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Quicklinks: Tuesday-Traditional/General | Tuesday-Digital | Wednesday- Traditional/General | Wednesday-Digital | Bird Songs in Music Recital | Banquet at Statler Hotel | Printer Friendly Version | Core Conference Chart (PDF) | CEU Credits TUESDAY, JULY 22 TRADITIONAL/GENERAL . |
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| Paleo Short Talks | 9 am–Noon Eight artists share their experiences in the specialized world of paleontological art in short presentations, listed below, with time for feedback. Mary Parrish, Marlene Donnelly, and Marjorie Leggitt will share a session on Paleobotany. Britt Griswold and Diana Marques will give a joint presentation, as will Chrisitina Louise Marent with Terryl Whitlatch. Mark Klingler will share a museum story, and Mary Parrish will provide a brief session welcome address before her talk. . |
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| Paleobotany | Tuesday, July 22, 9:00–10:00 am Drawing 75 Miles of Coal: Reconstructing an In Situ Carboniferous Forest Mary Parrish Reconstructing a paleoenvironment is a complex and time consuming process, however it is a valuable way to communicate paleobiological findings to scientists and the general public. Painting a realistic scene is difficult even when copying directly from nature, but preparing a scientifically accurate scene using only fragmentary fossil material, the scientific literature, and one or more scientist's (possibly contradictory) verbal descriptions, greatly increase the artist's challenge. In Spring 2008, Mary began a reconstruction of a 300 million year old |
 Early Devonian Twilight, Mary Parrish |
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| Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) forest (Springfield coal) preserved in 5 mines stretched out over a 120 km area in Illinois, USA with scientist Bill DiMichele. This represents the largest single in situ forest known in the Paleozoic fossil record. It can be reconstructed at multiple scales, with views ranging from "on the ground" (showing many details of the fossil plants), to what this might look like from an altitude of 3500 m. In so doing the degree of peculiarity, when compared to a modern tropical wetland forest, varies from very different (close up) to much the same (far away). Rather than an idealized family portrait, the illustration was designed to portray accurately patterns of plant distribution and sedimentological conditions of the original vegetation. . |
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| Structural Engineering and Elusive Lighting in the Reconstruction of Late Triassic and Early Jurassic Landscapes from East Greenland Marlene Hill Donnelly Reconstructing a convincing prehistoric landscape melds apparently disparate elements; some approaches are founded on engineering equations while others depend on subtle nuances of personal observation. In a new Early Jurassic Greenland landscape reconstruction for Jennifer McElwain (University College Dublin) both of these avenues were expanded. Where possible, the reconstruction of a fossil taxon may be strongly supported with reference to a related extant species. Where no such living plant exists, visualization |
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| and imagination are not enough; models must be created by applying engineering principles such as modulus of elasticity, bending moment and section modulus to determine the form and attitude of a fossil leaf with a reasonable degree of reliability. Additionally, in-depth fieldstudy of living analogue ecosystems is vital to both accuracy and artistic authenticity. During reconstructions, the opinions among the team of scientists regarding issues such as sedimentology, hydrology etc. often vary and may change with new data. The artist must have a working knowledge of a broad range of possible habitats in order to adjust without serious loss of time. Nuances of lighting and atmospheric conditions that consistently evade the camera must be studied in the field. |  Jurassic Ginkgoites, Transparent Gouache, 2008 Marlene Hill Donnelly . |
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| Fossils, Models, and Ingenuity: The Illustrated Reconstruction of Cobbania corrugata Marjorie Leggitt A fossil excavation provides a paleobotanist with a mélange (jumble) of incomplete, predominately 2D fragments and artifacts of a large, more complex prehistoric plant world. The task is to bring this world back to life. Arriving at a reconstructed 3D illustrated model of an extinct plant involves the iterative collaboration of a paleobotanist-artist team. The challenge we face is matching ancient flora to known fossil species or to modern species, or to use ingenuity to reconstruct the unknown. This paper describes the general challenges associated with reconstructing ancient flora, the collaboration between 3 scientists (Ruth A. Stockey, Gar W. Rothwell, and Kirk R. Johnson) and an artist (Marjorie Leggitt), and the detailed process of recreating Cobbania corrugata originally described as Pistia corrugata Lesquereux (1876, 1878); the results of this collaboration were published in the January 2007 issue of the American Journal of Botany. The processes described include: the examination of and accurate tracings of the fossil record, articulated reconstruction of the impression fossils, comparative analysis with modern plant relatives, rendering of specimen leaf material, fabrication of virtual and tangible (paper and wire or clay) models, construction of linear schematics showing floral architecture and phyllotaxy, application of traditional and not so traditional artistic methods, fleshing out and finalizing adaxial and side view illustrations, and the completion of an in situ color depiction. Back to Top . |
 .  . Top Image: Cobbania corrugata and Ornithomimus, Photoshop, 2006; Above: Cobbania corrugata-adaxial and side views, Pen and Ink, 2006; Reconstructions by Marjorie Leggitt (click the lower graphic for an enlarged view) |
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| Paleo Reconstruction | Tuesday, July 22, 10:00–11:00 am Christina's talk will cover initial points on reconstruction, and Terryl will follow up with supporting information, to include depicting the execution of actual ancient species reconstruction, and using those same principles to create viable imaginary species: . Movement of Form in Space Christina L. Marent I have always found that being able to imagine and render the movement of form in space to be one of the most fascinating and enjoyable aspects of illustration. While many of these form conception challenges can be solved today through a myriad of software choices such as Maya and other three-dimensional programs, a solid understanding of the form conception and rotation techniques employed by the Old Masters is not only an invaluable resource, but also an advantage to any illustrator today. . Paleo Reconstruction and Creature Design Terryl Whitlatch I have found and believe that the most accurate way to portray animals and creatures, whether living, prehistoric, alien, or fanciful realistically and convincingly, and thence to character and caricature, is through close study of anatomy and the natural world around us. Thus, in order to portray the imagined, or prehistoric, demands a life-long and dedicated scrutiny of actual species and biological systems. Paleontological Reconstructive Illustration presents an ideal bridge between what we can observe now and an utterly imagined alien species. . |
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| Ocean Hall—A View from the Trenches Diana Marques and Britt Griswold Tuesday, July 22, 11:00–11:30 am The Smithsonian's Ocean Hall—scheduled to open September 2008—has been under preparation for five years and will be the museum's newest permanent exhibition. Covering a lot of territory, it starts with the prehistoric and will take the visitor on an underwater journey full of surprises. Diana Marques and Britt Griswold discuss their contributions to the images and graphics, which started with low-tech traditional tools to create images that need high tech processing into glass signs and video games! |
 .Ammonite, Britt Griswold, 2008 . |
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| Museum Stories: A Reconstruction Opportunity I Didn't 'Wanna Miss Mark Klingler Tuesday, July 22, 11:30–Noon Around lunchtime one day at work, Mark was approached by a museum scientist with a request to produce an image for the cover of a noted journal. The scientist had been notified that his was the feature article for an upcoming issue, and he was given the opportunity to provide an image for the cover. The catch: The scientist was leaving within minutes to go into the field, and Mark only had two hours to get a handle on the project before the scientist left town. With only three weeks to publication—two when the scientist wasn't around—the reconstruction of the skeleton of Lower Permian Orobates pabsti made the cut and appeared on the cover of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology in September 2007. Back to Top . |
. Lower Permian diadectomorph, related trackway. Watercolor/Colored Pencil, digitally edited in Photoshop, Mark A. Klingler, 2007 |
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| The World’s Grossest Pelican (850-feet from Bill to Tail) John Cody Tuesday, July 22, 9–10 am Say your boss required you to produce a drawing of a spider 138 feet long next to one of a pelican 850 feet long—wouldn’t you resign on the spot? Suppose in a burst of grandiosity you agreed to give it a try. And then he handed you your equipment: a garden spade and a scoop shovel and said "Go to it." Then he added, "I expect your sketches to be in pristine condition after 2000 years minimum." To sweeten the deal, and by way of a bonus, he will forego the pleasure of hanging you by the neck until dead provided you do a satisfactory job. And you probably think your boss is picky! Well, the above is what confronted some soon-to-be- overachieving artist in Nasca, Peru 20 millenia ago. Last August, John Cody went to Peru to view these so called Nasca Lines for himself and found them to be still holding up after all the centuries. He will show slides and discuss these "geoglyphs," first discovered only in 1920. He will review the explanations offered since by various scientists and crack-pots (some plausible and some truly off the wall) as to their purpose and how the monumental assignment was accomplished. . |
 The Famous "Cathedral" formation, Nasca, Peru, Photograph, John Cody, 2007 . |
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| Business Planning for the Creative Free-Lancer or 'What do artists wear under their Business Suits?' Paul Mirocha Tuesday, July 22, 9–10 am As illustrators, we want to make our living doing meaningful work: that which we love and do best. But, the business skills required to make this happen are often lacking in the artistic personality. Worse, many of the ideas we absorb from society about living as an artist, and even what we learned in art school turn out to be wrong. Because of this, we may have a difficult time thinking of ourselves as an "Owner of a Creative Business." Yet, success is possible simply by applying the same creative principles to your life as you to do your artwork. And there are many tools out there that can be applied to creating your own business model. This is a slide presentation. Discussion will follow. . |
 Lady Bug, Paul Mirocha . |
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| Birds Portrayed in Art and Illustration Alan Singer Tuesday, July 22, 10–11 am A short historical view of birds as they appear in art and illustration with consideration of artists' methods. This is a brief tour through the use of some key images by great artists of the past and present. Back to Top |
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| The State Bird and Flower of New York State, Watercolor and Gouache, Alan Singer, 1982 |
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| Color for the Natural Science Illustrator: A Mini-Workshop Marlene Hill Donnelly Tuesday, July 22, 10–Noon In this his hands-on mini-workshop create reference charts of both the precise brilliant colors necessary for the accurate depiction of flowers, birds and insects, and of specific "complement ranges" for subtly colorful neutrals to create shadows both beautiful and accurate. We will make quick color studies from specimens to accompany the charts. Students should bring their usual pan watercolor set, brushes and some paper. The instructor will provide specialty colors, pre-made charts on good paper, some loaner brushes and some paper for sale at cost. . |
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| Copyright, Online and Intellectual Property Laws Affecting the Visual Arts Guy Krogh Tuesday, July 22, 11 am–Noon The presentation will focus upon beginning level and intermediate legal issues surrounding rights in artworks and related works of authorship. Pertinent issues and areas of law addressed include copyright laws, how to file for copyrights, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, digital and reproduction copyrights in the online world, copyright licensing issues, the work-for-hire doctrine and applicable rules, and the limits of copyright laws. Forms and real life examples in a lecture and Q&A format highlight the application of complex laws and regulations to real world situations likely encountered by artists and authors in promoting and protecting their works. . |
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| Trees & Shrubs in Medieval Manuscripts Carol Rogalski Tuesday, July 22, 11 am–Noon Are you "Green:" fascinated by trees and the natural world…or "Brown:" calculating the market price and board feet in a sixteeninch diameter ten foot log? Does your spirit soar when you are inspired? Does your work spring from a source that goes unnamed? Are beauty, imagination and scientific accuracy in conflict? Carol traces the evolution of artistic forms of trees and bushes over 1,000 years. Observe both stability and transformation of tree images in illuminated manuscripts of western Europe, consider artists' inspiration sources and the interplay among those working in various media, ivory, masonry, or tapestry. . |
 Illumination: Peony, Carol Jean Rogalski, 2006 |
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| Beauty and the Geek: Contemporary Artists & the Natural Sciences Diane Matyas Tuesday, July 22, 1–2 pm Diane Matyas will present a talk focused on contemporary artists who look to natural science collections for inspiration and content in their work. Matyas will introduce several artist’s work and discuss aesthetic, political, and social reasons for choosing nature imagery today and the trend toward realism in art. Ms. Matyas is both an Artist and the Program and Exhibition Director at the Staten Island Museum, the last interdisciplinary (Art, History, Natural Science) museum in New York City: http://www.statenislandmuseum.org. The museum typically looks for artists who have a strong sense of connection to the world around them, and often collaborates with artists by making collection objects available for reference. Back to Top . |
 Barbary Ape, Lithograph on Rives BFK, Diane Matyas, 2004 . |
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| A History of Egg Tempera Karen Ackoff Tuesday, July 22, 1–2 pm Egg tempera is an ancient medium, used by Egyptians and Greeks, and later perfected by icon painters in the latter part of the Byzantine period. Egg tempera flourished in the hands of Renaissance painters, but was gradually replaced by oils. Traditional tempera painting is a painstaking process. Supports are generally smooth surfaces, such as wood, plaster, paper, and vellum. Egg tempera has diverse transparent and opaque effects. Because tempera dries quickly, shaded modeling is obtained by crosshatching with fine brush strokes. Egg tempera can be used alone or can be used to underpaint for oils. This presentation will look at approaches to preparing egg tempera paint and grounds, and will examine technique. Paintings by a variety of artists will be shown. . |
 Study of American Robin's Egg, Egg Tempura, Karen Ackoff, 1999 . |
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| Icons or Landfill? The Fate of Classic Wildlife Dioramas Gary Hoyle Tuesday, July 22, 2–3 pm Early examples of wildlife dioramas are disappearing at an alarming rate as Natural History Museums "upgrade" to more interactive exhibits. This is happening at a time when art historians are discovering the importance of these art forms in the history of wildlife art and their pivotal role in the development of America's environmental ethic. Museum administrators are often adamant that a natural history museum is not a museum of art or modern culture. But the problem is natural history museums that do their jobs well affect the culture and eventually become cultural icons. Gary Hoyle found himself in the middle of this issue and explains his involvement in the first relocation of four permanently installed, large-scale dioramas that were created in the 1950s. . |
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| Colored Ink in Art and Illustration Suzanne Wegener Tuesday, July 22, 3–4 pm Colored ink is a versatile and forgiving medium. It can be used both with traditional pen & ink techniques or subtle washes highlighted with dry brush detail. It can be worked wet on wet for a mingling of brilliant color or toned down to an earthy palette. We will explore different types of ink and papers suitable for working with this medium. Back to Top |
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Acacia Pod, |
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| Drawing Skills: Sectional Contours by Hand Clara Richardson Tuesday, July 22, 3–4 pm Learn to let your pencil find and indicate the 3 dimensional shape of any object, from a radish to a (stationary) human figure. In this hands-on lecture I will demonstrate a simple but organized way to look at an object and record what you see. Employing axial and cross-sectional contours, it produces surprisingly fast results. While there are no "new" methods of drawing under the sun, there can be a clear understanding of this one and a realization that it works. Furthermore, incorporating its understanding has helped my finished illustrations by making me more aware of how to subtly bend a line to best indicate shape. |
 Radish Contours, Pencil and Photoshop, Clara L. Richardson, 2008 . |
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| Quantum Color Theory and Mechanics: Molecular Plant Pigment Absorption/ Reflection Wavelengths and Mathematical Hue Reconstruction as Applied to Botanical Illustration. Patricia Koemel Tuesday, July 22, 4 –5 pm A PowerPoint presentation and discussion on current research in color theory involving a primary plant pigment absorption wavelength of a particular species and applying a series of mathematical equations to the primary pigment absorption wavelength to derive the complement, split-complement, triad, and tetrad associated with that absorption wavelength in order to assist in the selection of color in the color pencil layering process to recreate an accurate hue of the plant specimen illustration. . |
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| The Science and Art of the Facial Reconstruction Process Gay Malin Tuesday, July 22, 4–5 pm Imagine being able to bring to life a representation of a person from a skull! Learn the history and process of facial reconstruction. Both tissue depth and anatomical methodologies will be covered. We will follow one facial reconstruction from start to finish. (NOTE: Attendance at this presentation is a pre-requisite for attendance in "The Science and Art of Facial Reconstruction Process" half day workshop.) . |
 Facial Reconstruction of "Pearl" Mixed-Media, Life-Size, Gay Malin, 1999 |
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| Making Science Fun with Interactive Exhibits Kathleen R. Krafft Tuesday, July 22, 4–5 pm Imagine enabling hundreds of thousands of visitors of all ages to experience the joy of discovery, to allow family and school groups have fun together while exploring the intriguing science and math that make up our world. The Sciencenter, a hands-on museum in Ithaca, NY does that locally with very interactive exhibits and programs, and nationally with traveling exhibitions that are hosted by museums of all sizes, all over the country–even Epcot Center. Come find out what makes a great exhibiteverything from an inviting appearance, to manipulative components that allow for easy exploration, to graphic signs and illustrations that help guide visitors, inspire them, and explain a bit about the science involved. . |
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TUESDAY-DIGITAL TECHNIQUES | Back to Top |
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| 3D Effects in Adobe Illustrator Jim Perkins Tuesday, July 22, 9–10 am Adobe Illustrator is a great program for creating charts, schematics, and simple graphics with flat color fills. However, it also includes features that can be used to create stunning 3D effects. Learn to "push the limits" of Illustrator and create the illusion of 3D using gradients, object blends, the gradient mesh tool, and the new 3D Effect command. Assumes a basic working knowledge of Illustrator. |
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| Anatomy of the Eye, Adobe Illustrator, Jim Perkins |
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| Making Giclée Prints Stan Bowman Tuesday, July 22, 10–11 am Perhaps the first question one might ask is "What is a Giclée Print anyway?" A Giclée is an ART QUALITY PRINT. It is an exceptionally high quality ink jet print made on a high end professional printer as opposed to prints made on ordinary home desktop printers. Materials and inks used are of superb quality and intended to achieve both stunning appearance and excellent display life. The process of making these prints is very demanding because on one hand it requires high quality professional printers, often wide format, and a highly skilled professional who has great knowledge and experience with graphics program, color management, and a highly trained eye. Often times these persons may be artists themselves who can bring the artist's eye to creating outstanding prints. . |
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| Art Print Production–the Virtual Way Britt Griswold Tuesday, July 22, 1–2 pm What does it take to be prepared to respond to the public once you open an on-line portfolio? Science-Art.com makes the process of having an on-line presence easy and affordable, with class. One of the most common questions an artist will receive is "I love this image, can I get a poster or print?" Now be ready to respond when customers come-a-calling. Britt discusses responding to web inquires, and will demonstrate the portfolio customizations/optimization available at Science-Art.com. Level: General. |
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| Science-Art.com, Britt Griswold |
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| Commemorating Chilies: Tales from the World of Stamp Design Steve Buchanan Tuesday, July 22, 1–2 pm Steve can tell some amusing (in retrospect) stories about trying to immortalize America's snakes and vegetables on postage stamps. Compared to ordinary working arrangements in most markets for scientific art, the artist's role in stamp design is much less well defined. Decisions about approach, design, format and content—from the most general direction to the tiniest detail—are diffused across such a large and complex organization that it's sometimes impossible to determine what is expected or desired, who is in charge...or even whether a decision has been made. Although it sometimes seems like bureaucratic chaos, the process reflects the extremely high public profile of the result, the range of interests wishing to influence it, and the diverse audiences for which it is intended. . |
 "Chilies" Stamp Design, Digital Painting, Steve Buchanan, 2005 |
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| The Ideal Digital Studio Panel Tuesday, July 22, 2–4 pm Britt Griswold, Frank Ippolito, Larry Lavendel and Rick Simonson will share their ideas on how to put together the ideal digital studio for funneling your creativity through the computer. There will be time for plenty of questions and answers. Back to Top . |
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| User Interface Design. What’s THAT? Lana Koepke Johnson Tuesday, July 22, 2–3 pm How do you decide if your website "works" for your audience? Can users easily interact with your content and the site navigation? Can they find what they are looking for? The goal of user interface design is to make the user's interaction as intuitive as possible and to help them complete their tasks. This presentation will discuss some guidelines to keep in mind as you develop your website that will benefit both your users (they will be able to easily and quickly find what they may be looking for) and you (happy users equal possible opportunities and sales). . |
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| Capturing Insects with Mouse and Microscope: My Own "Journey to the Ants" Margy C. Nelson, Ph.D. Tuesday, July 22, 2–3 pm Margy was approached by Bert Hölldobler, longtime collaborator with E.O. Wilson, in 2004, to illustrate a new book they were writing about ants: SuperOrganism. She happily accepted, thinking it would make a good summer project…last fall (2007), the project was done. A long and exciting journey, she learned an immense amount about ants. Along the way she experimented with producing illustrations on computer, still retaining some of the flavor of traditional entomological drawings. That search for a "traditional" computer style has led to a number of useful Adobe Illustrator tricks, which she will demonstrate and discuss, along with plenty of drawings of ants and other "crunchy" (as opposed to "squishy") creatures. . |
 Digital Illustration, Margy Nelson, Ph.D . |
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| How Adobe Acrobat Professional Can Make Your Life Easier in PDF (from proof to presentations) Deb Haines Tuesday, July 22, 3–5 pm Adobe Acrobat has been around since 1993. Come learn about the changes that have developed over the years and how it has changed with the development of the digital-Internet age. Adobe Acrobat Professional provides many tools that allow you to discuss your project with ease and with security. Whether a novice or an expert, this is an opportunity to share how others use this versatile and universal file format—PDF. Lecture/Presentation/Discussion format. . |
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 23 | Back to Top TRADITIONAL/GENERAL Lunch & Business Meeting: Noon–2 pm . |
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| Attitudes and Aesthetics in the Golden Age of Natural Science Illustration Scott Rawlins Wednesday, July 23, 9–10 am An examination of the aesthetics, techniques, and applications of 18th and 19th century natural science illustration, with an emphasis on artists who worked in colonial America, including John James Audubon, Mark Catesby, Susan Fenimore Cooper and Kate Furbish. . |
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| Inspiring the Next Generation: Bring Your Talent to School Melissa Mance-Coniglio Wednesday, July 23, 9–10 am Have you ever wondered what it would be like to inspire a room full of children with the secrets of your craft? Explore the possibilities of working with Elementary School Children through visiting artist programs, helping fund these special projects through grants and other sources, and learn about lessons that you can do. Featured at this discussion will be the presentation of a published wildlife reference book that was authored and illustrated by 4th grade students and compiled digitally by high school graphic design students. . |
 Cover Illustration, Presented by Melissa Mance-Coniglio |
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| Freelance Busines Panel Christi Sobel, Dolores Santoliquido, Jennifer Fairman, Elizabeth Morales Wednesday, July 23, 10–Noon Yes, it IS possible to make a living as a freelancer! Hear about how to do it from a group of members who have a lot of experience in the business of art, negotiating everything from contracts, to work for hire, artist's rights, legal issues, and much more. This will be a give and take time so come with questions and maybe even answers! Back to Top |
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| Lilac 'Sensation', Acrylic & Colored Pencil, Dolores R. Santoliquido |
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| Botanical Sculpture Victoria Fuller Wednesday, July 23, 10–11 am Crossing the boundaries between natural science illustration and fine art, Victoria created a 36 ft. high by 7½ foot wide large-scale bronze sculpture titled "Global Garden Shovel" for the city of Seattle. Both a garden and a shovel, Victoria cast and sculpted plants, trees, and flowers from all over the world, representing different world regions, which form the shape of the large garden shovel. This Powerpoint presentation will show her process, from initial sketches, gathering resource materials, creating the understructure, casting plants, creating wax replicas, working with a foundry, to the final bronze work. . |
 Victoria working on "Global Garden Shovel" Photo by Dean Burdusis |
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| Bats and Bears and Babies, Oh My! Paula DiSanto Bensadoun Wednesday, July 23, 11–Noon This is a Powerpoint presentation of images done in many media, from pen and ink to carbon dust to airbrush to gouache, watercolor and colored pencil and used in subjects ranging from anatomical studies and dissections to 3-D visualizations and story illustration. I will address the factors that dictated the choice of medium, illustrate the evolution of some images from start to finish and show how some traditionally created images were modified using digital methods. I will also share some thoughts regarding contracts and work for hire. |
 Salivary Glands of Desmodus rotundus murinus, Carbon Dust, Paula DiSanto Bensadoun . |
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| Earth Pattern: Depiction of Very Broad Landscapes Jay Hart Wednesday, July 23, 2–3 pm Digital mapping tools, and the availability of highly detailed spatial data, have improved to the degree that regions can effectively be accumulations of localities. A series of subtle graphical refinements render a view of landscape which is intuitive enough even for novice viewers to understand, and to satisfy their own individual curiosities. Issues of scale are transformed in a unique manner by recent gains in the precision and size of high quality inkjet printers. Results are useful as scientific reference, as pure aesthetic pieces, and as precursors for a less-symboled cartography. Back to Top . |
 Detail of "Far West"-Northeast Queen Charlotte Islands, Archival Inkjet Print, Jay Hart . |
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| Dinosaurs and Dead Wood: Bringing the Past to Life Barbara Page Wednesday, July 23, 2–3 pm How does a crazy idea grow into a permanent museum installation and a book? Serendipity. Curiosity. Obsession. Barbara documents the evolution and aftermath of Rock of Ages, Sands of Time, a series of paintings serving as a visual metaphor for an immense period of time—an eon. It spans the 544 million years between the emergence of visible life on this planet and the present; each of 544 panels representing the passage of a million years. Fossil flora and fauna make their appearance in chronological order, and all organisms are depicted at true scale. There will be an opportunity to visit The Museum of the Earth in Ithaca to see the installation, with further discussion of technique and imagery. . |
 A Panel from Rock of Ages, Sands of Time, Barbara Page . |
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| A Glimpse into the Life, Work, and Letters of Louis Agassiz Fuertes from the Perspective of a Granddaughter Katy Payne Wednesday, July 23, 2–3 pm Illustrated with slides of his paintings and sketches and readings from his expedition letters, this informal talk will present a granddaughter’s impressions of Louis Agassiz Fuertes—one of the greatest painters of birds of all time, and a much beloved member of the Ithaca community in the early decades of the last century. . |
 Great Blue Heron, Louis Agassiz Fuertes . |
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| Be Kind to Your Back (Neck, Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist…): Art & Ergonomics Kathy Schlough, PT and Henrike Burton, OTR Wednesday, July 23, 3–4 pm We all put in many hours of loving labor into our artwork and often we remain in one position for extended periods. Have you ever had neck cramps, back aches, shoulder problems, wrist problems (and the list goes on) resulting from poor positioning while you work? This presentation is intended to give you some tips on proper positioning, easy stretches and guidelines for good body mechanics and ergonomics to help prevent those aches and pains and maybe even improve your artwork. The presenters are a physical therapist and occupational therapist who are also artists. Back to Top . |
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| A Dream Come True: Illustrating The Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City Mark A. Klingler Wednesday, July 23, 3–4 pm The Field Guide to the Natural World of New York City (Leslie Day, author; Mayor Michael Bloomberg, foreword), published in November 2007 by Johns Hopkins University Press, includes over 130 watercolor/colored pencil images of species commonly found in New York City created by Mark Klingler. One of the most popular books ever published by Johns Hopkins, the Field Guide was produced in cooperation with the Parks Department of New York City to complement their educational outreach and conservation programs. Mark will discuss the two-year production whirlwind of sketches, field research, final image execution and digital cleanup for press of the one hundred full-color plates representing just a handful of the critters of New York City and the Northeast. . |
 Peregrine Falcon, Water color and color pencil on lanquerell, Mark A. Klingler, 2006 |
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| Fruit Morphology Dick Rauh Wednesday, July 23, 3–4 pm No matter how you render the final product, knowing some of the basic botany behind fruits is a must. We will learn how fruits fit into the life cycle of flowering plants, take a close look at various types and the vocabulary describing them so we can be specific when we communicate with scientists and the rest of the world, as well as sampling some of the more succulent varieties. . |
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WEDNESDAY-DIGITAL TECHNIQUES | Back to Top . |
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| Digital Watercolor Wash Technique Using Adobe Photoshop Jennifer Fairman, CMI Wednesday, July 23, 9–10 am This digital illustration technique class shows use of traditional painting principles as well as the computer. This slide presentation/demonstration on digital techniques using Adobe Photoshop starts with a high quality sketch and goes through scan, transfer, clean-up, colorization, layer, blur, speckle and more, to the finished product, using a technique that Jennifer uses almost daily. |
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| Systems of Pneumococcal Infection, Digital Illustration, Jennifer Fairman |
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| iWeb—Websites Made Easy! Rick Simonson Wednesday, July 23, 9–10 am Do you want to show your professional work to the world on the web but you don’t want to take the time and effort required to learn a complex web design program? Do you want to not only be able to design your own website but also modify and update it yourself at any time? In this lecture, Rick will show you how to use iWeb. iWeb is a powerful and flexible, yet easy to use, website design program. Your website will be up and running in no time! . |
 iWeb Screenshot, Rick Simonson, 2008 . |
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| GIS (Geographic Information Systems) for Illustrators: An Overview of Internet Mapping Resources Stacy Hoppen Wednesday, July 23, 10–11 am Do you occasionally need to produce a base map for an area of interest, but not often enough to justify the purchase of software or data sets? The Internet provides a wealth of mapping information which can be used as a source of reference material for illustrations. This slideshow will provide an overview of on-line mapping resources, much of it free, and available to anyone with an Internet connection. Many are familiar with MapQuest or Google Earth, but there are also mapping resources through government agencies and other organizations that provide free imagery, datasets, and simple software. Handouts provided with links and other information on how to access mapping resources. . |
 GIS for Illustrators, Photo by Stacy Hoppen |
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| Choosing a Digital Camera & Lens(es) David Watkins Wednesday, July 23, 10–11 am If you've spent your career using traditional film based camera equipment, the switch to a digital environment can be a bit confusing. This lecture/demonstration will help the beginner or advanced photographer interested in making the adjustment from film based tools to digital evaluate the myriad options. A variety of equipment and some techniques will be demonstrated as well as some of the best places to find digital equipment. Back to Top . |
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| Creating Successful Macro Images Mark Malkin Wednesday, July 23, 11–Noon A good photograph is not unlike a Haiku: it should record the essence of a keenly perceived moment. To be an art photograph rather than a documentary photograph the image must include elements that would not have been present if the same subject was photographed by another. The photograph then becomes a unique expression of the photographer. I will discuss the various techniques used to create professional quality publishable photographs of subjects in our small world. Our discussion will include equipment choices and use, artistic elements, and how to think as both a photographer and as an artist to combine the scientific and creative elements to form a successful image. . |
 Bronze Copper Butterfly, Mark Malkin, 2005 |
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| The Encyclopedia of Life: A Digital Page for Every Species and Connections between Science Illustration and Biodiversity Tamara Clark Wednesday, July 23, 11–Noon The Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) was the brainchild of Edward O. Wilson, presented as a concept at last year's Technology, Engineering and Design (TED) Conference in 2007. Comprehensive, collaborative, ever-growing, and personalized, the Encyclopedia of Life is an ecosystem of web sites that makes all key information about life on Earth accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world. Over the past year, cornerstone museums, institutions and funding sources have come together to make Wilson's vision a reality. This presentation will overview the EOL, discuss what it could mean for biology in general and outline its potential for connecting art and science on the web. One planned component is to include artistic representations of life on earth. . |
 EOL Logo provided by Tamara Clark |
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| Illustrator—Photoshop Synergy Rick Simonson Wednesday, July 23, 2–3 pm Illustrator and Photoshop are two of the most extensively used programs for digital illustration. Both programs are great for creating artwork, but they achieve this common goal in very different ways. Photoshop is commonly referred to as a raster-graphic or "painting" program, while Illustrator is considered a vector-graphic or "drawing" program. As a result, each application has its own strengths and weaknesses. In this lecture, you will learn how to 1) capitalize on the strengths of each program, and 2) use these two graphics tools together in complimentary and dynamic ways. Back to Top . |
 Eyed-Click Beetle, Screenshot, Rick Simonson, 2008 . |
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| Introduction to an Easy Method For Creating Digital Illustrations Marie Metz Wednesday, July 23, 3–4 pm This overview of a step-by-step, easy to follow method for digital illustration uses Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop. Discover the advantages of the digital medium and how it provides easy and timely recovery from mistakes and creation of revisions. This presentation is a companion to the day-long workshop, "An Easy Method For Creating Digital Illustrations," which includes hands-on experience in the computer lab and the construction of your own digital illustration. |
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| Red Flea Beetle, Illustrator/Photoshop, J. Marie Metz, 2007 |
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| Bird Songs in Music Recital Carla Schmakel Wednesday, July 23, 5–6 pm | Barnes Hall, Cornell University For bird and piano lovers alike, a recital of music written for the instrument, using as themes notations of several species of native bird voices heard at Peterborough, New Hampshire and in the Sierra Mountains of California, by two American women composers. Other nature inspired music will be played. . |
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| Evening Event: Banquet Cornell University Statler Hotel | 6:30–9 pm We are planning for 6:30-7:00 appetizers and drinks; at 7:00 the banquet starts. The banquet will be held at the Statler Hotel banquet center, which is located on the beautiful Cornell Campus and is part of the renowned Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. |
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| Statler Hotel, Photo from Cornell University Web site |
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