scientific research is conducted.
Changes in tax laws and business practices as they relate to scientific illustrators.
Advances in science.

For these opportunities to happen, guild members all pitch in together to share what they have learned. First by deciding where to gather, and then what they have to share. The Conference Oversight Committee is very interested in suggestions on where we can meet in a space that will accommodate 150-250 people. We invite you to fill out (in part or in full) our scouting form if you have a cool location that would be able to host a conference.

SCOUTING FORM: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1xbP17yWx9Q2z_zSjt2t6-udmbi6PpBydD98t_h32yRU/edit

If you have an idea for a workshop or presentation, or want to present one yourself, contact the conference committee directly with information: conference@gnsi.org

The GNSI’s Visual SciComm Conference event does not happen without the input of our talented members!

GNSI's Conferences keep your PULSE on your career!

Book Review: Natural History Illustration in Pen and Ink by Sarah Morrish

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 04:48:43 GMT

All Art © by Sarah Morrish

There are few instructional books that are dedicated to the use of traditional pen and ink materials in natural history illustration. Those interested in developing those skills now have a new reference thanks to GNSI member, Sarah Morrish, who has written Natural History Illustration in Pen and Ink.

The beautifully illustrated book provides instruction for both the beginner and the experienced illustrator who is looking for inspiration or new ways to combine media. Morrish is an illustrator for Curtis’s Botanical Magazine and has produced work for the Natural History Museum in London.

Helicoid Shell, by Sarah Morrish

The book begins with an overview of the history of pen and ink illustration, from the first use of reed pens to contemporary botanical and natural history illustrators working in pen and ink. In addition to providing context for the use of pen and ink in this type of illustration, she has included a fascinating chart showing the timeline of the history and development of ink and pens.

Her use of charts throughout the book provides an organized approach to the contents that will be appreciated by both teachers of illustration and their students. The charts showing projects and case studies in the beginning of the book provide a very clear outline of the skill level involved for each, and the aim of the projects.

Small-spotted catshark egg case. (Left) Illustration in pen and ink.

She gives an overview of possible subjects and a sensitive discussion of the ethical means of obtaining reference material. The author is based in the U.K., and she notes that laws regarding the collection of natural materials for illustration differs by location. (Indeed, in the U.S., possessing feathers and birds requires a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state agencies.) She also discusses working with museums and museum etiquette, and the use of photography and field sketching.

Next, Morrish gives the reader an extensive overview of materials, from fiber-tipped pens to nibs to papers and
inks, and an interesting demo of making your own oak-gall ink.

Stag beetle, step 9

I enjoyed reading the chapter on the importance of sketchbooks and making study pages, as I find inspiration in seeing the process behind a finished illustration. She also has a good discussion of measuring and using dividers, which is helpful for those new to the field.

Mark-making, shading, and tone are described, with charts showing possible solutions to illustration challenges
such as ink bleeding, nib clogging, and splatters. Again, her use of charts to guide the reader throughout the book is very user-friendly.

The chapter on composition could be expanded (I admit, though, that this subject is so large, it could
encompass a book of its own!). She addresses the elements and principles of design and gives examples from
her own illustrations.

Morrish then discusses different subject areas of natural history illustration, including botanical subjects,
marine, fossil, insect and invertebrates, birds, and mammals. Step-by-step exercises and case studies demonstrate pen and ink techniques to describe each of these subjects. Sixteen contributing illustrators add additional perspectives in this section.

Arum maculatum

In the final chapters of the book, she discusses combining pen and ink with other materials and framing and
presentation. The chapter on combining media is generously illustrated and provides the reader with several options to explore, including pen and ink combined with watercolor, colored pencil, and charcoal. She emphasizes that the additional media should complement, not overwhelm, the pen and ink work.

Lastly, there is a list of contributing artists and their contact information. I would have also enjoyed seeing a
bibliography, as she mentions some out-of-print references in the beginning of the book that look intriguing.

Overall, this is a beautiful guide to the use of traditional pen and ink in natural history illustrations. Because of
the book’s well-organized structure and inclusion of some beginner-friendly projects, it would also be a useful
resource for instructors to share with their students.

The Crowood Press Ltd, ISBN 978 1 78500 922 8, 208p. $45 USD.

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 54 No. 1, 2022.

Journal of Natural Science Illustration Vol. 54 No. 1 : Abstracts

Sat, 02 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the first Journal edition of 2022!
To inspire you, we offer you the excellent and innovative stories in this issue, ranging from communication and collaboration, inspiration on a career path, a book review on ink drawing techniques, to information on programs at RISD; along with summarized discussions from our GNSI Listserv. And last but not least, a page of lovely sketchbook art from Carol Schwartz. Thank you to all of our contributors!

Log in to your member account to view the Journal: JNSI 2022, Vol. 54, No. 1 Not yet a subscriber? To view the issue for free, become a GNSI member today!

GNSI 2021 Special Projects Award: Joel Floyd (Open Access)

Presented by GNSI President Kalliopi Monoyios, this award is given to the person or persons who have demonstrated special determination to promote and develop major projects and initiatives that are instrumental in furthering the GNSI’s mission, and that required a special determination to pursue into being. This year we are pleased to present the Special Projects Award to Joel Floyd for his role in steering us through the turbulent waters of pandemic conferencing.

Visualizing Climate Solutions

— By Daisy Chung

The brief from The Washington Post was to create a s et of illustrated information graphics to tell one of a series of stories on developing climate solutions. This story is about how these graphics were created.

Collaborative Creation: Bringing Scientific Illustration and Environmental Agencies Together

— Monika Jasnauskaite

Scientific nature illustration preserves the accuracy and distinguishes closely related species while being appealing a nd understandable. These features are highly appreciated by environmental agencies in projects aimed at creating educational aids. I had an opportunity to collaborate on such a poster design project which focused on featuring amphibian and reptile species of Lithuania in order to highlight the biodiversity-related to aquacultures.

RRRRipped from the List: Work-for-Hire Contracts

One requirement of the Scientific Illustration Distance Program (SIDP) is to complete an internship. The problem: a student is negotiating a contract with a museum that wants full "work-for-hire"—not an uncommon request—but demanding full usage and copyright with no compensation, no credit for the work, no exception for portfolio and publicity use (e.g., on the SIDP website), and no artists' rights. List members offer answers.

An Artist’s Life Enriched by the Smithsonian

— Jahne Hope-Williams

My training at the Smithsonian all seems so long ago, and in other ways, just yesterday. I have always painted and drawn (encouraged by my father), hence when I got old enough to choose, and it became obvious that opera singing was not going to be in my future, I pushed for art. This story is about being "initiated" into the Guild in 1977.

Rhode Island School of Design: Natural Science Illustration Courses for All Walks of Life

— Margaret Oliver

Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education (RISD CE) offers a wide range of noncredit programs and coursework for children to adults of all backgrounds, varying interests, and skill levels, who desire to grow creatively. This article is an overview of the program.

Visual Communication In a High School Classroom

— Cheryl Wendling

While teaching at any level is never easy, getting teenagers interested in a lesson and keeping their attention is a particular challenge. During 26 years of teaching high school, my philosophy was always, “If I’m bored, then they’re bored”. As a result, no two years of my career were exactly the same and I spent many a summer in professional development, learning new ways to enrich the curriculum.

Book Review: Natural History Illustration in Pen and Ink, by Sarah Morrish (Open Access)

— Camille Werther

There are few instructional books that are dedicated to the use of traditional pen and ink materials in natural history illustration. Those interested in developing those skills now have a new reference thanks to GNSI member, Sarah Morrish, who has written Natural History Illustration in Pen and Ink.

Sketchbook

— Carol Schwartz

A constant supply of drawing materials accompanied Carol while growing up in Missouri. Carol’s favorite medium is gouache, an opaque watercolor, although she also works digitally, often taking her gouache paintings into Photoshop where she continues to build and improve on them.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 54 No. 1, 2022.

GNSI Conference: Making Social Connections

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 00:01:52 GMT

In this age of information with instant messaging and “fingertouch” communication, it’s sometimes hard to imagine a world where the best ways to connect with distant relatives, friends and colleagues was by mailed letters and long-distance phone calls.

One of the reasons why the Guild came into existence was to provide easier communication among members and to give them a venue to hone skills, share experiences and strengthen friendships. Probably the best way to achieve this goal is participation in the annual conference.

Despite advances in technology that allow for faster, more effective communication, there is no substitute for face-to-face interactions. This is especially obvious to those of us who have been most profoundly affected by the social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. While it’s true that social and professional network sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. are somewhat effective substitutes for real-time, in-person interactions, and our recent conferences have offered chances for those who cannot travel to connect on a personal level to a degree, there is something special about being able to occupy the same space as those with whom you are socializing.

Guild conferences have always provided members with numerous opportunities to connect – with friends and colleagues who really understand what scientific illustration is about and are familiar with the joys and concerns experienced by those of us who are not exactly scientists and not exactly fine artists (though there are those who are both and those who are neither). It has been said that in order to advance in the world it’s important to cultivate relationships – it’s “who you know” that is most important. While this might sound somewhat cynical, the truth is that at Guild conferences this kind of networking requires no effort. Friendship, mentorship, collegiality and comradeship are givens. The past two years have alerted us to the value of personal interaction – whether in person or online. Let’s continue to connect through our local chapter and group meetings and especially events like annual conferences!

GNSI Local Chapters Links

Book Review: Natural History of Edward Lear, New Edition, by Robert McCracken Peck

Wed, 02 Feb 2022 01:31:00 GMT

Natural History of Edward Lear, New Edition, by Robert McCracken Peck foreword by David Attenborough

Edward Lear (1812–1888) is best known for his witty limericks and nonsense verse. But the celebrated author of The Owl and the Pussy-Cat also created some of the most stunning paintings of birds and mammals during an age when many species were just being discovered and brought to private menageries and zoos throughout Europe.

Sir David Attenborough and Robert McCracken Peck re-examining Edward Lear watercolors at the Houghton Library, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Edward Lear (1812–1888) is best known for his witty limericks and nonsense verse. But the celebrated author of The Owl and the Pussy-Cat also created some of the most stunning paintings of birds and mammals during an age when many species were just being discovered and brought to private menageries and zoos throughout Europe. In the Natural History of Edward Lear, New Edition, author Robert McCracken Peck, an authority on ornithological illustration in the United States, sheds light on Lear’s creativity, productivity, attention to natural science detail, and success as an artist. Through Peck’s extensive 20-year research in the Houghton Library at Harvard University, this book contains more than 200 of Lear’s beautiful and detailed illustrations of animals, plants, and landscapes.

Left: Blue and yellow macaw, Macrocercus ararauna , now known as Ara ararauna , dated December 1831. Hand-colored lithograph, plate 8 from Edward Lear’s Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots (1830–1832). Featured on the cover of the new paperback edition.

Study for Lear’s plate of the red and yellow macaw ( Macrocercus aracanga ), now known as the scarlet macaw ( Ara Macao ). Watercolor over graphite.

The author writes of Lear’s humor, extensive travels, and his important place in the history of science. He explains how Lear influenced other 19th and 20th-century artists such as Beatrix Potter, Maurice Sendak, James Prosek, and Walton Ford. Robert M. Peck presents an overview of Edward Lear’s wide range of artistic talents including detailed illustrations, thumbnail sketches, color studies, painting, lithography, multimedia in single compositions, and poetry.

Red and yellow macaw. Handcolored lithograph from Lear's Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots (1830-1832).

This cartoon was an example of Lear's “zoomorphism or anthromorphism—making many of his human characters look more like birds and animals.” Perhaps Lear waltzing with a bluebottle fly. From More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, Etc.,1872.

Early Years and Continuing Artistic and Literary Experiences

During a challenging early childhood, Edward Lear, through his intense curiosity of the natural world, created detailed illustrations with guidance and encouragement from his two older sisters, Ann and Sarah. From these early experiences, Lear developed his artistic skills, ingenuity, and work ethic capturing the essence of life in all of his natural subjects.

Eagle owl, lithograph, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Drexel University (QL690A1G6).

As Lear continued his artistic pursuits, he visited the London Zoo as well as the Royal Menagerie at the Tower of London, where he sketched animals and birds from life. Edward T. Bennett, one of the founders and long-time officer of London’s Zoological Society, was among the first to enlist Lear’s help in depicting the zoo’s residents. Bennett, a surgeon with a London hospital and with a private practice, may have been one of the practitioners for whom Lear produced some medical illustrations.

At age 18, after studying lithography, Lear produced an extensive scientific monograph with watercolor overlays titled The Illustrations of the Family of Psittacidae, or Parrots (1830–1832). This was the first English natural history book to focus on a single family of birds. Through this publication, Lear established his reputation as the artist of choice for many of the leading ornithological publishers in Britain in the 1830s and 1840s.

During his preparatory drawing and painting of this monograph, Lear painted color swatches around the birds—testing and developing accurate color recipes for the correct colors of the birds. He also produced smaller thumbnail sketches around the edges—further studies from the birds’ movements during his on-site drawing sessions. After successful artistic experiences in England, Edward moved to Italy, and traveled to Albania, India, Australia, and the Far East.

Red macauco, lithograph, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Drexel University, (QL73D4D3).

Throughout Peck’s inspiring, detailed, and entertaining presentation of Edward Lear’s multi-talented life's journey, the reader will be introduced to a remarkable natural science illustrator and imaginative poet with a knack for limericks, rhymes, and nonsense verse for which he achieved great literary recognition. Many of Lear’s limericks and poems, written in the mid-to-late 1800s, were illustrated depicting some of the animals with human traits.

This book is recommended for study of science, art history and techniques, along with a dose of inspiration and humor. Peck provides extensive and informative notes, an appendix, acknowledgments, list of illustrations, selective bibliography, and index. In the conclusion, Peck writes, “Although they never met, the widely read British art historian and essayist John Ruskin (1819–1900) ranked Lear first among his favorite authors.”

Left: Heraldic Blazons of Foss, author’s collection.

Right: Detailed portrait of a cat. Watercolor over graphite.

This article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 53, No. 3, 2021.

Restoration of Extinct Species

Sat, 29 Jan 2022 03:23:49 GMT

Our ancient ancestors told stories of great prehistoric beasts in the form of drawings on the walls of caves. These animals played a significant role in their daily lives, and they clearly felt their stories were worth telling. And whether they realized it or not, the stories themselves would long outlive those who wrote them. So, in effect, they’ve been able to tell those stories to us thousands of years later.

All Images © A. James Gustafson

I’ve always been drawn (no pun intended) to art that informs. When I made the choice to pursue art as a career, it was clear to me that the most fulfilling path would be one that allowed me to combine my creative passion with my love of both learning and teaching. I chose a path that would afford me the opportunity to immerse myself in and make contributions to the worlds of science and natural history. It was a chance for me to utilize the talents that I have been given (and have spent a lifetime cultivating) to teach others what I have learned and hopefully instill that same passion in someone else. While my portfolio consists of a wide range of subject matter including everything from biology and natural conservation to medical illustration—prehistoric restoration is without question my greatest artistic passion. And it is in this pursuit that my work has garnered more of a response from viewers than perhaps anything else I do.

New avenues such as social media have provided artists of every stripe with a new and unique opportunity to share their work with a larger audience than ever before. Platforms such as Instagram have allowed me to do the same, all while engaging with followers and social media users— answering questions, participating in discussions, and even spirited debates. There is truly no greater sense of satisfaction for me than when someone says something to the effect of “I had never even heard of this species until now,” or “wow, just imagine how beautiful this animal must have been!” Or, “I want to learn more about this.” These are the moments where I feel I have truly served my purpose as a natural history illustrator. Just as important, however, are the interactions in which someone will push back against my work, question the science behind my choices, or just flat-out refute the accuracy of a particular piece. It is in these moments that I’m able to put my own work to the test, and ultimately prove whether or not it can stand up to the rigors of scientific scrutiny. I am often asked about the process behind creating an illustrated reconstruction of an animal that neither I, nor anyone else, have ever seen in the flesh. However, that process is typically a little more involved than can be summarized within the comment section of a social media post or articulated in 280 characters or less.

I tend to approach restoration much as a portrait artist would. But as you might imagine, the biggest difference lies in the fact that a portrait artist has the luxury of having his or her subject sit for them, or at the very least has access to photographic references of the subject from which to draw. Neither of these are luxuries afforded to a paleoartist.

Unlike our ancestors, these animals are no longer a part of our daily lives. Quite simply, our subjects are long gone. A good majority of them lived thousands, if not millions of years before the advent of cameras, and sadly man has yet to invent time travel. So, with first-hand viewing not being an option, my initial priority is to create a visual reference of my subject using whatever concrete, scientific evidence is at my disposal, combined with a knowledge of today’s living animals. This part of the process begins with research. Lots and lots of research.

The research process typically begins by consulting the fossil record. Fossilized remains give us the most clues as to what an extinct species may have looked like. Aside from informing us of the animal’s classification, be it mammal, reptile, bird, etc.—they also tell us about the animal’s basic structure, how it was built, and how it may have moved. It goes without saying that a more complete fossil record lends itself to a more complete understanding of a given species. However, at times, an extinct animal’s very existence might be known only from one or two isolated bones, or a portion of its dentition. A few years ago, I was given the task of reconstructing a recently described human ancestor of the late Miocene, for whom the only known evidence is a small section of jawbone and a few scattered teeth. I, of course, informed the author who commissioned the work that the result would be largely speculative. In fact, one professor of anthropology I consulted with essentially told me not to even bother. But, as was my charge, bother I did. Both my collaborator and I were happy with the outcome from an aesthetic standpoint, but if pressed, I wouldn’t necessarily defend its scientific merits with the full extent of my conviction.

With regards to reconstructing animals for which there are vast amounts of evidence, whenever possible, I prefer to have actual specimens in my hand to observe. This allows me to study them, take measurements, and record observations about any noteworthy features they may display. When this isn't possible, the internet becomes an invaluable tool. There is a wealth of photographic information available online. Several universities and other educational institutions often make databases of their collections available to the public.

While I try to collect as much fossil evidence as possible, bones only tell a portion of the story. They give you a general idea of an animal’s physical form, but there will always be things that a skeleton can't tell you. Take, for example, the elephant. Let's pretend for a moment that you had never seen an elephant. If I were to show you a photograph of an elephant's skeleton and asked you to draw what you think that animal may have looked like, it is highly unlikely that the final result would truly resemble what an elephant looks like in life. How would you know to include a long trunk where a more common nose would usually appear? Would you observe anything about its skull to indicate large, floppy ears? Being that an elephant is a mammal, you may even be inclined to cover it in fur. As the saying goes, “you can’t know what you don’t know.” And so, once I have gathered a sufficient amount of skeletal references, the research process moves on to hunting for clues elsewhere.

In order to get a fuller picture of what a prehistoric creature may have looked like, I want to learn as much about it as I can, beyond the physical. I want to know when it lived, where it lived, and how it lived. What was its environment like? What was the climate like? What did it eat? Did it hunt? Was it hunted? Does it have any living relatives? If not, does it share any common ancestors with any animals of today? All of this information is useful in the restoration process because the answers to these and other questions all play a role in how animals look and why they look that way. An animal’s physical appearance is the result of countless adaptations it has evolved over the course of eras and eons. In nature, physical form usually serves a practical function. A zebra’s stripes help to make it easily identifiable to other zebras, but it also aids in body temperature regulation. A male lion’s mane never stops growing and becomes darker with age. Territorial by nature, his thick, black headdress broadcasts to potential mates that he is a survivor and excels at defending what is his. It’s these understandings and the inclusion of these types of details that, while never undeniable proof of accuracy, can lend credibility to the educated guesses behind an artist’s hypotheses.

Many of the reconstructions I illustrate are commissioned by authors, publishers, or researchers. But still, there are examples in my portfolio that are self-initiated. These tend to be projects pertaining to subject matter about which I am most fascinated; central among those being human evolution. In 2017, findings were published about a 13-million year- old infant ape skull unearthed in Kenya. It belonged to a previously unknown species named Nyanzapithecus alesi , and was discovered by a team led by Dr. Isaiah Nengo of Stony Brook University and the Leakey Foundation. A fine illustrated rendering of Nyanzapithecus alesi accompanied the findings in all of the major publications of the day. However, intrigued by this discovery, I felt inclined to try my hand at my own, independent work on the subject. As a relatively unknown illustrator (as I admittedly was at the time, and perhaps only slightly less known than I am today), one seldom knows whether a discovering scientist would or would not agree with the science behind your reconstruction.

But in 2019, I was fortunate enough to find out when I was contacted by Dr. Nengo himself. He had come across my work and was kind enough to reach out to let me know that he was pleased with it. So much so, that he asked to use my reconstruction in his lectures on the subject. It is my hope that this validation is a testament to the careful process by which I went about rendering this particular species.

A Nyanzapithecus alesi skull, about the size of a lemon, had been catalogued with 360, three-dimensional images. I began by using these images, along with those of modern-day apes, to create a photographic composite model of the complete, intact skull as it may have appeared in life. From there, I reconstructed the musculature and fleshed out the face of a two-year-old primate, using proportions and features seen in juvenile Old World monkeys and gibbons—thought to be their closest living relatives. I believe the result is an image that allows the viewer to gaze into the eyes of an animal that is relatable, which is one of my ultimate goals when approaching any reconstruction.

I have found that prehistoric animals have a way of becoming almost like mythological creatures. Many of them lived in a time that is so distant from I have found that prehistoric animals have a way of becoming almost like mythological creatures our own, that it's easy to lose sight of the fact that these were living, breathing beings. Many of the restorations I saw during my childhood years seemed generic, almost lifeless. I found it difficult to imagine myself standing before the animals depicted in the books and magazines that I spent time poring over. Today, one of my main foci—apart from creating a depiction that adheres as closely to the available evidence as possible—is to challenge viewers’ preconceptions of what they believe they already know about the animals of times gone by.

As an example, I recently undertook a reconstruction of the extinct whale, Livyatan melvillei . Many wonderful reconstructions of this great beast have been done. I usually tend to shy away from retracing ground that has been so aptly covered, but there was an angle that I had not previously seen represented in other Livyatan melvillei restorations. As a general rule, I do my best not to let existing work influence my own.

Livyatan melvillei is a distant relative of the modern-day sperm whale. Accordingly, most reconstructions depict him as such. But when I would look at the skull, something much different would come to mind. And so, I set out to reconstruct this ancient cetacean, not as a colorless, vaguely sperm whale–shaped monster reminiscent of Moby Dick himself. Instead, using what I know of the similar skull features exhibited in modern-day orcas and pilot whales, such as the size and shape of the maxillae and supracranial basin, my aim was to create an animal that offers the viewer a slightly different perspective, while not deviating from all that is widely accepted as fact. Because of this, I sought to straddle the line between sperm whales and a more delphinian body shape and markings, blending those physical attributes with that of Pygmy and Dwarf sperm whales—such as the presence of caudal humps and a low-profile dorsal fin. Reaction to my interpretation was mixed, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that most, including some well-known paleontologists specializing in the study of prehistoric cetaceans, were appreciative of my take on this legendary marine mammal.

At times, deviating from what is commonly accepted as the prototypical representation of a prehistoric species can be met with skepticism, even antipathy. This notion underscores the importance of strict adherence to concrete science. I base my reconstructions solely on what is available to me in the form of evidentiary proof. However, illustrations do require artistic choices. But I believe that as a natural history illustrator, it is imperative that making choices does not cross over into taking liberties.

The restoration in my portfolio that has garnered more reaction than any other is an illustration I did in 2020 of Simbakubwa kutokaafrika (first Image in this article) . If you’re not acquainted with this species, you’re not alone. I discovered through sharing my illustration online that most of my audience was unfamiliar with this Miocene Hyaenodont. A paper describing this African carnivore had only been published about a year prior, after a paleontologist working at the Nairobi National Museum happened upon a previously unidentified mandible in the depths of the museum’s collections. The accompanying artwork was crafted by the incomparable Mauricio Anton, and elegantly depicted the terrestrial predator—quite possibly the largest ever—in his natural surroundings. But as paleoartists are often wont to do, I couldn’t resist the urge to add an original restoration of Simbakubwa kutokaafrika to my own portfolio.

Simbakubwa skull reconstruction. Adobe Photoshop. 2020 A. James Gustafson. Original photo: Matthew Borths.

I intended to produce an illustrated study that compared him to Africa’s modern-day apex predator, the lion; an animal from which the name of Simbakubwa kutokaafrika is derived but shares no familial relation. And, as is my practice, I began by disregarding existing artistic interpretations and started from scratch. I studied the photos and writings describing the known fossil specimens, which are scant to say the least. And, much as I did when tackling Nyanzapithecus alesi , I sought to first reconstruct the skull using the existing mandible and partial maxilla as a guide. Determining the proportions and overall size was a bit more complex, as there are very few known postcranial remains. I arrived at his scale by comparing my skull model and the existing calcaneum (heel bone) to that of other Hyaenodonts as well as their extinct and extant descendants. I worked on my restoration of Simbakubwa kutokaafrika , on and off, for the better part of a year. I went through several rough drafts. Again, I wanted a final reconstruction that was relatable; one that took cues from that which would be familiar to the viewer, but still represented something unique.

When we look at the apex predators of today—lions, tigers, orcas, and even the emblematic bald eagle— they each have a distinct, striking appearance that is exclusive to them. And so, I believe it is logical to deduce that Simbakubwa kutokaafrika would have as well. The final illustration (first image in this article) depicts a skulking animal, ears back, and head lowered— perhaps stalking distant prey or warily approaching a potential rival. He sports a dark, wiry mane running down the length of his back that, when fully grown, will not only advertise his virility, but also protect his neck and throat during inevitable battles for dominance and supremacy among his own kind. His short fur is emblazoned with faint stripes and spots at the legs, neck, head, and tail, helping to break up his shape in the spotty forests in which he may have hunted. His steady, piercing eyes are shown leering from behind a black mask designed to shield his vision from the glaring African sun. Speaking frankly, I’m proud of the final result. And as I mentioned, it received quite a response once I did finally share it for public consumption. Much of that response has been positive. Some of it has been skeptical. But it has since been talked about, shared, “liked,” and “disliked” more times than I can count. But what matters most to me is that it has started conversations. It has introduced this largely unknown animal to people who might have otherwise never learned of it.

As I’ve stated time and again, that is my goal. Sharing what I learn, through the abilities that I have. In fact, that is really the goal of all scientific communication. But unlike other scientific art forms, the aim of prehistoric restoration is to reintroduce creatures, big and small, that once inhabited the landscapes of our world and now occupy the landscapes of our imagination. The challenge exists in doing so while maintaining a balance between what I can imagine and what I can prove. My job is to help tell their stories. And my responsibility is to tell them as accurately as I can. Because much like our ancient ancestors, I believe theirs are stories are worth telling.

This article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 53, No. 3, 2021

Journal of Natural Science Illustration Vol. 53 No. 3 : Abstracts

Fri, 10 Dec 2021 17:55:09 GMT

This issue of JNSI showcases a diversity of visual communication methods, ranging from abstract to cartoon to realistic. Jane Zen experiments with flowing alcohol inks to render cellular immune responses to antibiotics and antimicrobial peptides. A. James Gustafson’s reconstructions of almost mythological, prehistoric mammals offer nuggets of wisdom for aspiring paleoartists. Melissa Clarkson describes her work creating reusable, codifiable vector image libraries. A book review, written by C. Olivia Carlisle, reminds us of the dichotomy of Edward Lear’s work—humorous cartoon sketches and limericks appear alongside elegant, detailed illustrations of birds and mammals.

Log in to your member account to view the Journal: JNSI 2021, Vol. 53, No. 3 . Not yet a subscriber? To view the issue for free, become a GNSI member today!

Insights from GNSI’s 2021 Visual SciComm Conference

— Kalliopi Monoyios, GNSI President

Our second online conference is in the books and it was another successful demonstration of visual scicomm excellence, accessibility, and inclusion! Building on last year’s successes, Conference Chair Christie Newman and her team took advantage of the ability of the online format to reach far and wide.

A Review of the 2021 Annual Business Meeting

— Kalliopi Monoyios, GNSI President

Fifty-some people attended the online Annual Business Meeting on August 4th, 2021. Generally, this event is held during the annual conference over lunch and includes presentations by each of the Board members on what’s happened over the past year.

Our Apologies...

Zia Abraham’s lovely illustration of the wolf spider’s life cycle was inadvertently omitted from the CSUMB article in our last issue.

Font Follies

— Gail Guth

Every font in this title will be unsupported by the end of 2023 in ALL new-release Adobe products.

Rendering the Unseeable

— Jane L. Zen, with Dr. Daniela Rivera and Dr. Donald E. Elmore

My art explores the intersection of science and art, ultimately acting as visual supplementation to the lab research I have been conducting in college. As part

of my thesis project, my goal was to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which antimicrobial peptides and antibiotics interact to create synergy in killing bacteria.

Codifying Composable Graphic Libraries

— Melissa Clarkson, Ph.D., M.Des.

The author describes research into the process of making images understandable to a computer as a system of images that can be combined and repurposed for multiple needs.

Restoration of Extinct Species (Open Access)

— Anthony James Gustafson

Our ancient ancestors told stories of great prehistoric beasts in the form of drawings on the walls of caves. These animals played a significant role in their daily lives, and they clearly felt their stories were worth telling. And whether they realized it or not, the stories themselves would long outlive those who wrote them. So, in effect, they’ve been able to tell those stories to us thousands of years later.

Book Review Natural History of Edward Lear, New Edition, by Robert McCracken Peck, fore word by David Attenborough (Open Access)

— C. Olivia Carlisle

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 53, No. 3, 2021.

Member Spotlight - Mary Ellen Taylor

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 19:04:10 GMT

– All illustrations © Mary Ellen Taylor, unless otherwise noted.

When considering my circuitous career path toward botanical and nature art over the past 40 years, I clearly see that—apart from quantum leaps, serendipities, and sheer determination along the way, the seed was well and truly planted during my time living in the Galápagos Islands.

The endemic mangrove finch ( Camarhynchus heliobates ) and red mangrove ( Rhizophora mangle ) on the Galapagos Islands.

Witnessing first-hand the extraordinary forms, colors, and sizes that the flora and fauna evolved into—ensuring survival on these inhospitable islands 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador—engraved on my soul a powerful respect and awe for them. My view of the world we live in and our humble place as human beings was changed forever. Growing up, I was always “arty” and influenced by my father and grandmother, spending creative summers painting or building projects and tasting raw nature in rural Vermont. I went on to pursue Fine Art and a stint of Graphic Art before making my way to London for my semester abroad. I felt I had come home in England’s green and pleasant land. After nearly three years, my visa expired and I never finished at the university... but I knew I would return...somehow.

Reluctantly back in the USA but armed with determination to leave as soon as possible, I stumbled upon a new concept in travel—adventure tourism. I managed to begin working for a tiny, offbeat but fantastic company in this emerging field not three months later in NYC. My world opened up to the colorful Panamanian San Blas Islands, sailing through the Hebrides’ wild seas during summer solstice, cruising up the Nile, tranquil spring flowers, the magic of trekking the Inca Trail, and...the “Islands lost in time,” the Galápagos. I was hooked.

Quantum Leap #1 GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS (1982–1987)

I fell in love with this bizarre little archipelago and moved lock, stock, and barrel to Santa Cruz Island, where I was trained and licensed as a Naturalist Guide by the Galápagos National Park and Charles Darwin Research Station. I began to draw the plants and birds I lived with on a daily basis and guided visitors throughout the archipelago. It was a privilege to call this unique outdoor classroom my home for five years. I lived in a tiny lava-stone house in the mangroves on the edge of Academy Bay and it was here I knew that someday I would study how to properly pay homage to the beauty of plants through botanical painting. I had read of a diploma course in the Chelsea Physic Garden in London, which I never lost sight of and held in a special place somewhere deep in my soul.

The endemic Floreana mockingbird ( Mimus trifasciatus ) and cacti ( Opuntia galapageia ) in the Galápagos Islands.

The difficulties of living in the islands were many. Having experienced the worst El Niño in 40 years, a failing marriage, and having a 2-year-old daughter to consider, we moved to the capital city, Quito. Straddling the equator at 9,350 ft in the Andes, with a semi-tropical climate and within easy reach of tropical jungle, cloud forest, Altiplano, and the lush coast, not to mention 1,600 bird species... I was spoiled for choice and fascinated by the diversity. However, after two decades of enduring earthquakes, volcanic and political eruptions, a few creative business ventures, extraordinary friendships, and a handful of serendipities—the opportunity to follow my dream of studying botanical art at the Chelsea Physic Garden, London, fell like manna from heaven.

The Galápagos flightless cormorant ( Phalacrocorax harrisi , formerly known as Nannopterum harrisi ) and brown algae.

Galápagos petrel ( Pterodroma phaeopygia ) and cacaotillo shrub ( Miconia robinsoniana ).

Quantum Leap #2 LONDON (2003)

With my dream leading the way, I packed 21 years of my life into a container and moved across continents and hemispheres. It was quite a contrast from the Avenue of Volcanoes out my kitchen window in Quito, to seeing the whites of the eyes of Eurostar passengers whiz by in London!

With great anticipation, I embarked on the intensive English Gardening School diploma course in botanical painting, nestled within the magic walls of the oldest botanic garden in London: The Chelsea Physic Garden. It was like stepping into Narnia. I spent two years studying and working within the garden, when I was asked to step in for the Diploma Course Manager at the English Gardening School during their paternity leave. The six-week “job” lasted 12 years! Eighteen years later I am now Chair of the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium Society.

Projects

DARWIN INITIATIVE (2009)

In celebration of Charles Darwin’s 200th Anniversary and instigated whilst having tea with Sarah Darwin (British botanist and great, great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin), I developed an idea for a series of paintings to help raise awareness and funds for the Galápagos Conservation Trust’s (GTC’s) new project to save the endangered birds of the islands. Few visitors to the islands were aware that nearly a third of the endemic sea and land birds in the archipelago are still listed as severely endangered due to reduced populations and fluctuating reproductive success.

Map of the Galápagos Islands.

Sponsored by a London-based tour operator, I returned to the islands in February 2008 to collect data and begin painting.Onboard the yacht Beagle , I visited the more important islands for habitat illustration references of the birds’ nesting and feeding areas. I was given access to the preserved bird and plant specimens housed in the Charles Darwin Research Centre, and had the privilege of consulting with their resident biologists and botanists.

The original paintings were sold at a London exhibition as a fundraising effort, with a percentage of the sales dedicated to GCT’s project. The sale of notelets and giclées continues to raise funds for the critical Mangrove Finch repatriation program off Floreana Island. Subsequently, as a Fellow of the Linnean Society in London, I was invited to exhibit the paintings at the annual Converzacione meeting. A set of the prints has been donated to the Society’s archives as a document to the natural history of endangered endemic birds in the Galápagos Islands today.

Mary Ellen Taylor onboard the yacht Beagle.

South Plaza Island, Galápagos.

Albatross specimen at Charles Darwin Research Station.

BUTTERFLIES IN THE CHELSEA PHYSIC GARDEN (2012)

To celebrate the historical links with the grandfather of British butterflies, James Petiver (1664–1718), and his work with butterflies at the Chelsea Physic Garden, I was commissioned to paint the most common English butterflies found in the Physic Garden. Working closely with the Horticultural Records Manager and gardener, I was given information on the species recorded for the past five years. Fascinated by the relationships between flora and fauna, I decided to record the butterfly’s nectar sources as well. My research was furthered through the extensive resources available in the libraries and archives at the nearby Natural History Museum.

Comma butterfly ( Polygonia sp.) with nettle ( Urtica dioica ).

Holly blue butterflies ( Celastrina argiolus ) and English ivy ( Hedera helix ).

TRANSYLVANIA FLORILEGIUM (2016)

I was thrilled to be invited to take part in the final stages of a seven-year project created under the umbrella of the Prince of Wales’s Foundation to record in a permanent way the flora of Transylvania, Romania. An abundance of wildflowers found in this central area of Romania have remained untainted by modern agriculture, due to the ancient methods of farming still practiced today.

Working with the Prince of Wales’s taxonomist, Dr. John Akeroyd, and under the scrutinizing eye of the project manager, renowned botanical artist Helen Allen, we spent two glorious weeks in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. We searched the hills and wooded areas for the last remaining species that Dr. Akeroyd wished to record, did our color studies and field sketches, preserved plant parts in the local ‘firewater,’ and returned to the UK to produce the final works.

The fine art edition of the two-volume series Transylvania Florilegium is hand-bound in leather and marbled paper, and finished with gold leaf. The Preface is written by HRH The Prince of Wales, who is a passionate supporter of the conservation of this precious environment.

HRH The Prince of Whales with Mary Ellen Taylor.

OTHER WORK

Apart from the projects above, I have been fortunate enough to paint an Iris ‘Duke of Bedford,’ which was only recently discovered and named after the Duke’s grandfather. The artwork was commissioned by Her Grace, The Duchess of Bedford, for Woburn Abbey.

I continue to teach in the UK and Europe, and actively contribute to the Chelsea Physic Garden Florilegium archives, documenting the purposeful plants found in the Garden. I have also contributed illustrations to the multilingual field guide Galápagos: A Guide to the Animals and Plants , published in 2011 by Nigel Sitwell. My butterflies have been featured in Resurgence & Ecologist magazine, and my work is held in private collections.

Peacock butterfly ( Taraxacum officinale ) with dandelion.

Thinking back on my journey, I believe that never losing sight of my vision—my passion to get to know the ‘spirit’ of the flora and fauna I work with through painting and the experiences that influenced and enriched me—have brought me full circle to where I am so very happily ensconced now.

Article originally from the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 53, No. 2, 2021.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 53, No. 2: Abstracts

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 19:50:10 GMT

Welcome to the second Journal edition of 2021!

This issue of the Journal once again highlights the wonderful diversity that is the GNSI, including Galápagos flora and fauna, newly graduated student art, elegant calligraphy-enhanced illustrations, travel journaling, and exciting previews of our upcoming Visual SciComm Conference.

This issue reminds us of the many warm and close friendships with so many wonderful, exceptional people. Even with those we don’t know as well, we know we share a common bond and

a common interest.

Log in to your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2022, Vol. 53, No. 2
Not yet a subscriber? To view the issue for free, become a GNSI member today!

A New Name for Our Largest Annual Event

—Kalliopi Monoyios, GNSI President

For those of us who have been in the GNSI for ages, the annual conference is a beloved event. Whether we are able to join annually, or pop in every few years (location and budget depending!), we have learned that the annual conference is where great friendships are forged and immense amounts of knowledge transferred.

Member Spotlight

– Mary Ellen Taylor

Witnessing first-hand the extraordinary forms, colours, and sizes that the flora and fauna evolved into—ensuring survival on these inhospitable islands 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador—engraved on my soul a powerful respect and awe for them. My view of the world we live in and our humble place as human beings was changed forever.

Learn a New Skill, Make New Connections, Renew Your Passion!

—Christie Newman, Conference Chair

The GNSI’s next virtual installment of our annual conference is just around the corner. This year’s program will span two weekends: one dedicated to core conference presentations & events, and one to online workshops.

Pandemic Fallout: The Missing Interns

—Taina Litwak

I really miss my interns. When the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History closed a year ago, I had no idea that March 17, 2020 would be my final day in the office for over a year. As the months went by, I had to cancel the 4 interns who were scheduled to work with me in 2020.

Illustrating Nature

CSUMB Science Illustration Graduate Program: Class of 2021

We are the California State University, Monterey Bay’s (CSUMB) scientific illustration class of 2021. Our class has a widespread range of interests from geology and mycology, to entomology, ornithology, and marine biology. Here is a selection of illustrations that appear in the portfolios of the class members for 2021.

Hand-Wrought Calligraphy

—Barbara Holmer

The focus of my sketchbook is primarily of the flora of our area found in our yard and garden and a nearby park. However, I also incorporate hand-wrought calligraphy to keep up my skills with letterforms and to try out compositional ideas. Why hand-wrought? I like the calligraphic styles of letters but prefer using the same medium as the sketch, whether it is graphite, colored pencil, or watercolor.

Sketchbook: Travel Journaling

— By Marilyn Hailbronner

Ihave been asked to share my style of travel journaling and how I record my journey. It has taken me many years to find my own style. My travel journal pages are a compilation of maps, words, wildlife, and local flora; everything that for me, creates a picture of the whole trip.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 53, No. 2, 2021.

Book Review: Drawing for Scientific Illustrations: Technique and Rendering

Sat, 01 May 2021 23:19:55 GMT

I first learned this book was in the making from Lana Koepke Johnson and Jeanette O’Hare while we were on a field trip bus in Queensland, Australia, as part of the 2019 GNSI Conference. Lana explained how she had possession of the scientific illustration class archives given to her by the family of Donald B. Sayner after he passed away in 2004. She and Jeanette have been working on pulling together a book to document and commemorate that amazing class we all had taken.

Figure 1: Drawing for Scientific Illustrations: Technique and Rendering - book cover

I was so excited to hear this, having treasured my time in Sayner’s very popular class at the University of Arizona which was my privilege to take (1979–80). I was a graduate student in entomology there; the class was originally designed for students like me—to help in developing illustrations, maps, and charts for theses, dissertations, and journal articles.

Lana and Jeanette had been in another category of students who heard about Sayner’s classes from afar and sought him out from Nebraska to enroll. Lana ended up teaching scientific illustration at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and based her early course on much of what she learned in Tucson. Likewise, Paul Mirocha, who wrote the book’s foreword, made a pilgrimage from Minnesota to Tucson just to take his classes. As many in GNSI know, Paul became an accomplished freelance natural science illustrator. He remained close friends with Sayner over the years and helped preserve class materials after Sayner’s passing. In the 35 years that Sayner spent teaching at the University of Arizona, thousands of students had taken his classes, many of whom went on to careers in a variety of scientific disciplines. Some became professional illustrators or specialized in some aspect of science communications.

John Sayner in his office. Photo by Lana Koepke Johnson, 1986.

As the book details in the introduction, and in engaging essays by former student and science writer Jill Carpenter (aka Jillyn Smith), Don Sayner (or just “Sayner” as everyone called him) was a special and beloved human being. The book is a kind of time capsule and tribute to the man who used his wit, experience, caring, and dedication to teaching the craft to his interested students. His lectures were full of information, with instructional technique handouts with illustrations done by Sayner, his artist mother, Gladys Bennett Menhennet, or class assistants. These form the main content of the book.

Figure 2: Image from the book about erasers.

In class, his delivery was rather quiet and understated, yet full of expressive surprises, eyebrow raises, and askance looks interspersed with jokes, anecdotes, and dozens of his little sayings, many of which are included in the book thanks to Lana’s great note-taking during class.

Figure 3: Image from the book.

He was very practical in his approach, encouraging improvising with the materials at hand, making adjustments for field conditions, but always demanding excellence in striving for accurate and clear illustration and communication of concepts.

While the time period of the class offerings was years ago, the information in the book is classic and highly relevant. The emphasis is on basic rendering skills, the use of traditional tools, and tricks of the trade to produce a good quality illustration that is reproducible in print. Chapter topics include: knowing your tools, drawing techniques, drawing in perspective, shading, sketching animals, drawing maps, and graphic arts photography.

Figure 4: Image from the book. Scratchboard tools & technique.

Sayner was near retirement just as computer graphics were becoming possible and more widely used. The techniques in the book are all traditional; thus the book’s tongue-in-cheek subtitle. As we know, mastery of traditional techniques form the basis for good digital illustration skills. Learning observational techniques, how best to draw with various ink pens, graphite, and how to paint with brushes are well covered along with a variety of other required skills.

While some of the methods documented in this book may become lost arts, they form the basis for how digital tools were developed and often named. For example, one of the most valuable topics of Sayner’s class for me was how illustrations were captured on graphic arts film with a copy camera to produce printing plates for use on an offset printer we used in the classroom. Understanding these basic processes, nicely displayed in the book, helped me later better understand printing specification options required in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

Figure 5: Drawing from his book showing the best practice for botanical layout.

Anyone who took the courses will recognize the map of Baja California, Mexico on the book cover. This was one of the required exercises executed in pen-and-ink with ruling pens, triangles, a T-square, a mechanical Leroy lettering template, and something called a railroad pen for making parallel lines. It is two ruling pen heads on a swivel that takes some practice to use properly for drawing rail lines on maps. The book has a photograph of a railroad pen after the title page with a dedication to Sayner, his students, and the pen. I still have mine.

GNSI owes a debt of gratitude to Don Sayner for his legacy. His courses were one of the few options at the time for those of us seeking to learn natural science illustration practices. I first learned about GNSI from taking Sayner’s classes. Appropriately he was honored at the 1995 GNSI Conference in Flagstaff, Arizona. Many of his former students attended and he was touched by the recognition at the banquet by our group. This book further honors him posthumously, and is a testament to his contributions.

It is fortunate that a few dedicated former students did the work to make a book of his valuable teachings, something Sayner never had time to pull off himself.

Figure 6: Snails by Gladys Bennet Menhennett.

Order your copy at https://bit.ly/2JLLMmZ

Proceeds benefit the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Donald B. Sayner student scholarship fund: https://gnsi.org/donate .

Figure 7: Railroad pen

Article originally from the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 53, No. 1, 2021.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 53, No. 1: Abstracts

Sat, 30 Jan 2021 20:31:44 GMT

Welcome to the first Journal edition of 2021!

Although many of us are still in the throes of winter, spring is coming fast, and nicer weather always gets our artistic juices flowing a bit faster. To help this process along, we present a wide variety of topics, from painting iridescence in fish, collaborating with other artists on fund-raising projects for the community good, finding science illustration resources for kids, to dealing with clients, or reviewing a newly published book on rendering science subjects using traditional techniques.

We also have reports on two of the GNSI’s newest Groups, Florida and Georgia, and a fascinating article about the challenges and processes involved in creating a flora.

Log into your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2023, Vol. 53, No. 1

Not yet a subscriber? To view the issue for free, become a GNSI member today!

Collaborative Publishing: Creating Meaningful Group Projects

— Cordelia Norris

In 2018, I decided I needed to use my art skills in a socially active way. As a graphic

designer, I have a background in book design, and my husband, Joseph, is an editor and runs a governed publishing collective. Together, we have some insight into the complicated process of self publishing. We've worked before with Ingram, an established book printer and distributor in Nashville.

What is "Flora of a Place" and What Can It Tell Us?

—Gerould Wilhelm, Director of Research

Conservation Research Institute Traditionally, a “flora” is a compilation or compendium

of the plant species known to grow in a certain area. Such an area can encompass a particular woodland or prairie, a forest preserve, a county, a state, or even a whole country, so long as all of the plants in the described area are accounted for. It is a simple fact that each flora, irrespective of the area or its size, is utterly unique to that area. No other area, not even right next door, has the exact mix or assembly of plant species found anywhere else.

The Business of Illustration: Working With Clients

— Gail Guth

Many of us, like myself, are largely self-taught in illustration in general and

in running the business of illustration in particular. Dealing with clients, time

management, file and asset management, and billing are all skills—and they ARE

skills!—that are often hard-learned over time. Maybe you are just starting out on

your career as a freelancer or perhaps the Covid meltdown has put you into freelance

status for the first time.

Scientific Illustration Resources for Kids

— Britt Griswold, RRRRipped Guest Editor

This conversation about providing help for youth artists is from the GNSI Sciart-Listserv. It is lightly edited for readability and clarity. Enjoy!

Chapter Updates

GNSI Florida

The newly formed GNSI Florida Group is open to Florida-based natural science illustrators, medical illustrators, and botanical illustrators.

GNSI Georgia Group Sprouted and Now Growing

The GNSI Georgia Group, founded September 2018 at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, is one of 11 USA Chapters and Groups.

A Collection of Field Kits

What do you need to go on the road and draw what you see? Check out this collection of artist's field kits.

Deborah B Shaw
Gretchen Kai Halpert
Dorie Petrochko
Sarah Morrish
C. Olivia Carlisle
Danielle Ivey

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 53, No. 1, 2021.

Book Review: The Science Behind Flowers, by Dick Rauh

Sat, 19 Dec 2020 11:16:09 GMT

GNSI Past President, Dr. Dick Rauh, has written an invaluable reference book for those who love flowers, those who teach scientific and botanical illustration, and artists who want to deepen their knowledge of how plants work. The author is both an artist and a scientist, having earned a PhD in Plant Sciences at CUNY, and brings his knowledge of both disciplines to the format of the book.

The book is a visual feast, including the author’s beautiful paintings, examples of student notebook sketches, stacked dissection photography by Jeff Faulk, and numerous diagrams and charts to highlight the concepts presented in the text. The decision to include the stacked photos of the dissections is noteworthy. The author mentions in the introduction how he first came across stacked photos, which are photos taken in slices through the depth of the plant and stitched together to make a composite where everything is in focus. He discusses how photographs are different from botanical art, which inevitably reflects the intent and perceptions of the artist, and argues for the vital role of the artwork.

Arising from his Plant Morphology for Botanical Illustrators class at the New York Botanic Garden, the 184-page book is patterned after eight class sessions, based on his lecture notes and dissections. Thirty representative plant families are presented in the dissections in the book (he suggests using 24 in class, so there are extras if one is unavailable to the teacher).The book is divided into six chapters, with a helpful book list at the end.

Throughout the book, Rauh is attentive to the needs of teachers like himself. Tips for obtaining plant material are noted: some flowers freeze well and can be collected in season and preserved for a later class. Alternate plants for some of the dissections are also given, and there are notes regarding supermarket flower sources. Lilies, for example, often have the stamens removed, and stamens in carnations are often malformed.

Book cover, The Science Behind Flowers. All illustrations © Dick Rauh, unless otherwise noted.

Chapter One, “Basics,” answers the question of how plants are organized. What is Plant Science? What are the parts of a flower, and how did they originate? What is the purpose of a floral dissection, and how should it be done? What is a floral formula? Beginning with the Magnolia family, Rauh shows how he leads his students to set up a notebook page, from habit drawings to dissections. The strikingly clear, stacked photographs with labels show the student what to look for during the dissection. Facing the photographs are drawings from student notebooks, which show a range of individual approaches to the study. Next, he moves through the Arum, Lily, Iris, and Orchid families, pointing out the differences in the floral formulae.

Page from the book Complete and Incomplete

Magnolia family page

Chapter Two, “The Flower,” delves into the organization of floral structures. Complete and incomplete flowers are explained. Helpful diagrams of ovary position, placentation, and inflorescences are given and discussed in the text. The dissections include the Buttercup, Witch Hazel, Spurge, and Violet families.

Chapter Three, “The Big Picture,” addresses the position of the flowering plants in the overall classification

of plants, and delves into the fossil record and the current topics in plant taxonomy. Dissections in this chapter include the Willow, Pea, and Rose families.

Chapter Four, “Alternation of Generations, Double Fertilization, and Pollination,” is a lengthy chapter. Life cycles of ferns, mosses, and flowering plants are compared. There are very clear illustrations which lead the reader through what happens during fertilization and seed formation. Pollination is discussed; the author explains how scent, color, and form all contribute to the pollination of a plant. Dissections include the Begonia, Birch, Beech, and Geranium families.

Chapter Five, “Fruit,” introduces us to the classification of fruit. He devotes two class sessions to this topic, so the chapter contains seven possible dissections. Dr. Rauh mentions the shifts in terminology behind fruit nomenclature and his own approach to the topic. This is very helpful, because students may come across conflicting information in their reading, and it is good for them to be aware of the different schools of thought on the topic. Fleshy and dry fruits are covered, and the author’s beautiful illustrations of dry fruit are notable in this chapter. Dissections include the Mustard, Mallow, Maple, Pink, Pokeweed, Cactus, and Smartweed families.

Lily pages, student drawing and stacked photography

Chapter Six, “Vegetative Morphology,” covers roots, stems, and leaves. Again, there are helpful illustrations to introduce topics such as storage organs, phyllotaxy, and leaf forms. Because he devotes two class sessions to the subject matter, the seven dissections in this chapter include the Dogwood, Heath, Nightshade, Plantain, Mint, Carrot, and Aster families.

The book list at the end is invaluable. I found old favorites listed, and some new books to investigate. It is important to note that the author intends his text to be used alongside a good botanical glossary. Attempting to define the large number of specialized terms used is outside the scope of this book, but students will need to know what the terms mean. Two comprehensive botanical glossaries are listed.

One suggestion I would make for future editions is the inclusion of an index. When questions arise in class, it would be helpful to know where information in the body of the text is located. I would also suggest expanding the table of contents to include the families included in the dissections.

The Science Behind Flowers is a much-needed text for botanical illustrators at any level. Teachers of botanical illustration, especially, will find it helpful to structure their classes and provide an engaging text for students to use in the classroom during dissections. I know from my own teaching experience that students are looking for this type of text to use in the classroom, having been asked to “put everything we talked about in class into a handout!” Rauh’s book is the answer to this problem and will be a welcome addition to my teaching materials.

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 52, No. 3, 2020.

Alexander von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature, and Culture - By Eleanor Jones Harvey

Sat, 12 Dec 2020 20:59:24 GMT

A new, coffee table-style exploration of Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt provides a view of the early 19th century in America and how one man’s multitude of societal influences mirrors the connectedness of our world.

This view of the world is the one Humboldt proselytized throughout his career. His insight allowed him to champion the natural wonders of the Earth and warn of the threat humans were creating with the destruction of the world’s resources. This book is a companion to the coronavirus-delayed new exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum opening this Fall.

Book cover: Frederic Edwin Church, The Natural Bridge, Virginia , 1852, oil on canvas, 28 x 23 in.

Humboldt lived from 1769–1859, but only spent 6 weeks in America, in 1804. Already a well-known figure, during this short time he met with many leading artists and cultural luminaries, including President Thomas Jefferson. Humboldt’s view of connectedness of all things lead him to explore many areas of science and work with leading researchers of the age. This ultimately resulted in a master work, Cosmos, a series of five volumes published from 1845 to 1859. The series cemented his reputation as one of the leading authors of his age, with wide influence on the thinking of American and European artists, authors, and politicians. Indeed, one might consider him to be the Carl Sagan of his time, only more so: learned, multi-talented, artistic, and well-connected; a mentor for scientists, with a large public following.

Friedrich Georg Weitsch, Portrait of Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) , 1806, oil on canvas, 49 5/8 x 36 3/8 in.

Author Eleanor Jones Harvey wades deeply into Humboldt’s influence in America, exploring major themes and social issues as they are reflected in the art, writing and events of the 19th century. This is first and foremost a book of history, woven together with a web of connections embodied in one extraordinary man. It illuminates the history of America and the influence of the natural world on its development. It is graced by art, illustrations, and objects produced by American and European artists and artisans whose subject matter is the natural world, landscapes and people of the western hemisphere. The book’s art contains much well-known material from the archives of the Smithsonian and other collections, curated to support the narrative of history presented here. The handsomely presented artwork is that of many leading artists of the age. Notable inclusions are from members of the Peale family, George Catlin’s visual exploration of the Indians of the American West, and the majestic landscapes of Frederic Edwin Church. These and many more artists are explored in the context of the historical events of their time. Ultimately Humboldt’s influence was felt by the English chemist James Smithson, whose decision to bequeath the funds needed to establish an American center for science and learning, memorialized with the phrase, “…an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge”, may have been pivotally affected by Humboldt’s enthusiasm for the potential embodied in the United States of America and its natural wonders.

George Catlin , Máh-to-tóh-pa, Four Bears, Second Chief, in Full Dress, 1832, oil on canvas, 29 x 24 in. Smithsonian American Art Museum

Why do we not know and revere this amazing life from the early 19th century? Humboldt’s eminence fell out of favor in America in the early 20th century with the anti-German hysteria of World War I and the specialization of study in the various domains of science. It is intriguing to be able to rediscover this lost prophet of a bygone age, just as we are beginning again to re-establish the need for a fuller understanding of the web of life that connects all things.

Author: Eleanor Jones Harvey, with a preface by Hans-Dieter Sues
Publisher: Smithsonian American Art Museum in association with Princeton University Press
Year Published: 2020
Pages: 444
ISBN Hardcover: 9780937311875

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 52, No. 3, 2020.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 52 No. 3: Abstracts

Sat, 05 Dec 2020 20:00:43 GMT

Welcome to the third Journal edition of 2020!

In this issue, learn about "Colorful Leaves," a project funded by the ASBA 2015 Anne Ophelia Dowden Award, read a review about the late Dr. Dick Rauh's reference book, which is an essential guide for botanical enthusiasts, as well as a review about Eleanor Jones Harvey’s book on Alexander von Humboldt's legacy, emphasizing his contributions to 19th-century science and environmental thought. Alongside this, learn about member Jonathan Higgin’s building of an anatomy coloring book and database, and a member’s custom Prismacolor® palette of only 12 colors for botanical art classes. There are tips for new freelance illustrators, a discussion on Listserve about pro-bono work, insights from a Costa Rica art tour, and stories from the 2020 virtual "Illustrating Nature" show, as well as an article about educating the public about endangered species through wearable art on bandanas.

Log into your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2020, Vol. 52, No.3

Not yet a subscriber? To view the issue for free, become a GNSI member today!

Colorful Leaves: Classes with Dick Rauh

— Gail Selfridge

"Colorful Leaves," funded by the ASBA 2015 Anne Ophelia Dowden Award, is a resource designed to inspire nature observation and develop drawing skills using various artistic techniques. It has been widely used in workshops, including those led by the late Dick Rauh, who integrates botanical education and drawing exercises in his classes. The program remains available as a free download, continuing to support both children and adult learners in art and nature studies.

Book Review: The Science Behind Flowers, by Dick Rauh (Open Access)

— Camille Werther

Dr. Dick Rauh's reference book is an essential resource for flower enthusiasts, botanical illustration teachers, and artists seeking a deeper understanding of plant biology. Drawing from his Plant Morphology class at the New York Botanic Garden, the book blends scientific rigor with artistic insight, featuring Rauh's paintings, student sketches, and detailed dissection photography. Organized into six chapters, it covers plant structure, floral anatomy, pollination, and fruit classification, offering practical tips for teaching and sourcing plant materials alongside comprehensive botanical concepts.

Book Review: Alexander von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature, and Culture by Eleanor Jones Harvey ( Open Access)

— Reviewed by Theophilus Britt Griswold

This coffee table-style book explores the life and influence of Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, focusing on his brief time in America and his lasting impact on 19th-century science, art, and politics. Through richly curated artwork and historical narratives, author Eleanor Jones Harvey highlights Humboldt's holistic view of the natural world and his warnings about environmental destruction, tracing his influence on prominent figures like President Thomas Jefferson and English chemist James Smithson. The book also reflects on why Humboldt's legacy faded in the early 20th century and the renewed relevance of his ideas today.

Anatomy Coloring Book

— Jonathan Higgins

Inspired by Coloring activities, like those in the Anatomy Coloring Book by Kapit and Elson, have been proven to reduce stress and enhance memory retention through the "enactment effect." Inspired by this, the author developed customizable anatomy and physiology coloring activities for lab manuals, carefully balancing artistic design with educational effectiveness. These activities have been successfully tested and enthusiastically adopted by educators, offering a creative and interactive way to learn complex structures.

Curated Colored Pencils

— Kathleen Garness

The author shares a hand-picked palette of 12 Prismacolor® pencils used with botanical art students at the Prairie House in Westchester, designed for versatility across subjects like landscapes and portraits. The set includes primary and secondary colors, warm and cool grays, and two darker convenience colors, all chosen for their high-chroma and blending capabilities.

The Business of Illustration: Getting Organized

— Gail Guth

For those new to freelancing in illustration, this article provides practical advice on setting up an organized file management system and tracking time efficiently. It suggests creating folders with job numbers, backing up files regularly, and using time-tracking tools like OfficeTime® to stay on top of projects and avoid losing money. These tips aim to help freelancers stay organized, manage multiple projects, and streamline their workflow.

Working Essentially for Free?

— Britt Griswold, RRRRipped Guest Editor

Members’ feedback pulled from the GNSI Sciart-Listserv on a pro-bono proposal offered to a fellow member.

Sketchbook- Costa Rica

— Karen A. Johnson

In February 2020, the author embarked on an art and photography tour in Costa Rica led by Mindy Lighthipe, where the vibrant wildlife and tropical environment provided endless inspiration for sketching. Capturing scenes from nature, such as birds, frogs, and insects, in her travel sketchbook allowed her to stay present, appreciate details, and create lasting memories, even if not every piece was fully completed on-site. These sketches, combined with photos and observations, serve as meaningful reminders of the experience.

Illustrating Nature - CSUMB Science Illustration Graduate Program: Class of 2020

—Madelyn Neufeld, Liz Wahid, Ying Wang

The 2020 Science Illustration class at California State University, Monterey Bay consisted of 16 diverse students with backgrounds in fields like paleontology, marine biology, and ornithology. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, they adapted by moving their annual art show, "Illustrating Nature," to a virtual format, allowing them to reach a global audience. With guidance from dedicated instructors and the success of their digital gallery, the class feels confident in their skills to pursue professional careers in science illustration.

Artwork you can Wear!

— Kathleen Garness

At the 2013 Wild Things Conference, the artist was approached by Karen Tharp from the Illinois Nature Conservancy to create a bandana design featuring the prairie white-fringed orchid. This project evolved into several bandanas highlighting endangered species, native plants, and their pollinators for conservation efforts. The designs were used to educate volunteers and the public, eventually inspiring a new bandana celebrating the successful nesting of piping plovers at Montrose Dunes in 2020.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 52, No. 3, 2020.

Covid-19 Virus with Jennifer Fairman

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 06:27:23 GMT

COVID-19: Visualizing a Moving Target with Jennifer Fairman

August 10, 2020

COVID-19: Visualizing a Moving Target (Jennifer Fairman, CMI and Associate Professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Art As Applied to Medicine Program)

Presenter: Jennifer Fairman is an Associate Professor at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She specializes in medical and scientific illustration for publication, patient education, animation, web, graphic & interactive design and small business practices. Her work has been published in over 960 scientific journal articles, textbooks and book chapters, monographs, science presentations, websites and videos. Her contributions are highly recognized by the Association of Medical Illustrators, Illustrators Club of DC, National Science Foundation, BioCommunications Association, James Smithson Society, and Vesalius Trust. She most recently graduated with her Master of Professional Studies in the Business of Art and Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art with perfect achievement. She was also named the Ratcliffe Foundation’s top grant winner of MICA’s third annual UP/Start Venture Competition.

Website: www.fairmanstudios.com/

Online Teaching and Learning Panel

Sun, 09 Aug 2020 05:27:02 GMT

Online Teaching Learn Panel

August 9, 2020

Building an Online Audience using Crowdcast & Teachable (Christine Elder, Science Educator and Visual Artist) - https://christineelder.com/

Using Free and Low-Cost Tools to Create Intimate, Sustained Learning Environments (Gretchen Halpert, Scientific Illustrator and Founder of the Scientific Illustration Distance Program) -

www.gretchenhalpert.com , www.gretchenhalpert-distanceprogram.com

Teaching with Zoom (Karen Ackoff, Illustrator and Adjunct Professor at Ivy Tech Community College) -

http://karenackoff.net/

Corona Cuisine

Sat, 01 Aug 2020 23:24:33 GMT

– All images © W. Scott Rawlins, unless otherwise noted.

Many of us are no longer able to work as illustrators— either because there is no work coming in or we have been prevented from accessing our usual workspaces (and necessary equipment). Without the usual work incentives to persuade us to illustrate, we are finding a variety of ways to exercise our creativity. In addition to dealing with our need to create, these activities are a way to combat depression, anxiety, and stir-craziness. They also allow us to feel more independent, more self-sufficient, and in greater control of our lives.

A psychologist coined the term “fruitful boredom" to refer to the drive to explore ways to engage ourselves when we are unable to “carry on as usual.” Many of us already spend a great deal of time in front of computer screens—working on digital illustrations or (more recently) participating in numerous online classes and meetings. So, instead of watching films online and playing computer games in our “free time,” what can we do that is more active, appealing, and (potentially) constructive—that is, activities that could produce some satisfying, tangible results?

Some people write to fill their time. Others compose music, garden, or in my case: cook. There is actually a name for it—Quarantine Cooking, which generally refers to savory dishes thrown together that can be eaten as an entire meal, such as soups, stews, and stir-fries. (A subset of this phenomenon is Quarantine Baking that focuses on sweet creations.) Quarantine cooking generally involves “real” food that meets nutritional needs.

Though things are opening up a little throughout the US (and world), people are still staying at home, limiting trips to the grocery store, and having to deal with the realities of a quarantine mindset such as hoarding supplies. I limit my shopping to twice a month, which requires a certain amount of planning ahead, and there’s no guarantee that what I want will be on the grocery store shelves. Online grocery shopping might seem like a good idea, but items are often on backorder, involve complicated delivery procedures, and/or are overpriced. For example, a five-pound bag of flour I ordered online cost me $18.

I decided that I needed to set some goals for my Corona Cuisine. Number one was to use ingredients that have been in my cabinets/refrigerator/freezer for lengthy periods. I also wanted to be creative, so I decided to devise recipes for items that might not normally be combined. In other words: to play, but still be productive.

GARDENING AND FORAGING

Gardening can be thought of as another example of “fruitful boredom.” Less reliance on what is available in grocery stores can be achieved by growing your own fruits and vegetables but this is not something that yields immediate results. I will have to continue to rely mainly on grocery shopping for a while, but did manage to do some local foraging. Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) are common weeds in my neighborhood. Conscious of the “produce problem,” I decided to use nettles in a number of recipes, generally substituting them for spinach. And thinking about all of those tufts of wild garlic (Allium vineale, a.k.a. onion grass, crow garlic, and stag’s garlic) that are popping up all over lawns in my neighborhood, I was wondering if I could figure out how to combine these weeds in one recipe. In addition to the usual ingredients for an omelet, I substituted nettles for spinach and wild garlic for onions. Both of these plants were growing in my yard—or my neighbor’s yard (I didn’t ask, but I don’t think she minded me harvesting her weeds).

Voilà—the Stinging Nettle, Wild Garlic, and Feta Cheese Omelet:

Stinging Nettle, Wild Garlic, and Feta Cheese Omelet:

Serves 1

Ingredients:

8 stinging nettle shoots
20 wild garlic bulbs
2 large eggs
2 T crumbled feta cheese
olive oil
butter
salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Pick the nettles using gloves, wash them (the nettles, that is, not the gloves), place them in a small saucepan, and

boil them about three minutes. Drain

and cool slightly. Using kitchen scissors, remove the stems. (You will be left with something that looks like cooked spinach or green filamentous algae.) Set aside.

2. Pull up a couple of clumps of wild garlic. Grasp firmly and pull steadily upward until the bulbs are free. Wash off the dirt. Trim off the “stems” and the rootlets so that only the bulbs remain. Cut each bulb in half. Save some of the leaves for garnish!Heat a little olive oil in a pan and sauté the bulbs until slightly transparent. Raw wild garlic is kind of strong, so sautéing it will reduce the pungency. Set aside.

3. Using a medium-sized bowl and a wire whisk, beat the eggsuntil uniform in t texture.

4. In a small skillet or frying pan, melt about a tsp. of butter and manipulate

the pan so the butter coats the inside.

5. Pour the eggs into the pan and cook as you would any omelet. Before all

of the egg has congealed, heap on the nettles, garlic, and cheese. Add a little salt and pepper. Fold the omelet onto itself, flip, and cook the top. Slide

the finished omelet onto a plate.

6. Garnish with some chopped garlic leaves.

*ASIDE: I’ve been unsuccessfully trying to make omelets for years using olive oil until I encountered an Arcadia chef who, without knowing what my problem was, immediately offered a solution: butter. (Butter seems to be the solution to a lot of things in life.) So—use butter in the pan.

CREATIVE COMBINATIONS

What to do with an excess of carrots? Those warehouse stores can be time and money savers, but everything seems to be available only in large quantities. I adapted a classic glazed carrots recipe using chopped praline pecans that by themselves are so sweet that they make your teeth hurt. Fortunately, when mixed with the carrots, a nice balance was achieved. Along with the carrots, I received a large quantity of celery. Cream of Celery Soup seemed like a good way to use up the excess! The grocery store was out of “regular” rice, so I purchased a bag of jasmine rice. Using leftover flaked coconut, golden raisins, mango chutney, carrots, and various curry spices, Corona Curried Rice was born.

Two wrongs can make a right! Those excessively sweet pecans and some overly dark (i.e., very bitter) chocolate, when mixed together, resulted in a perfect combination of flavors in a sweet treat: Corona Chocolate.

I can’t recall how long I’ve had a container of dried morel mushrooms in my refrigerator but decided that now was the time to use them. The result: Spaghettini with Mushroom Sauce.

I tried to buy some sweet potatoes online, but the system would not allow me to purchase more than one. What can you do that is interesting with just one sweet potato? I found a recipe for sweet potato casserole online and made some additions and substitutions: fresh wild garlic for garlic powder, agave syrup for maple syrup, chopped pecans (yes, those overly sweet ones!) for chopped walnuts, olive oil for butter, Italian seasoning for fresh thyme and rosemary, and “regular” seasoned breadcrumbs for unseasoned Panko breadcrumbs. The result was quite acceptable.

SOME NOTES ON MY QUARANTINE BAKING

I’m not a very experienced cook (though maybe that will change before things get back to “normal”). However, I do have experience baking, so I have done quite a bit of that. The challenge was not how to bake what I wanted, but how to use ingredients I’d been storing for years and where I might make substitutions for ingredients that were unavailable. In addition, for some reason I decided to use the heat from my fireplace to help the bread dough to rise. This increased my sense of self-sufficiency. Some concoctions I tried included:

• Pandemic Applesauce Bread (what to do with uncooked apple pieces—from my own tree!—that had been in my freezer for at least a decade…)

• Cranberry and Pineapple Biscotti (what to do with leftover dried cranberries and pineapple)

• Marmalade Cake (I don't like marmalade but couldn't just throw it out! The cake was OK—and probably very good if you like marmalade.)

• Yellow Cake with Raspberry Sauce (what to do with last year’s frozen raspberries)

• Cupcakes (what to do with some Russian cocoa powder I “discovered” in one of my cabinets)

• Oatmeal Bread (what to do with agave syrup that had been around for several years)

• Basic Biscuits (what to do with some old buttermilk powder)

All things considered; I think my experiments with “Corona Cuisine” have been successful. The process has certainly been productive—and instructive—and I’ve been able to exercise my creative energy. An added bonus is that I now have a lot more room in my refrigerator, cabinets, and freezer! You know what they say—when life gives you lemons… make something interesting with what you have in the refrigerator.

Featured Recipes:

Corona Curry

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

2 c. jasmine rice
4 c. water
3 T. olive oil (divided)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T. mango chutney
2 carrots, grated
2 tsp. curry powder
2 tsp. vadouvan*
½ tsp. tumeric
½ c. golden raisins
1–1½ tsp. seasoned salt
flaked coconut (for garnish)

* Vadouvan is another type of curry powder often used in the Puducherry region of India.

DIRECTIONS:

Add 1 T. of oil to the water and bring to a boil.
Add rice and stir briefly. When the water begins to boil again, cover, reduce the heat, and cook about 15 minutes—or until all of the water is absorbed.
In a small saucepan, sauté the onion over low heat in 1 T. oil. When the onion has become fairly transparent, add the chutney, spices, carrots, raisins, and salt. Continue to cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes.
Combine the rice and sautéed vegetables in a large container. Add the last T. of oil and mix well.
Add additional salt and/or pepper to taste. Garnish with the flaked coconut.

Corona Chocolate Covered Pecans-

24 pieces

INGREDIENTS

2 dozen overly sweet praline pecan halves
20 bite-sized dark chocolate bars (70–80% cacao)
Tb vanilla extract
milk chocolate sprinkles*

TOOLS

A small double boiler
A piece of waxed paper
A chocolate-dipping fork or a table fork

DIRECTIONS

Melt the chocolate bars in a double boiler.
Remove boiler from heat, add the vanilla extract, and stir to combine ingredients.
Using a fork or chocolate dipper, dunk each pecan half in the chocolate and turn until the pecan half is coated.
Place each enrobed pecan half on a piece of waxed paper.
Garnish the pecans with the milk chocolate sprinkles.
Allow the enrobed pecan halves to cool before removing them from the waxed paper.
Store the candies in an airtight container.

* I used ChocoMaker 100% natural milk chocolate flakes.

Easter Sweet Potato Casserole

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

1 large sweet potato
3/4 T. agave syrup
20 wild garlic bulbs, washed, cut in half
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. breadcrumbs
1/4 c. chopped pecans
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. salt
1 T. butter, melted
Pinches of savory spices (rosemary, sage, thyme)

DIRECTIONS

Pierce the sweet potato in several places with a fork and wrap it in a barely damp paper towel. Cook the potato in the microwave for about 7 minutes. Remove it from the microwave, unwrap, and cut the potato in half lengthwise. When it has cooled a little, remove the outer skin and discard it.
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.
Mash the potato with the agave syrup, wild garlic bulbs, and salt. Spread the mixture into a small 2-qt baking dish.
Combine the dry topping ingredients in a separate bowl and mix in the melted butter.
Sprinkle the crumb topping over the sweet potato and bake for about 30 minutes.

Pandemic Pasta

Serves 1 or 2

INGREDIENTS

1 c. dried pasta (I used rotini)
1/2 c. cooked nettle leaves, chopped
olive oil (~1 T.)
seasoned salt (about 1/2 t.; this contained garlic and pepper flakes)
pesto paste (about 1/2 t.)
Italian seasoning
1 small tomato (2” in diameter), diced
parmesan cheese, grated (~1/2 T.)
black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare the pasta as directed on the box—note that to achieve an al dente texture you might have to reduce the cooking time by a minute or two.

2. Mix together the olive oil, seasoned salt, Italian seasoning, pesto paste, and cooked nettle leaves.

3. Combine the pasta and the olive oil “dressing.”

4. Assemble the pasta dish. Fill two small bowls or one medium-sized bowl with the pasta. Arrange the tomato pieces on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Finish with some freshly-ground black pepper.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 52, No. 2: Abstracts

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 05:14:56 GMT

Welcome to the second edition of 2020!

This issue highlights how scientific illustrators have adapted their approaches to effectively convey critical information during the COVID-19 pandemic. A team at the University of Chicago's Ci3 created an educational animation about COVID-19 for young people. Illustrator Chuck Carter transitioned to biology illustration, using his skills to create striking depictions of the virus that blend traditional and digital techniques. Jennifer E. Fairman showcased the role of medical illustrators in combating misinformation through visual storytelling. Emily Adams applied her graphic design expertise to produce COVID-19-related graphics for early childhood professionals. Bruce Worden adapted his workflow to focus on pharmacological pathways during the pandemic. Scott Rawlins shared his solace in activities like quarantine cooking and gardening to combat feelings of isolation. Finally, the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators successfully hosted its first virtual conference, demonstrating resilience and creativity in fostering a global community of visual creatives during challenging times.

Log into your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2023, Vol. 52, No. 2

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Presidentsʼ Note

— Kalliopi Monoyios, President and Sara Taliaferro, Past-President

The pandemic has underscored the critical importance of clear science communication, and this edition of the JNSI showcases how visual creatives are aiding public health efforts and data collection during this time. The Guild of Natural Science Illustrators adapted by hosting a successful virtual conference in August 2020, attracting 266 attendees from 14 countries. Encouraged by positive feedback, the Guild plans to explore more virtual events and invites members to contribute ideas.

Animated Discussion: How to Evolve Scientific Communication

— by Quinn Burrell

Amidst the evolving landscape of multiple crises, a team at the University of Chicago's Ci3 embarked on creating an educational animation about COVID-19 for young people. They encountered challenges in staying current with rapidly changing information and addressing additional societal issues like racial disparities. Despite the hurdles, they adapted their approach, involving youth feedback and adjusting the animation to reflect ongoing events. The project underscored the importance of flexibility, collaboration, and proactive pre-production strategies in navigating dynamic scientific communication landscapes.

Virus Gallery

— Chuck Carter

Chuck Carter, a seasoned illustrator, transitioned from editorial newspaper art to video gaming, including the iconic MYST®. Amidst the COVID-19 lockdowns, he ventured into biology illustration, crafting striking images of the virus. Using a blend of traditional and digital tools, he created editorial illustrations that not only depict the virus but also convey societal commentary. Now, he aims to balance his portfolio with both editorial and scientific work while exploring immersive storytelling possibilities in gaming technology.

Science vs. Virus: Illustrating SARS-CoV-2

— Jennifer E. Fairman

Amidst the chaos of 9/11, a medical illustrator grapples with the sudden insignificance of their profession, but emerges with a newfound sense of purpose. Fast forward to the COVID-19 pandemic, where the global medical illustration community unites to combat misinformation and aid in public understanding, highlighting the crucial role of science communication through art. From collaborating on informative resources to creating engaging visuals, their efforts demonstrate the power of visual storytelling in navigating a world in crisis.

Coronavirus Visualizations for Early Childhood Professionals

— Emily M. Adams

Emily Adams, a graduate of Iowa State University with a degree in Biological/Pre-Medical Illustration, leveraged her background in graphic and web design to produce informative graphics for the Institute for Childhood Preparedness. Initially focusing on topics like heatstroke awareness and Halloween safety, she later shifted her attention to creating COVID-19-related graphics, which were utilized in an online course and shared widely. Additionally, Emily collaborated on developing a National Dashboard tracking COVID-19 childcare status and continues to contribute to the Institute's efforts, producing over 100 informational graphics in the past year.

Pandemic Works in Progress

— Edited by Cheryl Wendling

Bruce Worden serves as the Scientific Illustrator at the Journal of Clinical Investigation, residing in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Despite the pandemic's impact on his workflow, he has adapted to creating COVID-19-related figures primarily focused on pharmacological pathways, including maps and graphs, rather than intricate morphological drawings. His usual work process involves collaboration with scientists and editors through email, with minor changes due to delays in author responses caused by lab closures during the pandemic.

Corona Cuisine (Open Access)

— W. Scott Rawlins

Amidst the challenges of limited work opportunities and restricted access to usual workspaces, many illustrators are finding solace and creativity in activities like quarantine cooking and gardening. These pursuits not only provide tangible results but also serve as a means to combat feelings of depression, anxiety, and stir-craziness during quarantine. Through experimentation with ingredients and recipes, individuals are able to exercise their creativity, feel more independent, and make productive use of their time while adjusting to the new realities of daily life.

Conference Review GNSI's First Virtual Conference

— Kalliopi Monoyios, GNSI President

Facing the challenge of hosting a conference amidst a pandemic, the GNSI President navigated the uncertainty with resilience and creativity. They transitioned the in-person event to a virtual format, focusing on themes like Creativity in the Time of COVID and Adaptive Practices for Visual Creatives. Despite initial reservations, the virtual conference exceeded expectations, drawing a global audience and fostering a sense of community while paving the way for future online endeavors in science illustration and communication.

Article Abstracts for theJournal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 52, No. 2, 2020.

Product Review: Stonehenge Aqua Black

Wed, 20 May 2020 22:33:31 GMT

Legion Paper® introduced Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black® in 2019, as "the world's first black 100% cotton paper sized for watercolor."

Gail's Comments

I'm not sure where or when I first saw a reference to this new paper, but I knew I had to try it out as soon as possible. Legion Paper® introduced Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black® in 2019, as "the world's first black 100% cotton paper sized for watercolor." It is designed primarily for metallic and iridescent paints, but I wanted to try it out with colored pencils and other media I have on hand. Camille Werther has also been experimenting with this new surface, and we decided to join forces for this review.

Our almost yearly excursions to visit my sister-in-law always include a trip to the Blick store nearby, and I was happy to see the stack of Aqua Black pads (Fig. 1a), among all the other goodies (I am lucky to drag myself out of there with minimal damage to my credit card).

The first thing I noticed about the paper is the color: it is a beautiful, deep, rich black—much richer than Canson® Mi-Tientes® or Strathmore® Artagain® black papers (Fig. 1b), both of which almost look like dark charcoal gray in comparison. The paper is quite thick and heavy (140 lb), and has a very even, toothy finish, almost like felt. It seems rougher to the touch than the textured side of Mi-Tientes.

I experimented with a variety of media (Fig. 1c). Prismacolor® pencils behaved much like they do on Mi-Teintes, and I didn't see a great deal of difference, although the color seems to snap a bit better on the Aqua Black.Predictably, the differences became more apparent with wet media. Casein and acrylics just popped off the Aqua Black. Even transparent watercolor looked more lively on this paper. I also tried watercolor ground, then transparent watercolor, which—again predictably—looked great against the black background. A quick, light sanding with 600-grit wet sandpaper smoothed out the watercolor ground even more before applying the transparent watercolor and may help with later applications.

Figure 1: (a) A pad of Legion Paper Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black.

Figure 1: (b) Comparison of paper color.

Figure 1: (c) Comparison of media on Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black (left) and Canson Mi-Tientes black (right). (Top to bottom) Prismacolor pencil (white base and without); Richeson casein (solid colors, overlapping color on multiple white coats, and washed colors directly on the paper); Daniel Smith transparent watercolor (directly on paper and over two coats of Daniel Smith watercolor ground); Liquitex acrylics (single coats of red, double coats of white and metallic gold).

I was surprised at how well regular gouache held up (Fig. 2); the color was strong and clean, without any ground or white background added. But again, application was more by building up color than smooth brushing.

All of the wet media I tried did apply smoothly without the streaking evident on Mi-Tientes, which is more of a dry media substrate.

My biggest issue with this stock is that it's difficult to achieve fine detail due to the fuzzy surface. With a LOT of patience and work, you can apply solid areas of color, but soft brushing doesn't work and achieving fine details with a stroke of the brush is a challenge. It seems better suited to an impasto technique, where you can build up color.

Still, with planning and patience, and for particular images and styles, Aqua Black could be a welcome addition to your substrate arsenal.

Figure 2. Acryla® white gouache and Winsor & Newton® Designers' Gouache doodles. The Acryla® is the white leafy spray at the lower right, the rest are Windsor & Newton®. The color pops beautifully but you can see the fuzzy edges. Fine details are difficult to achieve.

CAMILLE'S COMMENTS

I have been using Stonehenge Aqua Hotpress for my botanical colored pencil work and enjoy using the paper. I also use it for acrylic gouache work. Recently, I came across a little (2.5” × 3.75”) block of Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black. I purchased it as an inexpensive way to test the paper for dramatic botanicals.

This paper has a cold-press surface and is very soft, so it is best reserved for water media. I found that aggressive erasing and use of hard colored pencils can mar the surface. However, I was able to use the softest brands of colored pencils to achieve a loose botanical cone sketch. The surface accepted multiple layers and worked up very quickly. In the example here, I used Derwent® Coloursoft®, but I found that their Lightfast line and Caran D’Ache® Luminance® pencils gave similar results (Fig. 3a). Fine details are not easy to add in, so I would reserve this paper for when a sketchy look is wanted.

I also tried pastel pencils but was less happy with my results.

My favorite test, though, was with the Holbein® Acryla® gouache sketch I did of a conifer cone (I believe it is Larix sp.) (Fig. 3b). It responded well to the water media and there was no visible buckling. Overall, I would use this paper again for acrylic gouache or quick soft colored pencil sketches.

Figure 3 (a). Larch cone on Aqua Black, rendered in Coloursoft pencils.

Figure 3 (b). Larch cone on Aqua Black, rendered in Coloursoft pencils.

This article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 52, No. 1, 2020.

Member Spotlight: MaryBeth Hinrichs

jlucjen@me.com — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 00:15:16 GMT

– All illustrations © MaryBeth Hinrichs unless otherwise noted

My journey into scientific illustration has taken many unexpected twists and turns, detours of all kinds and sometimes flat-out halts, but I’ve learned along the way that any journey of value is worth the patience.

Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, I was the youngest of three kids, much younger than my siblings. My dad was an electrician and my mom stayed at home with me until I started junior high and then went back to work as a salesperson in a local department store. Loving animals and learning of all kinds were always encouraged and both of my parents enjoyed creative pursuits in different ways. Dad loved to paint and draw when he had the chance (which, unfortunately, was not very often) and Mom expressed her artistic side more in 3D, sewing clothing for many special occasions—how many kids get to go out for Halloween as Bullwinkle’s buddy Rocky the squirrel with a very furry and realistic tail? Childhood memories included Dad reading the comics to me, pointing out how things were drawn, as well as peppering his reading with the most wicked Woody Woodpecker imitation ever, and trying to explain proportion to a very frustrated young artist who wanted to draw her beloved horses so they looked “real.” Luckily, I was always given plenty of paper and art supplies, so I had the opportunity to draw as much as possible.

I discovered science in grade school and loved learning about most of it, maybe physics not so much. High school found me on the science and math college track, which did not include any art courses. But two liberal arts courses were required to graduate, so in addition to a music literature course, I took a one semester art history course with many of my fellow science nerds. There were a few sporadic chances to draw in class with very little encouragement. I still remember the instructor informing us that “realistic, detailed illustration was just used for newspaper stories and National Geographic and was not true art—abstract was the true work of value.” As a result, I left any ideas of drawing in the dust and majored in chemistry and biology in college in Kansas City with an eye toward pursuing a medical degree. Big detour number one: I delved into biochemistry for graduate school instead (Georgetown University; my husband was in the Navy and worked in Washington, DC for Naval Sea Systems Command). After completing my master’s, I started working on the PhD program. The same organism that had flourished for me during the master’s research absolutely refused to grow for me any longer. After one particularly trying day when my mentor and I had discussed this puzzling development for the umpteenth time and I was feeling very trapped in the lab, my mentor sent me to the graphics department to pick up a conference poster for him. I vividly remember staring down at the illustrations there beneath the glass- covered countertop and

thinking, “I so want to do this, and I think I can!”

At about this time, my husband and I were starting to look into moving back to the Midwest to be closer to family. While waiting to find work and a place to move, I started to take small art commissions with projects ranging from pen and ink laboratory manual illustrations (my first “real” scientific illustration assignment and introduction to tighter deadlines: 90 spot illustrations in two weeks) to acrylic decorative art and portraits.After moving to Minnesota in 1989, I knew I needed more instruction in art, but after starting a family, decided to attend a tech school two-year graphics program instead of pursuing a four-year degree. I soaked up as much information from the program as possible, including printing requirements and beginning digital layout and illustration (command-Z was a pretty new concept back then—yes, I’m that old), and equally as much from working part-time as a framing assistant for a professional framer. I was able to attend the 1990 GNSI conference in Minneapolis, commuting each day from our home. There I met Vera Ming Wong and Kris Kirkeby and was completely fascinated by a presentation from Nancy Halliday. I remember thinking, “I love these people!!” while watching her physically demonstrating how birds stroke their wings in flight. Another turn in the road: I found an announcement in the local paper about Vera giving a botanical drawing class at what is now Como Zoo and Marjorie McNeeley Conservatory. How cool—I could learn to draw something that didn’t move as fast as my kids did! Ultimately, this class segued into a certificate program in Botanical Illustration at Como. For a new twist, I started teaching as well as taking classes. I was fortunate to take classes from Don Luce and Marilyn Garber (before she started her own school for Botanical Art). The certificate program at Como did not flourish for long, but I was hooked on botanical illustration. I have been a part of the Great River Chapter of the American Society of Botanical Artists (ASBA) here in Minnesota, serving on the board for a couple of years.

More minor sporadic twists and turns are familiar to many GNSI members. Trying to balance work while raising a family can get interesting at times. Our kids do respect what I do, maybe after surviving experiences like Mom bringing home several

6-foot-long glass-front sample cases to illustrate prairie grasses’ root structure for a U of MN graduate student and having to walk v e r y s l o w l y—not run as usual—through the living room. And I never saw one poor neighbor kid again after our youngest screeched at him, “Don’t touch anything on that table, those are my mom’s art supplies!” But on the other hand, Mom also had to learn how to entertain a three-month-old while completing assignments (thank heaven for baby gyms), and to later on exercise a great deal of creativity explaining how some ”toddler enhancements” in big black marker appeared sprinkled throughout a sketch. Several years ago, I experienced a few unexpected health issues that clarified for me how I wanted to move forward in my life and career. I reassessed where I was, pulling back from many volunteer positions I had accumulated while our kids were young and started to focus on enhancing my skills in both traditional and digital media as well as evaluating what mark I wanted to leave with my work. I also finally took to heart that sketching as much as possible would not only help me improve my work, but had become vital to me just being me. I’ve become a devotee of No Excuses Art Journaling by Gina Rossi Armfield and several GNSI Great Plains members will be happy to tell you I may have a slight or not-so-slight addiction to washi tape.

Sketch of a newborn foal in graphite

Volunteer opportunities in GNSI are another matter. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to work on the courses and books list, the membership brochure, and recently with Karen Ackoff on the most recent revision of the GNSI Technique Sheets.

Two volunteer opportunities that I wouldn’t/won’t give up at this point are being on the Education Committee for GNSI as long as I’m needed and the chance to continue to foster development of the GNSI Drawing Portal (formerly the Drawing Kit). After much research and reflection, this project has evolved into two components. The quick-start portion consists of a Get started drawing as quickly as possible” how-to program, available at this point as steps on the under-construction website, as well as lesson plans for ages two to infinity shared by several very generous GNSI members. This part of the program is geared toward adults, kids in school, after school programs, community programs, nature centers,

etc. I’m hoping that eventually we can have You Tube tutorials and materials for downloading to better serve the public, especially those who are home-schooled. The second component is a recognition that many of our members are already heavily involved in teaching all ages of people how to draw and keep nature journals to better appreciate science and the natural world. In this portion we will regionally list contact information (no ads or endorsements) for those GNSI members who either at least partially make their living by teaching or who volunteer in different venues to do so. I’ve learned so much from being a member of GNSI; I hope this will be a way to give back and let more of the public know of this great organization and the possibilities for careers for interested youth. Work on this project so far could not have happened without input and hard work from fellow GNSI members Bethann Garramon Merkle, Liz Lockett, Kris Kirkeby, Gretchen Halpert, Lesley Switendick, Andrea Lofthouse-Quesada, Gail Guth, Sara Taliaferro, Mary Ellen Carsley, Jane Neroni, Sue Burrus, Suzan Wallace and the very patient and dedicated Kathleen Marie Garness. If I’ve forgotten to mention anyone else, please forgive me.

Oh, by the way, if any of you have the opportunity to join a group or GNSI chapter, do it. That’s the best way to interact with “your kind of people.” I even did a stint as Treasurer for the Great Plains chapter. They put up with my number ineptness and I had opportunities to take great workshops, experience new things (I can tell just how windy it is and how lousy the weather is by how the wind farms in western Iowa look) and make life-long friends. I’ve been told that I will remain a member of the chapter even after we move soon to Washington state. I’ve already subjected the Pacific Northwest chapter there to my first attempt at a techniques blog. End of advertisement for chapters, for now.What’s in the future? Besides the move mentioned above and subsequent discoveries to make in our new area, I hope to continue my eclectic slate of projects (the classic ADOS approach to work: Attention Deficit, Ooh: Shiny). Right now I have the privilege to illustrate the first of several books about a wonderful state park near our new home, design and illustrate a handout for horseback riding students about the bone structure of horses, illustrate a nonscientific children’s book, and hopefully finish a life-size botanical plate about the endangered silversword plant of Hawaii (the subspecies of Argyroxiphium sandwicense found on Maui), plus maybe finally get a chance to illustrate a prairie rose (Rosa arkansana). Work also continues on the Drawing Portal, of course. I’ve also been trying to stretch my skills by field sketching semiwild horses in oils—wait, not botanicals?!—and playing with animation and 3D rendering digitally. I also hope to continue to improve my marketing skills. I’ve got a ton of work there, although I am making progress in finding out what works for me and what doesn’t. My husband is planning to retire before we move, but I feel I’m just getting warmed up, so no retirement for me. Speaking of husbands, I would be very remiss not to publicly thank him for all of his support of my less-than-conventional job! I could not have done any of this without him.

There’s just so much to learn and try to pass on about the natural world through illustration and venues like the Drawing Portal. My biggest goal is to do my best to pass on my excitement about the cool organisms and processes I get to learn about and draw.

Oil sketch of horses in wetland,

This article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 52, No. 1, 2020.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 52, No. 1: Abstracts

Sat, 01 Feb 2020 10:47:31 GMT

Welcome to the first Journal edition of 2020!

This issue explores member MaryBeth Hindrich's circuitous journey into natural scientific illustration, Diana Marques' study and process for an illustration for the Lepidopterists' Society, a Listserv discussion about self-taught illustration, the science of fish coloring and challenges of depicting those nuances for illustrators, Carol Creech's' "Inktober" endeavor, along with results of Carol's GNSI members' poll about "Inktober", a two-author product review on Stonehenge Aqua Black paper, and some pages from Frances Topping's sketchbook.

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Member Spotlight: MaryBeth Hinrichs (Open Access)

— MaryBeth Hinrichs

Follow MaryBeth’s life journey that began in St. Louis, shaped by a family supportive of art and learning. Initially drawn toward science, she pursued a path in chemistry, and biochemistry before discovering a deep passion for art through a pivotal encounter with illustrations. Moving to Minnesota, she delved into botanical illustration, embracing teaching while balancing family life, health challenges, and a diverse art career, striving to share her enthusiasm for nature and science through her art and educational initiatives within the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators.

Drawing a Menacing Male-Female Caterpillar for a Scientific Journal

— Diana Marques

Illustrator Diana Marques received a unique commission from the Journal of the Lepidopterists’ Society to illustrate a gynandromorphic hickory-horned devil caterpillar. This rare specimen, a hybrid of two moth species, displayed both male and female features, prompting detailed anatomical exploration and illustration. Utilizing various references, from preserved specimens to digital sculpting software, the artist created a detailed plate and a 3D model for an explanatory video, which led to the illustration's feature on the journal's cover, marking a rare use of commissioned art on its cover instead of a photograph.

RRRRIPPED from the List: Teaching Myself Scientific Illustration?

— edited by Britt Griswold

Read members' tips and advice to Erin Avery's question "Is it possible to teach myself Scientific Illustration rather than going the university route?" Posted on ListServe. Another example of the generosity of knowledge from GNSI members.

The Allure of Ichthyological Structural Color, part 1: The Science Behind the Art

— Stephen DiCerbo

Fish use color for various purposes, including communication, camouflage, and signaling gender differences. He explains the challenges artists face in replicating the beauty of iridescence, often resorting to metallic paints and Mica dust. The second part of the article in the next issue will explores techniques and materials for artists aiming to capture structural color in their work.

Inktober 2019

— Carol Creech

Inktober is an annual art challenge initiated by artist Jake Parker in 2009 to enhance inking skills and encourage positive drawing habits. Participants create ink drawings based on a list of daily prompts, with many groups coming up with their own version of prompts (such as medical and natural science illustrators!). While artists appreciated the discipline, challenge, and sense of accomplishment, there were concerns about physical strain, prompt difficulties, and the month-long duration.

Stonehenge Aqua Black; Product Review (Open Access)

— Gail Guth and Camille Werther

The Authors review Stonehenge Aqua Coldpress Black paper introduced by Legion Paper in 2019. Gail experimented with various media and noted the paper's rich black color and the suitability for wet media posed a challenge. Camille tested the paper for botanical sketches, finding it best for water media and soft colored pencils, while cautioning against aggressive erasing. Overall, they suggest that with careful planning, the Aqua Black paper could be a valuable addition to artists' materials.

Sketchbook: Frances Topping

Frances describes four of her sketchbook pages that really capture the scenery and tidal creatures she observed in Washington state.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 52, No. 1, 2020 .

In Memoriam: Elaine R. S. Hodges

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 21:15:09 GMT

– All images ©Elaine Hodges, unless otherwise noted.

My sincere thanks to Kris Kirkeby and Steve Hodges, who helped considerably in collecting information about Elaine and Ron, and also making Elaine’s illustrations available. — Trudy Nicholson

Casting our minds back 51 years, we find two young natural science illustrators at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Carolyn Bartlett Gast and Elaine R. S. Hodges had noticed the lack of connection among staff illustrators and had become the prime movers to bridge the gap. In order to do that, Carolyn planned illustrators’ luncheons with programs related to the media that would be helpful to these previously isolated artists. This served as a means to introduce illustrators to one another and for them to recognize the benefits of coming together. Carolyn found Elaine to be a willing ally and, as Carolyn saw it, Elaine had enthusiasm for the project as well as access to a typewriter—and could type. With that skill they produced elegant invitations and descriptions of the programs. Their success in this endeavor led to the founding of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators on December 2, 1968, and the connection among natural science illustrators that we’ve all enjoyed for 51 years. Thus began a lifelong effort by Elaine to bring together people who specialized in the art of seeing—the art of perceiving an object, not just looking at it. All of this in the service of science.

The Guild started with 21 charter members. The first meetings were held at the National Museum of Natural History with Elaine typing announcements and descriptions of the meetings. As the Guild grew these typed up notes became our Guild Newsletter. As new members joined the Guild, Elaine sent along with the Newsletters several technique sheets that each described a specific artistic technique. Later these technique sheets inspired the Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration, with Elaine at the helm. The benefits of each Guild expansion and new outgrowth that Elaine created resulted in an increase in Guild membership, which now it reaches around the world to multiple countries.

The driving force that led Elaine to these many roles in the Guild was part of her innate persona. And what led her to the field of art was her natural artistic talent and interest shown during her earliest years, leading to youthful studies at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. where her family lived. Her artistic plans were sidetracked by her mother’s wishes for her to try for the stage. Not a theatrical performer at heart, she finally found the freedom to study at Wilson Teachers College for a year, and then received a scholarship to the Pratt Institute in New York, where she further developed her portrait painting skills. In 1965, on her return to Washington D.C. after a failed marriage, she discovered scientific illustration. That happened by chance. Elaine had taken a job as clerk at the National Museum of Natural History and was employed there for only a few weeks when, during a conversation with a friend, who was working as an illustrator at the Museum, she found out that another illustrator was needed to draw amphipods for Dr. Jerry Barnard there at the Museum, at a higher salary than her clerk’s job paid. Taking that job gave her the entry to the rest of her life, despite never having done similar work.

Diadasia rinconis Cockerell (female) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), ink on scratchboard, 1981. ©Smithsonian Institution

Drawing Dr. Barnard’s amphipods turned out to be a very natural blend of her interest in portraiture and science. She had no problem using a microscope, which seemed like a normal extension of her eyes, revealing a fascinating world of organic microstructures.

Caddisfly larvae Smicridea annulicornis (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae), carbon dust and diluted ink on Ross board no.00, 1987. ©Smithsonian Institution

Neotropical Caddisflies XXXIX: The Genus Smicridea in the Chilean Subregion. No. 472. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 1989.

In 1966 Dr. Barnard moved to Hawaii and Elaine, remaining at the Smithsonian, moved to the Southeast Asia mosquito project where she illustrated for 41⁄2 years, also doing contract work for other departments, drawing such subjects as ostracods and bird parasites. During that time she researched, wrote, and illustrated a paper on mosquitoes and found the research aspect of the experience to be exciting. This work increased her interest in entomology and she also became interested in a particular USDA entomologist, which led to the marriage of Dr. Ronald W. Hodges and Elaine in June 1967. Elaine described the event as elevating her to a perpetual Cloud 9. Their marriage was fulfilling for both. Ron had worked for years on the series Moths of America North of Mexico, Including Greenland, with Elaine doing the illustrations. They made quite a team. They were working in entomology, where Elaine became a prominent figure in her field, and Ron having achieved similar status in his field. They formed a happy family with two sons, Steve and Larry.

( a ) Car: Elaine’s mom loved to enter contests. A publicity photo taken of the family in one of her winnings. ( left to right ) Joel (youngest child), father Sam, mother Pat, Sol (oldest brother), Elaine (oldest child), Carolyn (younger sister), and Irv (middle child), 1955 (© unknown). ( b ) Play acting. ( left to right ) Carolyn, Elaine, Irv, and Sol, (Joel not yet born), 1948. ( c ) Elaine works on a portrait of a young girl (Jennifer Adams), 1969. ( d ) Elaine at her microscope, mid- 1970s.( e ) Elaine and Ron on their wedding day, June 1967. ( f ) ( left to right ) Son Larry, mom Elaine, and son Steve, 1965.

Elaine’s artwork was impeccable—distinctive yet accurate. She created memorable habitus images of entomological specimens, becoming a master of multiple techniques. In an inventory she kept, there were 93 double-sided pages with 38 entries per page—a total of 3,534 illustrations!

But beyond her skill, her importance became that of a mentor to young illustrators, providing advice, opportunities, and encouragement to become involved in the community of science illustrators.

Under Elaine’s guidance, as the Guild moved into the 1970’s, still early in its existence, it reached out to many isolated natural science artists scattered across the country and provided them with a packet of newly organized technique sheets that described a number of artistic techniques, their development, materials and tools, and examples, written and illustrated by artists who used the techniques. Over the years, these were polished and added to. It was these technique sheets that formed kernels of ideas for the Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration, edited by Elaine, sponsored by the Guild, and published by Van Nostrand Reinhold in 1989. A total of 45 authors and 176 illustrators contributed to this book that took 13 years to produce. This was a massive job of editing for Elaine, needing careful oversight for each page. It was a frustrating task requiring Elaine to keep each artist/author on schedule. This book is considered the modern “Bible” of scientific illustration by artists in the field, by scientists interested in illustration, and by libraries across the nation. It has received four book awards. In 1995 it was in its third printing. It is still available, and still fulfilling the need for such a complete source of information in a world that is becoming more visual in its communication needs at an ever increasing pace. When published, the first edition was so successful that Elaine moved on to a second edition, which was published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc. in 2003. Through this set of two books, she shares with us a great wealth of information and lays the groundwork for professional standards in our field.

Elaine poses for a publicity photo in her office after the release of the first edition on the Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration , 1989. ©Smithsonian Institution

A scratchboard portrait of Elaine created by Trudy Nicholson, one of a collection Trudy created of Guild founders, 2008. ©Trudy Nicholson

Elaine was deeply interested in entomology and had been active in several national entomology organizations. She was Vice President of the International Lepidopterists’ Society. Elaine had other far-reaching interests beyond art, science, and entomology. The diversity of her interests ranged from international cooking to opera performances. Both she and Ron loved music and not only attended symphony events, but Elaine also sketched while attending them. This collection of sketches was donated to the University of Oregon Music School, where they are displayed in the Eugene Bach Festival headquarters of Berwick Hall. Two nonprofit organizations that Elaine supported were the Wedge Entomological Research Foundation and the Chamber Music Series of the University of Oregon School of Music.

Moth Carcina quercana (male genitalia), pen and ink, 1981. ©Smithsonian Institution

Moths of America North of Mexico Gelechiodea by R. W. Hodges pub.

Among the awards she has won, and perhaps the most meaningful to Elaine, was the GNSI Distinguished Service Award in 1995. In the Guild she had served as Correspondence Secretary, Vice President, and President. She created an exhibit titled Science and Art: 150 Years of Smithsonian Research with the Smithsonian Historian, for the Sesquicentennial Celebration of the Smithsonian.

Another very meaningful award she received was the Ranice W. Crosby Distinguished Achievement Award For Pioneering of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators. It was given on May 26, 2006, by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's Department of Art as Applied to Medicine.

C. penalii , Caddisfly plate, larva: head and larval cases of Contulma penaii drawn for Oliver S. Flint (unpublished). ©Smithsonian Institution

When Ron retired in 1997, he and Elaine traveled around the country, seeing many possible locations to spend their retirement years. They finally settled on Eugene, Oregon, which had a perfect climate for the gardening Ron wanted to do, and attractive local cultural opportunities. It was hard for Elaine to leave so many friends on the east coast, but it turned out that many visited her on the west coast, and she made many friends there.

Left: Going-away party invitation for Elaine and Ron’s move to Oregon, from Elaine’s sister Carolyn Snyder, June 1997.

Right: Ron and Elaine at the courtyard entrance of their custom-built home in Eugene, OR, ~2003.

Life is not always what we want it to be, and Elaine ended up with less time on Earth than she deserved, but she stayed spiritually strong to the end. Elaine R. S. Hodges passed away in June 2006. There

was a Memorial Service for Elaine on the west coast, September 2, 2006 in Eugene Oregon, and a Memorial Service for her on the east coast, November 5, 2006 at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington D.C.—where Elaine’s artistic career blossomed and where she spent so many years creating beautiful images of nature, and encouraging and overseeing the growth of the Guild.

It’s such a pleasure to look back on the day of beginning in 1968. I among many members of the Guild miss the warmth, friendship, and brightness that both Elaine and Carolyn Gast brought to the Guild. Their example has been imprinted into the DNA of the Guild. The Guild has undergone quite a process of growth. It’s been a thrilling journey and continues as new members join the force to carry on. These two founders set up the Guild so it would last and grow. Carolyn and Elaine are gone, but the Guild is still going strong and I applaud them for their foresight.

Elaine’s license plate, reflecting her passions.

Article originally from the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 51, No. 3, 2021.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 51, No. 3: Abstracts

Wed, 01 Jan 2020 20:30:53 GMT

Welcome to the third Journal edition of 2019!

Greetings from your Journal team! At this busy time of year, find some quiet moments to savor the beautiful images and inspirational articles contributed by our members in this issue.

The Member Spotlight features Ikumi Kayama, the recipient of this year’s GNSI Distinguished Service Award. Trudy Nicholson’s article about Elaine Hodges is a real treat for those of us who did not have the opportunity to meet her. Elaine’s career included editing the Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration, which many of us rely on as a resource. Also in this issue, Dino Pulerà describes his path to publication of the 3rd volume of The Dissection of Vertebrates, GNSI President Sara Taliaferro gives us her thoughts on the Australian conference, Britt Griswold brings us Listserve advice, and Madison Erin Mayfield shares fieldwork sketches of sugar gliders in our ongoing Sketchbook feature.

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In Memoriam: Elaine R. S. Hodges ( O pen Access )

— Trudy Nicholson

Remembering Elaine R. S. Hodges and her many accomplishments in the Guild, including serving as Correspondence Secretary, Vice President, and President. Among many other awards, Elaine received the GNSI Distinguished Service Award in 1995.

Member Spotlight: Ikumi Kayama

Ikumi has been a member of the GNSI since 2005 and works as a medical and scientific illustrator. She served on the GNSI Board for several years and volunteered with the Conference Committee on and off since 2009. “Somewhere along the way, I figured that drawings are a way to connect people no matter the language, education level, or background. I love scientific illustration because it tells a story and is used as a communication and teaching tool. I'm always grateful for working with all kinds of amazing researchers and educators from around the world.”

2019 Conference Review: Brisbane

— Sara Taliaferro, GNSI President

“Every moment in Australia this summer was a dream come true. For Guild members who did not make the long journey, it is difficult to do justice and honor to the experience or to adequately thank everyone who played a role in envisioning and realizing this international conference. Therefore, ultimately, we will not leave it to my voice alone but continue to share the stories of science and nature and creativity and place as told by many voices.”

A Short History: Dissection Manual Collaboration

— Dino Pulerà

This is a personal account of how a scientist (comparative anatomist and paleontologist) and artist (scientific and medical illustrator) have worked together for over two decades to create The Dissection of Vertebrates: A Laboratory Manual, which has had the good fortune of being in print for the last 12 years and is currently in its third edition. The path to achieving any measure of success has been anything but smooth and easy.

Stripped Bare: The Art of Animal Anatomy

— Book Review by Gail Guth

Stripped Bare is a visual treat—in the author’s words, “the intertwined intellectual and artistic journeys of animal anatomy from antiquity to the present day.” The book is chock-full of animal anatomy illustrations (260 over the book’s 256 pages) that are a rich delight, from ancient stone models of lamb livers used in augury to modern-day plastination and Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

RRRRIPPED from the List: Pricing Illustrations

— Britt Griswold, RRRRipped Guest Editor

A conversation on pricing your first job is taken from the GNSI Sciart-Listserv. It is lightly edited for readability and clarity. Enjoy!

Sketchbook: Sugar Glider Fieldwork

— Madison Erin Mayfield

Ph.D. candidate Ana Gracanin has been live-trapping sugar gliders in an attempt to understand their population numbers and distribution in the Berry Wildlife Corridor, NSW, Australia. Author Madison assisted in the fieldwork for several weeks, and created these sketches as a quick description of what was done with the gliders. “Fieldwork is always such a special experience and I think more active science should be communicated via art!”

The Business of Illustration: Working Through a Career Slump

— Gail Guth

Who hasn’t been there? You are sitting at your drawing table or computer desk and staring at whatever is there. Perhaps there is nothing there: no work, no projects, no prospects for projects. Perhaps there is a project there but you don’t want to do it (not enough pay, not your style, not really anything you are interested in creating). Perhaps you are just burned out and need a change. What now? With this topic in mind, we formed a panel discussion at the Santa Cruz Conference in 2016 to brainstorm ideas, solutions, and creative ways to work out of whatever slump you may find yourself in.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 51, No. 3, 2019.

Fish Worship: The Art of Ray Troll

Thu, 26 Dec 2019 05:21:22 GMT

Fish Worship and the Art of Ray Troll

December 26, 2019

Alaskan artist Ray Troll will share the twists and turns of his unique fish inspired career. Ray moved to the Northwest in the late 1970’s and eventually on to Alaska in the early 80’s with a couple of art degrees in his back pocket and a life long interest in natural history. He settled in the rain-swept, coastal town of Ketchikan and began producing offbeat fish-filled T-shirts that soon gained him an audience with cannery workers, anglers, commercial fishers and scientists. His art has toured in exhibitions at major museums across the United States and overseas.

He has co-authored and illustrated 10 books including a collection of his piscine inspired humor called “Something Fishy This Way Comes”. His most recent title is “Cruisin’ the Fossil Coastline”, a fun filled romp through the American west with paleontologist Kirk Johnson (who appears briefly in the video).

He is also an avid musician on the side and has released a four CDs with his band the Ratfish Wranglers.

You can see Ray's work at https://www.raytroll.com

The Geography of the GNSI

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 05:29:00 GMT

GNSI conferences are one of the great opportunities for science illustrators to experience different environments.

Each year, the meeting is hosted in a different location, allowing exploration of unfamiliar ecologies and local cultures. It’s fun to visit new places with friends and colleagues of similar bent, and it exposes the hosting communities to the world of scientific illustration.

Meetings are almost always hosted on college campuses. Host campuses bring together easy, relaxed gatherings combined with access to the buzz of a learning experience, and allows for city selection in a wider variety of locations and economical pricing.

With each location comes a new combination of exploration/field trip opportunities. Whether it is turtle hunting with research scientists, studying cave ecology, going behind the scenes in a new museum, or examining the art in rare natural history tomes, there is something new for everyone to experience with each new conference.

In the past, conference planners have made a conscious effort to select locations that represent geographic diversity not only to provide conference-goers with variety, but also to ensure that travel costs are more evenly distributed among attendees -- some years those who live on the West Coast must travel east and some years Easteners must travel west. In addition to the coasts, meetings have been held in the far north (Fort Kent, ME), the South (Savannah, GA) and the Midwest (Lawrence, KS). Look at the map to see where we have held meetings in the recent past! Despite an effort to provide conference-goers with this variety, the sites chosen are largely dependent on what is most convenient for the coordinator(s). There are a number of interesting locales where meetings have never been held. (How about western Kentucky or northern Texas?) If you live in or have access to a location that could provide our members with new experiences, let us know by contacting the GNSI -- and consider serving as a conference coordinator or an “on-site” conference consultant!

Have an idea for a conference location? Consider filling out our GNSI Visual SciComm Conference Scouting Form

GNSI Conference Planning

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 05:00:44 GMT

It all starts with an urge to give your GNSI friends a place to gather. Then you remember all the cool things you could show them. Then you remember the connections you have to your local institutions and suddenly you think “my friends and I could do this!”

Fortunately, the Guild has developed a sophisticated set of tools to help you plan and organize talks, workshops and field trips, along with the celebration of the Guild family gathering each year.

With the rise of the internet and a plethora of online organizing tools, the Guild has found it is possible to spread the organizing work to members across the country, and now – even around the world!

It is possible to anchor the organizing of a conference with just two or three individuals based near the host city. The conference chairperson does not have to be in the host location, but a few trusted members should be local and ready to track down information and meet with local resource providers. Without the footwork and local contacts of a few individuals, the conference would not be the unique event we all love so much. But once these local members know this is an event that truly deserves a home near them, they can tap into an organizational template, which includes a larger network ready to bring the forces of many more experienced volunteers to help develop a plan and then put that plan into motion.

If you have connections with an institution of higher learning or research, the opportunities to tap into the planning and resources of that community often make for a great combination – local facilities and GNSI volunteer muscle. But make no mistake, the commitment is real and will last for a year and a half of networking and organizing activities that gradually increase in tempo as the conference approaches.

First actions: Two years ahead of the meeting, submit a proposal to the GNSI Conference Oversight Committee (COC). To do this you can ask for examples of past proposals. Identify a host facility, housing and food facilities, and an exhibit facility. Brainstorm field trip opportunities; identify any local resources that might possibly be brought in for keynote speeches, demonstrations and/or lectures. Now attach some gathered preliminary pricing to those items and you are ready to submit! The items that need the most lead time to lock down are an exhibit space and potential sponsorship providers. These are the first order of business once your proposal is accepted.

Members of the GNSI COC can provide guidance in putting together a proposal; you do not need to bring it to them cold. They will help you streamline your efforts to waste as little time as possible. The COC will evaluate proposals based on the attractiveness of the location (a combination of ease of access, affordability, local features). The costs associated with a conference are always a major concern for attendees and require careful attention and are often the most difficult aspect to work and rework to find affordable solutions, once a hosting commitment is made. Ideally, a hosting commitment between the COC and the Conference committee will happen at least one and a half years before the conference date.

The fun begins with assembling your teams to oversee the various aspects of your conference! The COC provides a structure for you to follow while allowing you to implement it in a way that fits the local situation. While you will need to provide local information and guidance, the COC will help you form a team to broadcast the call for participation and volunteers. Within a year you will be set up, venues in place, a call for speakers will be out, and a website structure in place ready to fill with content. Now things are getting exciting!

Presentation proposals will role in, keynote speakers will be selected, an exhibit call goes out, checklists of actions are reviewed and approved as the home stretch comes into sight. With all the processes in motion, more local volunteers to help run activities onsite will be a great benefit, but flexibility is key to success, and the COC is ready to provide ideas and resources to help you make it over the finish line. In the last six months of this two year adventure, plans are adjusted to fit the realities on the ground and service contracts are signed.

Three months and counting: exhibit entries are judged, registration is opened; the excitement builds.

One month to go: registration closes and you have your final working numbers. Reports are made and final numbers are transmitted to vendors, committees are double-checking their activities and resource commitments. After conference parties are planned ;)

Zero day: All the attendees and presenters appear with excited faces and talent to share. Your committee members are hard at work helping everyone be where they need to be, and the resources are on-site and in place. It is a week-long commitment to make sure every committee person is on task and there are as few surprises as possible. For committee members, the days are busy and the time to relax is in the evening as members gather informally for after event socializing.

After the last attendee has thanked you for a wonderful opportunity to experience the community of science illustrators for one week a year, and all the infrastructure has been closed down, there is still more to do, but at a more leisurely pace. All the bills and other monetary duties must be identified and organized with the Conference Treasurer. Money is dispersed, thank you notes are written, and the exhibit taken down. This process can take two or three months.

At long last, it is time for a good long rest, unless you are like many of the committee volunteers who have now gained a wealth of experience and now handle the process very efficiently. They get psyched about helping their GNSI colleges meet again next year, and lend a helping hand with the next conference’s needs to make the magic happen all over again!

Member Spotlight - Rick Simonson

Wed, 08 May 2019 05:04:26 GMT

– All illustrations and photos ©Science Lab Studios, Inc., unless otherwise noted.

I was born in Minneapolis and grew up on a farm near Benson, Minnesota. Growing up on a farm certainly nurtured my interest in the natural world; I’ve always loved drawing and being outside.

My parents were always very supportive of everything I wanted to do, always encouraging my interests in art and science. Mom would often buy drawing paper and pencils for me; Dad built a great drawing table board that I still use. When I was a little kid, I would often make drawings of different types of animals and staple the sheets together to make simple books. I would create a book about spiders and one about snakes and so on. I never guessed that I would be doing the same type of work as a career.

After high school I attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, where I majored in biology and minored in chemistry. I did take one or two art courses but didn’t really consider pursuing it as a career; I was more into science at that point. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia in 1995. Next I attended graduate school where I did research in cell biology and protein biochemistry at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. I finished my time in graduate school at the University of Nebraska at Kearney where my research shifted toward molecular biology. In 1999, I earned my Master of Science degree; by this time I was focused completely on biology. Like so many biology students, I next considered a PhD. I applied to a few programs and interviewed with professors who wanted me to work in their labs.

Here is where my path took a turn: I decided not to pursue a PhD, my heart just wasn’t in it. I knew exactly what more graduate work in molecular biology would entail, and there were other things I wanted to pursue. I loved biology but I could only do the lab work for so long until I became bored. While I had an interest in research, I didn’t want it to be my primary focus. I needed something to fuel my creative side. I actually remember thinking to myself, “I want to draw more.”

I only abandoned pursuing a PhD in science, I didn’t abandon my love of science—far from it actually. My next step was to take a position as a Molecular Biologist at the University of North Dakota. After a brief time, I moved back to Kearney, Nebraska in 2000 where I’ve been working as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biology at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Working at UNK has given me the opportunity to take many courses in drawing, painting, and design—so, academically speaking, my art is catching up to my science. I currently teach two courses in scientific illustration. One is on campus for undergraduates and the other is online for graduate students.

Discovering scientific illustration for me came as a result of a lot of soul-searching. I knew I wanted to do more drawing; I just didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with it. Then one day in 2003 I was looking through a biology textbook and it dawned on me: someone had to draw these textbook figures... I bet I could do that! Is it a real profession? I started searching online and came across the GNSI website and discovered scientific illustration. The conference that year was in Denver—I could drive to that! So that’s what I did.

Figure 2: Rick Simonson in his studio working on a new drawing.

Reading the schedule, I noticed a portfolio sharing on the first day. I had my apprehensions about bringing my portfolio, but I decided I’m going to be all in on this. I had been to science conferences before; in the sciences there are plenty of egos and people who are less than cordial. So, I brought my portfolio fully expecting to be mocked and humiliated. After all, these are the best science illustrators in the world! I won’t be surprised if I get shunned, but that was OK: sometimes the best way to learn and progress is to take risks. I had absolutely no idea what to expect.

Of course, anyone reading this who has been to a GNSI conference knows that the professionals in this group are incredibly welcoming of new people and extraordinarily generous with their knowledge and expertise. So, the portfolio sharing was the exact opposite of what I was preparing myself for. It was a great experience.

Something else happened that I will never forget: when I first walked into the conference the first person who came over and talked with me was Elaine Hodges. She was the first real Scientific Illustrator I met. Only later did I realize that she was a Scientific Illustrator at the Smithsonian and a founding member of the GNSI. I talked with her several times at that conference and at many future conferences. She had a huge impact on me. Since then I have been an active GNSI member. I attend most of the annual conferences, have given numerous presentations and workshops, served as a conference Workshop Coordinator, and served as a member of the Education Committee. I have also served as the Vice President of the Great Plains Chapter and maintain the chapter website.

I’m not sure if I’ve really had one big break; it’s more like a lot of small breaks. It’s been a gradual progression. Early on I spent about five years focusing my efforts on textbook illustrating. I love how textbooks merge illustrations with text, photographs, and graphic design to communicate scientific concepts. My work has been featured in a wide variety of textbooks published by many of the major publishers.

After a while I decided that I wanted to do a wider diversity of projects. My work now focuses on the visual communication of science, with a direct application to science research or education. I work with scientists, educators, publishers, and science companies. I love to visually explain concepts and show how processes work. Most of my recent work involves drawing procedures, equipment (microscopes, thermocyclers, centrifuges, etc.), and hands holding equipment. Being a biologist, I also love drawing animals and plants. I consider myself to be a generalist. I am interested in illustrating the entire range of scientific subjects and I enjoy using different types of media. I find inspiration from many different industries such as industrial design, architecture, comic books, and concept art.

Adobe Illustrator® is my main tool for most illustration projects; I also regularly use Adobe Photoshop® and Corel Painter®. But most of my illustrations start with hand-drawn sketches; I love sketching with mechanical pencils and Copic® markers. Occasionally I create finished illustrations with graphite, ink, colored pencil, and watercolor, but the majority of my finished, professional work is digital.

I’m the President, Project Manager, and Scientific Illustrator for my company, Science Lab Studios Inc. It began as a scientific illustration business but has since expanded to offer a wider range of science communication services. It’s now a company that offers publishing services, scientific illustration, logo and graphic design, and science merchandise. Besides illustrating, I have grown to really enjoy the strategy and project management aspects of running a business. I enjoy large projects in which scientific illustration is one part. In the beginning I was doing everything myself. But I quickly learned that the projects I was interested in were too much for one person. Now I regularly hire other creative professionals, often people who have skills that I don’t. I like collaborating with people who have different expertise such as scientists, educators, designers, artists, and entrepreneurs. I often hire other GNSI members to work on projects. I’ve also had students do internships with my company.

Over the past few months I’ve been working with Embi Tec, a company that makes innovative lab equipment for research and education. I’ve been creating illustrated protocols for their MiniOne lab kits. It’s been a really fun project! Here are a few of the other projects that have my interest at the moment: working with an ecology professor on an environ- mental science comic book, a variety of custom lab manual projects, figures for research publications, as well as logo designs for labs and businesses. I’m also working with a t-shirt company to create a brand of science shirts.

Figure 6: PCR Cycle Count Day 1 Experimental Procedure. Adobe Illustrator.
© 2019 Embi Tec

Figure 7: PCR Cycle Count Day 1 Experimental Timing. Adobe Illustrator.
© 2019 Embi Tec

There are many projects I want to pursue in the future. I have a lot of ideas for different publishing projects. I dabble in animation and 3D illustration. Product design and 3D printing are areas I may get into. I’d really like to do more concept art and infographics work too.

You can see more of my illustration work at simonsonillustration.com and what my company does at scilabstudiosinc.com . If you are a freelancer looking for more work or a student wanting an internship, feel free to contact me at rick@scilabstudios.com . Maybe we can work on a project together!

Article originally from the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 51, No. 2, 2021.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 51, No. 2: Abstracts

Thu, 02 May 2019 00:41:33 GMT

Welcome to the second Journal edition of 2019!

Greetings from your Journal team! We are pleased to bring you this summer issue of the Journal. We think you will find in it some exciting examples of visual communication of information about the natural world.

In this issue, Xavier Pita shares with us the use of customized digital watercolor brushes in illustrations for the Corroios salt marsh and tide mill project. Bruce Kerr details a rendering of invasive species in digital media. Sally Cox demonstrates pop-up cards, which can be used for studio promotions or exhibits. In addition, we have a member spotlight of Rick Simonson, whose company, Science Lab Studios Inc., offers science communication services. We are also pleased to bring you the student portfolio gallery for CSUMB, and a collection of sketches by David Nielsen.

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The Corroios Salt Marsh and Tide Mill

— Xavier Pita

“The Corroios salt marsh is one of the richest natural habitats in the Tagus River estuary area in Portugal, with its beauty contrasting the highly urbanized surroundings. The idea for this project came from the first time I visited the area in the Spring of 2012.” In this article, Xavier explains the techniques he used to create the artwork which comprises of five panels about the salt marsh, six panels about the tide mill, and one panel about the tides.

Member Spotlight: Rick Simonson ( Open Access)

GNSI member Rick Simonson describes how his interest in science and art led him to a career in scientific illustration. “I was born in Minneapolis and grew up on a farm near Benson, Minnesota. Growing up on a farm certainly nurtured my interest in the natural world; I’ve always loved drawing and being outside.”

CSUMB Final Portfolio Exhibit

— Elena Hartley and Stephanie Kinkel

“The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History buzzed with excitement on Friday, May 3, as attendees celebrated the annual opening of this year’s Illustrating Nature exhibit.” This article highlights works by students in the Science Illustration Certificate Program at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB).

Michigan Invasive Aquatic Species

— Bruce Kerr

Traditional media techniques can be adapted for use in digital media to create a rich, varied texture that can be duplicated in print as well as electronic media. The techniques shown here, as applied to a recent commission, were originally developed while working as a commercial and scientific illustrator. This article will attempt to provide a bridge between the digital and traditional worlds for those interested in further exploring the digital medium.

Pop-Up Gift Cards

— Sally Cox

“Pop-up cards are unique forms of paper arts that utilize elements of 3D paper architecture. They make excellent gifts for special occasions, and they could be impressive as promotional materials or proposals.” Read on as Sally use her own creations in a pop-up structure.

From the Sketchbook: David Nielsen

David Nielsen is an Entomologist with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (funded by the USDA) and the US Army. He enjoys illustrating insects and mites he collects from his work to showcase the variety that exists in nature.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 51, No. 2, 2019 .

Grow Your Digital Plant

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 17:11:39 GMT

Abstract

In this tutorial article, the author shows how to make a complete plant using the Maya 3D® application, and Photoshop®. The process is designed to maintain maximum flexibility, allowing for the not uncommon case of the customer’s request for modifications.

– Ed. Note: A complete presentation of all images and workflow are organized in a supplementary PDF linked here .

When dealing with several projects at the same time, we may not have the luxury to choose the best way of completing the projects. We may have to find the most efficient way to finalize the projects on time. To deal with clients’ feedback and additional imaging requests efficiently, three-dimensional (3D) computer graphics software can be advantageous.
The general workflow in such software includes modeling, texturing, lighting, rigging (for animation), rendering, and compositing. The advantage of using 3D computer graphics softw are for scientific illustrations comes when each of these workflow steps is connected smoothly, making it easy to respond to clients’ feedback.

In this article, I describe how I created a quinoa plant illustration using Autodesk Maya®. If you are not used to using Maya, then following this tutorial will be a practical exercise and provide an alternative way for you to create your next plant illustration. Other 3D packages have a similar workflow.

The final version of my quinoa plant illustration is presented in Figure 1. I used Maya® software for modeling, Mental Ray for rendering and Adobe Photoshop® for compositing. However, I will explain how to use an alternate renderer, Arnold, for texturing and rendering to optimize the process on the current Maya version. To begin, I used NURBS/poly modeling. NURBS modeling is similar in concept to Abobe Illustrator’s mathematical descriptions of curved lines, but in the 3rd dimension. Polygon modeling converts the NURBS curves into a simpler format of points (vertex) and straight edges, creating triangles and rectangles for export and rendering. For the texturing, I used a reference photo of a quinoa plant leaf.

Figure 1: Quinoa plant render, with the 3D frame- work in the background.

3D Quinoa PlantWorkflow diagram for the project.

MODELING

Leaf Modeling

1. Take photos of the plant using your smartphone or digital camera. This process does not require a high-resolution camera, but you need to place the plant’s leaf on a flat surface to make a photo for the modeling.

2. Crop the photo to the leaf and place into a square shape. Save the cropped photo (leaf_t.jpg).

Figure 2: Original photo is formated into a square for use as a UV texture and template for 3D objects.

3. Import the cropped photo into Maya top-view camera. This will be used as a template for the leaf model.

4. If the image size is too large, scale down the photo.

5. Click the pencil curve tool to draw a curve over the imported image, using your mouse, by following the shape of the leaf.

Photo is placed in the work area as a template to draw an outline object.

6. Select the first and last control vertex to close the curve and then rearrange each control vertex to minimize the number of control vertexes while maintaining the accuracy of the shape.

7. Draw additional curves following the leaf veins. All of the control vertexes and curves should be connected through “ snapping ” to the leaf curve edges.

8. Select all curves and create a “polygon planar” (Fig. 3).

Figure 3: (a) The Pen Curve tool is used to create an outline and veins. (b) Convert the results to a "polygon planar". The conversion settings will join the edges and dice up the surface to make smooth bending of the polygon object possible.

9. Extrude the created planar to give volume to the leaf planar (Fig. 4).

10. Create a UV map using the top-view camera and export a render of the UV map (leaf_UV.png) for later use in creating a plant leaf texture. A UV map designates the position of images and other flat art on the models you are creating.

11. To bend the leaf shape, select one of the nonlinear deformers, “Bend” (Deform > Nonlinear > Bend) (Fig. 5).

Figure 4: Extrude the two-dimensional (2D) planar leaf model into the third dimension.

Figure 5: Use the "Bend" deformer controls (left) to shape the leaf model (right).

12. Soft select the leaf veins; move them down slightly to give depth on the leaf (Fig. 6).

13. Select the leaf and move the rotation/pivot location to the bottom of the leaf.

14. Duplicate the leaf and scale it down to make stipules and then position the resized leaf to the petiole of the original leaf by snapping.

15. While you do the snapping of the resized leaf objects, you also need to change the direction of the objects. Click the ‘e’ key and rotate the direction of the objects. After relocating each object, select all of the leaf objects and ‘Combine’ to make a single object.

Figure 6: Soft selection allows movement of parts of the leaf to be effected less the further away it is from the selected veins.

We now have the basic leaf unit for duplication on the plant stem. Quinoa leaves have a similar construction at all sizes, so we have to make only one leaf.

Seed Modeling

1. Create a sphere and set the subdivision in width and height to 20 and 24, respectively. Subdivision allows a very simple shape to have a smoother appearance.

2. Select and move the edges, and reduce the scale, to make the shape of a quinoa seed (Fig. 7).

Figure 7: Seeds are modeled from spheres, multiplied and snapped to a stem tip model.

3. Create a UV map while viewing the top of the seed through the camera window.

4. Select the object and change the Y scale; then change the rotation/pivot location to the bottom of the seed.

5. Create a cylinder for a seed bunch stalk.

6. Duplicate the seed object and snap the duplicated seeds on to the cylinder to make a bunch.

7. While you do the snapping of the seed objects on the cylinder, you also need to change the direction of the objects. Click the "e" key and rotate the direction of the objects. After relocating each object, select all of the seed objects and ‘Combine’ to make a single object.

Stem Modeling

1. Create a cylinder for the stem.

2. Soft select the vertex at the top and reduce the scale to create a tapered appearance (Fig. 8).

3. To give a bowed appearance to the upper portion of the stem, use one of the nonlinear deformers, “Bend”. To give a twisted shape to the stem, use another of the nonlinear deformers, “Twist”.

Figure 8: Soft select the end of the stem and reduce the diameter; then apply the Bend and Twist deformers to give the plant an asymetrical appearance.

Taproot Modeling

1. Select the curve drawing tool and draw a curve following the shape of the taproot through the front camera view.

2. Create a NURBS circle curve and snap the circle to the first control vertex of the taproot curve.

3. Select the taproot and circle curve in order; then open the extrude control box to create a tapered shape.

4. Select the root and change the rotation/pivot location to the top of the Taproot.

5. Duplicate the taproot and scale it down to make smaller branch roots and then attach the resized roots to the proper location of the original root by snapping.

6. While you do the snapping of the resized root objects on the taproot, you also need to change the direction of the objects. Click the "e" and rotate the direction of the objects. After relocating each object, select all of the root objects and "Combine" to make a single object.

Figure 9: Create a taproot from a drawn curve and a circle primative extruded along the curve; then duplicate, resize and repostion root copies to expand the root system.

Add fibrous roots using the Paint Effect Tool. The Paint Effect Tool is a built-in method for creating many organic textures and shapes, such as plants, hair, fire, feathers, oil paints, pastels, and watercolors.

1. Create a polygon disc for the Paint Effect tool drawing.

2. Locate the disc at the bottom of the stem.

3. Set the disc to be paintable.

4. Click the "Get Brush" and choose a preset brush that is similar in shape to that of the fibrous roots.

5. Change the scale of the brush and draw a line on the disc.

6. Adjust the setting under the "Attribute Editor" to make it look like fibrous roots. A large number of adjustments are possible to create a customized result.

7. Convert a copy of the object from the paint effect to a polygon to make it renderable in the Arnold renderer (Modify > Convert > Paint Effects to Polygons) (Fig. 10).

Figure 10: (a) Use the Paint Effects tools to create a fiberous, root-like objects attached to a disk. (b) Convert the object to a polygon object for rendering in the external Arnold renderer.

Assembling

1. Duplicate the combined leaf object and snap them into position on the stem following the real structure of the quinoa plant.

2. Snap the seed head and root objects to the stem.

There are various texturing materials (shaders) in the “Hypershade” window. Choose a material depending on the surface texture desired for the object and the render engine to be used. In addition to using the image of the quinoa leaf for texture color, in this tutorial, I use the AmbientOcclusion shader for texturing. In particular, if the object does not have transparency and transillumination (also known as subsurface scattering), the AmbientOcclusion shader will make the rendering while creating realistic shadow/shading effects without creating a lighting setup when using the Arnold renderer.

Figure 11: Shader tree: a sample shader showing how the different materials are processed into the final texture that is applied to an object, in this case an AmbientOcclusion type shader for the quinoa leaf.

Texturing

1. Switch to Photoshop and create a new doc- ument (2,048 × 2,048 pixels, 72 dpi).

2. Open the file leaf UV.png and layer the image from leaf_t.jpg on top.

3. Reduce the opacity of the leaf photo layer so that you can visually resize the photo to fit into the leaf UV area. The resized photo should be a little bigger than the leaf UV.

4. Increase the opacity of the photo layer back to 100% and then save the image as "leaf_Co" after flattening the image.

5. Switch back to Maya and open the Hypershade window.

6. Create an AmbientOcclusion shader for the leaf (with "ramp" for gradation on the leaf and "file" for image color on the leaf). Name it "leaf_A". Select the leaf object and apply "leaf_A".

7. Open the shader’s materials attribute and apply the "leaf_Co" image.

8. Create a second AmbientOcclusion shader (with another "ramp" for texturing of the seeds). Name it "seed_A". Select the seed bunch and apply "seed_A".

9. Create a third AmbientOcclusion shader (with another "ramp" and "grid" for texturing of the stem). Name it "stem_A". Select the stem and apply "stem_A".

10. Create a fourth AmbientOcclusion shader and rename it "root_A". Select all of the roots and apply "root_A".

Figure 12: Ambient occlusion is a shading and rendering technique used to calculate how exposed each point in a scene is to ambient lighting (lighting that comes from all directions). The appear- ance achieved by ambient occlusion alone is similar to the way an object might appear on an overcast day.

Figure 13: (a) Color texture can be added to shaders by importing images or (b–d): (below) generating graphics with internal tools in the shader’s attribute editor.

Rendering with Arnold

Maya has a built-in renderer, but other rendering software can be integrated that may have additional features or a better render apperance. One such renderer is called “Arnold”. We used it for this project.

1. Open the render setting and set up the image size and quality, for example: 1,080 × 1,920 pixels at 300dpi.

2. Create a camera and aim the focus on the quinoa plant.

3. Change the setup of the camera. Change the focal length from 35 to 200 and rearrange the location of the camera to focus on the object. The longer focal length minimizes image distortions.

4. Open the render setup window and launch the Arnold renderer.

5. After completion of the rendering, export the image and name it "quinoa plant_Co".

6. Create a new render layer and name it "AO"; then create a collection under the subdivision to add all of the objects.

7. Create a shade override and apply a new AmbientOcclusion to the collection. This will be for a shadow-only render.

8. Switch the active render layer to "AO" and complete the rendering.

9. After completion of the rendering, export the image and name it "quinoa plant_Oc".

The purpose of this second render is to have a separate, adjustable ambient occlusion shadow layer for compositing in Photoshop.

Compositing with Photoshop

1. Open the two rendered images "quinoa plant _ Co" (color image) and "quinoa plant _ Oc" (shadow image).

2. Place the "quinoa plant _ Oc" (shadow image) as a new layer in the "quinoa plant _ Co" (color image). Now you can experiment with different blending options.

Figure 14: Two renders of the plant are made. One is the “color” version (quinoa plant_Co), the second is just the ambient occlusion shading (quinoa plant_Oc). These are then duplicated in layers inside Photoshop. By turning on different layers and adjusting the layer type and opacity, different “looks” can be quickly created for client approval.

HOW CAN I MAKE THAT?

When I receive a new illustration project, and while I am doing the brainstorming based on the request, I am already thinking about how I can build up each component structure in Maya. Even if it looks easy to build in the 3D space, I also have to imagine a rough way of texturing with lighting and any additional effects. After creating a simulation in my brain, to move forward, I open Maya and start test modeling and test texturing, focusing on a part of the illustration project. The testing result can be used for the draft version with additional sketches to seek the client’s agreement.

Unfortunately, working with Maya can be a time- consuming process. To have a high-quality detailed image, you may need to move vertexes or edges one by one for a long time to get just the right shape. However, I would like to say that although this is the usual process in working with Maya, it will be easier and faster with experience. The important thing in modeling is that the final 3D object should be easily retouchable for later additional modifications. In addition, the texturing should also be set up to ease modifications based on the client’s feedback. At the final stage of this project, the client asked me to increase the number of fibrous roots and to modify their direction to be more spread out. This change was easy to deal with through the Attribute editor of the fibrous roots.

The skills used in this tutorial are not special techniques and are close to the basic level of skills needed to begin modeling with Maya. If you are interested in using Maya, I hope that following this tutorial will provide a helpful path for understanding the workflow and some insight into how to use Maya.

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 51, No. 1, 2019.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Heno Hwang is a Senior Scientific Illustrator at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. While he was studying microbiology (BA) and molecular medicine (MS), Heno discovered that developing an image for understanding the scientific logic of a project and transferring information was a powerful way to communicate science. Heno studied Maya VFX at the Aniaatus Design Academy, and Medical Art at Dundee University in Scotland. As a biomedical illustrator and animator, Heno creates scientific images and animations for research projects, scientific journals, presentations, and television.

Non-Photo Blue Pencils

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 19:10:57 GMT

Even though I’ve known about non-photo blue pencils for some time, I’ve only been using them to sketch for about four or five years since I discovered the artwork of John Muir Laws—and became more inspired after attending the 2016 GNSI Conference in Santa Cruz where John was a presenter.

Even though I’ve known about non-photo blue pencils for some time, I’ve only been using them to sketch for about four or five years since I discovered the artwork of John Muir Laws—and became more inspired after attending the 2016 GNSI Conference in Santa Cruz where John was a presenter. I really like the freedom to work rough and loose without later worrying about the blue lines competing with the final sketch. This allows me to keep my final sketch and rough sketches together, i.e., in my sketchbook instead of using a separate sheet of paper (and light box/pad) to create the final piece. You can then digitally remove the blue sketch with Photoshop as I learned from Ikumi Kayama’s excellent demo on her YouTube channel. [The video is called Photoshop Tutorial for Scientific Illustrators: Separating Out Non-Photo Blue from Graphite . Here's the link: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=nzuonxGd_Hc .]

Figure 1: Different types of non-photo pencils. (Top to bottom) Prismacolor Col-Erase 20028 in Copy not NP Blue, General's Insoluable Color-Tex 1825 in Cobalt Blue, Prismacolor Verithin Bleu Inactinque 761 1/2 Non-Photo Blue, Prismacolor Premier Non- Photo Bleu Inactinique, Austria Staedtler Non-Photo Blue 108 30, Sketcher Non-Photo Blue Pencil by Caran d'Ache, Multilith Pencil Non-Reproducing, and Prismacolor Col-Erase 20053 in Terra Cotta.

Not all non-photo pencils are the same (Fig. 1). I tried a bunch and here’s what I discovered. I started with the Prismacolor Col-Erase 20028 because that’s the one John Muir Laws uses. I found the marks it left on the paper were too light for my liking. I also didn’t like the tactile feel of pencil to paper because of the combination of somewhat waxy and hard (~H–HB) lead. When using gray-toned paper, I found the lines were almost impossible to see. But if you want your final sketch to clearly shine through your rough construction lines then you’ll probably like this pencil (Fig. 2).

Figure 2: (a) Comparing non-photo pencil lines with overlaying graphite pencil marks of various hardnesses.

(b) Non-photo pencil test sheet (top) with blue channel selected, i.e., blue lines filtered out. (c) Non-photo pencil test sheet (bottom) with red channel selected, i.e., red lines filtered out.

On the opposite end, I really enjoyed the tactile feel of the Sketcher and Staedtler because of their soft leads (~B–2B hardness range) and smooth application on white and toned paper. The trade-off is a more prominent blue under drawing. This is purely aesthetic because the non-photo blue can be removed digitally (Figure 2a and b). If you prefer a warm under drawing you have the option using non- photo red/brown pencils too. I’ve only experimented with a couple but the results are the same. Use the red channel in Photoshop to remove or filter out your red sketch (Fig. 2a and c). Although I like using several non-photo pencils, the one I liked the most is the General’s Color-Tex because of its combination of lead hardness (~HB–B), erasability, and intensity of blue.

All the non-photo pencils I tested performed well in Photoshop when their color was filtered out. The only difference would be your preference of the look and the feel of the pencil on the paper you are using. Try a non-photo pencil and have some fun!

Study of a sea squirt/ tunicate ( Ciona intestinalis ). Austria Staedtler Non-Photo Blue 108 30 and graphite pencil. ©Dino Pulerà

Study of the head of the sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ). Austria Staedtler Non-Photo Blue 108 30 and graphite pencil. ©Dino Pulerà

Study of the head of a Yellow Perch ( Perca flavescens ). Sketcher Caran d’Ache Non-Photo Blue and graphite pencil. ©Dino Pulerà

About the Author

Dino Pulerà

Dino was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. Growing up he had a passion for art, science, and nature. He pursued his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Toronto, receiving a BS in Zoology and an MS in Biomedical Communications. Dino is a medical illustrator by day and a natural science illustrator by night specializing in animal anatomy and paleontology.

www.dinopulera.com

This open-access article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 51, No. 1, 2019 .

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 51, No. 1: Abstracts

Fri, 01 Feb 2019 17:17:42 GMT

Welcome to the first Journal edition of 2019!

As often happens, this issue does a great job of reflecting our diverse interests. There are three very practical technique articles, two on traditional techniques for drawing and rendering, and an article on digital 3D modeling—essentially building a digital sculpture to use as the basis of a 2D illustration.

We have a discussion on framing and shipping artwork, some GNSI chapter news, and an article on the natural history of the environs of Queensland that Geoff Thompson knows intimately from many years’ worth of field trips.

Log into your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2019, Vol. 51, No. 1

Not yet a subscriber? To view the issue for free, become a GNSI member today!

Non-Photo Blue Pencils (Open Access)

— Dino Pulerà

“Even though I’ve known about non-photo blue pencils for some time, I’ve only been using them to sketch for about four or five years. I really like the freedom to work rough and loose without later worrying about the blue lines competing with the final sketch.” In this article, Dino provides insight into this preliminary drawing technique, with practical tips and suggestions on choices of pencil and technique.

Unmasked: Masks in Traditional Art

— Marlene Hill Donnelly

“We all recognize the essentialness of masks in Photoshop, but their value in traditional art is perhaps (oddly) more obscure. The use of masks (or friskets) has a venerable history reaching back to the handprints found in 40,000-year-old caves. In today’s traditional media, masks are employed in graphite, carbon dust, pastels, and even oils.” Read on as Marlene explores this useful technique for traditional art.

A Special Place: Queensland, Australia

— Geoff Thompson

“I was there when a new species of frog was discovered. I backpacked up rainforested mountains, went for five-day walks through pristine country, heard the calls of now-extinct frogs, helped discover and draw many new species, and heard experts point out and explain special biological treasures.” Join Geoff, our host for the Brisbane Conference 2019, as he treats us to a glimpse into the amazing wildlife and scenic beauty of Australia.

Brisbane 2019 Conference Preview

— Geoff Thompson

Welcome to Australia!

The GNSI and your host, Geoff Thompson, are very excited to welcome everyone to

Brisbane, Australia for our 51st annual conference. This article presents just a taste of the program, exhibits, and field trips that await conference attendees.

Grow Your Digital Plant (Open Access)

— Heno Hwang

In this tutorial article, the author shows how to make a complete plant using the Maya 3D application, and Photoshop. The process is designed to maintain maximum flexibility, allowing for the not uncommon case of the customer’s request for modifications.

RRRRIPPED from the List: Artwork Gallery Exhibition

This installment of RRRRipped From The List begins as a discussion about insurance protection while exhibiting works in Galleries. It morphs into recommendations for framing options when preparing for a show, and shipping considerations.

Chapter Happenings: Carolinas Chapter

— Betsy Donovan

A snapshot of our very-active GNSI-Carolinas Chapter, whose diverse membership includes career artists/scientists and retirees from other occupations. From exhibits and sketch outings, to workshops and even a digital database, the GNSI Carolinas Chapter offers a wealth of activities and resources to members primarily from North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 51, No. 1, 2019 .

llluminations of a 3D Alphabet

Sat, 22 Dec 2018 03:52:25 GMT

Introduction by Trudy Nicholson

Carolyn Gast, along with Elaine Hodges, worked as scientific illustrators at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in DC. They recognized that, although there were numerous illustrators working with similar challenges, there was little connection between them. Fifty years ago she and Elaine changed the scene of separation by the founding of GNSI.

Why a Guild? This came from Carolyn’s intense interest in all things medieval. Even before her retirement in 1985, she studied the methods of creating 3-dimensional effects and tried to convince the scientists who she worked for in the Invertebrate Zoology Department to let her add them to her staff illustrations. Failing at that, she explored using them on her own time, and continued after her retirement, to create an alphabet that captures the beauty and mystery even beyond the illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages, as seen in her 1991 article, reprinted here.

*Reprinted from Stereo World 1991 Vol. 18(1) March/ April with permission from the National Stereoscopic Association/www.stereoworld.org

Caroline:

For thirty-one years I was a scientific illustrator peering through a stereoscopic microscope to make two-dimensional drawings of the beautiful, highly sculptured organisms that I saw. By analyzing stereographic pairs of Scanning Electron Microscope photographs, I found the principles of placement of matching details to achieve stereoscopic results.

Being a long-time lover of Late, High Gothic (almost decadent) medieval manuscript illumination and decoration, when my scientists were underwhelmed by my ability to make stereo scientific illustrations (“But nobody has ever done that!”) I decided to dash off the letters of the alphabet, incorporating medieval elements and using stereo principles. This turns the letters into little sculptural forms; i.e., ‘A’ has an imaginary tension axis between the front and back round dots around which the rest of the letter is three dimensionally structured. Four years later, about two weeks before I finished ‘A’ and was getting used to the disappointment of seeing the reality on paper contrasting with the wonderful image of it that I had held in my head for so long, an uninvited and unexpected visitor asked sweetly, “Well, if ‘A’ took you four years, when do you think you’ll finish the whole alphabet?” The complete irrelevance and inappropriateness of the question startled me into questioning my motives and goals.

‘A’: was completed in 1981 while the author was still a scientific illustrator with the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the Smithsonian. The painted and drawn parts of the image are watercolors and India ink on Bristol Board.

Editor's note: You can use the technique at the end of this article to view the stereo "3D' effect in the stereo pairs. Set your browser view size to 100% (or whatever gets the image pairs 4 to 5 inches wide.)

I found that I regarded each letter as a brand new opportunity to attempt to produce a wonderful bit of fantasy, and that I would never settle for anything less than right regardless of the time involved. ‘B’ took me 6 years, but before I stopped being a scientific illustrator in 1985 I had completed ‘All Over Alphabet’ just in case anyone asked that particular question again.

‘B’: While overall widths of the originals vary, most of the image separations are spaced for free-viewing [in the original article], with the central frame elements shared when the halves are fused. © 1982

I have exhibited them in my retrospective exhibition at the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History, at Northern Virginia Community College’s Tyler Gallery and at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. Eventually I plan to have a portfolio of quality reproductions made to accompany future exhibitions.

‘GME’ is a personal monogram that was presented to the outgoing national president of Artists Equity, which adopted the logo (outlined by the floral design) during her tenure. I painted the ivy leaves dark to light in reverse on the two corresponding images, and when I finally viewed them stereoscopically the leaves fluttered so wildly they made me sea-sick. I calmed them down by adding identical white lines along their stems.

Once, by accident, I painted two different colors on corresponding areas and when viewed together the area glowed as if lit from behind. I’ve been trying to re-achieve this ‘luster” ever since, with only moderate success, which is why I’ve painted blue, violet and turquoise against each other in “A” ’s flowers. (Note the lower blossom on the center vine).

‘C’: The shaped base for the gold leaf is formed from built-up and compressed typewriter correction fluid. The C’s are real rubies and sapphires.

‘All Over Alphabet’: is a unique stereo image in more ways than may be evident at first. Fuse the spots at the top to see the vines with their crop of letters in 3-D, then turn the page on its SIDE and fuse the other spots. The work incorporates pairs for both horizontal and vertical fusion! © 1984

How To View The Stereographs

A transcription of a letter from Carolyn to her mother-in-law:

Monday, July 29, 1991

Dear Ma,

Today would have been my mother’s 91st Birthday, so I will celebrate by writing to you. I am sending you a copy of Stereo World, the magazine for the National Stereographic Association, which has my latest illuminations on the back cover (enlarged) and it and 6 others inside with the article I wrote. I think that

John, the editor, did a superb job of presenting them. Iam especially pleased with the caption he wrote for the Dragon “G”.

To view them stereographically:

1) Lay the drawing flat on a table surface with equally bright light on both sides of the drawing.

2) Leaning over the drawing hold one of your hands vertically parallel to your nose (thumb your nose at my drawing).

3) Relax and focus beyond the drawing until you see two hands, one on either side of a central drawing of three images.

4) Concentrate on the middle drawing and gradually remove your hand. The middle image will have details you focus up on, and details you focus down on. When you are comfortable with this you can explore each center drawing thoroughly. The back cover [not reproduced here] is too big to try this on because it is further apart than your eyeballs, so try the dragon “G” inside.

If you need to throw this away, please send it back to me instead, other wise this is yours to keep, with all my Love.

Affectionately,

Carolyn

This article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 50, No. 3, 2018

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 50, No. 3: Abstracts

Fri, 07 Dec 2018 07:08:22 GMT

Welcome to the third Journal edition of 2018!
What a lineup! We start with a fascinating article on how to really see your subject in its surroundings and capture both, then move on to Founding GNSI member Carolyn Gast’s work in stereoscopic illustration techniques. From there, learn about understanding and drawing leaves with accuracy and dimension. We offer a product review on Derwent® Inktense® colored pencils; a R-R-R-Ripped From The List discussion from the GNSI Listserv about framing, insuring, shipping and exhibiting your work; an introduction to our new GNSI website, a review of the recent Washington DC 50 ^th anniversary conference; GNSI Award winners; and last but not least, a Save The Date invitation for the next conference to be held in Brisbane, Australia.

Log into your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2023, Vol. 50, No. 3

Not yet a subscriber? To view the issue for free, become a GNSI member today!

Beyond Accuracy: Pursuing the Spirit of Place in Botanical Illustration

— Preston Montague

“Whether an artist’s subject grows on their front stoop or is hidden deep in the center of a forest, the act of stepping outside, walking a bit, breathing, looking, and engaging the imagination unlocks the first of many gates to slowing down, relaxing the reflexes, and seeing.” Preston Montague takes us along on his journey into the act of truly seeing his subject in its surroundings and capturing that wholeness on paper.

Illuminations of a 3D Alphabet (Open Access)

— Carolyn Bartlett Gast, Introduction by Trudy Nicholson

Trudy brings us the story behind the gorgeous, illuminated stereoscopic alphabet created over many years by the late GNSI Founding Member Carolyn Gast.

LEAVES: What They Are, How They Work, Ways To Draw

— Gretchen Kai Halpert

“What are leaves? What may help us draw them? This article relays some of the information dispensed in the GNSI conference workshop, How to Draw Your Best Leaf Ever. Not How to Draw a Perfect Leaf; rather, what information will help you and your drawings grow.” An in-depth discourse on leaf anatomy and purpose, and how to bring life to your leaf renderings.

Product Review: Inktense® Pencils by Derwent®

— Minelli Lucy France

A search for art materials that don’t trigger allergies lead the author to Derwent Inktense colored pencils; read her review and enjoy her lovely illustrations.

RRRRIPED From The List: Artwork Gallery Exhibition

— Stephen DiCerbo, RRRRipped Editor

This installment of RRRRipped From The List begins as a discussion about insurance protection while exhibiting works in galleries. It morphed into recommendations for framing options when preparing for a show, and shipping considerations.

Our BRAND NEW Website: gnsi.org

— Diana Marques, GNSI Web Committee Chair

Introducing the newly-revised and refreshed GNSI website!

Conference Review: Five Decades From Grassroots to Golden Anniversary

— Linda M. Feltner, GNSI President (2016-2018

“…when individuals come together to form a community like this, they become something greater than themselves.” Enjoy this review of the GNSI’s 50th Anniversary Conference in Washington, DC, where it all began.

GNSI Awards 2018
— Clara Richardson, Awards Committee

The GNSI honors members who given outstanding service to the Guild with awards that are presented at the closing ceremony of the Annual Meeting (the Banquet). The GNSI recognizes these particular efforts which have collectively resulted in a stronger Guild. Diana Marques (Special Projects Award for development and implementation of an extremely effective social media campaign on behalf of the Guild); Kalliope Monoyios ( Special Service Award for a surprising amount of diverse work over the last decade); Gail Guth and Britt Griswold (joint Special Projects Award for re-booting the Journal of Natural Science Illustration and for the GNSI website that made this possible.

GNSI BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA 2019

Dive Down Under and join us for the 2019 GNSI Conference in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia! June 29 ^th – July 6 ^th University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 50, No. 3, 2018.

AAAS Colloquium "Visualizing Science: The Art of Communicating Science"

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 23:36:42 GMT

On September 18th GNSI members and a Smithsonian botanist participated in a panel discussion on the critical role of art used in the pursuit of science. The participants were (GNSI members) Sally Bensusen, Alice Tangerini, Britt Griswold, Diana Marques, along with (botanist) Kenneth Wurdack.

AAAS Forum Presentation, Sept 18, 2018

In conjunction with the GNSI 50th anniversary exhibit “Visualize: Art Revealing Science” that was on display at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) gallery, it was a well-attended event that gave all the panelists an opportunity to talk about their careers and about visual science communication at large. It was streamed on Facebook live and the video can be accessed here. (The sound start out bad and gets better.)

The colloquium was reported by Juwon Song from the AAAS Office of Public Programs and you can read the article here.

All photos by Charles Chen.

Diana Marques Presents at the AAAS Forum (above), (GNSI members) Sally Bensusen, Alice Tangerini, Britt Griswold, Diana Marques, along with (botanist) Kenneth Wurdack.

This article appears only online.

From Grassroots to Golden Anniversary

Sat, 01 Sep 2018 22:56:35 GMT

At the 2018 GNSI Annual Conference, the long-time member, former President, and current Education Director and Archivist Scott Rawlins delivered an engaging and touching presentation about GNSI's first 50 years. View or review the video at the YouTube channel to remember the history of the association and the many talented members that have shaped it over the years.

F rom Grassroots to Golden Anniversary : The Guild's First 50 Years

This article appears only online.

Member Spotlight: Mesa Schumacher

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 06:51:40 GMT

My artist origin story takes a form I think is fairly common for scientific illustrators.

I grew up in Seattle with parents who didn’t study science, and knew little about art, but encouraged my interest in both. In our household, you could maintain a concentrated area of chaos in some corner by saying “don’t touch that, I’m in the middle of a project,” and my brothers and I usually each had several projects going at any given time, ranging from painting to rebuilding machines bought from the thrift store.

My family loved nature, and we enjoyed camping, hiking and outdoor sports. Travel was also a priority, and a few times during childhood we were pulled out of school for months at a time for “sabbaticals,” which profoundly impacted my goals for adult life.

Drawing archaeological excavation profiles in Chavin de Huantar, Peru.

I think at heart I have always been a scientific illustrator. My mom saved crayon drawings with titles like “passenger pigeon, extinct bird” and a high school project comparing the morphology of the extinct primate Notharctus. Illustrations and Larry Gonick-inspired comic explanations were incorporated into every school notebook, and visual explanations were the way I learned to process information. In college, I finally realized that this obsession could become my career.

After my sophomore year studying science at Stanford, I was lucky to receive a scholarship to spend the summer at an archaeological dig in the Peruvian Andes. There I was taught how to illustrate lithic tools, a task in pen and ink where length and closeness of hatching communicated how deep impressions were on tools; something that photographs of shiny obsidian can’t capture.

I realized science visualization was necessary to communicating information, not just elective decoration, and I was hooked. I started soaking in any formal or informal study that could make me a better science artist. It was around this time I joined the GNSI, which has provided me with an amazing community of colleagues and friends, without many of whom my career would not be where it is today.

After college, I wanted to see the world, and I took a job in the kitchen at the South Pole Station in Antarctica. There I met my future husband, who quickly became my traveling companion, and we spent a few years wandering, and one teaching English in South Korea. These years were punctuated by summers working at archaeological dig sites, notably three years at Çatalhöyük in Turkey with illustrator Kathryn Killackey and doing some part-time science illustration for some clients remotely.

In 2011 I returned to the US to “get serious” about my career, and I spent a year in Seattle at the University of Washington Graduate Certificate program in Scientific Illustration, with fantastic instructors and a group of varied and enthusiastic students. I also took supplemental biology coursework and classical art courses at Gage Academy of Art in Seattle. The year after, we moved to DC, and I interned with Taina Litwak in entomological illustration at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and then in the National Geographic Magazine Art Department, where I fell in love with scientific editorial art, and the world of infographics.

Giant Prickly walking stick poster completed during graduate school in collaboration with the National Aquarium. © Mesa Schumacher

At the end of the year, I had been accepted to the Medical and Biological Illustration Master’s Program at Johns Hopkins, and I had my first big illustration job, 65 fish in two months for National Geographic Books. My mom sent me some of my early work to congratulate me. It was a piece titled “different kinds of fishes” medium: crayon, from my preschool years. It sat on my desk as I worked day and night to meet my short deadline. It was good training for the following two exhausting but amazing years in Baltimore, where I learned traditional and digital media, and built skills in scientific visual storytelling and translation.

Upon graduating, fate and my husband’s good test scores forced me into freelance illustration under exciting circumstances. He had just entered the US Foreign Service and was posted as a diplomat to Guatemala. We were thrilled, as travel is a shared passion and this was the life we had hoped for. But I was also very nervous because I had hoped to spend a few years in a medical illustration studio, hospital, or museum before branching out on my own again full time.

Though it has at times been difficult and tiring, three years into my life as an independent science artist, I am very glad this was the path I was forced to take. I have been involved in a wide variety of projects. Thus far, I’ve worked a lot for other popular science editorials, illustrated signs for the National Zoo, and work in illustration and animation for many research, clinical, and education clients.

I’ve also been able to continue my relationship with National Geographic, working as a researcher and sometimes artist. As someone who generally spends the day in her studio solo, it is nice to work with teams of talented people and amazing scientists on large-scale projects for a great platform. In the last year, I am very proud of my work on Pterosaurs (November 2017) a project with Editor Fernando Baptista, and Hummingbirds (June 2017) with Editor Monica Serrano, which were honored Gold for a magazine infographic, and Best of Show for a digital infographic respectively. Finding novel ways to approach subjects in popular science press that incorporate data, mapping, and art is always a challenge, and I feel I am constantly being pushed to improve my work.

In hopes of improving, I am constantly trying new things, which results in my not really having one style, but rather an overarching mission statement of communication that guides my work. I enjoy changing my stylistic approach or materials to create art that I think fits the needs and audience of my projects, experimentation that sometimes results in happy artistic accidents.

I was fortunate to start learning digital techniques early in my career and develop them as I improved my traditional art skills. I am passionate about the digital space, where media incompatible with the “real world” can come together to create interesting art. When I work digitally I often use a combination of software in my work, making some elements in 3D, digitally painting others, and sometimes using photography. For example, I love incorporating the digital sculpting program ZBrush into my work, and keeping libraries of watercolor, ink and paper scans to work into my illustrations to add a traditional touch. I’ve had some opportunities to share digital techniques with GNSI members in demos and talks, and hope to share more in the future, making digital tools more accessible to science artists.

Pacific Northwest tidal zone featuring ochre sea stars ( Pisaster ochraceus ), their major predator and prey, glaucous gulls and pacific blue mussels. This piece was inspired by my childhood in Washington state nature. © Mesa Schumacher

Like many in this field, I am often asked if I see myself more as an artist or a scientist, and I believe I fall pretty close to the middle of the spectrum (if a “spectrum” exists). Science is what we observe, or what we can deduce. Art is the way I process what I see, what I know, and how I understand the world. It is how I communicate concepts and break down data and relationships between actors in nature. I actually think I’m a bit addicted to the process of illustration, and that were I to suddenly find myself independently wealthy, I’d keep working full weeks just to keep receiving new visual puzzles to solve.

I recently moved with my husband and young daughter to Kathmandu, Nepal where I continue to work in freelance science illustration and animation. We plan to be here two years, which is a long stay in a location for me, and I hope to take advantage of my relative settlement to pursue some sculpture and painting projects along with my (mostly digital) client projects. I am looking forward to the exciting natural world explorations my new location provides, with all sorts of landscape and ecosystems packed into one tiny country, there will be a lot to appreciate.

This article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 50, No. 2, 2018.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 50, No. 2: Abstracts

Mon, 28 May 2018 06:43:23 GMT

Welcome to the second Journal edition of 2018!
This issue truly demonstrates the great variety of disciplines, techniques, and interests of our GNSI family. Read all about our impressive array, from illustrating flying paleo vertebrates and 3D molecular landscapes, to a book review of stunning botanical illustrations from the UK, and a Member Spotlight on Mesa Schumacher’s fascinating and ever-evolving career. We round out the issue with art from the California State University -Monterey Bay Scientific Illustration program’s graduation exhibit and wrap up with a review of GNSI-Great Plains Chapter events.

Log into your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2023, Vol. 50, No. 2

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Wings, Tails, and Real Flying Monsters: Illustrating Flying Vertebrates

— Dr. Michael Habib, with illustrations by Terryl Whitlatch

Understanding the mechanics of flying creatures is an important skill to have in one's tool kit when you approach the realistic recreation of paleo flyers. These same mechanics can be used to inform the creation of imaginary flying animals. The fossil record, as well as the practical mechanics observable in extant flying animals are most instructive for our recreations.

Creating a 3D Molecular Landscape

— Layla Lang

Layla demonstrates a few basic 3D modeling techniques, and explains how to add materials to 3D elements, export separate layers from Cinema 4D® to compose a complete illustration, and make color adjustments to achieve the envisioned mood in Adobe® Photoshop®.

Book Review: Rory McEwen:The Colors of Reality

— Frank Ippolito

“The artist's name is Rory McEwen; for many readers in the US, this may be the first time we will have heard his name. This fact is as startling as anything one will come to learn in this beautifully printed overview of Mr. McEwen’s life and work. Perhaps this is due, in part, to the fact that Mr. McEwen’s botanical illustration career flourished in the UK over 30 years ago. Thumb through the volume and prepare to be engaged by the range of subject and impressed by the treatment that appears under one’s fingers.”

Member Spotlight: Mesa Schumacher (Open Access)

Join Mesa on her career path journey in this fascinating article.

“Like many in this field, I am often asked if I see myself more as an artist or a scientist, and I believe I fall pretty close to the middle of the spectrum (if a “spectrum” exists). Science is what we observe, or what we can deduce. Art is the way I process what I see, what I know, and how I understand the world.”

ILLUSTRATING NATURE: Presenting the 2018 graduating class of the California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) Science Illustration Program

— Jann Griffiths

Enjoy this presentation of works from the exhibit by the 2018 graduating class of CSUMB.

Chapter Happenings: A Look At GNSI Chapter Activity, Part II

Read all about recent activities by the Great Lakes and Great Plains chapters.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 50, No. 2, 2018.

Member Spotlight: Dino Pulerà

Sat, 03 Mar 2018 06:22:05 GMT

I’ve always been inquisitive and fascinated by nature. I would spend many hours drawing as a child but, despite my interest in nature, I never thought to draw it.

Dino Pulerà

I’ve always been inquisitive and fascinated by nature. I would spend many hours drawing as a child but, despite my interest in nature, I never thought to draw it. Instead, I spent my time reading and drawing Marvel Comics superheroes. Being the son of immigrant parents, I was encouraged to pursue a career that was stable and with a steady income; they didn’t want their son to become a struggling artist. So I set my sights on science with the hopes of going to medical school.

In my senior year in high school, my biology teacher noticed that I used drawings to record my observations in labs and mentioned that some people made a living from illustrating scientific concepts. Looking back now I’m shocked that I didn’t even consider a career in scientific illustration. I guess I thought since this vocation involved art, it would be a hard sell to my parents. So I put it out of my mind.

After my first two years of university, I realized that I didn’t understand organic chemistry, a requirement for med school, despite my two attempts at the subject. With this crushing realization before me, I had no idea what to do with my life. I always told myself, if worse comes to worse, I can always teach — but that would be a very last resort.

Armadillo fetus study: graphite pencil on toned paper with coloured white pencil highlights.

Throughout my undergrad time at the University of Toronto, I noticed little posters in the medical sciences building about an open house for the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine, now called Biomedical Communications (BMC). These little posters always had amazing illustrations which captivated me. For fun I went to a couple of these open houses: I was blown away by what I saw. I couldn’t believe the caliber of work depicted in a variety of media and such diverse topics ranging from food webs to human surgery to drug interactions to gross anatomy. I was quite envious of these students and wished I had their talent. But even then, I still never considered a career in scientific illustration because I only drew for fun, which wasn’t much anymore because I never could seem to find the time or a reason.

When I completed my undergraduate degree in zoology I still had no idea of what I wanted to do. I decided I would take some time off and figure out some options. I decided to prepare for a career in teaching. For the next two years, I volunteered my time at an elementary school to gain experience. I also took undergrad courses for general interest and to increase my GPA. The courses I took included in vertebrate paleontology, comparative vertebrate anatomy (CVA) and intro to paleontology, because I was also entertaining the idea of possible graduate studies in paleontology. I volunteered and later worked for the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in the vertebrate paleontology lab preparing and repairing fossils, molding, and casting, and also helping to mount a Triceratops skeleton. During this time, I thought it would be fun to draw again and coincidently discovered some non-credit scientific illustration courses. These courses were taught by GNSI member Celia Godkin, an instructor at the BMC program. I absolutely loved these courses! After completing the third and final course, I asked Celia if she taught any more courses. She disappointingly told me that she didn’t, but encouraged me to apply to the BMC program. I was utterly shocked by her suggestion: I tried to explain that I had no formal art training and quite frankly didn’t think I was qualified. She disagreed and encouraged me to apply and also offered to write a letter of reference. I couldn’t contain my excitement and hope. At this time I had already applied to teacher’s college. Now I was in a mad scramble to put together a portfolio, which I had never done before, and complete my application to meet the fast-approaching deadline. I barely passed my pre-interview but was granted permission to formally apply to the BMC program.

New Paragraph

Above: Gould’s Monitor ( Varanus gouldii ). Pencil illustration created for Celia Godkin’s non-credit natural science illustration course.

Right: American crow ( Corvus brachyrhyncho ). Pencil illustration created for Celia Godkin’s non-credit natural science illustration course.

Adjudication was a nerve-racking experience. A table was assigned to each candidate to display their work. Then about a half dozen faculty members, including the late Steve Gilbert*, conducted the interviews and portfolio reviews. I felt completely out of my league and somewhat embarrassed about my work. When adjudication was over, I remember walking towards the subway and thinking to myself, “I guess being a teacher won’t be so bad and I’ll have summers off too” because I had just received admittance into the faculty of education the week before. Shortly after I arrived home I received a call from the BMC director congratulating me on my admittance into the program. I couldn’t believe my ears! I was overjoyed with this news. I contacted the faculty of education to decline my acceptance. I was told they would defer my acceptance for a year; I thought that was ideal because if I didn’t like scientific illustration, at least I had a secure backup. I have never looked back.

I’m so glad I entered the BMC program when I did because, upon entering, I received extensive training in traditional media (e.g.carbon dust, pen and ink, watercolor, scratchboard, continuous tone, stipple, photography and coloured pencil) and cutting-edge digital media (e.g. 3D modeling and animation, web design, interactive media and post-production techniques for video and animation, raster and vector art and desktop publishing). When I entered the BMC program, it granted a 3-year Bachelor of Science degree. The program transitioned after my second year, and I formally entered the graduate BMC program in my third year.

This legal tender collector coin features the largest known animal to fly, the pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus. It is a 1/2 oz. fine silver colored coin in a three-coin series entitled Day of the Dinosaurs: Terror of the Sky.

During my time at BMC, I felt privileged to participate in human dissections, watch surgeries inside the OR, attend an autopsy, watch the birth of triplets and learn many other aspects about the human body. But I quickly realized my true passion was with non-human natural science illustration. This was solidified when I was first introduced to the Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration and knew I had to have this book. As a student with limited funds, over the next few years I managed to scrimp and save until I had enough money to buy my own copy. It is still one of my most treasured books.

In my first year in the BMC program, we had a self-directed independent project of our choice. I chose to illustrate and compare the skulls of three similar Tyrannosaur species. Unlike most dinophiles, I didn’t get bitten by the dinosaur bug until my early twenties. While working at the ROM on my Tyrannosaur skulls I met a graduate student by the name of Thomas Carr. We immediately hit it off because he was looking for an illustrator to depict his Tyrannosaur research and I was interested in producing paleoart. Thomas is now one of the world’s leading experts on Tyrannosaurs, and we have been working together ever since that fortunate day. We originally produced traditional carbon dust illustrations and are currently using digital media. Thomas recently described a new species of Tyrannosaur, Daspletosaurus horneri in which I created a life restoration (Journal of Natural Science Illustration. 2017. 49(2):3-6) and later this year he also will be publishing a field guide about the fossils of the Hell Creek Formation of Montana where I created a couple dozen illustrations of reconstructed organisms.

Above: Acheroraptor, a feathered velociraptorine dromaeosaur from the Hell Creek Formation of Montana. Graphite pencil rendered in Photoshop®, published in Carr, T. D., M. Seitz, and D. Pulerà. 2017. Fossils of the Hell Creek Formation: A Carthage Institute of Paleontology Field Guide, Third Edition. Kenosha: Self-published.

Right: Traditional carbon dust illustration of Albertosaurus libratus colourized in Photoshop; created for Thomas Carr and published in Carr, T. D. 1999. Craniofacial ontogeny in the Tyrannosauridae (COELUROSAURIA, DINOSAURIA). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 19 (3):497-520.

Traditional carbon dust illustration created on illustration board and Conté pencils commissioned by Thomas Carr.

After undergrad and before starting BMC, I enrolled in a CVA (comparative vertebrate anatomy) course. That’s when I met Gerardo “Gerry” De Iuliis, who, at the time, was one of the lab teaching assistants. We became instant friends because we had many things in common. For instance, we are first generation Canadians of Italian immigrant parents, we both loved hockey (not surprising from a couple of Canadians, eh!) and we both had a deep interest in paleontology and animal anatomy. During our CVA labs, Gerry noticed that I liked to sketch my dissections. He asked if I’d be interested in volunteering some of my time in illustrating fossils of giant ground sloths for his Ph.D. research.

I gladly accepted the challenge. Several years later while working in his office on some fossil sloth illustrations, Gerry lamented that he was frustrated with the available CVA books on the market. These books all tried to be a textbook and lab manual at the same time and this was confusing students as to what they were responsible for in the lab. So he nonchalantly asked me if I’d be interested in teaming up with him to create a new CVA manual. I jumped at the opportunity because it was a professional dream and goal to illustrate a book and earn co-authorship just like my mentor Steve Gilbert*.

Rock Dove ( Columba livia ) viscera in ventral view (pencil sketch and color rendering in Photoshop®). © Dino Pulerà. Illustration published in De Iuliis, G and Pulerà, D. 2011. The Dissection of Vertebrates: A Laboratory Manual , Second Edition Amsterdam: Elsevier / Academic Press.

Shortly thereafter, Gerry wrote a proposal and I created some sample illustrations and we started sending our proposal package to various publishers. After more than a year of pitching our book idea, we found an interested publisher and they gave us 18 months to complete the book. We naively thought we could meet this deadline. But after six long and arduous years and two publishers later, we finally completed the book which was published in 2007. Our book celebrated its tenth-anniversary last summer. Since its publication it has received modest success and won several awards, to warrant the publisher’s request for new editions. We are currently working on the third edition with the hopes of a late 2018 or early 2019 publication date.

The second edition cover of The Dissection of Vertebrates: A Laboratory Manual. 2011 De Iuliis, G and Pulerà, D. The Dissection of Vertebrates: A Laboratory Manual , Second Edition. Amsterdam: Elsevier / Academic Press.

Upon graduating from BMC, I was very fortunate to have been hired by a studio that created textbook illustrations and animations. During this time I contributed to over 70 titles on topics as diverse as genetics, chemistry, geology, human anatomy, physiology, and herpetology. It was a great place for a newbie to learn and grow. I learned to use many types of software from vector to raster to 3D modeling to 2D and 3D animation to desktop publishing. But after seven years I felt that I became stagnant and was getting bored and felt it was time to move on. Once again I was fortunate to have joined another excellent studio specializing in medical-legal visuals. I was hired for an art director position but before I could assume that role I had to learn the ins and outs of the studio and the medical-legal illustration field. I spent the next two years illustrating and rendering trauma, surgery, pathology, and other medical concepts. I currently hold a full-time position at Artery Studios as the associate art director. My freelance work predominately deals with natural science illustration, with a specialization in depicting animal anatomy and vertebrate paleontology.

Central nervous system of the Great Hammerhead Shark ( Sphyrna mokorran ) created as a personal research project. © Dino Pulerà

If you’re interested in knowing more about my career path, here are some online interviews: Science Magazine , SONSI

* The late and great Steve Gilbert was very influential in my career. You can read more about that in an article I wrote in the 2006 Journal of Natural Science Illustration38(8):17-22.

Notes: Images with labels have been modified by the editors for better visibility in this publication. All art © Dino Pulerà

This article appears in the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 50, No. 1, 2018,

How Technology is Changing GNSI

Wed, 21 Feb 2018 05:59:23 GMT

I studied art in the 70s and 80s. We learned art history, participated in exhibits and group critiques, experimented with materials, and worked to develop a “style” or point of view for expression. Computers and the “world wide web” were barely in the mainstream.

Classes about the business end of making art and being a professional were nonexistent, at least for me it seemed so. Most artists I knew that were successful moved to a large urban area and made cold calls and knocked on doors while waiting tables and other “day” jobs, or already knew professionals in the business.

When I joined GNSI in 1991, summer conferences gave me the inspiration and networking I desired. I learn best by doing; helping run a national conference appealed to me. But I did not have a GNSI chapter or local members to team with, and taking on conference planning seemed daunting without local help to rely on. As internet communication and business practices advanced, so did the possibilities of working with teams in various locations across the country. Online project management applications – in this case, Basecamp – appeared as a way for GNSI members to work collaboratively. I was skeptical at first, but as I participated and used this tool, I began to appreciate the organic and fluid ways that I could contribute with a large team of GNSI members located across the country to do something phenomenal such as run a professional international organization and annual conference.

There are many such applications used in business today; we chose the application Basecamp for many reasons. Here are some tidbits about how online project management has worked effectively for GNSI.

Reduced email clutter: Online project management formats and archives discussions so that its easy to follow and find for reference. No need for strings of group discussions to get buried in work and personal emails. Team members can control their email notifications to their preference and have notifications sent to the device of their preference.

Confidence in tracking schedules and meeting deadlines: Online project management links To-Do lists with the master Schedule and sends automatic reminders to specific individuals. Team members and coordinators can easily follow the progress of all tasks and deadlines. If a team member gets in the weeds with a task, another team member can easily step in to help and keep the planning on schedule.

Less re-inventing the wheel: GNSI national conferences change locations every year, and each venue has some conditions unique to that location. Through the use of project templates, a great deal of GNSI conference planning is now standardized and teams can build upon past accomplishments and year-to-year success.

Ease of transition: Gone are the boxes of paperwork and physical files outgoing Board and Committee members had to physically ship to incoming new volunteers. Important documents are easier to search and locate, and ongoing improvements to GNSI’s infrastructure and operations are now digitally archived and easily tracked.

Introverts rule! This is my favorite part of using online project management. I can be an introvert AND a mover and a shaker. I can take time to respond to discussion points thoughtfully with a bit of research to back up my ideas. I can create my own checklists and do all of this all during my off hours and yes! wearing pajamas.

Want to learn more about Basecamp? There are lots of online tutorials and links to Youtube and BC3’s own help pages.

Want to volunteer for a future GNSI conference or committee? Take a look at BC3 and see if this tool appeals to you. And contact GNSI to throw your hat in the ring. Join in the collaboration!

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 50, No. 1: Abstracts

Wed, 21 Feb 2018 02:49:05 GMT

Welcome to the first Journal edition of 2018!

This issue of the Journal highlights one of the GNSI’s greatest qualities: our willingness to share. We readily and happily share our art, our knowledge, our experiences, and our skills. Read articles on working with neutral paints, beautiful sketchbook pages from Dick Rauh, a first look at the upcoming GNSI 50 ^th Anniversary Conference in Washington D.C, one artist’s passion for documenting insects whose structure has been “disturbed” by nuclear fallout, a look at GNSI member Dino Pulerà’s career path, and GNSI Chapter activities. Enjoy!

Log into your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2018, Vol. 50, No. 1

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Beautiful, Luminous Gray: From Chemistry to Harmony

– Patricia Savage

“…neutral hues generally make up the majority of real estate in a painting. Learning how to make them work is one less stress point in your creative process.” In this highly informative article, Patricia Savage walks us through the selection, blending and application of various neutral tones to make your paintings sing.

Pages From My Sketchbook: Dick Rauh

Pen sketches of ferns done on a trip with the New York Fern Society to Oaxaca, Mexico.

Where It All Began:

Welcome to our 50 ^th Anniversary Conference in Washington, D.C.

A preview of the events and activities planned for the GNSI’s 50 ^th anniversary, including a stellar lineup of speakers, behind-the-scenes tours at the Smithsonian, where the GNSI began, and the wonderful regular conference events: portfolio sharing, auction, banquet, and field trips.

A Closer Look: Cornelia Hesse-Honegger’s ‘Disturbed Insects’

– Genevieve Hitchings

Perhaps most well known for her meticulous paintings of mutated insects that dramatically explore the damaging aftermath of Chernobyl’s nuclear meltdown, Hesse-Honegger has spent her long career bridging science and art in an effort to call attention to unacknowledged dangers of nuclear energy.

Member Spotlight: Dino Pulerà (Open Access)

“In my senior year in high school my biology teacher noticed that I used drawings to record my observations in labs and mentioned that some people made a living from illustrating scientific concepts. Looking back now I’m shocked that I didn’t even consider a career in scientific illustration.” Dino Pulerà describes his path to his successful career..

Chapter Happenings

A look at recent activities of the Finger Lakes, New England, Northwest, and Greater Washington D.C. chapters and the newly-formed Texas Group.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 50, No. 1, 2018.

In Memoriam: Diane Dorrigan

Wed, 27 Dec 2017 09:00:09 GMT

The first time I met Diane, she was interviewing me for a job. I remember thinking that Diane was really nice. I ended up getting that job, and over the years working with and being mentor ed by Diane, I found out I was wrong —

Diane was not nice. Diane was passionate, talented and thoughtful. She cared deeply for students. Caring about politics, art, animals, justice and education, she was well-read and curious, proudly a life-long learner. She cared about her friends and family and lived her words with action, whether it meant standing up for someone, raising her own awareness, advocating for those being marginalized, or volunteering time and expertise to make a difference in her community. Diane was quiet about herself, and a cheerleader for others.

Diane with two of her works in group exhibit put on by the GNSI Great Lakes Chapter in April of 2016, at the Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods in Riverwoods, IL.

Diane’s work is reflective of her personality — subtle, skilled, complex, intelligent and beautiful. Her work was constantly evolving and improving – she pushed herself, always engaged in making work, looking at work, staying involved in her studio work professionally. A photographer, painter, scientific illustrator and printmaker, she explored media and techniques, attended workshops, got involved in studios and of course, the Guild (GNSI).

Diane was a learner. She would periodically take a class to learn a new printmaking technique or new medium to add to her already impressive arsenal of skills. Sometimes she would take a class in a subject she already excelled at — watercolor, perhaps — because she was interested in learning from a new person, and seeing the subject from another perspective. She modeled for students and colleagues what it meant to pursue a passion with dedication and intent. She showed us that art was important and rewarding and could be woven into a purposeful and potent daily life.

The best kind of teacher, she was steeped in her subject matter, thoughtful, compassionate, profoundly generous, and passionate about learning. If you knew Diane, chances are you attended a class or lecture together at some point, and she

probably gave you an article to read, post-it notes included. Diane loved to learn and she loved to share knowledge with others, through teaching, but also through her involvement in studios and professional organizations. She taught us that activism as well as self-expression through art and education could be powerful and empowering.

Often, teachers or artists with big personalities receive a lot of accolades and time in the spotlight, but Diane didn’t really seem to want accolades or the spotlight. She wanted to share art with people. Diane connected with kids in a meaningful way through art and learning that had a profound impact on generations of high school students that came through her classroom door. Kids that returned year after year to visit her and thank her for opening up a world to them that became their life and often, their livelihood. Colleagues, like myself, who were guided and mentored by Diane so generously,

benefiting from her willingness to share her time and knowledge. Her willingness to share a passion with others and watch a spark ignite for someone else.

Diane’s legacy is one that will live on through the thousands of students and colleagues and friends that she touched along the way, who will pass on her love of art and learning through our own interactions. Her legacy will continue through the body of work she created in scientific illustration, printmaking, photography, book and paper, painting, drawing and

more. Nice? Yes, Diane was lovely.

I hope you find a moment — quiet or lively, outside in nature or in the studio, or whatever rings true for your friendship with her — where you can remember and smile and raise a glass of wine in a toast to Diane.

Article originally from the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 49, No. 3, 2017.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 49, No. 3: Abstracts

Wed, 27 Dec 2017 01:20:22 GMT

Welcome to the third edition of 2017!

The Journal Team is happy to present this third issue of 2017! Enjoy a review of the Asheville conference at Warren Wilson College, two articles based on conference presentations, and numerous sketches made in and around Asheville and the conference venue. All illustrate the central strength of the Guild: sharing diverse skills in helpful, enthusiastic ways.

We also share the sad news of the passing of one of our stellar members, Diane Dorigan

Log into your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2017, Vol. 49, No. 3

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Colored Pencil

— Rhonda Nass

As professional artists and illustrators, we’ve already discovered from experience that time is money, so if there are “tricks out there” which reduce time required to complete an illustration, those shortcuts are worth adding to our pool of skills. Whether you work in colored pencil or another medium, I hope to offer you several of those tricks as I describe the process I use to complete a colored pencil drawing.

Sketches From Asheville

A selection of sketches by GNSI members at the Asheville conference.

Augmented Reality: The New Kid On The Block

— Diana Marques

As part of a doctoral dissertation in Digital Media, I was involved in developing illustrations and animations, as well as designing the user experience and interface of a mobile AR application called Skin & Bones. Companion to a permanent osteology exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History....

Distinguished Service Award: Amelia Janes

— Linda Feltner and the Nominating Committee

It was with great pleasure that GNSI’s Board of Directors awarded the Distinguished Service Award to Amelia Janes. The Distinguished Service Award is given in recognition of long-term dedication and work within and on behalf of this organization.

2017 Members’ Exhibit: The People’s Choice

GNSI members at the 2017 annual exhibit opening were asked to vote for their favorites in each of two categories, color and black-and-white; here are their top choices. The exhibit was held at the Elizabeth Holden Art Gallery, Warren Wilson College, Asheville, NC.

In Memoriam: Diane Dorigan

— Alexandrea Pataky

2017 GNSI Conference Review: Our Week In Beautiful Asheville

— Linda Feltner

Linda Feltner, Board President, gives us a recap of another excellent GNSI conference in Asheville, North Carolina.

The Biodiversity Mandala Project

— Jennifer Landin

Jennifer relates the challenges and the success of creating an Appalachian-themed mandala project for conference participants to complete.

ILLUSTRATING NATURE: California State University Monterey Bay Science Illustration Program Exhibit

— Miranda Zimmerman

The annual Science Illustration show, Illustrating Nature, opened at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History to display the work of this year’s fifteen Science Illustration Certificate students from California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). The exhibit highlights the illustrations and infographics created by the students over the course of this demanding and prestigious one-year program.”

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 49, No. 3, 2017.

From Comics to Medical Art - A GNSI Video

Wed, 20 Sep 2017 04:21:48 GMT

Jeff Day - Lecture for the GNSI-DC Chapter

March 15, 2017

Jeff Day never outgrew his love of cartooning even after becoming a medical illustrator. Jeff shares comics lessons that can be applied to science art, and how he continues to use cartoons to communicate health and medical messages. Jeff is now an informatics fellow at the National Library of Medicine and draws deeply from his varied background as a medical student, pediatrics intern, natural history museum educator, and training in medical illustration. Yes, it was a windy path, but that’s what you get for a guy who never outgrew cartoons...

Some of his medical art can be seen at http://daybiomed.com

Jeff Day, MD, MA is an award-winning illustrator who specializes in scientific story-telling with a bit of fun zip. Jeff earned degrees in Biology and Medicine from Case Western Reserve University and an MA in Medical Illustration from the Art as Applied to Medicine program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He has experience communicating with a wide variety of audiences from his medical training to teaching at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where he developed a strong sense for program development. Jeff is currently a Fellow at the National Library of Medicine, focusing on visuals for consumer health. As a cartoonist, Jeff seeks big-picture analogies to understand details and developing engaging solutions. He has one published book, Don't Touch That!: The Book of Gross, Poisonous, and Downright Icky Plants and Critters, and he is in the process of building an interactive website for children dealing with spinal cord injury at professorspine.com . Jeff also writes and edits a medical comics column for the Association of Medical Illustrators.

Member Spotlight — Natalia Zahn

Tue, 20 Jun 2017 06:32:02 GMT

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” ~ Frank Lloyd Wright

Natalia Zahn, Portrait by Heather McGrath

Like so many artists and so many more scientific illustrators, I have spent my lifetime wondrously inspired by the natural world. The path to my current career in illustration has been somewhat roundabout, and due to a lack of formal training in the sciences, I will likely always suffer from a little impostor syndrome when labeled a scientific illustrator. Nonetheless, nature has been a consistent guide throughout my life and work, and I have found a remarkably broad audience for my particular style. I am grateful daily for my role as an image maker and storyteller of natural histories.

Since my childhood, as the daughter of two successful artist/designer entrepreneurs, it was abundantly clear that art-making and adventuring were preferred activities of mine. Growing up exploring the forests and farmland of northern Vermont provided me with an endless source of wilderness discoveries, and my predisposition for processing experiences through drawing resulted in stacks of animal and plant renderings — many of which can still be found in family flat files. Amateur “field guides” of local mushroom varieties and watercolor studies of avian kitchen window casualties are among the proud features of my adolescent portfolio.

Under the sharp and enthusiastic guidance of my mother and father (both of whom hold degrees in the fine arts), and supported by an unusually robust community of artistic family friends, my skills quickly matured. Despite a bleak experience at the rural high school I attended, my creatively enriched home environment helped land me acceptance to the Rhode Island School of Design, where I majored in Illustration.

There was a period of time during my college application process when the allure of diving deep into the study of biology or zoology became a significant pull. However, after a RISD campus visit, an overwhelming gut-feeling dissolved all indecision and confirmed the path of my future practice; time and again I would be made subtly aware that although I am a gifted artist of nature and science, a serious scientist I am most definitely not.

Throughout my higher education in the arts, the fact that RISD lacked biology courses in no way kept me from using animals and natural histories as inspiration. Once I became a senior and was given full control of my own assignments, there was no stopping me; dominating my 4th year studio space was the construction of an African grassland diorama (complete with cape buffalo and lions), the modeling of a deep sea sculpture depicting an epic battle between a sperm whale and giant squid, and an independent investigation of equine skeletal anatomy.

Study-abroad summers in Australia, France, and Yellowstone National Park afforded me additional opportunities to develop a taste for travel sketchbooks. I relished the spontaneity of working from life, observing and absorbing as much as drawing. Perhaps most thrilling to me, whether I was creating sculptures or sketchbook entries, was the capacity of my work to educate a viewer; a piece of art that is both beautiful and engaging, and also able to impart a nugget of knowledge (or open up an entire world of discovery) is a hands-down win-win in my book.

During my last year at RISD I found myself in a 3-dimensional illustration class with a wonderful professor who had some rather advantageous connections in the working world. Thanks to his encouragement and generous recommendation I was given my very first dream assignment post-graduation: a series of line-drawings of animals for National Geographic’s kids' division.

Despite that work being the perfect kick-off for the career in illustration I desired, when it ended I found myself hazy and without a plan for how to move forward. As timing would have it, a position for an in-house graphic designer opened up just then at a boutique children’s clothing company near my hometown. Having no other fruitful leads at the time, I slipped into the role, happy to have found a source of reliable income that was at least in the creative ballpark. My days were filled primarily with advertising campaigns and digital layouts, but the post was a satisfying introduction to office life. I learned how to plan and manage complex projects — as well as people — and I became the right hand to my brilliant creative director, who lit a fire in me for textile design (a skill that would resurface in my natural illustration work over a decade later).

When I left that job, five years later, and relocated to Cambridge, MA with my then partner, I again found myself somewhat unmoored with respect to my career. I had no interest in continuing in the field of graphic design, but it had been what felt like ages since I practiced illustration and I was painfully rusty in draftsmanship and mindset. I struggled to narrow down what niche I might be best suited for. Making matters more complicated, there were uncontrollable forces brewing that would soon leave me in a sort of emotional paralysis, humbled by personal loss and life upset.

Dark periods and challenges are often more revealing of character than good times, and I realized then, from my own newly steep vantage point, that before I did anything else, I needed to ground myself with heart and instinct, in a way that would guide me from the inside out, and put me back on a path I dreamt about as a kid. Reflexively, I began to seek out nature and start drawing again.

Leaning into savings, I escaped as often as possible to the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, the Franklin Park Zoo, or on any field trip that would connect me with animals. I forged relationships with museum curators and Ph.D. candidates in the sciences and I filled sketchbooks, which I developed into a dedicated naturalist’s blog driven purely by self-directed, science-minded work. The exercise felt wildly self-indulgent, and yet, it was precisely what I needed. Slowly but surely, through the people I met and my visible presence online, paid work began to find me. I had finally unlocked a form of marketing that fit me just right.

My first big break came when an exhibit design studio based outside of Philadelphia stumbled onto a handful of my museum specimen sketches via my naturalist’s blog. I was asked to submit a proposal for an 86-acre meadow exhibit at the renowned Longwood Botanical Gardens. Over 50 pieces of illustration were needed for interpretive signage, most of which would be fabricated out of durable materials and installed, in perpetuity, outdoors. This significant prospect felt like a stroke of luck at the time, but it had in fact been hard-earned. I was ready for this, and I got the job.

The Longwood project took a year to complete, during which time I continued contributing to my naturalist’s blog and even began a new one, dedicated to dogs and inspired by my beloved Rhodesian Ridgeback, Oscar. Magazine clients found me quickly through my blogs and presence on social media, as did brands looking to enhance their product packaging designs and marketing imagery. My illustrative renderings of animals, plants, and food ingredients were successfully making the leap from the scientific to the consumer market. Good old-fashioned people networking from my days spent making friends at Harvard paid off as well when institutional clients like the San Diego Zoo and MIT Media Lab came to me through a chain of recommendations.

In 2015 I was invited to develop a solo exhibit for installation at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA. Itching to resurrect my textile design skills, and invigorated with a wealth of new interest in botanical subjects, I designed the show around a series of five original, watercolor-based floral patterns, each revolving around a different plant and pollinator relationship. The show was a success and initiated a new string of projects in both the botanical illustration and textile design fields.

After a number of years of steady commercial and assorted client work, I took a break last summer to attend an artist residency in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The trip enabled me to disconnect from deadlines and outside art direction and focus once again on that grounded desire to seek connection and inspiration from nature. Unfailing nature did not let me down.

Swallowtail & Tulip Tree textile pattern, watercolor and digital

Article originally from the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 49, No. 2, 2017.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 49, No. 2: Abstracts

Thu, 01 Jun 2017 06:35:53 GMT

Welcome to the second edition of 2017!

There is always something fascinating and informative in every issue of the GNSI Journal, and this issue is no exception! Take the plunge into a dinosaur makeover, the story of an amazing sci-art career, the Focus On Nature exhibit awards and overview, two new GNSI Groups, A ZBrush tutorial and ZBrush Education Series review, lovely sketchbook pages, and social media links for the GNSI Asheville Conference.

Log into your account to view the Journal: J NSI 2017, Vol. 49, No. 2

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Facial Makeover of a New Theropod Dinosaur

— Dino Pulerà

Almost every week there seems to be a new dinosaur discovery, and the week of March 30th, 2017 was no exception. What makes this discovery different is that it not only proposed a rare mode of evolution but also suggested a whole new appearance for tyrannosaurs themselves…. I was thrilled and honored to have been the first person to bring this magnificent beast to life.

Member Spotlight (Open Access)

— Natalya Zahn

Like so many artists, and so many more scientific illustrators, I have spent my lifetime wondrously inspired by the natural world. The path to my current career in illustration has been somewhat roundabout, and due to a lack of formal training in the sciences I will likely always suffer from a little impostor syndrome when labeled a scientific illustrator. Nonetheless, nature has been a consistent guide throughout my life and work, and I have found a remarkably broad audience for my particular style.

Focus on Nature Exhibit Awards

GNSI members’ artwork

Focus on Nature: About the Exhibit

—Patricia Kernan

Background information on the Exhibit and this year’s entries and winners.

Chapter Happenings: Welcome Two New GNSI Groups!

Chapters and Groups provide a valuable local connection to GNSI members, and the opportunity to participate more directly in science art activities, exhibits and camaraderie throughout the year. Members are encouraged to join a Chapter or Group in their region, or if there is none, consider forming your own. Start with a Group, a slightly less formal arrangement, to see if there is a solid commitment to maintaining the organization, then progress to Chapter status at your own pace.

3D to 2D Pipeline: Digital Modeling Techniques (A ZBrush® Tutorial)

— Leonardo Alannis, with Britt Griswold

This article aims to provide you with useful 3D tools for executing your 2D visualizations. This workflow will provide a friendly and streamlined approach in bridging the gap between 3D and 2D media. If you’re a traditional artist, this experience will show you how 3D can be used to enhance your illustrations. If you already have digital experience, I’d like to present you with more advanced techniques to incorporate in your arsenal.

Pages From My Sketchbook: Interior & Exterior Landscapes

Heart Dissection, Mesa Schumacher

“Here I drew a healthy heart, and a greatly enlarged heart with a pacemaker inserted into the superior vena cava."

Waterfall, Jennifer Landin

"El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico is the only tropical rainforest ecosystem in the U.S. Forest Service.”

LEVELING UP IN ZBRUSH ^® : 2016 GNSI Education Series Workshop

— by Sara Taliaferro with Amanda Zimmerman

GNSI members met at the Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (IN) campus for a two-day, immersion experience in using ZBrush. Taught by David Killpack, Principal & Creative Director at Illumination Studios who uses ZBrush for science and medical illustration, the workshop did not disappoint. ZBrush is a program that allows the user to build 3D and 2D models, manipulating form much like using clay in a sculpture.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 49, No. 2, 2017.

Bird Illustration with Linda Feltner

Wed, 19 Apr 2017 06:40:24 GMT

Bird Illustration with Linda Feltner

April 19, 2017

GNSI-DC Chapter hosted renowned illustrator and GNSI President Linda Feltner for an evening presentation. Linda's engaging talk covers her background as an artist and birder, and shares many of her techniques to portray live birds and their behavior.

The Art and Science of Colorful Leaves

Thu, 02 Mar 2017 03:55:17 GMT

I was educated to be an illustrator in the old school tradition, and even though the professors did not come to class wearing academic robes and require us to rise to attention when they entered the room, I am certain they all entertained such fantasies.

It was rigorous training, long before computers, but even though digital and electronic advances have greatly impacted the printing process and added new dimensions to illustration, much of what was taught remains relevant. For example, the development of a preliminary drawing is still the first step in creating a scientifically accurate illustration. They may be called working drawings, sketches, final sketches, or preliminary drawings but throughout the literature they are always identified as the start of the illustration.

In addition to working as a professional illustrator, I also teach drawing classes but the students are not, as we were back at the university, a captive audience agreeing to be there for a lengthy period of time, pay a lot of money, and eventually work in the field. My classes are part of educational outreach programs and the participants do not have either the time for rigorous training or the inclination to become professional illustrators. They are there to learn about nature drawing as a means of enjoyment.

The initial challenge of working in educational outreach is overcoming drawing phobia, a condition that ranks along side the fears of math and public speaking. At the beginning of each class or workshop, I ask for those who know how to draw to raise their hands, and they all protest and insist that they can’t draw a straight line–whatever that means. Time is an important factor here because classes may only last from one to four sessions, and I quickly saw that given both the objectives and the constraints, what was needed was a way to bypass a lengthy development of drawing skills and study of color theories. But even working at this level an underlying image is required, so I started providing participants with scientifically accurate preliminary leaf drawings in order to move them directly into observing actual leaf specimens and matching/reproducing the color(s) of the specimens.

Colorful Leaves has become available as a pdf download on the ASBA Website along with a second download that includes descriptions and photos of workshops that were given as part of the grant project. Reviews can still be seen on the Amazon site; however, the download is free to everyone and available at:

www.asba-art.org

Please direct any comments or questions regarding the online material to: gls@ksu.edu

Why choose leaves? Well, as specimens they are readily/abundantly available to anybody, free of charge, come in a wonderful array of colors, and can be used to both teach and learn about art materials and techniques as well as science concepts including leaf identification, leaf structure, leaf shapes, leaf venation, photosynthesis, seasonal color changes, etc.

This approach was so successful that I submitted a funding proposal to the American Society of Botanical Artists and received the 2015 Anne Ophelia Dowden Award to create Colorful Leaves, an instructional publication for persons wanting to learn how to create botanical art either for personal use or as part of an educational program. The intention was not to train professional illustrators but rather to create scientifically accurate materials that would serve as tools and encourage both children and adults to observe nature and use drawing plus coloring for recording their observations. The grant ran for one year and the program was created as two separate units.

Part One: the art of Colorful Leaves

Finding the appropriate specimens, creating the line drawings, writing the text, preparing the material for printing, and delivering it to the printer took six months. Colorful Leaves, the publication, combines color inspiration from nature with a selection of reproducible and/or transferable preliminary line drawings. There is also information on how to develop scientifically accurate line drawings from materials found in your own neighborhood, a practice section with step-by-step illustrations matching colors found in nature to colors available in art materials, and a listing of all the colors/materials that were used to create the examples.

Deciding which leaves to include was the first order of business, and they needed to be ones with a wide distribution. Then there was the creation of the line drawings. Each final drawing, while scientifically accurate, did not represent a leaf or branch of leaves that I just walked out and found hanging on a tree or lying on the ground. It is important then to be able to rearrange, reposition, add or subtract details, repair torn edges, over and over at times in order to create a drawing with satisfactory lines and composition. Tracing paper facilitates all of this. Thus the preliminary work was done on tracing paper(s) but which tracing paper, which pen or pencil? Some of the early work was quite beautiful but I would scan it and then print it only to decide that it might not hold up through the printing process. I loved the drawings made with pencils (2H thru 2B) but alas, pens worked best. But then not those beloved ink pens with nibs (left from my university days) but rather technical pens (Pigma Micron and Prismacolor 01 and 005).

I hesitate to use samples of my work as examples because students will always compare their drawings with mine–even though this is their first drawing and, as I remind them, I have been doing this for years. But eventually, the decision was made to include some finished drawings along with a list of the materials (colors and brands) that were used. This turned out to be a good decision and very helpful to users of the materials because it gave them a starting point, not to copy, but upon which to build.

Using the line drawings in Colorful Leaves

In addition to personal use, the line drawings of Colorful Leaves can be used in a classroom setting or educational outreach program and there are several different methods for working with the images:

1. Work can be done directly on the pages of the book (Exact Vellum Bristol) using crayons, colored pencils, and graphite pencils. For watercolors, I recommend transferring the images to watercolor paper and to bleed proof paper for markers.

2. The images can be reproduced on a copy machine and coloring can be done on the copies. Permission is given for making copies of these line drawings for personal use.

3. Images can be transferred to suitable art paper on which the coloring is then done. This method preserves the original drawings, and images can be repeatedly transferred for experimenting with different papers and various techniques including colored pencils, watercolors, crayons, graphite pencils, markers, pen, and ink.

Part Two: the science of Colorful Leaves

Part two was the presentation of workshops using the text and images featured in the publication and ultimately a report of the program’s success at the annual ASBA national conference.

The second half of the year was spent managing the distribution, communicating with reviewers and workshop presenters, and compiling the results of these efforts. Review copies were sent, and to promote the use of Colorful Leaves as part of an educational outreach activity, complimentary copies were made available to ASBA and GNSI members in exchange for giving an educational program and then preparing a short description of the event and photos. Fourteen respondents agreed to participate: five in California; two in Pennsylvania; one each in Florida; Massachusetts; Colorado; Nebraska; New York; Toronto, Ontario, and Montevideo, Uruguay.

The workshop activities were quite varied and interesting and no two were alike. Some workshops were directed to adults, others to children. There was no curriculum that accompanied the use of the books nor instructions for how workshops should be given. Persons were free to read the text and decide for themselves how best to present the material for their group. There were fourteen presenters and fourteen different and creative ways for connecting workshop participants with science, nature, and botanical drawing/coloring, and all of the results were amazing.

Leaf shape, leaf identification, photosynthesis, and seasonal color changes were just a few of the science topics covered. One group that worked with children used the Colorful Leaves material as a starting point for exploring nature and went on to make nature journals that included drawings of animals and plants in their own neighborhood. A group of adults planned to continue working after the event and share the materials with their grandchildren. Yet another chose to continue over the year and make personal notebooks recording leaf colors as they changed with the seasons.

Although each workshop presenter had six copies of Colorful Leaves with which to work, a workshop or presentation could be given using only one copy of the publication.

Colorful Leaves: a coloring book of artwork from nature along with reviews can be seen at www.amazon.com/Colorful-Leaves-Coloring-Artwork-Nature/dp/0974669016
(Ed. Note: Amazon no longer sells the book, but you can download digital versions from the ASBA.)

Long-term benefits

Long before studying illustration at the university, I enjoyed working with plants, animals, and drawing. There were no video or computer games. In fact, there were no computers. We had to amuse and entertain ourselves and I learned to do that by exploring nature and drawing. The purpose of the Colorful Leaves program was not only to connect individuals to nature through drawing but also to encourage them to develop a lifetime interest in the natural world that exists all around us because our very existence relies on the plants and other animals. It was rewarding to see the results of the workshops, and the success of the grant was greatly increased by the presenters and the workshop activities.

________

Please direct any comments or questions regarding the online material to gls@ksu.edu

Article originally from the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 49, No. 1, 2017.

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 49, No. 1: Abstracts

Thu, 02 Feb 2017 04:24:53 GMT

Welcome to the first Journal edition of 2017!

We are proud to present another issue of the Journal, filled with beautiful images to inspire, and information that we hope is useful and interesting to our members. In this issue we roam from Julia Scott’s paleo pangolins to Linda Feltner’s Studio Tips on watercolor friskets, from Sandy Williams’ winter sketching to Gail Selfridge’s Colorful Leaves project. Then, if all that isn’t enough, there’s more! We delve into the beautiful art of Vicky Earle’s pitcher plants and wind up with an in-depth discussion on how to combat the ever-growing problem of copyright infringement. And in the middle of it all, a four-page insert on the upcoming GNSI Annual Conference in Asheville, NC! Be sure to read the insert’s introductory article that details the rich biodiversity of the Smokies.

Log into your account to view the Journal: J NSI 2017, Vol. 49, No. 1

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Rendering a Paleo Pangolin

— Julia Morgan Scott

Read about Julia’s 14-year project to render the details of America’s only native pangolin species giving novice illustrators an idea of what a hardcore species description monograph can encompass.

Studio Tips: Masking Fluid for Watercolor Painting

— Linda M. Feltner

Linda gives us a comprehensive summary of a recent and extensive GNSI ListServ discussion on the joys and pitfalls of using masking fluids for watercolor projects. Comparisons of the behavior between common masking fluid brands and various watercolor papers have proven valuable in avoiding lost time and laborious detail for both professionals and students.

Pages From My Sketchbook: Winter Nature Journaling

— Sandy Williams

“When I have a bit of free time, I love to pull out my journal and record bits and pieces from our gardens, open fields, or just something out of my head. I generally use watercolor pencils and pen and ink with a bit of white gouache thrown in for snow.”

Highlands, Hellbenders, and History

— Dr. Amy Boyd, Professor of Biology, Warren Wilson College

Exploring the rich biodiversity of the Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are one of the most biologically diverse areas in North America. These are very old mountains, formed at least 440 million years ago (compare that to the relatively young age of the Rockies, which are only 55-80 million years old).

GNSI 2017 Annual Conference: June 25 - July 1, 2017

Warren Wilson College • Asheville, NC

The Art and Science of Colorful Leaves ( Open Access)

— Gail Selfridge

Read the story behind Colorful Leaves, an instructional publication for persons wanting to learn how to create botanical art either for personal use or as part of an educational program. The intention was not to train professional illustrators but rather to create scientifically accurate materials that would serve as tools and encourage children and adults to observe nature and use drawing plus coloring to record their observations.

DUETS: The Dance of Symbiotic Relationships

— Vicky Earle

A project of 13 tropical botanical paintings highlighting unique plant adaptations and/or the unusual relationships that have evolved with insects, animals, or humans. This project’s goal is to promote educational awareness of the intricate interdependence of species within tropical ecosystems, as well as our own dependence on plants. It aims to heighten public understanding, piqué curiosity, and generate an emotional connection with incredible stories that unfold daily in rainforests worldwide.

RRRIPPED From The List: Infringed!!

— Stephen DiCerbo, Editor

This GNSI ListServ compilation focuses on copyright infringement of visual images online. Read on for the initial listserv discussion and comments by Bill Westwood, a medical illustrator who is well-versed in copyright issues.

The Business of Illustration: Working Through a Career Slump

— Gail Guth

Who hasn’t been there? You are sitting at your drawing table or computer desk and staring at whatever is there. P erhaps there is nothing there: no work, no projects, no prospects for projects. Perhaps there is a project there but you don’ t want to do it (not enough pay, not your style, not really anything you are interested in creating). Perhaps you are just burned out and need a change. What now? With this topic in mind, we formed a panel discussion at the Santa Cruz Conference in 2016 to brainstorm ideas, solutions, and creative ways to work out of whatever slump yo u may find yourself in.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 49, No. 1, 2017.

Interpreting Five Fingers, an interview with Sharon Birzer

Mon, 08 Feb 2016 16:28:10 GMT

– A n interview by Audrey Freudenberg with artist Sharon Birzer.

EDITORS’ NOTE:

GNSI member Sharon Birzer asked Audrey Freudenberg for help in writing an article for the Journal. We were intrigued by the story and the nature of its telling. An interview format worked the best. We find that the nature of the telling reflects how the artist-illustrator both grasped the task and was overwhelmed by the subject. It Illustrates the resulting synthesis, and gives some cautionary notes about managing scientists.

AF: Sharon, Five Fingers Lighthouse in Frederick Sound, S.E. Alaska, is by definition, off the beaten track. How did you find yourself there?

SB: The path to Five Fingers—well, I suppose it was a combination of obsession with the impossible and improbable selection: I was trying to learn about whales and ended up being captured by them in a way I hadn’t anticipated. The lighthouse is built on one of five islands in Frederick Sound that were named because they kept catching boats. People thought the islands were the tips of fingers reaching out to grab sailors. So, what brought me and what caught me: in my “fine” artwork, I had been trying to capture the essence of internal systems in two- dimensional images, in a series called Body Interiors (Fig. 1). I printed the ground and silhouettes of human or animal bodies; on that ground I layered very detailed watercolor paintings/illustrations of found objects and symbols—things I found significant to those bodies in a metaphorical sense.

I was working with a combination of literal and metaphorical internal organs; at the time I described it for an exhibition:

“My work investigates and invents systems; internal, external, fictional and actual. Objects culled from my daily life appear in sequences that collectively inquire into the dynamic paths of labor, fruit and waste

that bodies have to offer. The body is the site of our stories. In Body Interiors I take the body as a space for creating narratives, inviting multiple interpretations.”

I was trying to explore the body as a place, a body as a location. Then in one of those brilliant moments when two branches of my multi-disciplinary career intersected, I participated in the GNSI 2012 Education Series Workshop: “Drawing on a Sense of Place” in Pablo, Montana, within the Flathead Indian Reservation. That time with Linda Feltner provided an immersion into the people and environment of the Flathead Reservation. We studied how to interpret the land, people, geography, flora, and fauna of an area. The description of the workshop read “We will discover the breadth of human history and native landscape and explore the means to capture its essence in interpretive illustrations.”

AF: So the workshop, in effect, helped expand your work on “body” and internal systems to include an external place.

SB: In a way it did, yes. Whales are native to Puget Sound and I think of them as part of home; but as I found myself—in their innards?—I realized I knew little about them. I was working on a scientific illustration of Orcinus orca , Killer Whale. This was a composite illustration of the internal anatomy with five layers; the epidermis, the muscles, the bones, and the internal organs with special attention to the echo-location mechanisms and the breathing apparatus. That’s what brought me to Fred Sharpe’s talk at the 2011 GNSI conference in Olympia. Fred gave the keynote speech that year, “Ocean Salubrious;” and I asked him for possible resources for the illustration as I had come to an impasse in my own research.

AF: Fred Sharpe was one of the researchers at Five Fingers Lighthouse?

SB: He’s a PhD Research Biologist, and he’s been going up to Five Fingers for a couple of decades, researching humpback whales’ foraging patterns and vocalizations. He’s the link between the Alaska Whale Foundation (AWF) and the Juneau Lighthouse Association (JLA). He’s also an artist—four of his pen-and-ink drawings, Orchids (two), Song Sparrow and Black Turnstone, ended up being used on the interpretive panels we created for Five Fingers Island. He also conceived and wrote the text for all of the panels, with contributions from Andy Szabo, Fred’s colleague at AWF. Fred and Jennifer Klein of JLA had written and received a grant from the State of Alaska to fund both further hydrophone work to record the whale vocalizations and the creation of interpretive panels to become permanent installations on the island, describing the island, its history, its biota, and the role of the humpback whale research being done there.

They wanted building names for the five buildings, welcome signs on both ends of the island—there are only really two places to land, the way the rock layers jut out—and we created 6 interpretive panels about the intertidal and upland ecological zones on the island, the history of the lighthouse, the geology of the area and the bigger picture, and two panels about the research being done there (Figs. 5, 6, 7).

The Five Fingers Interpretive Project was to last several years. With the challenges came benefits: my daughter Mallory and I got the opportunity to volunteer on this remote island and watch the researchers at work. I had the chance to explore my interest in whales and learn more about everything there, including the lichens. The hand-done illustrations and photos of the gorgeous life forms, which I created for the panels, including the ocean life and the lichens, ended up being one of the most fascinating parts of the project (Fig. 2).

(left) Candalaria Meneziesii on sitka spruce twig

(right) Xanthoria sp.

AF: Combinations of fungus and algae.

SB: Lichens are bio-indicators, a way to index climate change: which lichens are found in which places tell us what’s happening with the air quality. Karen Dillman, an ecologist and botanist who studies botany, air quality, invasive species and climate change working for the USFS in Petersburg had been contacted and invited to join us to begin a lichen survey. She was kept off the island by six-foot seas, but she later helped corroborated my lichen identification through photographs.

I was in charge of producing the panels. It actually ended up taking a tremendous amount of time, more time than I thought it would. I was the de facto project manager; Fred Sharpe drove the content. The budget I was allotted had to cover not just the fabrication of the images, but everything down to the hardware: these were to be permanent installations on an island that experiences below-zero temperatures much of the year. The printing process alone was expensive and permanent signage is even more so. Then, too, we didn’t want to litter the island! But there are regular visitor stopping points; the geology forces your hand with panel placement.

All images for the panels — both photographic and traditional illustrations — had to start at a really high resolution, at least 600 dpi.

The researchers tended to think that my deadline for the images was their deadline for text; they didn’t fully realize that I was working around their text, so I learned some things about project management! The scientists’ resulting text was really beautiful (“A green encrusting sponge competes for space with a red encrusting algae.”); it was very hard to choose what to feature! There is evidence of life everywhere. Even the trash is interesting: have you heard of middens? Those are the trash-heaps, shells and carapace left mostly by the birds. There are no land predators on the island so I could get fairly close to observe a baby crow and it wasn’t even scared.

AF: Is that why you chose to illustrate the crow, rather than use the photograph (Fig. 3)?

SB: I suppose it’s unorthodox to use a sketch (the baby crow) in the middle of a photograph, but the result is somehow softer while being more descriptive. One of the challenges was that the place is so big
and beautiful, and we were trying to create these somewhat educational panels—

AF: Somewhat?

SB: There was no way we could include everything. And with drawings, you can make the most of the space you have; you can put things together that might not otherwise be; you can call out the defining detail. These Oystercatchers [Fig. 4]: some photographs don’t show that they have almost orange yellow eyes—as bright as their beaks are orange-red. I also just think it’s softer; illustration is slightly digested for the viewer. I used several of my own photographs and field sketches of observations of the Black Oystercatchers to create that illustration. I wanted to put the different views of the animal together, and they were there as a group so I chose my favorite “poses”. It’s possible that strict scientific illustrators frown on this idea—

AF: Like the ongoing debate about the role of the Supreme Court: what is creation, what is interpretation?

SB: We love going to films to see the vision of the filmmaker. I think really hard-line scientific illustrators aren’t supposed to have a style; it’s supposed to look like a clarified photograph. I admire that work, but this job wasn’t just a straight report. We could do some translating. We had to just sample the ecosystem, anyway, as we had no hope of reporting it in its entirety. The interpretive panels were intended to help people connect with and celebrate the place rather than be overwhelmed by it. What we wound up doing with the text and then with the panels was to underscore the experience of the wildlife: the panels teach you to explore, to notice.

AF: Suggesting that you go and discover more than the panels can teach you.

SB: Yes!

AF: I wonder whether illustration doesn’t open a more participatory process than photographs for the viewer? Through mirror neurons people could technically imagine themselves participating in the image creation, imagine their own hands making those marks. A photograph doesn’t give the ordinary layperson a sense of how they might break down three dimensions into two.

SB: I think that’s true. We relied on photographs for overall landscapes, but yes; the drawings were ways we chose to highlight the defining features. Sometimes I think the photographs were more beautiful than the drawings I ended up using— however the drawings could synthesize the important information from several photos into one image.

AF: and the photographs wouldn’t have given the viewer the same whiff of the translational experience.

Left: Metridium senile (Short Plumose Anemone)

Middle: Katharina tunicata (Black Katy Chiton)

Right: Urticina coriacea (Rose Anemone)

SB: Right. We get to learn about these species, and then we discern what information is going to clarify that species for the viewer, distinguish one from the other. Sometimes with the lichens you know you can’t achieve this! It’s an impossible job; but as we learn about the species we pull out the information that’s key. Take some of these smaller creatures: if you just took a giant spotlight you wouldn’t see the form anymore; you’d have flattened color. But I think you could say that we were going for an artist’s view versus a highly technical illustrator’s view. Just as knowing and understanding exist on a continuum so does science illustration. Fred and Jen were allowing me to interpret. It was a dream project, really. It was almost as though, if you could be a butterfly, what would you see if you landed?

AF: So that if a person were, themselves, able to zoom in and out on a sample, or get a different view under bright light, they could refer to your sketches to distinguish features.

SB: Right, exactly. And I got to take lichen samples home; those 18 days were just not enough time to get all the relevant information to get the drawings done.

AF: It’s the little things.

SB: But the big things: the whales? Those researchers have identified and named close to a thousand humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ), based on the different markings on their flukes. The whales come into Frederick Sound after little things, I guess—that’s what the Oceanography panel ended up describing; the upwellings and currents combined with the ice-age geology that carved the sound into a place where, helped by the forces of nature, the krill and fish collect in abundance. The panels about the Oceanography and the Research, though—those were based on Fred Sharpe’s schematics. I interpreted his diagrams and translated them into a tableau in Adobe illustrator, adding clarifying images (Fig. 7).

AF: You made six panels altogether?

SB: There are six interpretive panels including the Upland and Intertidal Zones of the island. The Upland area—so named because Five Fingers is uplifted granite from the ice age, all these layers jutting up and out. The upper part of the rock is habitat for plants and birds. Then there’s this broad band of steep rock covered in seaweed and the life you’d normally associate with tide pools: the Intertidal Zone. It’s often in various stages of being covered and uncovered by water as water levels fluctuate with the tides. Fred, myself, and, on a couple of occasions, volunteers photographed plants and animals I ended up illustrating.

AF: You did some of the drawings from life, and some from photographs you took home?

SB: Photographs and field sketches were the basis of the illustrative portion of the work. But the lichens I had to look at through a dissecting ‘scope. I could only see one area at a time; I didn’t get the full view that you see on the panel. The depth in Xanthoria [Fig. 2]—that is like a moonscape; maybe I didn’t do it justice because I didn’t want to put too much shadow in it. It doesn’t show up like this on any camera or dissecting scope that I have: I had to focus back and forth as I drew and painted—focused down into valleys. I did kind of flatten it so you can see it better.

AF: You had to make parts into a whole.

SB: That was the composition challenge for the whole project: to make all the panels look like part of a whole, whether they were about systems or populations.

AF: It feels like an odd time to ask you about beginnings, but how did you approach those design decisions?

SB: I know, I kept getting distracted by individual organisms and details, then as now! We started with biological surveys. I followed Fred Sharpe around the island during his surveys, taking notes and taking pictures. He knows how to identify all the species.

AF: You credited him with some of the inset illustrations on the panels.

SB: Yes; I edited images of the Calypso and Rattlesnake Orchids done by Fred, to get them to high resolution; also the lovely Black Turnstone and the Song Sparrow, all on the Upland panel. Fred’s illustrations and writing can be seen in the books Birding in the San Juan Islands and Wild Plants of the San Juan Islands .

AF: And, of course, birds make up the chief vertebrates on the island—as you said, no land predators. Or should I say, the chief vertebrates except for humans?

SB: I was fascinated by the role of the researchers. You know, I found this mystifying even as I put it on the panels, but the researchers have begun to play back to the whales some of the vocalizations they collected in the past. They are observing the whales to see if they can measure any response to these recordings.

AF: I would think that might be confusing to the whales. ‘Wait, that’s Viking Petal’s voice, but Viking Petal is right here, making no noise. What’s up?’

SB: Again, the trick seems to be trying to isolate part of the animals’ experience; but it seems complex and mystifying.

AF: Trying to foster a sense of an experience rather than pretending to reproduce it in its entirety.

SB: Yes; it’s a long way to go.

AF: Do you want to go back?

SB: I’d love to go up there again. I hope to go to see the interpretive panels and signage work installed on the Island. We actually did get to continue the work at the Center for Coastal Research on Baranoff Island, my daughter Mallory and I, in the summer of 2015. That is when we worked with AWF and Robert Szucs who produced the bathymetry for us.

AF: One experience leads to the next.

SB: It’s a continuum. Part of the work was funded under the Scenic Marine Byways Grant which had been awarded to Jennifer and Fred, Juneau Lighthouse Association by the State of Alaska. I also want to recognize Fred Sharpe, Andy Szabo, and Robert Szucs and generous volunteers for their contributions of text, photography, reference materials and bathymetry maps. Like I said, a dream project.

Interpretive panel design, illustration and photography by Sharon Birzer at Birzer Studios. Photos, text, and black and white illustrations (Orchids, Song Sparrow and Black Turnstone) by Fred Sharpe. Text by Andy Szabo at Alaska Whale Foundation. Bathymetry by Robert Szucs/Alaska Whale Foundation. Additional assistance by Jennifer Klein of Juneau Lighthouse Association.

The panels are viewable online at:

www.sharonbirzer.com/Gallery/ interpretiveillustration.aspx

Article originally from the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 48, No. 1, 2016 .

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 48, No. 1: Abstracts

Mon, 01 Feb 2016 16:27:58 GMT

Welcome to the first Journal edition of 2016!

This issue highlights the expanding role of digital tools in science illustration. M. Genevieve Hitchings explores how interactive infographics and data visualizations enhance storytelling, while Matteo Gabaglio reviews a workshop on 3D modeling using MODO®, After Effects®, and Unreal Engine®. Jessica Hsiung continues her personal journey into the field, sharing her path through the Monterey Bay program.

Also featured is an interview with artist Sharon Birzer on her systems-based art, plus practical insights on archival printing from Stephen DiCerbo and Karen Ackoff. A special pull-out announces the 2016 GNSI Conference at UC Santa Cruz.

Log into your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2016, Vol. 48, No.1

Not yet a subscriber? To view the issue for free, become a GNSI member today!

Science Illustration As Storytelling

— M. Genevieve Hitchings

This article shows the exciting developments in digital storytelling through interactive infographics and data visualization charts as a way to communicate content.

An Evolving Career In Scientific Illustration: Part II

— Jessica Hsiung

In my first installment: after attending the GNSI Summer Workshop at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Hastings, MI, I realized Science Illustration was the career for me. I finished my undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto, and enrolled in the Science illustration program at Monterey Bay. On to Part II!

An Introduction To Science Illustration in 3D

— Matteo Gabaglio

Matteo Gabaglio reviews the Chuck Carter’s GNSI Education Series Workshop, “Visualizing Dinosaurs: Introduction to Science Illustration in 3D”. The program focuses on 3D modeling on a new platform (MODO®), to learn the basics of 3D object animation using Adobe® After Effects® and get a glimpse of Unreal Engine®.

SPECIAL PULL-OUT SECTION: 2016 Conference at Santa Cruz!

This summer’s conference will be hosted at the University of California, Santa Cruz campus, and is shaping up to be unlike any other.

Interpreting Five Fingers: An Interview With Sharon Birzer (Open Access)

— Audrey Freudenberg

An interview by Audrey Freudenberg with artist Sharon Birzer.

"My work investigates and invents systems; internal, external, fictional and actual. Objects culled from my daily life appear in sequences that collectively inquire into the dynamic paths of labor, fruit and waste that bodies have to offer."

RRRRIPPED from the List

— Stephen DiCerbo

This installment of RRRRipped From The List responds to Marla L. Coppolino, who is looking to purchase an archival quality printer for producing prints of my art and photography work.

Archival Printing

— Karen Ackoff Studio blog

Karen Ackoff has been an active player in the realm of fine art scanning and archival printing. This article is from her blog entry discussing archival printers and printing, providing her expertise and the settings she uses.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 48, No. 1, 2016.

Member Spotlight: Marlene Hill Donnelly

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 00:25:31 GMT

Marlene Hill Donnelly

I am not a plumber. My extended professional artist family hoped I would take after my great grandfather, become a successful plumber and make a great living, but a different direction called.

My focus from a very early age was nature and science, though initially from a culinary viewpoint—my mother said that as a toddler I was an avid hunter-gatherer, focused on berries and fat insects in our wild back yard. Fortunately this pursuit soon gave way to sketching, where my early hunting skills still came in handy.

My first childhood house was large and old, with a dark root cellar accessed down ancient stairs from the outside. Huge bins of my parents’ modeling clay loomed in this earthy smelling cave, sheltering

a variety of creatures. Spiders, insects, pill bugs and field mice scurried in the shadows, and I tiptoed over garter snakes basking on the stairs in the summer sun. I spent many hours in that deep quiet refuge, modeling my animal companions in clay.

Travel has always been a powerful entity in my life. My intrepid grandmother and great grandmother drove to Alaska in the early 1920s amidst many a flat tire and a strong prejudice against women traveling without men. My own travel bug gene switched on at a very early age as we crisscrossed the country on small roads, experiencing everything from Death Valley, pre-air conditioning, to roadside stands selling skulls. Canoe camping in the remote north woods with my wilderness-savvy grandfather taught survival skills along with a realistic view of nature, far removed from the Disney nature movies that I loved as well.

Travel led to scuba diving, nothing short of a revelation to the world-class sinker that I was in high school. Suddenly my negative buoyancy was an asset and I felt enormous freedom under water. From Cocos Island’s vast schools of benevolent hammerheads, large extended eyes locking with mine from inches away, to shimmering Australian cuttlefish extending two tiny tentacles in unfathomable communication, here was an alien and endlessly fascinating world that of course melded deeply into my artwork. For many years I bought Pthalo and Ultramarine Blue liquid acrylic in half- gallon bottles, to be airbrushed onto huge canvases. Using underwater sketching, color swatches and photography, I did my best to invoke that amazing world. I have used this experience to bring life to my reconstructions of ancient marine reptiles.

My Zoology major (Botany minor) at Colorado State University and University of Illinois provided much opportunity for scientific drawing, but it wasn’t until I worked in a veterinary pharmacology lab following graduation that I met my first real scientific illustrator, and my path became clear. Three years at the American Academy of Art in Chicago followed, where my benighted instructors and classmates thought that my goal of scientific illustration was bizarre and I would soon die of boredom. They were wrong.

Carbon dust, watercolor, digital, 2006; courtesy Jennifer McElwain, The Field Museum

I stitched the two rather wildly disparate aspects of education together at my first job: illustrating wolf behavior at the Brookfield Zoo. The wonderful nuances of interaction and expression felt entirely natural to one raised with a pack of dogs as siblings. Have I mentioned the dogs? At the zoo, I was a family portrait painter.

After that wonderful project ended in two years, I had the great good fortune to join the Field Museum as one of three staff scientific illustrators. I have worked there for 35 years. During the first 16 years I illustrated equally for the departments of Botany, Zoology and Geology, having fun and gaining a solid foundation. The Guild was an invaluable resource of knowledge and support.

When the Museum reverted to the old system of one illustrator per department I moved to Geology, where I have worked ever since. My concerns about losing the wonderful variety of work were unfounded, as in Geology I worked with specialists in paleobotany and fossil mammals, reptiles and fish.

I constructed paper models for botanical illustration (despite limited origami skills), but now I expanded considerably. I had grown up creating innumerable clay models, and the Guild’s Gloria Nusse introduced me to the wonderful world of aluminum wire, foil tape and plaster. Models proved essential for reconstructions.

Life reconstructions opened an amazing new door. The journey began with an extinct Miocene raccoon relative. I began from the ground up with a road-kill raccoon specimen (from our Mammals department) that resided in our home freezer for some months while I dissected, carefully studying it to build muscles on a wire skeleton reconstructed from fossils. The tiny, newly-skinned, pointy-clawed hands resembling bits of Rosemary’s Baby floated in an alcohol jar on a refrigerator shelf the night I first met my new stepchildren, one of whom I physically tackled as he reached for the refrigerator door. And people think that scientific illustration is dull!

Teamwork with paleobotanists and sedimentologists led me to wonderfully complex landscape reconstructions. Watching the ancient environment emerge from a jumble of fossils, models and data, taking on a life of its own, engrossed us all. The scientists used these visuals as part of their thinking process; watching often surprising developments triggered new theories.

Field sketching is crucial to this work, and may be my favorite activity in the world. Sitting and fully absorbing a place, all senses open, is the best meditation. Interweaving sketching and writing

Carbon dust, digital, 2014;

courtesy Ken Angielczyk, The Field Museum.

The discovery of Dimetrodon fossils with large sclerotic rings implies that this early reptile was nocturnal; to make the point immediate the reconstruction is presented as if through a night vision device.

engages the whole brain. Landscape reconstructions begin with a geological setting; I locate a setting similar to the ancient place, and sit. This is the discovery phase. A local newly-flooded forest taught the difference between temporary and permanent water: dark rings emerge on tree trunks as the water swiftly drops, and a cloud of soft popping noise envelopes all as tiny air bubbles escape from the saturating earth. Field sketching combines beautifully with travel and is essential for reconstructions; the Hawaiian rain forest, Washington braided rivers and the Okefenokee swamp have all contributed.

I would like to say that my teaching career began twenty years ago with an altruistic yearning to “give back”, but the truth is that my boss told me I had too. However, I soon found teaching to be a highly rewarding art form unto itself. My classes at the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Morton Arboretum, and the Field Museum provide a source of endless learning (and challenge) from my many wonderful students. I am grateful to all of them.

Article originally from the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 47, No. 2, 2015

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 47, No. 2: Abstracts

Mon, 01 Jun 2015 22:04:21 GMT

Welcome to the second edition of 201 5!

Welcome to the Journal of Natural Science Illustration Volume 47, Number 2, 2015. Articles in this issue highlight the challenges and importance of editorial illustration in making science accessible, as well as research on how audiences interpret illustrations and strategies for improving comprehension. A member spotlight features Marlene Hill Donnelly’s decades of contributions to paleontological illustration and fieldwork, while a review of recent botanical art books underscores the lasting influence of the field. Ann DuBois shares her experiences with self-publishing, offering practical insights into the publishing world, and updates from GNSI chapters showcase the value of community, collaboration, and outreach. The issue concludes with a preview of the 2015 annual conference, encouraging participation in workshops, networking, and professional development opportunities.

Log into your account to view the Journal: JNSI 2015 Vol. 47, No. 2

Not yet a subscriber? To view the issue for free, become a GNSI member today!

 Editor’s Note — Gail Guth

Co-Editor Gail Guth makes a call to membership for articles for future issues, thanks the authors of the current issue, and promotes the upcoming 2015 GNSI Conference.

Editorial Illustration — by Gail Guth & Marjorie Leggitt

This article highlights the importance of editorial illustration, which blends accuracy with creativity to communicate science to broad audiences. It discusses challenges like client communication, fact-checking, and balancing clarity with design, while also noting its vital role in education and outreach .

Do Viewers Understand Our Illustrations? — by Jennifer Landin

Jennifer Landin examines whether audiences truly understand scientific illustrations, citing studies that show comprehension rates vary widely. She explains common pitfalls, such as ignoring labels or focusing on unimportant details, and suggests how illustrators can improve understanding.

Member Spotlight: Marlene Hill Donnelly (Open Access)

This profile explores Marlene's lifelong passion for nature and art, from childhood clay modeling to underwater sketching and fieldwork. Her career at the Field Museum has spanned 35 years, where she has specialized in paleontological reconstructions, teaching, and combining field sketching with scientific storytelling.

A New Flowering — Kathleen Garness

KathleenGarness reviews several major books on botanical illustration. She compares their approaches, historical depth, and visual richness, ultimately praising them as valuable resources that demonstrate the enduring importance of botanical art across centuries.

Adventures in Self-Publishing — Ann DuBois

Ann recounts her struggles with traditional publishers for her book Apples of New York and her eventual turn to self-publishing. She compares publishing contracts, royalties, and print quality from multiple outlets, sharing lessons learned about navigating the evolving publishing industry .

Chapter Happenings — Gail Guth with Diana Marques

This section reports on the activities of GNSI’s regional chapters, which range from informal sketch groups to public exhibits and workshops. The authors emphasize how chapters foster community, professional growth, and outreach, while serving as vital ambassadors for the Guild

GNSI Conference 2015: Brief Note s

A preview of the 2015 GNSI annual conference in Glenside, Pennsylvania at Arcadia University. It highlights the benefits of attending with networking, workshops, presentations, and the fun GNSI auction that benefits the education fund.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 47, No. 2, 2015.

Member Spotlight: Amelia Janes

Sun, 25 Jan 2015 21:43:33 GMT

Abstraction: Artwork that reshapes the natural world for expressive purposes may be called abstract. Art that derives from, but does not depict, a subject is abstraction.

For me, the study of art and abstraction came hand in hand. I spent the late ‘70s in art school in western Kentucky trying to bend reality in paintings and drawings. At the time, I thought all fine artists must “abstract”. I believed that the act of abstraction should be the main subject matter for contemporary artists, more than whatever object or situation sparked the impulse to make the drawing or painting in the first place. Eventually, as I worked on a masters in fine arts (MFA) in Wisconsin (Madison), I came to understand how much the natural world influenced me. Everything I made, no matter how abstruse or referential, was really a method of illustrating something I observed or I learned about my environment.

I suppose this revelation — that illustrating the natural world would be prominent in my artwork — links to a rural upbringing. My favorite place to be was my great-aunt and -uncle’s farm outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. Jack and Sis bought the farm in the 1940s, near a town called Ooltewah (great name, eh?), cleared fields and built their home on a rise overlooking the orchard and the Appalachian foothills. They loved to hunt, fish, camp, and hike in parts of Tennessee and Georgia that are now national parks and state recreational areas. Both my aunt and uncle knew a great deal about plants and animals. My uncle grew crops and raised livestock to feed his family and to sell to local markets. My aunt took my siblings and I on long hikes identifying wild plants. She was passionate about wild flowers and cultivated many specimens in her garden. She especially loved the native orchids, lady slippers and twayblades. We would get up early on a summer morning, and follow my uncle on his rounds in our pajamas, feeding chickens and turkeys, pigs and cows, and the jumble of beagles and mixed breed hunting dogs. I thought of their farm as home in many ways, as my family tended to move every four to five years. We spent part of our summer there every year.

Merganser head, Native American stone celt and map, 2006.

I loved to browse through my great-aunt’s set of Golden Nature Guides. I still have her well-used collection of little books, spines broken and pages earmarked on the critters and varmints that we all saw on the farm and the wooded areas we explored. I loved how the illustrations showed so many aspects of a particular subject matter, from the beauty of the wing markings of butterflies to range maps to vignettes of feeding and breeding behavior. My siblings and I would roam the farm in the mornings, looking for frogs and fishing for pan fish in the surrounding ponds, looking for cats in the hay loft, and musing about the Civil War era tomb stones in the graveyard tucked in the woods. We’d spend the afternoons reading and browsing through field guides and stacks of National Geographic magazines.

As an art student in Kentucky, I followed the art of Dorothea Rockburne. Dorothea studied at Black Mountain College in North Carolina in the 1950s — the avant-garde experimental art school based on John Dewey’s principals of education. Joseph and Anni Albers came to teach at Black Mountain College after leaving Germany, located near Asheville, NC. When I first encountered Dorothea’s work, I pursued a fascination with minimalism. At first glance, her work seems to fall under the minimalist movement umbrella. As I looked more at her constructions, I began to see her work as an expression of processes of the natural world. She inspired me to think how I might express my understanding of my environment through visual art. And what wonderful coincidence that my husband and I eventually moved to the town of Black Mountain not far from Lake Eden where the college once held classes! I met Dorothea Rockburne in the 70s after finishing my BFA. She is known for welcoming artists and students into her studio, and she was very kind to me. I met her again years later at the opening of an exhibit of her work held in the Black Mountain Museum and Arts Center in Asheville. She was the keynote speaker for their annual conference.

After completing my MFA in Wisconsin, I Iooked for ways to connect my rendering skills with a scientific study. Wisconsin has the largest number of Native American effigy mounds in the US, and I studied and observed their history and physical presence. Effigy mounds are not always very grand, sometimes they just look like low broad piles of dirt, usually in places inconvenient to modern developers (but probably meaningful locations at the time they were constructed). I joined a surveying team from the university, camping out in central Wisconsin, surveying a very large group of effigy mounds, plotting their shapes and collecting data. I began to think how my interpretive and rendering skills could be used to do more than simply illustrate my state of mind, and instead be driven by collaboration with others studying the natural world and archeology.

Untitled oil painting, 1976.

This experience led me to pursuing cartography as a profession. The University of Wisconsin has an outstanding cartography program, and after finishing my MFA, I found myself hip deep in mapmakers. I loved the way that maps are like an abstraction of the landscape. My cartographer colleagues and I were working on maps before computers became the main tool of production. I would spend my working day cutting through emulsion with sapphire tipped scribers, cutting rubylith, burnishing type on acetate, and compiling layers of components for the darkroom.

Eventually, I began to study and practice shaded relief techniques, the art of interpreting contours to create terrain. Even though computers were starting to be used for some aspects of cartographic production in the late 1980s, shaded relief was still done as layers of compiled data with graphite, color pencils, velum and sometimes airbrush. I scrounged in old army manuals to teach myself the effects of light source, and aerial perspective.

My growing involvement with GNSI played a large role in developing my carbon dust techniques, which I applied directly to my shaded relief. Taking workshops with Elaine Hodges, I learned how to trim and singe sable brushes to customize their shapes. This form of “dry” tonal painting brought together many aspects of my art school training, my desire to use my rendering skills for commercial purposes, and my skills of interpretation.

Of course, computers came on the scene and started changing everything, which was true for all kinds of pursuits — business and networking as well as making maps and illustrations, so back to the drawing board to learn a totally new tool. I continue today to use the computer to compose, draw, paint, shade and model. GNSI colleagues and workshops continue to support my art and illustration pursuits.

My husband says I often add life, style or emotion to factual material; adding aesthetics to informational graphics best demonstrates all that I have learned.

Cranberry Creek Mound Group, Cranberry Creek Archaeological District, Necedah, Wisconsin, 1985.

Article originally from the Journal of Natural Science Illustration, Vol. 47, No. 1, 2015

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 47, No. 1: Abstracts

Tue, 20 Jan 2015 21:56:34 GMT

Welcome to the first edition of 2015!

This Journal is full of something for all! Laurie O’Keefe shares innovative methods for creating backgrounds using both traditional and digital tools such as Photoshop. Sketchbook pages from GNSI members offer inspirations drawn from nature and travel. Gail Selfridge explores leaf rubbing as an educational outreach tool, and Paul Krieger provides twelve practical marketing strategies for illustrators and authors. Amelia Janes reflects on her artistic journey, blending her rural roots with a passion for cartography and scientific visualization. Ikumi Kayama presents findings from a 2013 GNSI member surv ey , there's a teaser of the upcoming 2015 GNSI Conference, a quick summary and building guidance for a John Dioszegi portable easel, and finally a lively RRRipped discussion about ergonomic digital workspaces.

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Creating Backgrounds: Mixing Traditional and Digital Techniques — Laurie O'Keefe

This article by Laurie O’Keefe discusses techniques for creating backgrounds in natural science illustration using both traditional methods like salt and coffee grounds and digital tools such as Photoshop. It emphasizes the importance of combining traditional and digital elements for dynamic results, providing tips on organization, layer naming, and efficient workflow management.

Pages from my Sketchbook — Shevaun Doherty, Filipe Franco, Kris Kirkeby, and Jennifer Landin

This section features sketches from GNSI members showcasing scenes from nature and personal travels. Each artist shares a brief story behind their work, offering glimpses into their creative processes and inspirations.

Leaf Rubbing as Educational Outreach — Gail Selfridge

Gail Selfridge explores the use of leaf rubbing as a hands-on educational tool for children and adults. She details how this technique can spark an interest in nature and science, progressing from simple crayon rubbings to more detailed scientific drawings. Suggestions for conducting outreach programs are included, highlighting their potential in botanical gardens, schools, and museums.

Ready, Set, Sell!: Proactive Marketing Strategies — Paul Krieger

Paul Krieger shares twelve marketing strategies for science illustrators and authors, including networking, using social media, and collaborating with publishers. The article is based on his experience as a professor and author, offering advice for improving visibility and increasing sales.

Member Spotlight: Amelia Janes (Open Access)

Amelia Janes reflects on her journey as a natural science illustrator, blending her rural upbringing with her interest in cartography and scientific visualization. Her work has evolved to combine traditional techniques with modern digital tools, influenced by her early exposure to nature and field guides.

The GNSI Member Survey — Ikumi Kayama

Ikumi Kayama reports on a 2013 survey of GNSI members, analyzing demographics, motivations, and preferences. Findings indicate a strong interest in networking, professional development, and education in science illustration. The survey also highlights members’ challenges and suggests ways to enhance engagement and support.

2015 Annual GNSI Conference

A teaser of the 2015 GNSI Annual Conference, held at Arcadia University from July 5–11, Highlights included a keynote by Kirk R. Brown portraying botanist John Bartram, and presentations and workshops on topics ranging from ceramic scratchboard to digital storytelling. The conference also featured an exhibition of member artwork, a banquet in the historic Grey Towers Castle, and field trips to notable Philadelphia-area sites like the Mütter Museum, Morris Arboretum, and Longwood Gardens.

Field Ops: T he John Dioszegi Portable (Not Just A) Field Easel — Marlene Hill Donnelly

Watercolorist and former engineer John Dioszegi designed a simple, affordable, and highly functional easel using a standard tripod and a Gatorboard drawing surface. His design allows for full rotation and tilt to support expressive techniques and ergonomic comfort, and the board can be easily customized and sealed for long-lasting use.

RRRipped from the list!: Workspace Biomechanics

in the Digital Age -

This installment of Ripped from the List begins as a query about types of pen tablets from member Linda Feltner, but quickly morphs into a discussion about ergonomic

considerations of the Illustrator’s digital workspace.

Article Abstracts for the Journal of Natural Science Illustrators, Vol. 47, No. 1, 2015.

Blog

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Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 57, No. 2: Abstracts

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Yale Peabody Museum Natural Science Illustration Program

September 2024 marks the fifteenth year of the Yale Peabody Museum’s Natural Science Illustration Program. The program was launched in 2009 by four professional artists and members of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators: Cindy Gilbane, Susannah Graedel, Dorie Petrochko, and Jan Prentice.

﻿

Drawing Nature: The Creative Process of an Artist, Illustrator, and Naturalist by Linda Miller Feltner

The title seems to indicate this is yet another drawing instruction manual, but the author, Linda Miller Feltner, instead invites us to join her on a lifelong journey in artistic fulfillment through personal discovery.

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Scratchboard Illustration Techniques

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 56, No. 1: Abstracts

Indian Botanical Art in the 21st Century

I call myself a botanical artist, but in truth I’m trained in neither botany nor art. When I first started out, about eight years ago, I was barely aware of the genre’s existence. I just wanted to paint plants. ﻿

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 55, No. 3: Abstracts

Three Dimensional Designs: How to Prepare Models

"In this article, I'm going to give you some insights into best practices with the actual printing of the models and how I look at 3D printing compared to illustration and 3D modeling."

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 55, No. 2: Abstracts

Book Review: Building Science Graphics by Jen Christiansen

Building Science Graphics is a new practical guide written and designed by science communicator Jen Christiansen, Senior Graphics Editor at Scientific American, and published by CRC Press.

Member Spotlight - Sara Lynn Cramb

Sara can often be found drawing in her studio with some tea, lazy cats dozing nearby, with a view of the Alaska Range out her window .

Journal of Nature Science Illustrators Vol. 55, No. 1 : Abstracts

Book Review: The Cold Canyon Fire Journals: Green Shoots and Silver Linings in the Ashes, by Robin Lee Carlson

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Journal of Natural Science Illustration Vol. 54, No. 3 : Abstracts

Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom Decal Project

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Designing the decal panels

Production and installation of decal panels

Chapter members celebrate installation aboard the Boat

GNSI Conference: Re-defining Scientific Illustration as a Profession

For the most part, scientific illustration is a comparatively conservative field.

Journal of Natural Science Illustration Vol. 54, No. 2 : Abstracts

GNSI 2021 Special Projects Award: Joel Floyd

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For the most part, scientific illustration is a comparatively conservative field. Perhaps the most basic definition of scientific illustration is “images created to help facilitate communication among scientists.”

Book Review: Natural History Illustration in Pen and Ink by Sarah Morrish

Journal of Natural Science Illustration Vol. 54 No. 1 : Abstracts

GNSI Conference: Making Social Connections

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Book Review: Natural History of Edward Lear, New Edition, by Robert McCracken Peck

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Restoration of Extinct Species

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Member Spotlight - Mary Ellen Taylor

When considering my circuitous career path toward botanical and nature art over the past 40 years, I clearly see that—apart from quantum leaps, serendipities, and sheer determination along the way, the seed was well and truly planted during my time living in the Galápagos Islands.

Quantum Leap #1 GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS (1982–1987)

Quantum Leap #2 LONDON (2003)

Projects

DARWIN INITIATIVE (2009)

BUTTERFLIES IN THE CHELSEA PHYSIC GARDEN (2012)

TRANSYLVANIA FLORILEGIUM (2016)

OTHER WORK

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