SAMS — Lisa Marie Gutcher

Venturing to Scotland for the first time, I embarked on a 6-month science communication internship at the Scottish Association for Marine Science. My time was spent teaching workshops in schools on local species, creating educational material to be used on our stand in the Argyllshire Highland Games, and engaging with visitors daily in the Ocean Explorer Center. I also hosted drop-in days at the center, teaching how to draw marine creatures of all sizes. I discovered fresh perspectives on science communication through art, and began my journey with graphic design, rather than the paint and canvas I was so familiar with.

An artistic highlight from my internship was the creation of 42 brightly colored illustrations, all depicting creatures found on the west coast. They were originally created to be used in an educational card game, but now printed on t-shirts, cards and art prints. I hope they continue to inspire and raise awareness about some of fascinating and truly spectacular species on the Scottish coast, and why they are worth protecting. The full illustrations are featured below, organized by animal class.

Birds

Mammals

Fish

Invertebrates

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