Gallery: The Man Behind the Unexpected Beauty of Gray's Anatomy

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    Antbits
    01

    frontal-section1.jpg

    Richard Tibbits is the chief illustrator for Gray’s Anatomy, the seminal medical textbook that was first published in 1858. He's a medical illustrator, which means his job is partly about artistry, partly about communication. This drawing is one of his, of the human body's frontal section.
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    Antbits
    02

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    Tibbits applies an infographic-like approach to his work, meaning the drawings he creates don't always look like the real thing. This illustration of a lung uses some careful color-coding, for instance.
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    Antbits
    03

    ant-superf-muscle1.jpg

    Here, a rendering of a muscular structure.
  • And here hand vessels.
    Antbits
    04

    hand-vessels-sup1.jpg

    And here, hand vessels.
  • When medical illustration was in its heyday illustrators favored a more illustrious approach and used pen and ink and...
    Antbits
    05

    pharynx-vessels-11.jpg

    When medical illustration was in its heyday, illustrators favored a more illustrious approach, and used pen and ink and wash. This drawing of pharynx vessels is computer-created, and more simplified.
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    Antbits
    06

    R-lat-cav1.jpg

    A lateral cross-section of the upper body cavity.
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    Antbits
    07

    subocciptri-aw1.jpg

    Suboccipital muscles, found at the base of the skull.
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    Antbits
    08

    thor-arts1.jpg

    This drawing is designed to show off the thoracic artery—everything is deliberately muted.
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    Antbits
    09

    veins-of-cord11.jpg

    Same here: this drawing is for studying veins in the spinal cord.
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