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1. Chuck the "can't" mentality: Humans have been drawing for millennia. Already at a fairly young age, we have the necessary motor skills to make marks. Plus, drawing is a skill set, not magic - you can learn and practice it.
2. Keep your supplies simple and portable.
3. Use frames to organize/design page layout.
4. Incorporate text into your sketches.
5. Use only one spot/accent color.
6. Think of yourself as a curator. Don’t try to capture everything.
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tracing-based diagrammatic sketches of skulls and caterpillars.
Best of all, everyone who sketched at that conference helped contradict the "art-science dichotomy." They did so by bringing friends and colleagues back to the ESA SciComm Section booth, showing off their sketches and encouraging others to make their own. And, they shared their sketches on social media - a lot!
This kind of "normalizing" of art is essential for enhancing appreciation, and increasing integration, collaboration, and utilization of drawing and the arts in science education, research, and outreach.
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 Networking is great, but a pocketful of business cards can make it hard to remember who you met, who to follow up with, and why you wanted to. I've resorted to scribbling notes on the back of cards as soon as I receive them, just to be sure I remember the conversation later. But that doesn't solve the "will they remember me?" dilemma.
My tactic: Have eye-candy business cards.
Mine catch a lot of attention because they are tiny (about as big as a stick of gum) and feature a suite of my sketches and illustrations; they're an eye-catching pocket portfolio. Fairly often, someone asks to have several - to share or just because they can't decide which sketch they like best!
I also love these "mini cards" because they are produced with an eye towards environmental ethics. Printed on sustainably sourced elemental-chlorine-free paper here in the USA, they are even shipped in recycled-content, reusable, and recyclable packaging. I have used this same company - MOO - to make holiday postcards and other materials, and I've found their user interface totally intuitive. And, I've been thrilled with the quality of every product I've ordered from them.
 You know I don't 'schill' for brands, so this is one of very very few offers like this I'll ever share via this newsletter. That being said, MOO has a neat referral system that means I can share a link so you get 10% off your first order of stand-out business cards (or whatever else you order!), and I'll get a bit of credit toward my next round of cards. Click here to cash in on that discount and have fun designing!
One more tip: if you're a student, check out MOO's special student rates!
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In early August, I presented a workshop at the Wyoming Department of Education's "Roadmap to STEM" conference.
Visitors to my information booth were predominantly interested in how to assess student drawings as a learning product, not as "art."
In the "Drawn to Science" workshop I led, teachers said their primary concerns related to facilitating students who drew at different speeds, dealing with reluctant sketchers,
and again, assessment.
This autumn, I'll be collaborating and consulting with a teachers and administrators I met at that conference. We'll plan teacher trainings and artist-in-residency projects.
With these clients and other conference attendees in mind,
I have begun transforming some of my workshop
materials into teacher resources for facilitation and assessment of drawing in science classrooms. I will share them with you as soon as they are ready!
Meanwhile, if you have specific "I don't use drawing in my classroom because..." issues, please share with me.
I intend for these resources to address your challenges, so let me know what those challenges are! You can reach me via my contact page or by replying to this newsletter email.
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Baltimore, Maryland
Exploring and sketching! a new place are perks of conference travel.
While most of my sketching at the Ecological Society of America conference took place inside, I did explore the Mount Vernon (with a friend from France!) and Federal Hill neighborhoods.
Despite all the bad press Baltimore has received in the past few years, I found walking, the free bus, and the light rail delightful options for getting around town...and town itself an intriguing mix of historic splendor, gentile-to-severe decline, and modernity.
Also, Baltimore has great food!
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My artwork is now for sale on a series of greeting cards!
You have your choice of a vividly colored set or a classic black & white set - 6 cards in each. I can offer a bulk discount on orders of 25+ cards.
Cards & envelopes printed in the USA on sustainably sourced paper.
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Upcoming Events
1. MFA in Creative Writing: I'm starting a nonfiction master's program this autumn, and will teach freshman English composition as part of my studies!
I'm excited to see how writing training can inform my #sciart work, and vice versa. Maybe I'll work in some sketching, like this professor does.
2. If you'd like to schedule a public workshop, artist residency, or professional development training, let me know!
I have room in my schedule for a only couple more sessions this autumn, so contact me as soon as possible.
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Insight
