|
illustration books illustration software fellow artists museums introduction about the field business getting started education educational sites jobs societies self promotion
Different areas of the field
Scientific illustration and medical illustration are two separate fields. Within those fields are several sub-fields. There are a variety of employer types in the field, such as working for museums, universities, hospitals, parks, etc. But most illustrators in the field freelance either on the side or full time. I discuss setting up your business later on.
Scientific illustration
Scientific illustrators / natural science illustrators specialize in just about any species of plant, animal or environment that you can think of. There are botanical illustrators, fish illustrators, interpretive illustrators, general science illustrators, underwater environment illustrators, outer space illustrators, etc. Some good resources to check out if you are interested specifically in scientific (rather than medical) illustration are the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI), which is one of the nicest groups of people I have met, besides being incredibly talented and diverse. Another good resource is the National Association for Interpretation. They put out a magazine called Legacy, which will give you a good sense of what interpretation is and where the jobs in the field lie.
Scientific illustrators come at the field with different backgrounds. Most of the scientific illustrators that I have met either have a background in biology (such as a bachelors degree in biology or biochemistry) or a combination of biology and art background (such as a bachelor of fine art or a masters of fine art). You can get into the field without the science background, but you are at a disadvantage when finding and dealing with clients. And of course the important thing, when you are freelancing, is your portfolio and knowledge. A degree is not necessarily helpful for freelancers, but the self-assurance that comes with a degree is very important.
There are a few schools that offer degrees in scientific illustration (discussed in the education section). If you have the time and money to go through one of these programs, it will make your life easier.
Medical illustration
Medical illustrators work for pharmaceutical companies, universities, magazines, publishers, hospitals, etc. Specialties include surgical illustration, veterinary illustration, anatomical illustration, etc.
“Medical Illustrator” is a more specific title than scientific illustrator. It implies an education or substantial professional experience in medical illustration.
Medical illustrators generally have a master’s degree in medical illustration. Some medical illustrators such as the most renowned illustrator in the field, Nelson, have a medical doctor’s degree. There are six universities in North America that offer a masters degree in medical illustration (although the degrees have different names). These are MFA degrees, but some of the classes are taken along with medical students, and those classes generally include human anatomy, human dissection, etc. The schools have different focuses such as surgical illustration, veterinary illustration, traditional illustration or 3d animation, etc. The schools are listed in the Education section.
Medical illustrators tend to command a higher rate than natural science illustrators, perhaps because of the more specific educational / knowledge requirements, or because the overhead can be more expensive. Medical illustrators also tend to work for clients that have more money. You can compare the common rates for projects in these two fields by looking in the GAG handbook.
|
