Relatively few illustrators achieve the high standards that naturalists crave when trying to identify a plant. Many of us sketch in our own field journals but we all depend upon greater artists to help us learn.
To portray wildlife for illustrative keys requires an elusive crossover of art and science: painstakingly accurate artistic skill in drawing, shading and rendering, partnered with a rigorous understanding of which distinguishing features of a species should be magnified.
When shining a spotlight on finer details, illustration frequently trumps photography…
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