Client: Professor Shelley Wall
Year: 2020
Media: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop

Pathological processes occur on multiple scales and are difficult to observe and understand without visual aids. This two-page spread was created to teach the general public about the etiology, pathogenesis, morphological changes, and clinical significance of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, which is caused by Naegleria fowleri, colloquially known as the brain-eating amoeba.

Featured in the 2021 Association of Medical Illustrators Online Salon.

Preliminary Studies

To get a feel for drawing pathological tissue, I did a study of a brain with purulent exudate, or pus, in the inferior areas, which is one of several post-mortem signs found in brains afflicted with this disease. I also drew three tissue cubes that included the skull, meninges, and brain parenchyma to show the progression of the disease. This study showed two other post-mortem signs: congestion of the subarachnoid space and swelling brain tissue.

Rough Layout Ideas

After the research phase, I decided to include the nasal cavity, as it is the site of infiltration; a cerebral hemisphere with its underside visible, to show post-mortem signs such as the damaged olfactory bulb, purulent exudate, and herniations; and four tissue cubes, to show progression of the disease, especially in the subarachnoid space. I did a few rough sketches to determine how to lay out all the visual elements and information.

Layout Sketch

I settled on a layout with two arcs: one showing infiltration of the amoeba leading to a pathological brain with a description of the post-mortem signs, and one showing how the disease progresses and why it results in damage and death.

Colour Thumbnails

Before rendering, I tried several colour schemes to see which would look best. Each colour scheme started with pinkish brain tissue. For the first, I used analagous colours and made the amoeba more saturated. For the second, I used a complementary colour scheme, making the amoeba green so it would stand out. For the third, which I ended up using, I used purple and its analagous colours for a wider palette, plus green for the amoeba so it would contrast with the pink brain tissue.