Visualizing the Biological » Design http://www.micromacroart.com/blog Wed, 24 Mar 2010 02:51:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Inner Ear Earrings arrived! http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2010/03/inner-ear-earrings-arrived/ http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2010/03/inner-ear-earrings-arrived/#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:57:06 +0000 mreinke http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/?p=759 Very exciting today: I received the most recent order from Shapeways of the inner ear pendant/earrings.  After 2 other manufacture tests, I believe I’ve finally gotten both the size and other imperfections worked out.  The pendant (to be posted later) is actual size.  The earrings (below) are smaller, only for aesthetic reasons, but are still anatomically accurate representations of this fantastic piece of anatomy inside our heads.  The inner ear, with its semi-circular canals and cochlea allows us our sense of hearing and balance.

The material is stainless steel.  I have yet to bend or break them.

To be posted soon on etsy (tell your science – musician friends!):

Both the right and left vetibulocochlear (that's a mouthful!) apparatuses, in earring form

The backs of the vestibulocochlear earrings

]]> http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2010/03/inner-ear-earrings-arrived/feed/ 0 Portfolio update: Sarcomere Poster http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2010/01/portfolio-update-sarcomere-poster/ http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2010/01/portfolio-update-sarcomere-poster/#comments Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:09:11 +0000 mreinke http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/?p=731 Finished Sarcomere/Myofibril/Muscle poster added to the portfolio! Click on the image to see it in context:

Sarcomere: Architecture and Function

]]> http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2010/01/portfolio-update-sarcomere-poster/feed/ 0 Aria Painting http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/11/aria-painting/ http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/11/aria-painting/#comments Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:16:51 +0000 mreinke http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/?p=695 This has been done for awhile, but I’ve only recently scanned it and comped it together in Photoshop.  Occasionally I feel like breaking away from the whole medical subject area, or anything representational.  I’m really interested in relationships between music and visual arts and love the concept of Kandinsky’s art and the series of nocturnes by Whistler.  This painting ranks among my favorites: Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket.  There are more and less successful ways to do abstract paintings, and Whistler nails it in this one.

Moving on, below is a painting I’m calling “Aria”.  Fun with colors, composition, shapes, and movement!

aria_comp

]]> http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/11/aria-painting/feed/ 0 Updated Portfolio http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/05/updated-portfolio/ http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/05/updated-portfolio/#comments Wed, 13 May 2009 19:33:06 +0000 mreinke http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/?p=607 As per the end of the semester tradition, the online portfolio is now updated!

Here’s the preview — links to portfolio from these images:

Dynamics of Porcine Intestine

Dynamics of Porcine Intestine

Ventricular System - coronal view

Ventricular System - coronal view

Ventricular System - lateral view

Ventricular System - lateral view

Ligation of Ovarian Vessels during Porcine Ovariohysterectomy

Ligation of Ovarian Vessels during Porcine Ovariohysterectomy

Cesarean Section

Cesarean Section

]]> http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/05/updated-portfolio/feed/ 0 Cesarean Section Patient Education Brouchure http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/05/cesarean-section-patient-education-brouchure/ http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/05/cesarean-section-patient-education-brouchure/#comments Thu, 07 May 2009 12:26:05 +0000 mreinke http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/?p=584 Finished patient education brouchure is below!  Rather than target patients before they have a Cesarean section, this focuses on the post surgery healing process; most recievers of C-sections a) need unplanned operations and wouldn’t have time to read details in a pamphlet or b) have already had a Cesarean section and know the ropes.

Media: pencil, pen, Photoshop, Painter, Indesign

It’s constructed as a typical tri-fold brouchure — below are both the inside and outside of it.

Inside pages

Inside pages

outside pages

Outside pages

]]> http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/05/cesarean-section-patient-education-brouchure/feed/ 0 Circuit of Papez http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/05/circuit-of-papez/ http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/05/circuit-of-papez/#comments Fri, 01 May 2009 21:12:01 +0000 mreinke http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/?p=562 Below: diagram showing the circuit of Papez.  This was a quick assignment – I think it’s useful to find out what you can pull off in one afternoon.

Physiologically, these pathways route through limbic system structures and are important in sustained emotional expression (i.e. “moods”).

Media: graphite, Photoshop

papez_comp_web2

]]> http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/05/circuit-of-papez/feed/ 0 Inspirational Image Friday: Jennifer McCurdy – porcelain http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/04/inspirational-image-friday-jennifer-mccurdy-porcelain/ http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/04/inspirational-image-friday-jennifer-mccurdy-porcelain/#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:23:35 +0000 mreinke http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/?p=501 I ran across these fabulous vases online by porcelain artist Jennifer McCurdy.  Living in Martha’s Vineyard, she is drawn and responds to patterns and cycles in nature, creating strong and dynamic forms from a fragile medium.

Wave Candle Vase #2 6x6x6 - Jennifer McCurdy

Wave Candle Vase #2 6x6x6 - Jennifer McCurdy

Flame Candle Vase #2 6x5x5

Flame Candle Vase #2 6x5x5

Jungle Leaf Vessel #1 10x12x12 - Jennifer McCurdy

Jungle Leaf Vessel #1 10x12x12 - Jennifer McCurdy

Lots more images to peruse in her gallery.

via IUP GRAD CRIT

]]> http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/04/inspirational-image-friday-jennifer-mccurdy-porcelain/feed/ 0 Inspirational Image Friday: Humans vs. Chimps http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/04/inspirational-image-friday-humans-vs-chimps/ http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/04/inspirational-image-friday-humans-vs-chimps/#comments Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:04:52 +0000 mreinke http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/?p=456 chimp-900

Humans vs. Chimps, © 2008 Ben Fry

This striking image was done by Ben Fry , showing how the FOXP2 gene differs in humans and chimps.  The entire image is made of the 75,000-some long gene; the red dots highlight the significant differences.  Great concept and design work!  In general Fry does a nice job of simply and cleanly, but effectively getting his message across. His background is in both the arts and programming; currently he is directing Seed Visualization and developing Processing.

Click the image for more information about it, and links to more of Fry’s works.

]]> http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/04/inspirational-image-friday-humans-vs-chimps/feed/ 0 The making of anatomical models http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/03/the-making-of-anatomical-models/ http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/03/the-making-of-anatomical-models/#comments Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:42:36 +0000 mreinke http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/?p=448 Check out this short Discovery Channel How It’s Made clip about anatomical models!  The material process is pretty interesting, although I’m not sure I envy the artist that traces veins, arteries, and nerves all day long.

via Bioephemera, Morbid Anatomy

see also this interesting Revealed blog post about anatomical models.

]]> http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/03/the-making-of-anatomical-models/feed/ 0 Ovarian artery ligation – colored http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/03/ovarian-artery-ligation-colored/ http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/03/ovarian-artery-ligation-colored/#comments Tue, 17 Mar 2009 12:59:45 +0000 mreinke http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/?p=437 Painter is my new favorite design software- it mimics traditional media much more accurately than Photoshop can! The point of this project was to base an illustration on an already inked surgery step. Here are the results, using mostly oil brush options.

Tying off of ovarian vessels

Tying off of ovarian vessels

]]> http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/03/ovarian-artery-ligation-colored/feed/ 0 Inspirational Image Friday: Materialecology http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/03/inspirational-image-friday-materialecology/ http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/03/inspirational-image-friday-materialecology/#comments Fri, 13 Mar 2009 12:36:02 +0000 mreinke http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/?p=430 Neri Oxman is a designer, researcher, architectect, and scientist who works at the crossroads of all these professions.  Primarily concerned with ‘materialecology’, she develops materials inspired by nature, and her creations are often as beautiful as they are practical or academically enlightening.  This statement from her website describes her mission:

“M A T E R I A L E C O L O G Y in design seeks to promote a synergetic approach to form-finding using integrated digital and physical processes. Through simulation and analysis, material performance may be evaluated and instrumentalized as a means for design generation. ”

More on Oxman:

Selected image:

nerioxman-materia2

Materialecology creation by Neri Oxman

]]> http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/03/inspirational-image-friday-materialecology/feed/ 0 Inspirational Image Friday: book covers! http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/03/inspirational-image-friday-book-covers/ http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/03/inspirational-image-friday-book-covers/#comments Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:38:44 +0000 mreinke http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/?p=409 Book cover design is a complex art to itself.  The illustrations, type and compositions can perfectly encompass all that a book is about, while begging you to open the cover.  Online is the Book Cover Archive, great for distractions and some inspiration for any kind of conceptually or editorially aimed work.  Book cover designs often break rules, but in a way that works – and in the superficially strict field of medical illustration, these examples can be a refreshing reminder of how to get away from the ordinary.

Screen shot from the site:

picture-3

]]> http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/03/inspirational-image-friday-book-covers/feed/ 0 2009 NSF International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/03/2009-nsf-international-science-engineering-visualization-challenge/ http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/03/2009-nsf-international-science-engineering-visualization-challenge/#comments Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:18:15 +0000 mreinke http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/?p=404 Everyone in the scientific and medical illustration committee should be aware of this fantastic contest, organized by the NSF.  Among the winners in 2008 were Drew Berry, Janet Iwasa, and Linda Nye.

Five different categories are currently open: Photography, Illustrations, Infomational Graphics, Interactive Media, and Non-interactive Media.

Submission is open as of February 2009 and the final deadline is September 15, 2009.  After all the judging, the winning entries are published in Science’s Feb. 19 2010 issue.

And of course, the site’s previous winners are fantastic to peruse and admire.

]]> http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/03/2009-nsf-international-science-engineering-visualization-challenge/feed/ 0 Designing as a means to an end http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/02/designing-as-a-means-to-an-end/ http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/02/designing-as-a-means-to-an-end/#comments Sun, 22 Feb 2009 01:05:25 +0000 mreinke http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/?p=374 Worth reading: an interview with Allan Chochinov on the AIGA site written by Steven Heller. They discuss the why of designing – the merits of smart, useful, & practical designs and the dangers of treating design only as an end in itself, instead of a means to an end. Chochinov believes passionately in the power of design, but not in much of what’s being created now. Instead of blindly designing packages or materials that will just be thrown away, he stresses responsible and sustainable designing, and discusses the concept of ‘anti design’.

Links:
Steven Heller
Core77 Blog

]]> http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/02/designing-as-a-means-to-an-end/feed/ 0 Infographic – omega fats and inflammation http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/02/infographic-omega-fats-and-inflammation/ http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/02/infographic-omega-fats-and-inflammation/#comments Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:52:45 +0000 mreinke http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/?p=342 Designed as if for Scientific American, per the project specs!  Pretty saturated for me, palette-wise, but it works overall.  Tweaks might happen to it before the end of the semester.

Inflammation Rivals: Omega 3 and Omega 6

Inflammation Rivals: Omega 3 and Omega 6

]]> http://www.micromacroart.com/blog/2009/02/infographic-omega-fats-and-inflammation/feed/ 0