Finished Bocas ARTS work!

I have officially finished all the work from my project in Panama! This latest set of illustrations contains some of my favorite work to date. 

Polysiphonia Life Cycle

I never realized how pretty red algae can be, or how complicated their life cycles are! Red algae have a triphasic life cycle--THREE stages! It took a lot to figure out how to convey it accurately and well, but I think we finally got there. 

Codium Life Cycle

Siphonous algae are crazy because even something that might be a meter or more is one giant single-celled organism. 

Padina Life Cycle

I wasn't familiar with this species until my research requested its life cycle be included in my work. This genus has color and texture laid out on a gorgeous rippling fan shape. 

Ulva Life Cycle

Ulva have another complicated life cycle, but their translucent green color gets me every time. 

Turritopsis Life Cycle

The so-called "immortal" jelly is capable of regenerating into a colony at any point in its life cycle. Scientists are fascinated by this and research continues into how they do this successfully. 

Nemertean Bauplan

I'll admit it, I love making bauplan illustrations. Even something that seems simple on the outside has complexities you never imagined when you sit down to draw it. These nemerteans definitely fit the bill for seemingly simple, inwardly complex!

I'm excited to have been able to take this project. Panama is an incredible country, I got to meet and work with amazing scientists, and I drew things I'd never have drawn otherwise. To see more images I created for the project, check out the full gallery here. 

This will probably be the last big portfolio update for 2016, but I have some more big projects on the horizon--stay tuned!

--Meghan