Submission GuidelinesJoin requests are automatically approved Please submit to correct folders What is a scientific/natural history illustrator? Definition from the GNSI: "A natural science illustrator is an artist who works in the service of science, creating images of animals, objects and complex processes that teach, inform, and create understanding of our world" - In short, this group accepts semi-realistic to realistic artworks which convey subjects of natural science. Not permitted in this group: High fantasy, surreal or abstract art Cartoons (unless illustrated to a high degree of quality with an educational purpose) Original characters Fan-art (e.g. Jurassic Park) Photography (photos of sculptures/artworks permitted) Literature Domestic animals (unless for a scientific resource) Images that are not your own, e.g. re-post of someone else's art, or heavy plagiarism Poor image capture, e.g. too dark, inconsistent lighting, low resolution, lined paper, sketchbook spine visible (tip: scan your artworks, do not take photos with a smartphone) Low quality beginner drawings. This is not an elitist group, but many of our members are published illustrators and we wish to maintain a similarly high standard for all submissions Submissions must look like they would be appropriate and of sufficient quality for an educational publication We are more likely to accept artworks that have a clear scientific purpose, e.g. we prioritise diagrams over creative portraits If your submission was declined it was for one of these reasons. Please do not take offence, send me (oxpecker) a note if you want a more detailed breakdown of how submissions are evaluated. At the end of the day this is just one of many thousands of groups on DA. If our criteria are not to your liking then I invite you to consider submitting your work to some of the other great groups listed in our Affiliate widget. Media: All traditional and digital mediums allowed (including sculpture), just no photography or literature. Where can you study scientific illustration? A great number of illustrators are self-taught, however there are opportunities to acquire accredited training in this field. See below: • GNSI career information • GNSI list of teaching institutions • Free online course: Natural History Illustration 101 (runs twice yearly) About the group: This group was created after the two major scientific illustration groups on DA (BioIllustration and Bioscience) became inactive and no longer approved submissions. With collaboration between members this group could grow into a support network and resource list for scientific illustrators and host community events. If you would like to contribute to this effort please send us a note. |