Marcia Hartsock has been a medical illustrator for over 20
years. She runs her own medical illustration business [The Medical Art
Company] and is a Certified Medical Illustrator
(CMI). She holds an Honors BFA in Painting from the University of
Cincinnati, and an MA in Illustration from Syracuse University. She
has been an active member of the Association
of Medical Illustrators since 1981, and a Certified
Medical Illustrator since 1993. So you want to be a medical
illustrator? Luckily there are several anatomically correct models
that can be used for medical illustration purposes, in particular
Zygote's male and female anatomy models. However, to become a
successful medical illustrator, and make money with your
art, you must first understand what is required to make a
career in the field of Medical Illustrators. The beginning of
success is understanding! Marcia will be the first to admit that a
Biomedical Illustrator, holds the role of interpreter between the
medical community and the audience that is receiving the
information. To produce quality medical illustrations, the artist
has to have, not only a knowledge of the art form they use, but a
knowledge of the medical concepts they create. The artist has to be
capable of translating complex biomedical issues into a visual that
is accurate and helpful to the viewer. Many images appear to be
helpful, yet they simply fall short. The artist has to visualize
the surgery, future pathologies, and biomechanical issues. If there
is one area of art that is exacting and precise, it is medical
illustration. Anyone with the appropriate scientific knowledge and
illustration skills can pursue a Medical Illustration career.
However, people like Marcia, find that having the best credentials
substantially helps their business and their work. The Board of Certification of Medical Illustrators
administers a certification program for illustrators who seek a
recognizable means of credentialing. The designation of Certified
Medical Illustrator (CMI) denotes this voluntarily earned
credential and provides a recognizable means of signifying a
practitioners current competency in the profession of medical
illustration. To qualify to take the exam, a college degree in
Medical Illustration is preferred. As an alternative, you can apply
with 5 years experience as a medical illustrator and a college
level course in gross anatomy with hands on dissection. You may be
able to discuss alternate background/educational requirements if
your work is outstanding. All applicants must pass a three-to-five
hour exam, and pass the portfolio review. In order to pass the
exam, the applicant must possess a substantial knowledge of
anatomy, illustration techniques, business practices and ethics,
and show the coursework they have completed. The portfolio review comes down to the hard core, "can
he/she do it or not?" The image has to be accurate and
understandable. Some images may be beautiful and appear to be
useful, but fall short because they are medically incorrect. The
Association of Medical Illustrators, or AMI, is the
medical illustrator's professional association. Professional
membership is for those illustrators who make medical illustration
their profession. The AMI has an associate members section
for those in allied professions. It is well worth the visit to the
AMI
site, which offers a great deal of information from
certification to workshops to referrals for their members. The
software or traditional media you use, is your decision. There are
some that use 3D software such as MAYA and C4D. Certainly, any
software you choose will be worth while in creating a basic image
that you can build upon. Most computer oriented medical
illustrators rely on 2D applications such as Photoshop, Painter,
and Paint Shop Pro. The key to remember is that the final render is
NOT the final image. You will have to spend time in your 2D
application, and maybe even hand drawing on occasion for accuracy.
Whether you become Certified or not, you will want to target
certain market sectors that utilize medical illustrations. This is
wide and varied. A few ideas include medico-legal users who are
interested in illustrations for trials and arbitrations. There are
medical textbooks, medical magazines, editorials that are
published, advertising for pharmaceuticals, training of company
sales reps, staff training manuals, etc. There is also a call for
Flash and 2D animation in education. In recent times, the web has
exploded with medical articles that are enhanced with
illustrations. A big area is patient education materials from
pharmaceuticals. Marcia, for example, works with consumer
education, editorial illustration, and legal evidence. She often
handles illustrations of non-routine injuries. There are already a
ton of images available for HNP (herniated nucleus pulposus
or herniated disc) and CAD (cervical
acceleration/deceleration injury). The assumption should be that
the standard anatomy is just the beginning. The challenge and the
pay for Marcia lies in handling the hard ones. A growing area is
the cellular and molecular level of imagery for research projects
and presentations. One does not necessarily have to re-draw the
heart, which has been drawn tens of thousands of times already, but
perhaps a new molecular understanding of how the heart works!
Perhaps the most fascinating place to have your images and
animations shown, is on the A.D.A.M. Interactive Anatomy 4.0 software,. It is
a real treat to visit the A.D.A.M. Studio to see the fine works that are
available. The AMI is holding their 60th Annual Conference/Workshop in Los Angeles on
July 28 - August 2, 2005. The conference is conveniently held just
prior to the opening of SIGGRAPH 2005, and overlaps slightly. It is a
drivable distance between the SIGGRAPH, location at the LA
Convention Center, and the AMI conference at California Lutheran
University in Thousand Oaks. The workshops and conference are open
to anyone who wishes to attend, and you can easily register
online.
cannot be printed, published, or copied without written permisson from the artist. Technical Views is a regular featured column with Renderosity Staff Writer/Sr. Tech Editor Eric Post [EricofSD]. May 16, 2005 |
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