Plants of Illinois is a self-initiated botanical illustration and animation project exploring native plant species through observational study.
I independently researched, illustrated, and animated the project, creating the pale purple coneflower entirely in After Effects and developing the pollinators using Illustrator and After Effects.
The piece is intended as the beginning of a larger series exploring Illinois plant life.
This self-initiated medical illustration series began with independent research using anatomical books and photographic references. I created the brain, skull, and head illustrations by hand with marker, then added vector illustrations of the nerves based on their anatomical pathways.
I animated the trigeminal nerve in After Effects to show its path through the head and the different regions of the face served by its three major branches.
The animation explains how these branches relate to sensation and function across different areas of the face.
The optic nerve animation follows the visual pathway from the eyes through the brain.
I also explored how injuries at different points along the pathway can affect a person’s field of vision, using animated visual-field examples to demonstrate the resulting vision loss.
I plan to expand the series with an animation exploring the photic sneeze reflex.