Medical Illustration
By Shelby Clark
Medical illustrators are professional artists who have chosen medicine as the focus of their artistry. They combine their talents in graphic arts—drawing, modeling, computer-aided design—with a knowledge of science to record and interpret medical and biological information. They work with subjects as small as one-celled organisms and as large as earth’s largest creatures.
Typically, however, their “subject” is the human body, and in rendering it artistically, medical illustrators—like other artists—can employ a variety of styles and approaches. They can be “realistic” (in a detailed drawing of a human blood cell from a magnified slide, for example) or abstract (in a simplified drawing of the human digestive system or in the multilayers of muscle tissue).
The work of medical illustrators is everywhere: in textbooks, advertisements, journals and magazines, instructional films and programs for television, and in computer-aided learning programs for specialists and nonspecialists alike. Most medical illustrators work in two dimensions, drawing or painting their subjects. Some, however, work in three dimensions, creating teaching models or prosthetic devices for patients.
Nearly every illustration assignment requires some research. The artist may have to learn how to use medical instrumentation, dissect a cadaver, organize computer searches, or study complex medical articles.
Perhaps the most important prerequisite for a career in medical illustration is a sincere interest in both art and science. Because of the wide variety of assignments, medical illustrators must be accomplished in a range of art techniques, including drawing, painting, modeling, and graphic/computer arts. A strong foundation in the basic sciences allows the illustrator first to understand and later to conceptualize his or her subject. Most working medical illustrators have master’s degrees; currently, there are only five accredited master’s programs in the United States and one in Canada.
Career outlook
Many medical illustrators are employed in medical schools and large medical centers that have teaching and research programs. Others are employed by hospitals, clinics, dental schools, or schools of veterinary medicine. Still others are employed by textbook publishers, pharmaceutical companies, medical implement manufacturers, advertising agencies, physicians, and attorneys.
The employment outlook for medical illustrators is good. Since only a handful of colleges and universities offer master’s programs, there are relatively few medical illustrators entering the market each year. In addition, the medical research field continually reveals new treatments and technologies that require medical illustrations. Many medical illustrators work as freelancers.
Currently, the average starting salary for a graduate of an accredited school of medical illustration in an institutional setting is approximately $45,000 a year. Experienced illustrators earn annual salaries of between $45,000 and $75,000.
If you have a knack for drawing and an interest in the sciences or medicine, you should consider combining them in a career as a medical illustrator.
The information for this article was adapted from materials provided by the Association of Medical Illustrators, 245 1st Street, Suite 1800, Cambridge, MA 02142, 617-395-8186, www.ami.org.
