Journal of Natural Science Illustration Volume 55, No. 1: Abstracts

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. 

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 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.

Image caption: Global Garden Shovel, composite.

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  that she created in 2015. The tools and techniques for engaging the public in nature/science observation are reviewed.

 < Image caption: Participant adding detail to a leaf rubbing. 

Member Spotlight: Sara Lynn Cramb

-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.!

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

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.

Examples of weekly color palettes. Animal illustrations created by Mesa Schumacher. ©Mesa Schumacher 2021 

 The Value of United States Copyright for Natural Science Illustrators

- WMB. Westwood

The importance of authorship and ownership of artwork for visual artists in the fields of science and medicine is discussed in this article, along with the protection provided by copyright law. Copyright law grants creators almost complete control over the use of their work, allowing them to fully benefit from the value of their creations. The consequences of copyright infringement are explored, along with the new Copyright Claims Board in the US to help creators resolve smaller copyright disputes. Overall, understanding and managing copyright protections is crucial for scientific illustrators to leverage the value of their work in the marketplace.

< Image caption: US Copyright Symbol

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.

< Image caption: Sculpting work in progress.