Neural Pathway of Gustation

Neural Pathway of Gustation

Year

2024

Project type

Illustration

Primary Audience

Anatomy Students

Client

Shelley Wall

Medium

Editorial

Tools

Figma, Procreate, Zbrush, Illustrator

Description

Gustation, or the sense of taste, is the sensory process that allows organisms to perceive and interpret chemical compounds in food and drinks through taste buds on the tongue. This piece aims to illustrate the process by which taste sensations are received, travel through the involved structures, and ultimately reach specific regions of the brain for processing and interpretation.

Preproduction

After selecting gustation as the topic, research was conducted to identify the structures involved and trace the pathway of the taste signal. Multiple portrait views were explored, and 3D scanned data was utilized in ZBrush to manipulate the brain into an orientation that best highlighted the key structures and processes to be showcased.

An anatomist was consulted to finalize the view, and a draft was created featuring the brain in situ along with the orientation of the skull. This draft was developed using a combination of 3D data and photo references .

Insets for the illustration were drafted, and a labeled sketch was developed to outline the layout and depict the structures involved in the process of gustation. The anatomical details were reviewed by an anatomist and refined to ensure accuracy and clarity in representing the participating structures.

Production

A tonal draft was developed to establish the values and directional lighting for the piece, finalizing the composition and confirming all labels. For the final illustration, color was applied over the tonal draft, guided by stylistic influences from Rembrandt and Caravaggio to fulfill the requirement of creating a portrait-style piece. This approach emphasized dramatic lighting and rich textures, used to create salience towards the key structures of gustation.

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