Making the Invisible Intelligible

Science relies on imagery to communicate and describe. While photography captures a single moment in time, scientific illustration is a visualization tool that allows the invisible to become intelligible by combining artistic skills and factual knowledge. Disciplines such as Archaeology, Anthropology, Paleontology and Biology depend upon interpretative drawings for deconstructing complex objects and for depicting aspects that are not visible to the naked eye. Through drawing one may emphasize the relevant features of any given subject, while eliminating all the visual "noise" that might distract the viewer from the main contents. Moreover, drawing techniques also allow the recreation of buildings , scenes and past environments in a realistic manner. 
Source

Categories of Study

  • Paleontology (Dinosaurs)
  • Astronomy (Stars)​
  • Anthropology (Human existence)
    • Archaeology (Artifacts)
    • ​Evolution (Origins)
    • Ecology (Environment)
    • Ethology (Behavior)
    • Ethnography (Cultures)
  • Engineering
    • Architecture (Buildings)
    • Mechanics (Machines)
  • ​Medical
    • Anatomy (Body Structure)
      • Neurobiology (Nerves)
    • Physiology (Body Functions)
    • Genetics​ (Traits & Diseases)
    • Forensics
  • Microbiology (Organisms)
    • ​Virology (Viruses)
  • Molecular Biology (Cells)
  • Subcellular Biology 
    • Nanotechnolgy (Atoms & Molecules)
    • Subatomic Particles 

Scientific Illustrators

Anatomy

Leonardo Da Vinci
Italian (1452-1519)
Form: Pen & Ink Drawing
Function:​ Proportions of Human Body & Internal Aanatomy
Andreas Vesalius
Belgian (1514-1564)
Form: Woodcut Printing
Function:​ Human Anatomy
Page from De humani corporis fabrica 
(On the Fabric of the Human Body) by Andreas Vesalius, 1543

Engineering

Leonardo Da Vinci
Italian (1452-1519)
Form: Pen & Ink Drawing 
Function:​ Proposed Inventions

Astronony

Galileo Galilei
Italian (1564-1642)
Form: Drawing
Function:​ Phases of the Moon
More moon phase sketches, 1616
Galileo's sketches of the Moon from Sidereus Nuncius, published in March 1610

Evolution

Charles Robert Darwin
British (1809-1882)
Form: Drawing
Function:​ Origin of Species
Tree of Life by Charles Darwin, 1837
Tree of Life by Charles Darwin, 1859

Genetics

Rosalind Frankin
1952 Photo 51
​Form: X-Ray Crystallography
Function:​ DNA Double Helix Structure
James D. Watson & Francis Crick 
1992 Nobel Prize Winners
​Form: 3D Metal Armature
Function:​ DNA Double Helix Structure

Microbiology

Luke Jerram
British (1974-)
Form: 3D Glass Blowing
Function:​ Virus Models


Anrew Simor
Form: Microbes Arranged in Petri Dishes
Function:​ Agar Art Contest 
​Creators use either naturally colorful microbes—like the red bacteria Serratia marcescens—or genetically modified microbes—like the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae transformed with violacein genes—as "paint," while using various types, shapes and sizes of agar as a "canvas."
Painting in a Petri Dish Lesson by Aida Duarte & Ana Margarida Madureira
"Finding Pneumo: starring Klebsiella pneumoniae," by Andrew Simor, Linh Ngo, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto.
Source: ASM Agar Art Contest 2017

Theoretical

Artists:
Nadav Drukker
British (-)
Form: Ceramics
Function:​ String Theory