Topics that teach the flora and fauna of your watershed
Help us make a living catalogue
Our Science Illustration Topics for each grade level
Pre K – A line is a dot that went for a walk. We practice straight lines, wiggly lines, sad lines, happy lines, splashy lines, careful lines, big circles, teeny circles, and we find that we like our own special lines.
Elementary –Become comfortable with your line as you learn how to see with the pen – native botanicals are paired with organisms as lines experiment with nature’s patterns.
Middle School – Science illustration techniques are introduced while studying living organisms of your local watershed. Line weight is explored where thick and thin expresses individual design.
High School – The history of the pen is explored. Every line is a good line – what inking tool speaks for you? Comic stylings are useful when applied to science. Cross hatching and tonal techniques are introduced.
Every line is a good line when you are studying living things.
Topics
Bugs and Blooms – Moths and Butterflies, Beetles and Rolypolys, are paired with native botanical studies. For this salon, you and your friends will playfully practice line, circle, patterns and geometry of the mini creatures of your own backyard.
See the Sea – Orca, Kelp, Jellyfish, and Nudibranchs come alive as we explore the expressive contours and curvy lines of these wondrous organisms.
Happy Wings (for the wee ones) –A dot becomes the eye of the bird, a V becomes a beak, and a circle becomes the body, but soon, lines come alive with wings in flight. We give our bird some conifer trees, a canopy for a safe place to perch. We sing the songs of the chickadee, the robin, the red winged blackbird, and the owl.
Our Forest – Canopy and Cradle – Forest birds need a canopy – Conifer needles and cone patterns are explored. Creatures of the forest floor need a cradle. Mystery mosses, mycelia, trilliums, and ferns help us create a healthy cradle for our forest creatures. We will study the animals of your choice to help us develop the online gallery for the Field Guide to the World.
Between the Tides – Oysters, urchins, sea stars, and kelp are expressive in their line diversity. Science Illustration techniques will bring them to life. The gulls and cormorants will be glad you did.
Ponds, Fens, Marshes and Bogs – What are the living things in your wetlands starting from the roots up? Ducks, frogs, turtles, fishes, dragonflies, and red winged blackbirds are the creatures wanting to be noticed and respected for their roles in the architecture of these innocent places. Good pens and paper are provided, and communities come together one line at a time to capture these living things for the Field Guide to the World online gallery. Drawings will be scanned on sight. Every line is a good line. When we are honoring the living things, there are no politics to divide us.
Symmetry in Science / Patterns of Renewal – Floral anatomy and the sacred geometry of our native plants inform the subject of study for this course. Students will use their own individual inking style as their image grows into a tutorial of beauty, expressing the authentic line personality of the artist. Border designs can become settings for quotes and poetry.
Wings Illuminated – Study the wing bone, draw the wing. The history of the pen, from the quill to the Sharpie will help you find an inking tool to sing for you. Participants will explore bird tutorials and find their inking rhythm. Each line is personal, but valid, reminding us that we are safe to make our mark when we are studying. A variety of wing forms are incorporated in our individual designs.
Mammals of the Underground – Chipmunks, moles, mountain beavers, and their cozy dens are accompanied by the “dirt darlings”, the decomposers. Roots of trees and their interconnected mycelia cradle the underground and can be found when we explore them with the pen. What lives under the ground in your watershed?
Birth, Life, Death, Repeat – Explore the life cycles of several different organisms. Integrate habitat creating patterns of renewal. Life comes from death.
Wild Cat, Wild Dog – Teeth, fur, and anatomy of movement tutorials will help us study these mysterious creatures. Practice cross hatching and other science illustration inking techniques.