Life Sciences Illustration

This unique course combines traditional drawing media with digital drawing techniques to illustrate figurative anatomy and other scientific rendering.

Session 1: June 18–30, 2023

Zoom

A student works on a digital self portrait during the Biomedical Art class.

A student drawing with pencil in the Biomedical Art class.

An example of a scientific illustration created by a Pre-College student.

A student draws from life at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens.

An example of a digital portrait created in the Biomedical Art class.

Biomedical students lay out their work and prepare for installation for the Pre-College exhibition.

A student drawing in the Biomedical Art studios.

Students sharing work they created in the Biomedical Art class.

Through observation, figure drawing, and the use of line, motion, and media, you will learn how the amazing human body moves in space. We will explore human anatomy fundamentals as they relate to the development of focused artistic skills in figurative proportion and visual expression. You will learn how the skeleton and muscles form the figure; what structures enable motion; and specific methods for improving observational figure drawing.

Throughout our anatomical adventure, we will utilize a variety of techniques and materials to visually reveal various anatomical layers of the human form, including colored pencil, charcoal, graphite, and ultimately digital rendering in Photoshop.

Exercise both your artistic creativity and your scientific curiosity as you illustrate the inner workings of the natural world. Life Sciences Illustration is an ever-growing field and CIA is proud to offer one of the few programs of its kind in the country.

Projects

The first week of the course is designed to strengthen students’ understanding and use of the human form within their work through observational drawing from a model and lectures. Other aspects of the Life Sciences field, such as zoological and botanical illustration, will be explored with a series of smaller projects.

The second week of the course will focus on the finishing touches of an illustration, including the use of color, texture and digital rendering techniques. Students will visit the Cleveland Botanical Gardens and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History to find inspiration for their projects, and to practice their observational drawing skills.

Example projects and topics include portrait studies, skeletal and muscular anatomy, drawing a specimen from observation, utilizing graphite and charcoal, digital rendering, and using a Wacom tablet.

Apply to Pre-College today!

Start your application today. Priority/scholarship deadline is February 15, 2023.

Instructor

Jennifer Kerbo graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art with a BFA degree in Biomedical Art. She has taken additional coursework at CWRU School of Medicine and Cleveland State University in the Health Sciences Department. Jennifer is currently contracted as the lead artist for a cardiovascular simulation at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in the Department of Anatomy. She has also begun work on a large-scale educational game focusing on environmental issues and intergenerational learning.