This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
Welcome to a new feature here on Symbiartic! SciArt in the Crowd will share some of the most interesting crowdfunding projects by a variety of artists engaged in SciArt. Help them create and expand the circle of scientific literacy, visually.
Mammoth is Mopey by David & Jennie Orr
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Mammoth is Mopeyis a new children's book illustrated by David Orr and written by Jennie Orr, with funding collected on IndieGoGo.
Filled with fun facts and an alphabet of unusual prehistoric creatures done in graphic designer-illustrator David Orr's signature flat-colour style; it looks fantastic.
All of the content for the book itself is already complete, so the risk is relatively low for supporters. While $15 gets you a print copy of the book, $200 will get you a custom avatar done in David's style to use on social media. Check out the campaign, illustrations and perks on IndieGoGo. Follow David Orr on Twitter @anatotitan and Jennie Orr @thejennieorr.
3D Animal Anatomy by Mieke Roth
3D Animal Anatomy, starting with a rat, an exciting project from scientific illustrator turned 3D modeller Mieke Roth, on Patreon. Starting with the rat, Roth plans on making scientifically accurate 3D models of various animal's anatomy. If you're not familiar with Patreon, it works a little differently than Kickstarter and IndieGoGo: instead of helping fund a singular project, you become an old-school patron, helping the artist continuously for as long as you like. If you're a fan of someone and wish there was more of their work, you can directly help that happen for as little as $1 a month.
Mieke Roth, who we have featured here on Symbiartic before, is going to be creating a series of 3D anatomically-accurate animal models and you can help that happen, and with enough funding, she can optimize her models for 3D printing. Kick ass.
Fund her Patreon here, and follow her on Twitter @miekeroth.
Science Inspired Art by Amy Davis Roth
Amy Davis Roth (no relation to Mieke above) is better known online as Surly Amy, the artist behind Surlyramics, Mad Art Lab and the new Mad Art Cast. Now, she's turning to Patreon to fund her fine art creations, and explode eyeballs with her graphic, almost tattoo-inspired visions of science.
As with many Patreon campaigns, the more money Roth generates a month, the more ambitious her projects will be and we will get to see the results. For example, if she reaches $750 a month, she will create a video with a scientist explaining the science behind her painting - a true STEAM effort, I could see these being fantastic in the classroom.
Fund her Patreon here, and find her on Twitter @SurlyAmy.
Insects Unlocked by Alex Wild
Already successfully funded, but still going and raising even more, is Insects Unlocked, by our Scientific American peep Alex Wild and the University of Texas at Austin's Insect Image Lab, raising funds on Hornraiser.
The aim of Insects Unlocked is for, "a team of students will learn the art and artistry of digital microphotography while capturing images of Texas's smallest wildlife. The resulting image collection will be open for anyone to use, free of the constraints of traditional copyright."
Incredible scientific imagery, and it benefits everyone. The more money the campaign makes in these final days, the more variety of images they can create.
Fund the Hornraiser campaign here, and find Alex Wild on Twitter @myrmecos and Insects Unlocked @InsectsUnlocked.