Images above clockwise from top left © Linda Lubbersen, Karin Spijker, Mesa Schumacher, Laurie O’Keefe, & Lizzie Harper. All images courtesy of the artists.
In the world of commercial art, medical illustration is a specialized field. Within this field, however, there are a diverse range of different categories and disciplines: anatomy, cellular biology, botany, zoology, biotechnology, pharmacology, virology, and histology… The list is as inexhaustible as the field of science itself. With a series of special blogposts, we will celebrate several artists whose unique specializations help to cover this broad spectrum of subjects.
This week, Medical Illustration and Animation would like to highlight five talented medical illustrators working in the field of Zoology: Mesa Schumacher, Karin Spijker, Lizzie Harper, Laurie O’Keefe, and Linda Lubbersen
Principal artist Mesa Schumacher brings 15+ years of experience solving visual problems in science, and has worked in nearly every industry of science visualization. Mesa holds a science degree from Stanford, and a Masters in Medical and Biological Illustration from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and has published in many campaigns, books, and magazines. She is frequent contributor to National Geographic Magazine.
Karin Spijker graduated with a Master of Scientific Illustration and is currently a scientific and medical illustrator creating artwork with versatile techniques. She helps publishers create scientific and medical illustrations to tell their stories and impress audiences.
Lizzie Harper is a freelance botanical and natural history illustrator drawing and painting plants, animals, composite landscapes, and diagrams for publishers, environmental bodies, charities, and private individuals.
“I work in watercolor, pen & ink, and pencil. I’ve recently completed work on several field guides for the Field Studies Council (FSC) in the UK, and for “Life on Our Planet” by David Attenborough and for “The Tree Forager” by Adele Nozedar. I am currently working on illustrations for a guide to the wood ants of the UK. I exhibit from time to time, and also have a large data-base of my completed illustrations which are available for re-use by clients.”
Laurie O’Keefe has worked as an independent medical artist for more than two decades. Laurie is a Certified Medical Illustrator, specializing in biomedical illustrations that provide engaging and educational views of science and nature.
“I use traditional and digital methods to construct images for a variety of publishing formats, including textbooks, pharmaceutical product advertisement, museum and medical-legal exhibits.”
Studio Lindalu offers illustrations and graphic designs that convey information and visualize ideas in the fields of business, science and art. Studio Lindalu is founded by Linda Erzsébet Lubbersen, who holds a diploma in facial reconstruction and a Bachelor of Arts in Scientific Visualization from the Zürich Hochschule der Künste in Switzerland.
