FELLOWSHIPS and INTERNSHIPS

Part of our program is to complete 10-12 weeks of internship experience. It is an incredible opportunity to make contacts and build a network in the professional world of science illustration. The minimum requirement is 10-12 weeks, but you can obviously extend that depending on the internship. I am sooooo excited to learn that I got all three internships that I was after.

For this summer, I was awarded the Visualization Fellowship at Yosemite National Park. It will be a 3 month internship during which I will work on signage for the park, illustrations for scientific research, an open project of my own interpretation of science visualization, along with many other projects.

This fall, I am heading to Panama where the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute is stationed. I have 3 major projects. One will be working with Juan Mate, director of Coiba National Park. This project focuses on "popular" versions of the Coiba Management Plan including brochures and pamphlets as well as illustrating information on the public-use areas and park attractions. Another is with Dr. Ross Robertson, a marine biologist focusing on fishes of the Tropical Eastern Pacific and fishes of the Caribbean Sea. He is constructing an online data base and I will provide him with relevant illustrations. The last project is with Dr. Alexandra Hiller. She is currently researching Porcellanidae crabs. I will be optimizing already existing illustrations of Porcellanidae crabs for a new computer program called CAT (Computer Assisted Taxonamy).

In the winter, I go to Cornell University where I will work at the Lab of Ornithology. I'm not sure what my project will be, but I love that I will be illustrating birds.

So needless to say, I am absolutely thrilled about the rest of the year!!! Of course, my blog will be updated with pictures and stories about each of these experiences.

Yippee!

INFORMATION IS BEAUTIFUL

Kathryn Killackey, a classmate of mine, forwarded a fantastic site about information visualization.

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/

I absolutely love it and want to share it with you. The below book is definitely on my book wish list.

*These pics were taken off the site.

SMALL VERSIONS ALWAYS CUTER

Otter pups are no exception. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a new sea otter pup named Kit. She is being taken care of by her surrogate mother, Maggie. At least I think it's Maggie. They have 2 otters--one named Maggie and the other named Mae. So it's one of them that's taken on the roll of mom.

Kit was so fun to watch. She is incredible energetic as she darts back and forth in the water. It's really cute because she is super awkward on land and has a hard time moving about. At one point, the mom grabbed Kit and started rolling around with her under the water and when they surfaced, she threw her on her belly. Soooo fun to watch. If you can make it to the Aquarium, I really recommend it. You won't be disappointed.

Speaking of the Aquarium, they have some fun things coming up. There's the Hot Pink Flamingos exhibit that opens March 29th. Also, look for BLUE Ocean Film Festival in August. I hope to be able to attend, but I may not be in town.

Here's some other fun pics from my last visit to the Aquarium.

SPRING BREAK

Yes! We got through another semester. Another incredibly challenging semester, might I add. I thought last semester was rigorous, but in comparison to this semester, it felt like cereal for dinner. This 8 week period flew by more like it was 4 weeks and I admittedly developed some bad habits of eating packaged noodles for dinner and snacking on several cookies a day. Anyone who knows me knows what a cookie monster I am and with time becoming my most precious commodity, the cookie monster in me was unleashed with full force. We have until March 29th to recover and then we jump right into Zoological Illustration, Botanical Illustration, Applied Techniques in Color (continuation from last semester), and Interactivity Information Graphics. I can't wait for these next classes. Plants and animals??? Definitely!

Below are pics of my final projects:

CARIBBEAN SEA in GOUACHE

"Caribbean" is always one of those words that looks like it's spelled incorrectly to me. I think it's the double "b." It throws me off every time. This piece was our Color Final.

TROMPE L'OEIL in GOUACHE

Trompe l'oeil means to fool the eye in French. I chose cartography as my subject. I wanted to keep it very simple and really showcase each object.

ARTICLE

Our last final was to design and illustrate an already published article. How fortunate for me that my boyfriend is a journalist. I chose an article he did about his experience with surfer's ear.

So there you have it. Another peek into a semester of my life. I do have somewhat of a life outside of school and will catch everyone up with many long overdue entries. I will be posting them over the course of the week now that I have some time to relax. Have a great weekend!

ILLUSTRATING NATURE EXHIBIT May 8-June 5

I can't believe that we are so near the end of the school year! At the end of the year, the program always hosts an exhibit showcasing current student work. I am super honored and proud to be on the poster for this year's show. In addition, we will have a half page spread in ARTWORKS Magazine advertising the exhibition!

The show runs from May 8th - June 5th at the Pacific Grove Museum in Pacific Grove, CA. The opening reception is on May 7th from 5-7pm. I would love to see everyone there. For more details you can visit the program website HERE.

MAYBE ONE DAY

"Artist Karen Jacobsen travels by deep-sea submersible to the most inhospitable places on Earth to paint her subjects."

That about sums it up. She has one of my dream jobs and she is a graduate of this program - Class of '87. Ann, the director of this program sent us an article featuring her work and a traveling exhibition called "Beyond the Edge of the Sea." Right now it is up at the Pennsylvania State Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum through August. Below is a link to the article and her work.

ARTICLE
ARTWORK

Maybe one day that will be me!