Graduate training programs for medical illustrators last two or three years. They must also show samples of their artwork.

Most schools of medical illustration require applicants to have bachelor's degrees and to have taken some courses in the biological sciences and in art. Freelance artists are self-employed and receive a fee for each project they complete.

Others work for museums and pharmaceutical companies. Some work for hospitals, universities, and research institutions, where they sometimes teach. Many medical illustrators are employed by commercial art studios that create illustrations for textbooks and other publications. However, many illustrators specialize in one branch of medicine, such as neurology, which includes the brain and the nervous system. The training of medical illustrators, which includes both art and science, is intended to give them a comprehensive knowledge of the human body and medical techniques. For sculpting or making models, they use clay, wax, plaster, wood, plastic, or metal. For illustrations, artists may use paint, pencil, ink, charcoal, and chalk. Sculptures and models show body parts and systems in three dimensions. Drawings, paintings, and prints, for example, simplify information and show relationships between body systems. Medical illustrators choose their techniques and media carefully because each illustration has a specific purpose. By studying these illustrations, medical students can learn about the body before they do laboratory work or treat patients. Reproduced by permission.)Д®ffective in showing the relationship of one body part to another. (В© Martha Tabor/Working Images Photographs. Medical illustrators make detailed drawings for textbooks and medical journals that are used by physicians and medical students. Artists are selective in what they draw, so their illustrations can be especially Medical illustrations are important to physicians and students because they show details of structures that are difficult to find in the actual body or in photographs. Their work may appear in television programs, films, and exhibits for court cases. In some cases they help to create artificial parts, such as ears or eyes, for patients who need them. Medical illustrators also build models of body parts for use in lectures or seminars. They may illustrate the steps surgeons take during operations or draw pictures of both healthy and diseased body parts to show the effects of illness. They make detailed drawings for textbooks and other publications used by physicians and students. Medical illustrators are artists who work in the field of medicine. Employment Outlook: Good Definition and Nature of the Work

Illustrator definition