What is a Medical and Scientific Illustrator? 

 Scientific illustration combines both fields of art and science for the purpose of visually communicating scientific information. A medical illustrator is a professional artist with extensive training in medicine and science who creates visual material to help record and disseminate medical, biological and related knowledge. One of my favourite definitions of a medical illustrator is by- Bill Gramley, Neal Pointer, Bill Winn, 1978:

 

 " Medical Illustrators draw what can't be seen, watch what's never been done, and tell thousands about it without saying a word "

Working on scientific illustrations from home studio

AWARDS

2022   2nd prize in Realistic Reconstruction category in the 6th International Palaeontological Congress PalaeoArt Contest Thailand

2021   Award of Merit, Advertising and Marketing/Promotional, Association of Medical Illustrators National Meeting, Virtual Conference

2020 Textbook Award of Excellence (college life sciences), Textbook & Academic Authors Association 

2019 From the Machine category, Canadian Science Publishing Visualizing Science Image Contest

2016  Citation of Merit, Graphics Media: Nature Science Illustration, BioCommunications Association

2015   Finalist, The National Science Foundation and Popular Science visualization challenge

2012   Award of Merit, Instructional Continuous Tone, Association of Medical Illustrators National Meeting, Toronto, ON

2011    Award of Excellence in Illustrated Medical Book, Association of Medical Illustrators National Meeting, Baltimore, MA

2011    Award of Merit, Instructional Continuous Tone, Association of Medical Illustrators National Meeting, Baltimore, MA

2010    Jury Award, Focus on Nature XI: Natural History Illustration Exhibition, New York State Museum, Albany, NY

2009    Award of Merit, Instructional Continuous Tone, Association of Medical Illustrators National Meeting, Richmond, VA

2009    International Contest of Dinosaur Illustrations, Museum of Lourinhã, Portugal. Second place

2007    Award of Excellence in Illustrated Medical Book, Association of Medical Illustrators National Meeting, Bozeman, MT

2005    International Contest of Dinosaur Illustrations, Museum of Lourinhã, Portugal. Third place

2005    Award of Excellence, Instructional Color, Association of Medical Illustrators National Meeting, Thousand Oaks, CA

2004    International Contest of Dinosaur Illustrations, Museum of Lourinhã, Portugal. Second place

2000    John J. Lanzendorf PaleoArt Award in technical paleontological illustration, Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting, Mexico City, Mexico

Recent Publications

2023 Natterson-Horowitz, B. The Sisterhood of Species. Scientific American. 328(3):50-57 (4 illustrations)

2023 Yumeng Zhang, Xutong Li, Xianren Shan, Xianghong Lin, Kai Tan, Qiang Li, Wenjin Zhao, Lizhou Tang, Min Zhu & Zhikun Gai (2023): The first galeaspid fish (stem-gnathostomata) from the Silurian Xiushan formation of Hunan Province, China, Historical Biology, DOI:10.1080/08912963.2023.2225083 (2 illustrations)

2022 DeSilva, J. Walks of Life: Mounting fossil evidence is upending the conventional wisdom about the evolution of human bipedalism. Scientific American. 327(5):72-81 (9 illustrations)

2021 Reinier, Feitz. Promise of Open Triangular Fibrocartilage Surgery November 2021. Thesis for: PhDAdvisor: Prof dr Steven Hovius, Prof dr Ruud Selles, Prof dr Dietmar Ulrich Project: Open TFCC Repair DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.31009.94569  (cover illustration)

2021 van der Oest, M.J.W. (June 23). Keep The Thumb in Mind: The influence of psychosocial factors on the outcomes of treatment for thumb base osteoarthritis. Erasmus University Rotterdam. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1765/135621 (cover illustration)

2021 Longrich, N.R., D. Martill, M. Jacobs. A new dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the Wessex Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Barremian) of the Isle of Wight, and implications for European palaeobiogeography. Cretaceous Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2021.105123 (5 illustrations)

2019 Pulerà, D. A Short History: The Dissection of Vertebrates. Journal of Natural Science Illustration. 51(3):18-22.

2019 De Iuliis, G and Pulerà, D. The Dissection of Vertebrates: A Laboratory Manual, Third Edition. Amsterdam: Elsevier / Academic Press. (illustrator)

2019 Pulerà, D. Non-photo Blue Pencils. Journal of Natural Science Illustration. 51(1):3-4.

2018    Pulerà, D. Member Spotlight: Dino Pulerà. Journal of Natural Science Illustration. 50(1):21-25.

2017    Pulerà, D. Facial Makeover of a new theropod dinosaur. Journal of Natural Science Illustration. 49(2):3-6

2017    Carr, T. D, D. J. Varricchio, J. C. Sedlmayr, E. M. Roberts & J. R. Moore. A new tyrannosaur with evidence for anagenesis and crocodile-like facial sensory system. Scientific Reports 7, Article number: 44942. doi:10.1038/srep44942   https://www.nature.com/articles/srep44942 

2017    Carr, T. D., M. Seitz and D. Pulerà. Fossils of the Hell Creek Formation: A Carthage Institute of Paleontology Field Guide, Third Edition. Kenosha: Self published.

2016    Fennessy, J and S. Fennessy, Walking talk: Protecting rare giraffes. BBC Wildlife. Spring 2016: 34(5):66-72.

2016    Carr, D. T, M. E. Seitz and D. Pulerà. Fossils of the Hell Creek Formation: A Carthage Institute of Paleontology Field Guide.  published independently. (14 illustrations)

2013    Farina, R. A., S. F. Vizcaino and G. De Iulii. Megafauna: Giant Beasts of Pleistone South America.  Bloomington: Indiana University Press. (13 illustrations)

2011    Carr, T.D.,  T. E. Williamson, B. B. Britt and K. Stadtman.  Evidence for high taxonomic and morphologic tyrannosauroid diversity in the Late Cretaceous (Late Campanian) of the American Southwest and a new short-skulled tyrannosaurid from the Kaiparowits formation of Utah. Naturwissenschaften: 98:241–246.

2011    De Iuliis, G and Pulerà, D. The Dissection of Vertebrates: A Laboratory Manual, Second Edition.  Amsterdam: Elsevier / Academic Press. (illustrator)

2010    Carr, T.D. and T.W. Williamson. Bistahieversor sealeyi, gen. et sp. nov., a new tyrannosauroid from New Mexico and the origin of deep snouts in Tyrannosauroidea. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(1):1-16.

2007    De Iuliis, G and Pulerà, D. The Dissection of Vertebrates: A Laboratory Manual. Amsterdam: Elsevier / Academic Press. (illustrator)

2006    Pulerà, D. Stephen Goltra Gilbert: Artist and Teacher. Guild of Natural Science Illustrators Journal. 38(8):17-22.

2006    Pulerà, D. Illustrating Dinosaur Fossils Using the Carbon Dust Technique. PalArch Foundation's Newsletter. 3(2):15-19. Netherlands



Recent Professional Exhibitions

2021 Annual Juried GNSI’s Visual SciComm Virtual Conference

2021 AMI Annual Salon, Virtual Conference

2019 Focus On Nature XV: Natural and Cultural History Illustration An International Biennial Exhibition, Roberson Museum and Science Center, Binghamton, NY

2019 Annual Juried Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI) Exhibition, Brisbane, Australia

2018 Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI) Annual Salon, Newton, MA

2018 Annual Juried Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI) Exhibition, Washington, DC (American Association for the Advancement of Science Art Gallery)

2018 BioCommunications Association, BioImages Annual Media Exhibition, Savannah, GA

2017 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Calgary, AB

2017 Canadian Science Publishing (CSP) Second Annual Visualizing Science Contest

2017 Association Européenne des Illustrateurs Medicaux et Scientifiques (AEIMS) Congress, Maastricht, Netherlands

2016 BioCommunications Association, BioImages Annual Media Exhibition, New Orleans, LA

2016 SONSI Exhibit at Grimsby Public Art Gallery, Grimsby, ON

2016 Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI) Annual Salon, Atlanta, GA

2016 Annual Juried Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI) Exhibition, Santa Crus, CA

2015 Giliola Gamberini Award International Competition for Medical-Scientific Illustration - AEIMS, Bologna, Italy

2013 Windows On Evolution:  An Artistic Celebration Of Charles Darwin, Commemorating Darwin Day - a juried virtual exhibit

2012 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Raleigh, NC

2012 Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI) Annual Salon, Toronto, ON

2012 Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI) Outreach Exhibits at MaRS Centre and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON

2012 Focus On Nature XII: Natural and Cultural History Illustration An International Biennial Exhibition, New York, NY

2011 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Las Vegas, N

2011 International Paleontology Illustration Competition (IPIC 2011) & Exhibit, Brazil

2011 Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI) Annual Salon, Baltimore, MA

2011 Southern Ontario Nature and Science Illustrators (SONSI) Exhibit at Royal Botanical Gardens, Guelph, ON

2010 Focus On Nature XI: Natural and Cultural History Illustration An International Biennial Exhibition, New York, NY

2009 Association Européenne des Illustrateurs Medicaux et Scientifiques (AEIMS) Congress, Milano, Italy