Medical illustration is a field where artists create visual materials for medical and scientific use. Medical illustrators use various methods, including hand-drawn diagrams and computer images. They require extensive training in science and art, and high school students should take courses in both. Medical illustrators work closely with medical professionals to produce art needed for medical research and new discoveries. The Association of Medical Illustrators promotes and advances the study and practice of medical illustration.
Medical illustration is a medical, scientific, and artistic field in which artists produce detailed visual materials for use in other medical or scientific fields. Medical illustrators use many methods to produce their illustrations, from hand-drawn diagrams to intricate computer images. For hundreds of years, people have produced medical illustrations to aid in the recording, practice, and dissemination of medicine and medical knowledge. Today, medical illustration appears in myriad places; textbooks, medical journals, instructional animations, computer programs, and medical conferences often include medical illustrations.
To do their job in medical illustration, medical illustrators must have extensive skills and training in science and art. In general, an artist would have difficulty reproducing something he or she did not understand, so a broad knowledge of science is needed to supplement the significant artistry requirements of the field. As such, the field of medical illustration is quite exclusive; only talented artists with a deep understanding of science tend to be successful in the field.
High school students intending to pursue a career in medical illustration are encouraged to take courses that focus on art and science. In college, students generally focus on art and biology. Art classes should focus on everything from color theory to painting to life drawing, and biology classes should be as rigorous as those required for a science major. Students are therefore typically required to seek a master’s degree in medical illustration. Very few schools have such programs, which include advanced classes in anatomy, art, and other related subjects, so entry into these masters programs is very competitive.
Medical illustrators tend to work closely with other medical professionals to produce exactly the types of medical art needed. This is especially true in experimental medicine and medical research, as new illustrations are needed to record and describe new discoveries. Medical illustrations, therefore, are commonly used to disseminate new discoveries in medicine and science. Diagrams, drawings and animations make how medical and biological systems work much easier for most people to understand.
The professional organization for medical illustrators is the Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI). It was founded in 1945 and incorporated in Illinois. The AMI has the function of promoting and advancing the study and practice of medical illustration. It also works to ensure that the importance of medical illustrators is understood by the rest of the medical community. AMI members operate in all areas of the medical illustration field, from current art production to education.
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