Science Illustration

Earlier, while dodging an issue on work ethics and ignoring a spurious request to block That Social Network from the office internets, I stumbled upon California State University's Science Illustration Graduate Program. It was a eureka moment that was almost about two decades too late. It was the perfect marriage between two interests - science and art. Had I realized while selecting the course I wanted to take for college that there was such a thing as a science illustrator, I think I would have moved my lazy ass to actually work getting into that program. Never mind that it's in another country and that the course year would cost a whopping 43,000 USD, travel costs not included.

But still upon further reflection, science illustration is such a niche market and I probably would have spent the rest of my life as a proverbial starving artist, making ends meet - though that's not much different from what I have now. Also, it's never too late.

So now I'm practicing for a retirement vocation, making up for lost time and trying to regain those old drawing skills I had when I was younger which I ignored since my studies as an engineering student.

Plate 1. Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
Drawn right after I volunteered for Balyena.org's Humpback whale research in  the Babuyan Islands.

Plate 2. Pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata)
Drawn as a birthday gift for a friend and one of the many dolphins we spotted in Babuyan during the survey.

Plate 3. Whale shark (Rhincodon typus)
Just because I missed seeing a whale shark this season.

And maybe, just maybe, I can gather enough portfolio material to actually apply for that program and maybe even get a scholarship. Libre naman mangarap.