tiny hands

I like to look at WIP and old, unused concepts. Many of them are...

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:37:00 -0500

That sticky note came back to haunt us..

I like to look at WIP and old, unused concepts. Many of them are good ideas, but did not fit the rest of the puzzle. As mentioned before, my current work is patient education, so lots of drawings of people. When it comes to doing the biomedical illustrations I generally take a more “reduced” or “simplified” approach. Removing unnecessary details, removing visual noise, and keeping the focus on what’s important.

Patient’s emotional reaction and sensitivity to these highly personal and scary topics (cancer) is always something to keep in mind. Often times, people only look up medical information when they’re feeling threatened, worried, confused, or stressed. This is also why I personally feel that patient education work can be more challenging than doing work for higher education. This unpredictable “emotional” or “knee jerk” factor, combined with highly variable socioeconomic and educational backgrounds of people viewing the content.

A class where Prof. Dave Mazierski taught photography, and I stared at him from the sidelines. No regrets putting this up now since his body is on TV!!

Think Cooler: On Cancer and Risk

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:39:00 -0500

Think Cooler: On Cancer and Risk:

My current project is a lovely collaboration between Biomedical Communications and Cooler Solutions Inc. Therachoice is an educational tool designed to help individuals understand different cancer therapy choices and their associated risks.

The project has a strong focus on visual risk communication. We live in a world full of uncertainties, however, most of us have an aversion towards the idea of not knowing what will happen next.

My main role is to design transparent data visualization, and also provide the wireframe, content, and illustrations in an appropriate and sensitive manner.

Susan from Cooler Solutions Inc. wrote up a great primer about therachoice on their blog. Please check it out!

Some paper prototype and miscellaneous designs for...

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:00:00 -0400

I should look at subway maps

Hugging question mark

Central human figure

So many questions

Some paper prototype and miscellaneous designs for work.

“oh this is a great idea…!!

*sketch*

… wait.. this is a terrible idea.”

I had this mutual experience with one of the excellent designers I’m working with. I still think it’s good to put cheesy ideas down on paper, because then you can always revisit it or improve on it if you need to.

The Paper Browser has printable templates for paper prototype web projects!

In other news, I’ll be at Canzine this weekend, selling self-published comics and zines! I also signed up to participate in AMI’s Sequential Art ♥ers INSANE #2 comic project… looking forward to getting my assignment!

Sketches about prostate cancer. I suppose they’re...

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:10:06 -0400

Sketches about prostate cancer. I suppose they’re considered [NSFW] because of the content (though it’s all very objective).

I should look into how gravity affects the shape of the bladder…

(Photoshop)

Excited for BMC gala tomorrow :)

Sketches about cancer, melanoma, breast cancer (Photoshop) I was...

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:00:05 -0400

Sketches about cancer, melanoma, breast cancer

(Photoshop)

I was interviewed (along with my partners in crime) for IMS Magazine issue 3 over the summer, please check it out! Also helped design the magazine~

Cervical vertebrae x Armadillo Pencil, printed in Pair.

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:00:05 -0400

Cervical vertebrae x Armadillo

Pencil, printed in Pair.

Cut bone x sliced cake. I paired them based on how they have...

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 08:01:05 -0400

Cut bone x sliced cake.

I paired them based on how they have porous interiors. It’s actually pretty interesting how different different cakes can look in slice (some are very porous, some are very dense), and it’s the same with bone!

Pencil, printed in Pair.

Blood cells in fibrin versus lychee in a net. You might think...

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:00:06 -0400

Blood cells in fibrin versus lychee in a net.

You might think “wow what a weird combination” but I think they’re visually and functionally similar to a certain extent!

Not sure how many of you have tried drawing a weave/net pattern, but it is actually very time consuming (getting the overlap correct)!!

Pencil, printed in Pair.

Vessels and a tree; I paired them because they’re both...

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 08:00:05 -0400

Vessels and a tree; I paired them because they’re both structures that branch. Vessels tend to look more fluid and elegant with their curves, while a tree looks monstrous in comparison because of its angular branching.

Drawn with pencil.

Over the next few days, I’m going to be posting...

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:00:05 -0400

Over the next few days, I’m going to be posting illustrations from my book Pair. The book is called “pair” because I was mainly drawing sets of things that were visually or functionally similar.

This was the conceptual mock of the cover. You can see the final cover here.

This may appear to be leaves, stems, and flowers, but the cover itself is a “hidden” PAIR. They double as chromatids, spindle fibres, and the 7 subunit ring of a proteosome!

Oh yes, my nerd is showing.

Photoshop.

1 200 000 000, a comic I drew that’s inside...

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 13:29:00 -0400

1 200 000 000, a comic I drew that’s inside my book PAIR! It’s a parody of 300 and the human fertilization process. From start to finish, it probably took less than 3 hours. Drawing organic backgrounds is a lot easier than drawing buildings in perspective. Drawn with brush pen and the tones were done in photoshop.

Inspired by Dr. Mike Wiley’s amazing anatomy lectures. He is such a great storyteller! I actually logged back into blackboard/portal just to find this particular lecture on fertilization again.

This was also my first time drawing a comic in a landscape orientation. The realization of how different it could feel from drawing portrait orientation comics was eye opening!

There is a lot of speculation as to who the intruder is. Please let me know your thoughts!

Linocut stamped + stenciled cover process! For my sketchbook...

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 08:47:00 -0400

Linocut stamped + stenciled cover process!

For my sketchbook zine! Glad to hear that people seem to like it :)

Used CMS and revamped my website!

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 22:22:32 -0400

Back from AMI! Baltimore was so HOT but I enjoyed the interesting architecture of the Tremont Grand! Wish that I brought a phone to capture the unique look of each room.

I hope that I’ll still be around for AMI 2012 in Toronto~

^ I revamped my website! Check it out at julieman.com , though it’s not that different compared to my old layout, just switched the navigation element to the left hand side instead. Judging from previous layouts I’ve made (my MRP, my newmediasite), I seem to have a strong preference for left-right layouts, and highly accessible menu bars (regardless of where I am on the page). I’m not a big fan of navigation bars on the right; there is something about the main content flooding out towards the outside (right side) of the page that appeals to me.

Most of the overhauling was done in the back-end.

^ My previous layout was completely hard-coded by myself in PHP. Since I don’t have PHP enabled on my computer, it was annoying to upload to my live server on the internet each time I changed something.

So, I decided to use GetSimple CMS (content management system) to publish my pages live. It wasn’t too difficult changing the template to match my original idea, and there was an included script that generates a ‘breadcrumb’ trail.

I have used Wordpress and Indexhibit for previous projects, but wanted to experiment with something new. GS doesn’t generate “new pages” in the same way as WP and Indexhibit (which use mySQL to store data). Instead, GS uses xml data!! Installing was absolutely painless, and probably very simple for people who aren’t familiar with setting up a mySQL db.

If you’re interested, here is a nice overview of GetSimple features! I agree that GetSimple is ideal for a small portfolio like mine, and a bit more flexible than Indexhibit in terms of generating multiple layouts for different pages. It really just comes down to what you’re most comfortable with. I enjoy the lack of page-clutter on my server, and the fact that the XML data is read in to the “same” page, so I don’t have to worry about relative image-linking as much.

Another cool thing about GS is that you can also customize/brand the login and administration interface! I have not dived into this yet since the default admin panel is already quite nice.

Checked my pages in Adobe Browser Lab to make sure everything displays ok for IE users, and now I’m done!

Content wise it is the same, but I updated my MRP section. Feel free to let me know what you think! Have to draw more, and get ready for Industry day!

Need to draw/create more

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:47:21 -0400

I’ll be attending this year’s Association of Medical Illustrators meeting in Baltimore MD, July 20-23, 2011.

Polished up my pathology piece to submit to the AMI Salon. It’s not too different on web, but I think it will print better since details are most apparent in print!

Sketch from when I was volunteering at FITC Toronto.

Maybe I’ve posted this before but I found it lying around. Unreferenced fat and muscle sketch, probably draw in early 2010!

MRPs must be signed off before July 15 2011 this year!

I feel like I should redo all the main headshots

I received lots of help from friends and peers about the MRP and illustrations so far.

The end is within sight!

Linocut I did in May! Gold block printing ink on gray stock.

The things I made in C4D…

designed my business card

Fri, 20 May 2011 01:56:00 -0400

designed my business card

Draft of a mother’s day card I drew. My mom is year of the...

Fri, 13 May 2011 14:38:56 -0400

Draft of a mother’s day card I drew. My mom is year of the horse! Added carnations to frame the image since those seem to be the staple flower when it comes to Mother’s Day. I forgot to scan the final card, but hopefully it’s in my mother’s by hands now!

I was sitting beside my classmates and they told me to make it a magical unicorn.

round up sketches

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 00:44:47 -0500

From Uncon 2010. Perhaps you will recognize some of these BMC alumni…?

from the gesture drawing tool again.

original, hanfu inspired

from posemaniacs again!

^remainder of human figure sketches from last year. 100!!!

Newest thing I drew a few days ago to explain the difference between “art” and “comic” scene, haha.

animal space adventures

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 19:54:04 -0500

Cat in a green tube

What is this mysterious energy field??

My cat turned into ULTRACAT! 3d projection painting because I didn’t have time to UV map properly….

Zoo sketching - Feb 27 2011!

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 12:43:43 -0500

Went zoo sketching with Nicole, Dan and Paul yesterday :). I thought it would be warm enough to sketch outside, but our fingers got cold and stiff pretty quick, so we drew indoors whenever we could. When it started snowing, our papers got wet and my ink started smudging really badly! Nicole’s col-erase turned into a watercolour pencil!!

Clouded leopard with amazing big tooth : body size ratio

Drew lots of orangutans because it was inside and had SEATING!! Younger ones (~5 years old?) were so energetic and moving all over the place. We talked about how they were kind of Homer Simpson-ish.

Turtle mounting in the breeding center!!

Outdoor polar bears, and my amazing polar-bear-pile of failed attempts

THE SNOW LEOPARD IS A BEAUTIFUL FIERCE ANIMAL so please go see it in real life because this drawing isn’t representative of it at all!

The geese were taunting/honking at it from outside the cage… but we got a good look at a predator in hunting mode :D.

Thank you Nicole + Dan for planning and inviting! Always a pleasure to hang out and draw with you guys!!

What's in your bag?

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 21:55:00 -0500

a drawing meme that was going around!

It was super windy today, so windy that it stung my eyes and made them water! Though Toronto will never as brutal as -50C in Edmonton!! I need to practice drawing older ladies.

I went to BMC club last night! Great turn out and good conversations and company all around!

Bea, Diego, Joyce and I have been working on a new publication as design editors. IMS Magazine issue 1 (winter 2011) is available for online reading or download, and the printed copies are now available at the Institute of Medical Sciences office on St. George campus! Please check it out to learn more about students, faculty and research that is happening at IMS!