fatal phone calls

Using my head

The latest Illustration Smackdown posted on the From the Stacks blog featured the chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes. It also set me head-to-head with Jane Goodall, probably the only time in my life I can say that. 

In the aforementioned blog, I blather on for a bit about comparative anatomy, a subject that I find fascinating. It is a good example of why biology is, in my opinion, as much about vocabulary as it is about getting your hands dirty. Hand, paw, hoof, flipper, talon, carpals - all of these words refer to the same set of bones in different animals. While comparative anatomy is usually limited to vertebrates, it is helpful when looking at invertebrates of the same order. 

I created the above image with carbon dust on Ross Board. It was my first usage of Ross Board, due largely to the fact that it ceased being produced before I hit high school. Created by the Ross brothers out of Philadelphia, the board was used for carbon dust illustrations by medical & scientific illustrators.

It is been a long time since it was produced, although many people have tried to duplicate it. The rollers used to make the white clay-coated paper have disappeared along with the Ross brothers into history. I obtained some board through a retired illustrator and have been hesitant to use it. I feared ruining it. Ross board has a heavier tooth than other boards I have used. Having started with smoother boards, I am not sure I like it. I suppose that is all right as I only have a few pieces left. No sense in falling in love with a limited supply. *grin*