Natural History illustrates its talent

Students studying Natural History Illustration have brought life to art and shown off their talent in a major project now on display at Maitland Regional Art Gallery. Insectosize opened on June 30 and covers a wall of the gallery with large scale drawings of insects with the clarity as if viewed under a microscope. It took 37 students just one day to paint the 60 individual sections that together replicate the insect world on a large scale.

The project required incredible attention to detail and scientific accuracy to visually reproduce the microscopic insects. Students drew on the techniques they’d learnt throughout the program and were assisted by Program Convenor and Senior Lecturer, Dr Trevor Weekes, who coordinated the entire project.

“It was a really good experience and the students enjoyed the workshop. We didn’t see the completed project in one piece until it all went up and the director of the Gallery was ecstatic with the final product” said Trevor.
Insectosize is one of nine PaperWorks exhibitions being featured at the Maitland Regional Art Gallery until August 19, 2012.

In further good news for the Natural History Illustration program, PhD student Andrew Howells has recently had his work published in the July/August issue of Australian Geographic. His detailed illustrations of Asian Elephants have formed a reference index for Body Condition Scoring, which will help scientists to visually assess the condition of captured Asian Elephants.

Andrew spent over three years studying and researching the elephants and has a keen interest in the science-based conservation of endangered species.

“I see my skills providing the opportunity to contribute to the development of functional resources for conservation efforts and in the promotion and communication of conservation causes,” he said.

Andrew is now in his first year of teaching Natural History Illustration full time at the University of Newcastle, with hopes to commence a number of research projects that have stemmed from the connections he has made during his PhD candidature.

For more information on Natural History Illustration, visit http://www.newcastle.edu.au/degrees/bachelor/natural-history-illustration.html