James Provost Illustration
Information Matters.
Communicate it visually.
Specializing in technical & scientific illustration, James Provost Illustration reveals hidden value and evokes new perspectives.
For samples, view the
Technical Illustration Portfolio
The Pen is Mightier than the Camera
In his article for The Boston Globe, Dushko Petrovich looks at the work of American wildlife illustrator John James Audubon and reveals why illustration remains the medium of choice for scientific reference.
"When we turn to a picture to identify a bird - or the human pancreas, or a Doric column - we want a likeness not of any particular instance, but of the category itself. Ignoring all the anomalies and idiosyncratic moments that cameras helplessly collect, a draftsman of Audubon's caliber is free to focus on what's essential or distinctive and distill those qualities - gathered from observing live birds, posing dead specimens, and studying skeletons - into an image that invites both recognition and classification."
Photographic technology with its gigapixels, high dynamic range, high-speed charge-coupled devices, high-definition video with infinite frame-rate, merely increases informational resolution—only illustration increases informational efficiency.
"Confronted with unprecedented quantities of data, we are constantly reminded that quality is what really matters. At a certain point, the quality and even usefulness of information starts being defined not by the precision and voracity of technology, but by the accuracy and circumspection of art."
Full article (via BenFry.com)
Labels: communication, scientific illustration, technical illustration
Posted by James Provost, October 6, 2008 ·
Information Matters: Postcard Promo
I've begun distributing a promo postcard, "Information Matters."
Using controversial subject matter, the taser device, it explores the importance of information, and the clarity with which it can be communicated visually, in compelling and provoking viewers.
The images used on the postcard can be seen (and zoomed) in the technical illustration portfolio.
If you'd like to receive a copy of this postcard, simply fill out this subscription form.
Labels: communication, cutaway, in print, infographics, phantom, portfolio, product illustration, scientific illustration, technical illustration, technology
Posted by James Provost, June 5, 2008 ·
More Motion Graphics
A couple more motion graphics projects added to that section. The first for Scientific Illustration 3 last year showing the anatomy of a Purging Buckthorn tree down to cellular level, the second a presentation introduction for Global Stainless.
Labels: industrial, interactive, motion graphics, portfolio, scientific illustration
Posted by James Provost, March 14, 2007 ·
Related Sites
Colleagues & Associations
Sarah Jargstorf, Fred Hon, Tessar Lo, Rey Ortega, Chad Covino, Nataly Kim, Matt Hammill, Eshwin Dhir, Alexei Vella, Rosemary Travale, Paul Leli, Drawn