Science illustration is a valuable method of joining art with the natural world, using many different mediums to interpret and portray our world's organisms and their ecosystems.  Often able to capture detail, color, and movement that cannot be reproduced by photography, science illustration provides insight into the processes and interactions between many species, both extant and extinct.

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Science illustrators use their skills to create artwork used in science textbooks, research papers, journals, and field guides for different taxonomic groups.  Their work can also be used as murals or advertisements in museums, zoos, and aquariums. Depending on their specialization, science illustrators can be further described as either biological, zoological, or medical illustrators.  In the medical field, science illustration is used to depict the physiology and anatomy of the human body and its functions.

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The teaching of science illustration has a great impact on an individual's understanding of the natural world.  By joining a brush or a pencil with paper, an illustrator, no matter their level of skill, can dissect a flower and identify its parts. They can compare the size of a wren to a woodpecker, and they can reveal the intricate patterns of a rattlesnake.  They can show others the quiet, dignified way a mountain lion walks through a forest.  But most importantly, a science illustrator has an extraordinary ability to open one's eyes to the organisms that live in our midst, the problems that they face, and how we can come to their aid.