One of the creative habits I have set for myself at the beginning of 2021 is to spend time every day drawing or painting. And this watercolour and colour pencil illustration is the first result! Follow along for a little look behind the scenes of the making of this medical illustration.
1. Sketching the floral fetus drawing
Like most of my projects, this project started with a sketch. I used my favourite pencil, the Prismacolor Col-erase and sketched on printer paper. In 2020 I worked on some illustrations showing placenta previa for an e-learning module and I enjoyed (digitally) drawing fetuses so much that it was one of the first subjects that came to mind.
Once I had a a broad grasp on what I wanted to paint, I transfered the sketch onto watercolour paper and further refined it.
2. Watercolour layers of the floral fetus drawing
Once the sketch was refined enough, I started applying washes of watercolour. An impression of the process is shown in this little gif. For the entire timelapse of the watercolour part of the illustration, click here.
3. Colour pencil layers of the floral fetus drawing
After blocking in most of the shapes with watercolour, I further refined them and added in more detail using colour pencils. This is definitely the most lengthy part of the process, but also the most satisfying; everything comes together. Click here for a video of the process.
4. Making art prints
The final medical illustration was scanned in to be digitized. High quality A4 art prints were made of the illustration, which can be bought in my webshop. The print is made on A4 Canon Pro Premium Matte paper, which has a smooth texture with warm white tone for those extra special prints without the reflective sheen. This heavyweight paper has a high-quality rigid feel with excellent flatness. It is optimised for use with my printer, which is a Canon PIXMA Pro photo printer, and offers exceptional image quality and longevity. It has excellent fade resistance.
These prints of medical botanical illustrations are great addition to the (home) office, study, bedroom or living room of a doctor (to be), medical student, nurse or biologist. A great present to gift the medic in your life or yourself. And it makes for a wonderfully personal and unique gift for a baby shower too! Interested in buying a print? Click on the button below and it will take you to the webshop.
Curious to see more?
Click on the images below to have a look at more medical illustrations I worked on.
