Pig Heart
Medium: Carbon dust on cold-pressed illustration board
Date of Completion: September 2017
Supervisor: Dave Mazierski
About: A carbon dust render of a sliced pigs heart from observation. Click to enlarge.
ProCess work
1. Sketching from Observation
A sketch was created from observation of a real pig's heart. The sketch was reviewed by Dave Mazierski before moving forward.
Image: the pig heart specimen and initial sketch
2. Transferring the Sketch to a Cold-Pressed Board
A mirrored version of the sketch was photocopied and then traced directly on top using a carbon pencil. The tracing was then transferred to the cold-pressed illustration board.
3. Rendering the Heart
The heart was then rendered in carbon dust on the illustration board using the specimen for reference. Specular highlights were created using opaque white paint.
Image: a progress picture of the heart being rendered on the illustration board
4. Making Minor Adjustments in Photoshop
Based on feedback from the supervisor of the project and other students, edits to the shadows and highlights were made in Adobe Photoshop. The background and edges of the illustration were also cleaned up and made white.
5. Feedback and Revisions
Feedback was solicited from Dave Mazierski, other biomedical communicators, and students, and revisions were made to achieve the final piece (above).