How does a scientist start a career in illustration and design?

I don't know if I'm missing something (and this is not meant to be snarky), but is there some reason that going to design school to specialize in illustration isn't the obvious answer?

Im considering going to college next year when I'm finished with university. However, I've already reacked up 3 years worth of student debt and college may not be an option for a while. I would also like to get the ball rolling as soon as I can, since I have a free summer ahead and want to make the most of it.

The way to get work is to have a portfolio. The way to build a portfolio is to do work. I once worked with a creative director who sagely refused to give a shit about anything that an applicant had done for themselves, for their friends' band, for an art show, etc, on the grounds that he wasn't particularly interested in seeing what you could do when you had total artistic freedom. What mattered was what you can do when the client imposes a load of constraints on the project. This is smart from an agency perspective, but obviously makes it difficult if you haven't had any clients yet. So, with that in mind, the best you can hope for is to try to ensure that the portfolio-building illustrations you do are as practical as possible. Set yourself a tightly-defined task, as if you were the client requesting the job, and then illustrate to it. Better still if you can get a knowledgeable friend to set the task for you, so that you're being assigned things outside of your comfort zone. If it works well, it's portfolio material. If it doesn't, then it's practice and you needed it anyway. Have you spoken to any of your professors about this? They may have papers of their own that need illustration, which could provide you the opportunity to get published work in a journal. My girlfriend did exactly that in college (she was illustrating pot sherds and flint knives instead of sectioned spleens, but same difference, you draw what you know). But all of that is likely putting the cart before the horse. Can you not take a class now? I agree that it'd be good to finish that degree in bio so that it's not wasted, but could you possibly minor in art at this stage? Or is there such a thing as a minor at your institution? You phrase this as if you're in a British-style degree program, the intricacies of which are unfamiliar to me.

You should get formal training in art. Scientific illustration is very precise and formalized. If you want to take the cheap way it is going to require lots of practice but even then it will be a gamble. Taking some classes at the local tech college may help to provide you with useful critique of your work, business knowledge, and the knowledge of how to put together a valuable portfolio. Spending $500-$1000 on one or two classes will be worth its weight in gold. Without that knowledge you will be stumbling around in the dark. About the best you can hope for is to pick up a copy of the http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1582975000/metafilter-20/ref=nosim/ and try the waters but it is a tough business without contacts or street smarts.

As you guessed, I am in the UK- Liverpool specifically. I'm going to try to finish my current degree as best I can, but I've realised I'm not a science person- just an artist interested in science. Like I said, I would like to do a short course in art and illustration. I need to get involved more and find other people though, as I know very few design companies and galleries and my professors, like many scientists, use very few illustrations in their peer-reviewed papers and opt for graphs and charts instead.

Look for people whose work you admire and contact them for a bit of advice. Try http://www.gurche.com, who is entirely self-taught, as well (look past the ugly site design for brilliant illustration).

Create a portfolio. Go to design school. Learn to live with the debt. Seriously, would you rather have debt payments every month, at a standard rate, and do what you love? Or do what you hate and be debt free? http://www.portfoliocenter.com/ is a design school that has a reputation for producing excellent designers. Isn't hard to get in. But once you're there, it is tough shit. And expensive. I promise, promise, promise, promise, it is better to get your debt from education than a million other things, especially when it prepares you for the life you want. Since you have one more year of undergraduate education (I assume): take as many studio and design classes as you can before you graduate. Demonstrate that this is what you want to do. Work hard at these classes. Excel. Also: In five years would you rather have a bachelor's degree in biology and a professional degree in design under your belt, with a couple years experience? Or would you rather be working a job you hate to pay off debt, waiting for that elusive day when you go back to school. Run! Go! Chase your dream!

In the long run, no matter what path you take it's going to take a decent bit of time to get established... One thing that might help shorten the amount of time though is to combine your science training and love of art to your advantage. my professors, like many scientists, use very few illustrations in their peer-reviewed papers and opt for graphs and charts instead. While this is true, in publishing, there's alot of illustration of biology (bird books for example), where it would be especially handy to have your background. Maybe you could start doing dramatic illustrations of topics in your field, with bonus points for doing them with explanations that anyone could understand. To borrow a page from the "Web is the future" camp, how about starting a blog to showcase the examples you would create in the paragraph above. The nice thing is that I think the average web user likes pretty pictures and science, so you have the perfect honeypot to build an audience.

I work for a children's book publisher who uses science illustrators for nonfiction titles, and I think it's important to have an agent, in both the US and UK if you can. The agent can get things moving for you because most companies steer away from cold solicitations. Not that you shouldn't submit your work to publishers. Make sure your cover letter is polite, concise, and grammatically correct. Don't send original artwork and don't expect many yesses. Be sure to research the company and their submission policies. To build a portfolio, take digital photos on a properly-lit, flat surface. If the illustrations are small, you could even go to the library and scan them there. Build a website, even something simple like a blog, showcasing your artwork. It makes it easier for publishers to check things out and you're not wasting time and money sending cover letters and artwork in the mail. Also, check out museums and institutions in your area. Maybe they need to commission something, and you're local and will work for cheap. Plus, you'll build up your resume and portfolio simultaneously. Finally, is there some sort of "Society of Professional Science Illustrators and Designers" out there? If so, become a member.