What is Medical Illustration?

Have you ever heard of this profession? Medical illustration is an incredibly cool career path that relatively few artists are aware of. Spend 20 minutes with me as I draw and paint the human brain and we'll discuss-

• What is Medical Illustration?
• How did I become a Medical Illustrator?
• Why did I eventually quit?

For more info about medical illustration, check out the awesome website of my alma mater Augusta University:

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PAINT YOUR WORLD
Hardy Fowler is a professional Digital Painter with work seen in productions for Disney, Games Workshop and Neon District among many others.

Hardy's online academy, Digital Painting Studio, teaches the master-level skills, process and mindset he's learned from decades of experience as a professional digital artist.

CONNECT

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#medical illustration #conceptart #digitalpainting #characterdesign #howtodraw #howtopaint #digitalart #arttutorial #learnconceptart #onlineartschool #digitalpaintingtutorial #digitalart #conceptarttutorial #conceptartcareer

[hannahb]

Thank you for sharing this! I have loved working in surgery for over 10 years and have also had a huge passion for art. I have had many people suggest this career to me and I honestly feel this would be a perfect marriage of medicine and art. I really wish there were more school locations for this specialty.

[HowTheNovelStarts]

This spoke to me. I’m in my 40s and in a career exploration phase, taking digital art courses to rekindle parts of me I abandoned in my early 20s when I went into media production (then worked in public broadcasting and later documentary film). I’m primarily a writer so I gravitate to the storytelling aspect, but I’ve always loved science. I’m now thinking about ideas like science communication and explainer animation. Channels like Ted-ED or Kurzgesagt are doing great work explaining big ideas with stylized technical information and also what might broadly be considered editorial illustration or infographics. So for those of us who would not have been one of those top 9 applicants, there are lots of interesting other options to explore (and I’m still thinking about my specific direction). I know it’s a bit outside your current focus, but would you consider expanding this conversation by talking to illustrators from NatGeo or similar? I love hearing about the paths people take, so I loved hearing your story. Thanks ;)

[rachelfrese]

Hey Hardy! I was in your Octo8 class last year and I have to say, every time you upload, it helps me not give up on taking the steps toward the art career I want. I'd been thinking about Medical Illustration for awhile in tandem with concept art so this video really struck a chord with me. Thanks for all of your amazing content!!!! You help keep me going on my art career.

[Shotooo]

I’m 17 currently trying to find my future career and currently taking medical classes. I was going to be a nurse practitioner or registered nurse but watching this video has changed my mind. I’ve always had problems with my future career and art since I love art and didn’t want to leave it behind but being a nurse would take up my time. My teacher had recently recommended me to being a medical illustrator and hadn’t thought much of it until I looked it up. This video has changed my mind completely and thank you I hope I’ll be able to be a medical illustrator in the future.

[FreakyForester]

Hi Hardy! This video was so great to hear. I'm also a medical illustrator and I'm working on a neurosurgery illustration at this very moment while watching the video. Your video really touched me because I feel like we are very similar in terms of our artistic journey and future goals. I've been struggling recently with trying to find a balance between my "professional" art and "personal" art, and your thoughts really resonated with me.

Also, just wanted to say it's really cool to see another graduate of MCG! I graduated from the same program in 2019, so I'm still pretty fresh in the field.

Thank you again for the awesome video!

[orlandoalvarez]

So cool! Your way of explaining and your skills are amazing. I have a doctorate in biology, I completely understand your scientific projections, and I apply science in my own projects for scientific illustrations. I feel I still have a lot to learn but I feel comfortable with my results. I will be visiting your channel more often from now on. Thank you very much. There is, however, many things that will benefit your audience and are hard to learn elsewhere, for example, when you select a line, how you change it colors?, levels of opacity, etc.

[toddlawrimore]

Beautiful work. Thank you for sharing some of your techniques.

[SHREYAGUPTA-mtxz]

Thank you hardy for such a clear opinion about the ins and outs of this field. I am a 49yr old medical doctor, radiologist by profession, but an art lover by hobby. I do conventional paintings using various media, but not know much about digital media. It's been my dream since long to become a medical illustrator, but I lack proper guidance. Watching your video today, I can see a ray of hope. Can you please guide me further?

[Daemonpool]

Oh woah! I was just watching your talk with Adam Duff and you mentioned doing this for 14 years! And now you uploaded this just in time for me to get a follow up to that story haha. Thanks for what you do- I’m definitely not skilled or passionate enough about medical illustration, but I’ve never had the point of view of someone who’s been in that specific field before.

Thanks again, see you in your next video sir.

[Jadenlavon]

Everything you put out is an eye opener for me!! I’m currently in the process of trying to convince my husband to allow me to attend your concept class!!

[weiyi]

really enjoyed it.. excellent work. I hope we can see more medical illustrations from you. if possible could you make a tutorial please 🙏 would really appreciate that.. I'm very interested in medical illustration but have no where to go to learn.. thank you!!!

[sakimisuki]

Very helpful video, thank you so much for making it! I’m actually in the process of applying to a medical illustration program, and so I wanted to get more information about this career. One thing I’m curious about is if you know any other branch of medical illustration besides legal art? I am interested in doing something related to ux/ui for medical educational purpose.

[jhankeytelesford]

Hi Hardy, I'm certainly intrigued about Medical Illustration, and would love some more resources and videos about it. I'm based in Canada, and I think there's only one Medical Illustration program here, at the University of Toronto. Your story is very inspiring, as UofT's program also has some strict entry requirements. Like you, I love Art, but also Science, and I have always struggled to find a way to combine the two. Thanks again for the video, and I do hope you make more on the topic.

[saibabag]

Thank you for the wonderful experience you have shared. How has medical illustration career evolved compared to when you started?

[anikaaguilar]

Hi Hardy! Thank you for the video, you helped me confirm once more that this is what I want to do. I am currently studying biology and doing art on the side. I’m on my second year of uni (got one year left) and I’m starting to consider reaching out for internships opportunities. Do you have any advice on this topic? Thank you I’m advance

[secretagentmandanV]

Hi Hardy, like Aaron, I just graduated from the georgia program. Boy do I wish I had seen your videos before getting into the program. Dunno if you heard about the news regarding Dr. Harrison? and Bill retired.

[animalgirl]

I love this, Hardy, thank you so much for sharing your perspective! I initially hoped to pursue concept art as a career, but since getting an internship designing characters for an game (as amazing as that is!), I've realized that I don't really prefer using my creativity to develop someone else's vision, and I might be happier just designing for my own personal projects.

I'm really interested in animal anatomy and think I'd appreciate the more technical side of medical illustration: do you think there's much opportunity for veterinary medical illustration, as opposed to just specializing in human anatomy (or do you know where those types of illustrators might be employed)? Also, just out of curiosity, how competitive would you say the field generally is in comparision to concept art? I'm sorry for the long comment, but I sincerely value all the information you've shared here, once more!

[mele.justice]

Watching this makes me want to go back to my first love ❤ (Biology)😅😅

[anupama]

Can a bds graduate be medical illustrator?

[avonleastudy]

Will AI takeover medical illustration jobs?