Portrait of a Beetle

Abby Williams from Laconica, NH graduated in May from the Maryland Institute College of Art with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. Since then, she has started an internship with the entomology department in the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH).

At her internship, Abby uses her artistic skills to create entomological illustrations to be used in the Smithsonian Institution’s publications. She examines beetle specimens under a microscope, traces individual details using a camera lucida, uses photoshop to piece all the parts together, completes a line drawing, and colors in the final result. From start to finish, this process takes about two weeks.

If illustrating beetles and other insects interests you, check out open SI internship opportunities here!