Custom Natural History Illustration for Museums

An exhibit panel has a few seconds to catch a visitor and a few minutes to teach them something. I make natural history illustrations for museums, nature centers, parks and interpretive programs: species plates, habitat scenes, interpretive sign art, and reconstructions of places and people that can no longer be photographed.

I grew up on a rugged property in the South Carolina wetlands near the Pee Dee River, with no neighbors for 20 miles in any direction, and most of what I learned as a child came from watching the land around me. Good interpretive art gives visitors a little of that attention: it shows them what to notice.

Who this is for

• Natural history and science museums planning permanent galleries or temporary exhibits.
• Nature centers, botanical gardens, zoos and aquariums that need species identification panels and teaching graphics.
• Parks, wildlife refuges and land trusts with interpretive trails, overlooks and visitor centers.
• Archaeology and history museums that need scenes of daily life reconstructed from excavated evidence.
• Exhibit design firms looking for an illustrator who can work within their panel system, grid and fabrication specifications.

What I make

• Exhibit panel illustrations, from a single species portrait to a large habitat scene with many plants and animals in their correct places.
• Interpretive sign art for trails and overlooks, drawn to read at a glance outdoors, in changing light, from a few steps away.
• Species plates and identification panels, where consistent scale, pose and lighting let visitors compare similar species side by side.
• Reconstructions of extinct animals, past environments and archaeological scenes.
• Cutaways and process diagrams that open up what visitors cannot see: a burrow underground, the inside of a seed, a life cycle.
• Art for digital interactives, supplied in layers so it can be revealed step by step on a touchscreen or used on your website.

I work in graphite, pen and ink, watercolor and digital media. Graphite suits quiet, detailed reconstructions; watercolor and digital painting suit color habitat scenes and species plates. Panel work is usually finished digitally so it can be adjusted during exhibit design.

Reconstructions built on evidence

Reconstruction is the part of this work that needs the most care. Nobody can photograph an extinct animal or a household from centuries ago, so every element in the picture has to come from somewhere: a specimen, a published description, an artifact, an excavation record, or a judgment made by the curator or researcher. I keep a reference log for each reconstruction that notes where each detail came from. When something is uncertain, we decide together how to handle it, whether that means showing the most likely option, keeping a detail vague, or leaving it out. Docents and educators can use the same log to answer visitors' questions.

How I keep the science right

Research. I start with your interpretive plan and the research behind it, then read the primary sources for each subject. I note the features a specialist would check first.

Specimens and site visits. When the project and schedule allow, I draw from your collection or visit the habitat or site. Seeing the real thing in its setting gives proportions, colors and details that photographs miss. When a visit is not possible, I work from specimens, photographs and measurements you supply.

Consulting with your team. Curators and scientists review the drawing for accuracy. Educators review it for readability, because a correct image that visitors cannot read has not done its job.

Review rounds. The agreement sets the review rounds, typically at the sketch stage, at a color study and before final delivery.

How a commission works

1. Brief. You contact me with the exhibit topic, the number and size of panels, your audience, and the opening date.
2. Proposal and agreement. I send a proposed approach, schedule and quote. We agree on scope, review rounds and rights before work begins.
3. Research and references. I review your content, gather references and, where possible, visit the collection or site.
4. Sketches. Compositional sketches go to curators and the exhibit designer for content, layout and space for text.
5. Color study and test print. For color work I make a color study, and I recommend a test print at full size on the final material.
6. Final art and delivery. Final files go to your designer or fabricator at the agreed specifications, and I stay available to check proofs.

Files, formats and large-format print

Exhibit graphics are delivered at full panel size, at the resolution your fabricator specifies. Large panels seen from a distance often need less resolution at full size than a book page, while small labels need sharper art, so I confirm the specification first. I supply layered files that keep the illustration, labels and background separate, plus web and screen versions for your website or interactives. Outdoor sign materials can print colors differently from paper, so a proof on the actual material is worth the time.

Rights and licensing

Exhibit commissions are usually licensed for the exhibit and its related materials: the panels themselves, the exhibit catalog, education programs and the institution's website. If the exhibit may travel, or you are considering prints or merchandise, mention it at the brief stage so the license can cover it. Exclusive rights and buyouts are possible and are priced to match. I usually keep the copyright and the original art, and I may show finished work in my portfolio once the exhibit opens.

Frequently asked questions