ILLUSTRATION
THE ANATOMICAL RECORD COVER
FEBRUARY 2022 ISSUE
ABOUT
This illustration was inspired by an article discussing the microvascular anatomy of the non-lobulated liver of Xenopus laevis, or the African clawed frog, which were studied by scanning electron microscopy of vascular casts. It was published as the cover of the February issue of the Anatomical Record on January 12, 2022.
Client: The Anatomical Record
Format: Journal Cover
Software: Adobe Photoshop, Procreate
American Association for Anatomy. Microvascular anatomy of the non-lobulated liver of adult Xenopus laevis: A scanning electron microscopic study of vascular casts [cover]. The Anatomical Record. 2022, 305(12).
Research and Ideation
To begin this project, I skimmed through the different articles to get an idea of what they were discussing, did some of my own research, and spent a little time thinking about how I would represent each of these topics visually. I eventually selected the article that most inspired me. For this article, my first thought was to highlight the species being studied. Then, looking at the provided electron microscopy images, I thought about how vasculature is reminiscent of trees and vines. With that idea in mind, I decided to have the vasculature transition into the natural environment of the frog.
Sketches
Visual References
“Your cover is visually stunning, sophisticated, and anatomically interesting, and it will likely intrigue readers into wanting to read the journal.”
— Heather Smith