Course Description:

This project-based course integrates concepts of art with science to help students understand how scientific illustration as a practice can be both beautiful and useful for conveying information. Students will explore two- and three-dimensional media such as drawing, cameraless photography, printmaking, digital design, and modeling. Units of study may include medical illustration, botanical illustration, microscopic illustration, diagrams & models, as well as creative explorations of data and infographics. No prior formal arts training is required, but a love of the natural world and an interest in explaining phenomena in creative ways is strongly recommended. Students may elect to receive either Art or STEM credit for this course.

Scientific Illustration Defined:

Scientific illustration is a method of communication that allows complex ideas, details, and theories to be presented in an interesting and informative approach.  It is possible to more clearly communicate scientific concepts through illustrations rather than the technical jargon often used to describe them. Drawing or rendering scientific images accurately is how these artists or illustrators communicate science and inform audiences. In order to create accurate illustrations, scientific illustrators use a combination of aesthetics and technical expertise.  By using illustrations, graphics, and multimedia, concepts can be clearly presented and portrayed visually, making them more accessible and appealing to a wide range of audiences. 

Source: https://mindthegraph.com/blog/the-key-visual-science-scientific-illustration/


​​Types of Scientific Illustration:

  • Botany (Plants)
    • ​Mycology (Fungi)
    • Phycology (Algae)
  • Zoology (Animals)
    • Mammology (Mammals)
    • Ornithology (Birds)
    • Herpetology (Reptiles/Amphibians)
    • Ichthyology (Fish)
    • Entomology (Insects)
  • ​Geology (Rocks)
Source:
Where Science and Art Become One
  • 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 Illustration Throughout History:

​Prehistoric Cave Painting
circa ​15,000 B.C. - "Hall of Bulls" Painted Walls at Lascaux - Virtual Tour​
Roman Mosaic
100 B.C. - Sea Creatures of Pompeii
Renaissance Printmaking
1515 - Rhinoceros Woodcut by Albrecht Durer (1471-1528)

Source: Scientific Illustration - A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words


Considerations in Art and Science:

Working Scientist Podcast Episode 2023 - Scientific Illustration: Striking the Balance Between Creativity and Accuracy

"Accuracy in art is important when it comes to it being used to to communicate science, but sometimes it is OK to be playful too as long as you make you intentions about the art clear."
​- Julie Gould

Formal Considerations:
Materials, shape, scale
- Photography: reveals surface qualities
- Illustration: conveys underlying concepts

Functional Considerations:
Purpose, audience, presentation
- To inform, to educate

Visual Communication Requirements:
- Accuracy, simplicity

Learning to See:

Drawing from Observation Exercises:
How to See Edges - Upside Down, Blind Contour
​How to See Spaces - Vaces/Faces
How to See Relationships - Picture Plane
How to See Light & Shadow - Ground Setting
How to See The Whole

Source: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards
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