Fishes are the most diverse and numerous vertebrates on Earth. They are also the oldest, having evolved millions of years ago. This course will explore the wide array of unique adaptations that allow fishes to succeed in aquatic environments around the world – through an illustrator’s eye. We will learn about internal and external anatomy, coloration, diet, and behavior. We will focus on the relationship between form and function, and apply all of this knowledge to create dynamic, informative, and anatomically correct illustrations.

This course meets over Zoom. Each week will feature a lesson on the week’s topic, a demonstration or two, and a homework assignment that is designed to cement what we learn in class and to apply that knowledge to your illustrative practice. I strongly encourage you to complete assignments, but most of all I encourage you to do so only to the best of your ability and only with whatever time you have – this is meant to be educational, not stressful! At the beginning of each class, we will go over the last week’s homework with a short critique, so that we can appreciate and learn from each other’s work. The last two weeks of the course are set aside so that we can work together on a slightly larger project of your choice and give each other feedback.

Students of all experience levels are more than welcome. Once you’ve registered for class, please send me an email at deepgreenravine@gmail.com and tell me a little bit about your artistic practice! I’d like to know what level you’re working at, what you’re interested in, and what medium / media you’d like to use. I will primarily demonstrate in graphite and in colored pencil; however, if you prefer watercolor, for example, I can absolutely add some demonstrations in watercolor. If you have any accessibility needs, please let me know about those as well.

Note that we may refer to dissection photos throughout the course of the class. If this is an issue for you, please notify me.

Week 1: Introduction

• Taxonomy and the evolution of fishes
• The basic fish body plan
• Anatomical terminology
• Locomotion, muscles, and fins
• How to find reference images
• Assignment: choose 1-2 species of fish and do a couple of loose sketches of each, focusing on accurate body and fin shape

Week 2: Internal anatomy

• Digestion and excretion
• Circulation and respiration
• Buoyancy
• Nervous system and electricity
• Reproduction
• Diagramming and labeling
• Assignment: diagram any one of the anatomical features we discussed in class today as seen on a species of your choice

Week 3: Scales

• Skin and scale shapes
• Coloration and pigmentation
• Camouflage
• Bioluminescence
• Assignment: draw a bony fish of your choice, focusing on precise color matching and accurate scale shape

Week 4: Diet and dentition

• Mouth shape
• Teeth
• Feeding methods
  Assignment: draw a cartilaginous fish of your choice, as well as an individual tooth from that species and / or a prey animal favored by that species

Week 5: Extreme environments

• Adaptations for high water pressure
• Adaptations for cold
• Adaptations for cave-dwelling
• Adaptations for spawning
• Assignment: draw a species of your choice from one of these environments, focusing on communicating that fish’s unique adaptations

Week 6: Fossils and prehistory

• Prehistoric seas and geography
• The fossilization process
• Extinct species and modern lineages
• Reconstruction
• Assignment: draw a fossil of your choice, or try your hand at an educated
  reconstruction!

Weeks 7 and 8: Final projects

• These two weeks will be focused on in-class demonstrations. Each student
  will spend this time conceptualizing, workshopping, and actualizing a basic
  fact sheet about a species of their choice, including information about its size, behavior, habitat, identifying characteristics, and geographic range.