Journal of Natural Science Illustration Vol. 54, No. 3 : Abstracts

Journal of Natural Science Illustration Volume 54, No. 3

Welcome to the third Journal edition of 2022!
To inspire you, we offer you excellent and innovative stories in this issue. The journal begins with a recap of our third online Visual SciComm Conference, an introduction to 19th century author and illustrator William Hamilton Gibson, Erin E. Hunter’s process for creating a large pollinator piece of artwork, a book review about the Cold Canyon Fires, an article about modern Medical Illustrators’ challenges, some photoshop tips for your traditional illustrations, an overview of Kathleen Garness’ grant project identifying orchids, and a Memoriam to the late illustrator Peg Estey. Thank you to all our contributors!

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GNSI’s Third Online Conference a Success

-Kalliopi Monoyios


Kapi reviews the GNSI’s 3rd online Visual SciComm Conference, August 12-14 2022.

Who was William Hamilton Gibson?

-Mary Ellen Carsley

A short history of Connecticut-born illustrator William Hamilton Gibson’s varied career. One of his varied accomplishments was as illustrator and author for Harper’s Magazine of many articles depicting life, flora and fauna of New England - years after being advised during a 2-week work trial period at the publication that he should not pursue art!

< William Hamilton Gibson, Self Portrait, reprinted courtesy of the Gunn Historical Museum

Creating a Fine Art Painting: From Research to Exhibit (Open Access)

-Erin E. Hunter

GNSI member Erin Hunter gives an overview of her career beginnings, her influences, and the processes that led to her creation of “Look Closer”; a large acrylic painting of California’s bee pollinators that marries her scientific illustration skills with her graphic design background.

Book Review: The Cold Canyon Fire Journals: Green Shoots and Silver Linings in the Ashes by Robin Lee Carlson (Open Access)

-Linda M. Feltner

Linda M. Feltner gives an overview of Robin Lee Carlson’s book. Through text and sketchbook illustrations, Robin documents the devastation from wildfires, and remarkable resilience of nature at Cold Canyon in California, USA, from a naturalist’s point of view.

Illustrating the Unknown in Translational Research: How the Artist, the Investigator, the  Engineer, and the Physician Collaborate to Create Medical Innovation

-Holly R. Zink and Suzanne Sadilek

An overview of various challenges a Medical Illustrator takes on as standards and methods of medical illustration have changed with new technology, and the dual roles needed to communicate complex concepts internally between engineers, grant investigators, and physicians, and then redirect that communication on these medical breakthroughs to the broader public audience.

Using Photoshop to Speed up and Refine Composition and Layout

-Gail Guth

Gail presents tips for using Photoshop to help her make a traditional illustration faster, using layers and different views in the program to decide on color and composition.

Intersections between orchids, science, and advocacy

-Kathleen Marie Garness

Kathleen describes her documentation of orchid species in the 4000-acre Chiwaukee-Waukegan lake plain of southeast Wisconsin, USA as a grant project, and the things she learned along the journey (including witnessing an emergency save of a threatened species’ habitat from construction during a bio-blitz!).

In Memoriam Margaret L. (Peg) Estey 1937-2022

-Jane Neroni

A remembrance of this wonderful scientific illustrator and instructor’s accomplishments.