Scientific Illustration

Scientific illustration is art in the service of science. It is the use of technical illustration to visually communicate the structure and specific details of biological subjects of study. For public education, scientific illustration is extremely important. It provides a modality to share ideas in an engaging and educational way. Artists have to have the skill necessary to translate scientific information into accessible and understandable artwork that bypasses difficult scientific terms and explanations. I feel as though creating this harmony between visual appeal and informative content places the illustrator in the shoes of a composer. Certain aspects of a piece can be changed to convey different information, for example, a work may not be depicted with full realism to indicate other information being more important to the purpose of the piece.