Sketching Tip: Being ready to sketch (or, handy portable sketching materials)

Posted on by CommNatural

Sketching any time, any where, gets easier with practice. But planning for sketching helps, too.

Having materials ready means I can grab the appropriate (and/or most convenient) set-up and be ready to go at a moment’s notice.

And, having sketching materials along means I’m way more likely to sketch!

Along with some sort of sketchbook, I always have one of these kits in my pocket, purse, or backpack when I leave the house. Continue reading Sketching Tip: Being ready to sketch (or, handy portable sketching materials)

News: SciArt for Children

Posted on by CommNatural

 

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For almost a year now, I’ve been contributing natural history and science illustrations+text to a gorgeous children’s magazine called root & star.

My pieces have provided artful science-based exposure to fur, fish nests, chicken language, and coming soon, things that live in/under snow!

In the next year, I’ll focus on natural history collections, raccoon “hands,” horses, magpies, and the wind.

I’m telling you about root & star because:

I think it’s a phenomenal way to engage children in artful thinking and exploration. I love the magazine and love being part of it. There’s no monetary benefit to me if you subscribe or pick up a copy at one of the retailers now stocking it.

But, that’s fine — I only hope you’ll find it wonderful, too!

Sketching Tip: Reproducibility & DIY Stickers

Posted on by CommNatural

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Reproducible methods (and results) are a key part of rigorous science. And reproducing art has been part of doing art for centuries.

So this month’s tip making stickers – an easy and cheap way to make reproductions of your own SciArt. Continue reading Sketching Tip: Reproducibility & DIY Stickers

How to turn a home movie into high-octane "scicomm"

Posted on by CommNatural

I’ve been exploring the intersection between sketching on location and eco-communication inspired by life a lot lately.

So, I couldn’t resist doing an eco-comm piece when I saw a couple of casual videos of my goddaughters exploring the Museum of the Rockies, a world-class dinosaur museum in Bozeman, MT.

This illustration was made by pausing the video, listening very carefully to one of the little girls describing her reaction to the museum, and sketching rapidly with Adobe Photoshop and an old-school Wacom drawing tablet (nearly as old as the fossils below).

 

Dinosaur museum_v7 (04.15.2014)