What do you do as a medical illustrator?
Personally I work on a lot of 3D stuff — 3D modelling, 3D animating — for storyboarding and research and development. I’m freelance but other people might work in medical communications or design studios.
You’re usually illustrating anatomy. There’s already a lot of information on general organs and body systems. It tends to be more cellular or modes of actions on how drugs work in the body. It’s on a very micro-scale.
If it’s for a children’s book you don’t need as much detail but if its something like a teaching resource at a university you’ll need to put lots of detail into it and make sure all the parts are distinguished. 2D doesn’t take as long as a 3D model or animation. 3D can take between a month and five to six months.
What qualifications do you need for this role?
To be a medical illustrator you need to do an accredited course. There are master’s you can do at Glasgow, Dundee or with the Medical Artists’ Education Trust. You need an undergrad in either a science or arts subject and it‘s up to the course leader’s discretion whether you’d be a good fit.
For my A-levels I did biology, chemistry, fine art and photography. I went down the art route and did a foundation degree in art and design and then went on to do illustration at Falmouth University. I then did medical art at Dundee.
What was your path to your current role from uni to now?
I got an internship with a medical communications company called Amiculum. I was a designer but not specifically medical and was with them a year. My contract was coming to an end and I really wanted to work on more medical illustration and 3D stuff, so I decided to go freelance.
Other than formal qualifications, what do you need to do this job?
You have to be able to stomach a lot of the anatomy stuff — on courses you do human dissection!
It’s very fast-paced so you have to have drive and a passion for learning. Attention to detail, too. When you’re doing anatomy it has to be as accurate as you can get it, which takes a lot of research. You don’t want to put false information out there.
What's the most rewarding part of your job?
It’s definitely when I’m working on learning materials for other people. It’s wholesome producing something that helps someone else learn. I’m more enthusiastic about creating teaching materials than I am about just pretty pictures.
What's the most challenging part?
Definitely all the software — there are so many different ones to learn! There are always new trends, new softwares and new ways of doing things. You’ve got to stay ahead of the curve.
What's one thing you wish you knew when starting out?
It’s a good idea to find a mentor in medical illustration. A lot of the people I’ve met along the way have greatly influenced my journey, because it’s a really difficult one to get into, its not as well known.
