Meet Evelyn Neel

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Evelyn Neel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Evelyn, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

I think I have always loved nature and art since I was a child, it just took some time to decide to combine them into a career. When I was a child I would memorize field guides, especially the bird and wildflower guides. In middle school, we took a class trip to the Chesapeake Bay and my project was to create a field guide. I carefully researched and drew plants that we could find on our trip. I studied Natural Resources and Fine Arts in college, and painted a mural in the stairwell of my Forestry and Geology building depicting 10 species of trees native to the campus. My advisor encouraged me to attend a scientific illustration program after college, but i felt too burned out after two rigorous majors and decided to work for a couple of years instead. A couple of years turned into a decade working for the National Park Service. While working for the NPS I loved doing field work but eventually found myself unhappy without some artistic outlet. I feel like Science Illustration always made sense as a career, it just took time to discover it.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m a Science Illustrator, I help scientists communicate their work visually to a variety of audiences. I often need to do extensive research to depict species and concepts accurately. My work has focused on plants in the past, but I have had some recent commissions focusing on animals and ecosystems which has been a fun cahallenge. I also sell a variety of paper goods from my work, such as cards, stickers, prints, apparel, and watercolor kits. I have really been wanting to paint more murals, and am currently working on a 30 foot wall at a local elementary school. The design features plants and animals native to the foothills of Colorado.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Science Illustration involves a pretty unique combination of two things that are often thought of as opposites; science and art. I do have a background in both, but I do not think that is necessary. I think what is necessary is curiosity, love of research, and a desire to learn. I have seen people excel in this field who are either scientists or artists.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

I have been working on improving my ability to render digitally. I have always been more comfortable working in traditional media, but digital medial opens up the ability to create things more quickly and in some cases with more detail. I have been using a combination of digital and traditional media for science illustration clients and am working on improving my skills with digital painting so that I can more quickly provide mockups for mural clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.evelynneel.com
• Instagram: @madronapress
• Facebook: Madrona Press
• Linkedin: Evelyn Neel
• Twitter: madronapress