I’ve been an artist since I could...

I’ve been an artist since I could pick up a pencil. The first person to get me into art was my mom, because she was an artist. She worked in color pencils, watercolor and pen and ink. She taught me a lot about drawing. She would get me going, and, if I hit a low spot, she would find a picture and tell me, draw this.

We’ve always had lots of animals. My mom really loved animals a lot. We had cats, fish, turtles and lots of dogs. My mom had a peacock at one time. I enjoy relating to animals. Domestic animals are OK, but I really like wild animals better, especially dolphins.

I was in second grade when I first drew a dolphin, because I had to write a paper on dolphins. After that, I would find a lot of pictures in magazines and draw from that.

I can’t say I have always drawn original art, but it kind of opened the door for me. Anything that struck me as beautiful I would try to duplicate. I have drawn mostly animals and plants, natural science kinds of things. I learned about scientific illustration through a summer class I took at UC Santa Cruz. I really enjoyed it.

In scientific illustration, you basically study both science and art. You go out and study as much as you can about the animals and draw them. I have this joke about scientific illustration being the first kind of illustration that ever existed, because that’s what the cavemen were doing when they painted on the walls.

I think to a degree you have to already know what you’re doing. I think almost anyone could do scientific illustration if they wanted to, but you have to have a certain bit of artistic talent. You have to have an eye or feel for it. For instance, I could never become a musician.

The most important thing about illustration is that you convey what you want other people to know, that you get a point across. As long as the people get the message, it doesn’t matter who you are. Accuracy and the ability to communicate through your medium are more important than having people recognize your name or your style.

I’m really impressed with the natural world, and to be able to have anything at all to do with it is really a phenomenal thing for me. The field work is really great because you actually have to go out and study what you’re going to draw. You can’t just sit at your desk and do it.

For the nature center, I do black-and-white drawings above the aquariums where the animals live, so people can identify them.

The first drawing I did for the center was a kelp bass. It was a simple, black-and-white drawing. We have a bass there, so I tried to entice the bass--Freddy is his name--over so I could study him. I took sketches of him and then drew the bass. My work has escalated since then.

Scientific illustration is still a hobby for me right now, but I will eventually make a career out of it. I really love it, and I keep working at it. What I’d like to do now is more color sketches and paintings.

I am a member of the guild for natural science illustrators, and it amazes me how much people will share of their techniques.

The sharing is really good. The number of illustrators is small enough where there’s just enough competition to keep you working, but not enough for people to try to foul each other up.

If I am really lucky in the future, I will work for National Geographic or World Wildlife, or any magazine about natural science.