About the Name | Alar Illustration

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alar a·lar (ā'ler) adj.

The word alar has several connotations in medicine and biology. Most simply, alar means wing-like or axillary.

In anatomyalar refers to the wing-like ala of certain structures including in the nose, sacrum, and sphenoid bone. The sphenoid bone of the skull has both major and minor ala, and the shape is often compared to that of a butterfly, bat, or bird.

In botanyalar describes the wing-shaped cells at the base and sides of a moss leaf.

In zoologyalar denotes that which pertains to or resembles wings or alae.  


About the Studio

Alar Illustration provides medical illustration and design services for scientific research, healthcare, medical legal, and public education initiatives. 

The studio has contributed to various projects in the form of peer-reviewed journal and manuscript figures, vector-based in-app scientific illustrations, patient education materials, research and instructional drawings for 3D asset development, medical legal presentations, interactive exhibits, and more.

Alar Illustration is located in Ottawa, Ontario:

 

About the Illustrator

Virginia E. Fulford, MS, CMI

I'm an illustrator and communicator specializing in medical and scientific illustration.

In 2016 I started Alar Illustration, a one-person medical and scientific illustration studio. Alar Illustration offers professional illustration and design services for science, healthcare, and education initiatives.

I have a Master’s degree in medical illustration and am a board-certified medical illustrator. I’m also a professional member of the Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI).

To learn more about my background, continue scrolling or download my resume here.

 

SKILLS & PROFICIENCIES

Illustration 

Digital: Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects)

Traditional: Ink, graphite, watercolor, gouache, oil, printmaking (lithography, cyanotypes, screen printing)

Biomedical

Human anatomy and physiology, biology, clinical pathology

Technical & Process

Conceptual art and storyboarding, radiographic image adjustment (i.e. optimizing contrast), interactive PDFs, Google Slides, Protein Data Bank, basic HTML and CSS


experiencE

2016 - present

Medical and Scientific Illustrator - Owner and Principal | Alar Illustration - Ottawa, ON, Canada

2019 - 2020

Medical and Scientific Illustrator - Contract | BioRender - Toronto, ON, Canada

2017 - present

Medical Illustrator - Contract | BioDigital - New York, NY, USA

2015 - 2016

Medical Illustrator | Certified Medical Illustrations - Lawrenceville, NJ, USA

2015

Medical Illustration Intern | Journal of the American Medical Association - Chicago, IL, USA


education & Qualifications

2018 - present

Certified Medical Illustrator - CMI | Board of Certification of Medical Illustrators

2015

Biomedical Visualization - MS | University of Illinois at Chicago - Chicago, IL, USA

2013

Zoology - BA | Miami University - Oxford, OH, USA

2013

Painting - BFA | Miami University - Oxford, OH, USA

2010

Biological Illustration (course) | Shoals Marine Laboratory, Cornell University - Appledore Island, ME, USA