Frequently Asked Questions

What is medical illustration?

Medical illustration is a profession that integrates health science knowledge in a visually appealing manner with the purpose of engaging and educating the viewer. Medical illustrators have extensive knowledge of anatomy and pathology in addition to training in the visual arts. This expertise allows them to use their creative talent, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving abilities in order to communicate medical subjects to a variety of audiences. To name a few, medical illustrators serve to inform healthcare professionals, students, and patients about pathologies, drug interactions, and new medical procedures. Medical illustrations can be presented in a wide variety of formats including textbooks, posters, brochures, and journals. Thus, medical illustrations contribute significantly to the advancement of the healthcare field, impacting the quality of care and education.



Can't I just use images already made or photographs?

With novel techniques, discoveries, and research being made every day in the medical and healthcare field, new illustrations are usually needed to depict them. Previously-made images may be copyrighted. To avoid infringing someone else's copyright, it is ideal to use something new. They also may not fit your exact needs. Keri Leigh Biomedical Creations offers accurate, high-quality illustrations that are tailored to fit your needs and guaranteed to be original.



Why hire a medical illustrator?

Medical illustrators have extensive scientific knowledge and artistic training. This expertise allows them to use their creative talent and problem-solving abilities to communicate complicated medical subjects to a variety of audiences, as well as to tailor illustrations that will meet a client’s specific needs.



What is certification (CMI)? Are you certified?

"The Board of Certification of Medical Illustrators administers a certification program as a recognizable means to signify a practitioner's current competency in the profession. A Certified Medical Illustrator (CMI) has passed examinations dealing with business practices, ethics, biomedical science, and drawing skills, and has undergone a rigorous portfolio review. Competencies are maintained by meeting continuing education requirements and must be renewed every five years. The certification program is based on standards established by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA)." – Association of Medical Illustrators. (2020). Learn about it. https://ami.org/medical-illustration/learn-about-medical-illustration Yes! I am now certified as of January 2020!



What is the Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI)?

See https://ami.org/about-ami



Why did you choose this career?

I decided to enter the field of medical illustration because I’ve enjoyed both science and art from an early age; I loved to draw and had a strong eye for detail. In high school and college, I enjoyed biology and learning about how life works, especially at the cellular and molecular level. For my high school senior project, I explored medical illustration as a career and fell in love. I desired to combine my artistic talent and scientific knowledge to help demonstrate to others what we cannot see or usually don’t get to see. With this career, I am also able to satisfy my love of teaching by creating illustrations that educate others about topics that are sometimes difficult to grasp. There is no other career that I was able to picture myself enjoying as much as medical illustration.



Do you specialize in a particular subject or technique?

Given my degree in cell and molecular biology, I particularly enjoy that area as well as anatomy. I predominantly use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, but I am proficient at many other mediums as well.



How do you determine your prices?

How I charge can depend on a variety of factors. The biggest factors are the amount of time it will take and the deadline. Another factor is the artistic style, since a style that is more complex impacts the amount of time. See KLbiomedcreations.com/process for style examples. Copyright and usage terms may affect price as well. As the artist, I maintain copyright unless specified in a contract. Transferring copyright or allowing multiple usage rights may increase price.



What kind of services do your offer?

I offer illustrations, animations, and digital 3D models! Illustrations can be for research publications or presentations, brochures, textbooks or atlases, journals, medical legal, and more! For more information, see KLbiomedcreations.com/services. I also offer non-medical art to those interested! Nature and landscapes are my favorite, but to see what I can do, check out klbiomedcreations.com/non-medical-art.