Bonnie Miljour talks about scientific illustration - Part 1 of 4

We interviewed Ms. Bonnie Miljour, Senior Scientific Illustrator at the Museum of Paleontology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Scientific illustration might be considered by those of our artists who take an interest in drawing things in nature and not necessarily cars and buildings. This is one profession that for someone with real talent and ability can break into with just their portfolio (bear in mind that everything in life takes a lot of hard work) and you don't necessarily need a four-year degree. The ability to draw, both in a traditional way (pencil, pen) and also electronically (computer-assisted), to be very detail-minded, and be able to work with scientists (who are also people) are major pre-requisites.

Part 1 -- Bonnie begins speaking about her profession and how she got started (even earlier than I started drawing!). She also discusses working with fossils (she has a T-Rex bone on her drawing table). Look for a picture of the Zinjanthropus boisei that Bonnie drew at the end of the video.
http://www.youtube.com/user/WoundedArtistProject#p/u/15/J6-PgT8eNoA

Part 2 -- Bonnie talks about bats (she owned one for a long time) and drawing techniques. Bat pics follow this segment.
http://www.youtube.com/user/WoundedArtistProject#p/u/13/EBtqybAOOJ4
Can you tell we filmed on a partly cloudy day outside?

Part 3 -- Bonnie walks us through her work with a microscope that is fitted with a camera lucida (very necessary equipment), a box of whale fossils that she is currently working on, and finally a computer project showing a (fossil) snake preparing to eat a dinosaur hatchling from a nest of dinosaur eggs. Look for pics of the tiny jaw and the dinosaur project.
http://www.youtube.com/user/WoundedArtistProject#p/u/12/LnaH96FcN2E
(Note that amateurs film and cut off the tops of peoples' heads.. it takes real talent to cut off the top of one's own nose! We sometimes have to film in pretty tight spaces and don't want to take the time out of our guests' schedules to create a real shooting set.)

Part 4 -- Bragging rights and a special, unexpected message after we thanked her for letting us come by.
http://www.youtube.com/user/WoundedArtistProject#p/u/12/Cp2MyH0IB10

Thanks again, Bonnie, and good luck in the future.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Bonnie Miljour
• ann arbor
• scientific illustration
• scientific illustrator
• t-rex bone
• prehistoric whale
• the wounded artist project
• dinosaur egg
• museum of paleontology
• general pencil
• 'university
• of
• michigan'
• 'Zinjanthropus
• boisei'
• 'museum
• artist'
• 'fossil
• bird
• leg'
• 'camera
• lucida'

[kennaile]

Thanks a bunch for all your videos. I really need more info concerning this noble profession. That is job availability. I really want to do this, but I have lived as a starving artist over the years, and would not want to experience that again. Please advise me if this a profession I can venture into. Thanks a lot.