Illustration books for medical illustrators, scientific illustrators,
and natural science illustrators

There are some very good books on the topics of scientific illustration and medical illustration. On the right are some of my favorite books in scientific illustration, medical illustration, typography and graphic design. On the left amazon.com shows their most popular books on the same subjects.

scientific illustration Books

Scientific Illustration: A Guide to Biological, Zoological, and Medical Rendering Techniques, Design, Printing, and Display I reach for this book when I need inspiration, when I want to reflect on my style and how it fits with the subject matter, and when I want to look at some pretty things.

The Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration This is THE reference book for scientific illustrators. It's expensive, but it's worth it. I put off buying this book for a long time, and finally decided it was worth it. It was! The new version is out, and the old version can be found on amazon (through the link above). It's a good book, so people are not selling it cheaply. The new book has several sections that the old one does not, and vice versa. It's worth having both if you can afford it. Otherwise, visit this book in the library.

 

~ biological illustration

A Handbook of Biological Illustration

This is a great (and inexpensive) introduction / guide to biological illustration.

 

~ botany illustration

How to Draw Plants: The Techniques of Botanical Illustration
This is a great (and inexpensive) botanical illustration guide.

 

~ typography

Designing with Type: A Basic Course in Typography by James Craig, William Bevington, Susan E. Meyer (Editor)

 

A Typographic Workbook, A Primer to History, Techniques, and Artistry
by Kate Chair

 

My favorite typography book is by Robin Williams (not the actor). She's a fabulous designer, and she is really good at breaking design concepts down to the basics, and then building them back up. Her typography book completely changed the way I look at type in the first five minutes! It's a reference book that I actually sat down and read from front to back like a novel, and then waited a few months and did it again.

~ business books

You will also need some business management books if you are going to freelance. You'll need a book on business and legal forms for illustrators and pricing (the GAG handbook).

 

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Linking information

Title: Medical Illustration
URL: http://biomedical-illustration.com
Description: Information for scientific illustrators, medical illustrators, graphic designers that specialize in medical content, and those who hire them.

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