This is an illustration made for Case Western Reserve University. A wraparound cover image for Think magazine. The story revolves around Anirban Sen Gupta’s quest to develop synthetic, life-saving blood. A project he has been working on for years, securing grants, including a $2.75m award this year from the U.S. Department of Defense. He’s also a key member of a University of Maryland team that recently was awarded a $46.4 million federal grant to develop a freeze-dried blood substitute that, if successful, has the potential to save thousands of wounded soldiers’ lives - and civilian lives, as well.
Above, the finished illustration.
The printed version, Fall/Winter 2024 issue.
This was a challenging job in a number of respects. A lot of content was required and mostly of a very technical nature. This involved liaising with Sen Gupta who supplied various references to the cellular structures and nanoparticles involved in the project. With so many elements to be included I was keen to avoid a multi-coloured look so settled on a limited palette which suggested both medicine and the future of biological development.
Above are the original concept drawings. Instead of focussing on creation, as in the first two drawings, it was decided instead to feature Sen Gupta himself, the project leader. Bottom right is the approved concept sketch.
For accuracy, photos were taken of Sen Gupta. My objective was to simplify his features while still maintaining a good likeness. Above are some of the process stages.
