Drawing for biology and biophysics, step 1: how to make a sketch ?

Drawing can be used in scientific communication, either between colleagues or with the general public!

This 1,5 day workshop is a great opportunity to change your view on the graphic representation of biological phenomena: the main idea is that a simple sketch can sometimes provide more appropriate information than a perfectly “clean” vector graphic.

Renaud Chabrier is an author, draughtsman and film director. He creates illustrations for scientific publications as well as books for the general public like “Globule” or short movies like “Birth of a brain”. With his advice, you will be able to improve your drawing abilities!

Firstly, through charcoal and black stone drawing you will develop your ability to draw a cell and address a few fundamental aspects of the representation of movement. Secondly, you will progress to molecule and tissue representation, learning how to manage the spatiality of microscopic structures in sketching. Finally, there will be a group discussion about the works in progress and how drawing can be used in scientific transmission professionally.

May 27: 9.30am to 12.30pm

May 28: 9.30am to 5pm

Course in English

Registration deadline

May 10th 2019

Presentation
Documents and links
Practical information
Speakers

Presentation

Objectives

During the first afternoon: we will practice simple stroke exercises with charcoal and black stone, in order to find enough ability for drawing a cell. Then, thanks to animated examples, we will address a few fundamental aspects of the representation of movement.

During the second day, we will first deal with the representation of molecules, and then with the representation of tissues. On this basis, we will speak about changes of space scale, time scales and abstraction levels. Then we will consider which objects and contexts, at human scale, can help us imagine the spatiality of microscopic structures.

Each participant will then focus on one topic, alone or by group. We will give a simple method combining two main aspects: gathering the existing visual documentation and sketching the new image. As a conclusion, we will discuss the works in progress, how they could be developed with various techniques (watercolour, pen, vector graphics, and so on…), and more generally how drawing can be used in scientific transmission, either between colleagues or with the general public.

Research themes