Suzanne Bohay - Web Designer Analyst

My first full time employment drawing was in Toronto with a company that did illustrations for patent applications. The variety of items we had to draw made for a job that was seldom boring. Especially trying out the new toys, to better illustrate them of course.

Illustration drawn on board for patent application

	Technical Ilustration of APU unit for maintenance manual from engineering data and photographs. Visits to the actual aircraft also helped localize the different parts and drawn them in the correct frame of reference.

A good example of the benefits of digital Illustration: Originally completed on board, substantial modification was required. The design of the handles had changed and the steering column had to be exploded completely. Instead of manipulating the original scan of the drawing, it was easier to start fresh and create an entirely digital illustration. The organic feel of the steering handle required sketching directly from the aircraft. And in case you are wondering, in french, it is called 'Le steering"...by the mechanics anyway.

This illustration won the award of excellence from the Society of Technical Illustration..

Then

When I first entered the field, technical iIllustration was done entirely on board with technical pen. However, this did not last long!

Now

Scanning of illustrations for manipulation on computers followed soon after I entered the field. A short time later, the benefits of digital illustration resulted in the pen being replaced by the mouse. This image was manipulated in Catia to show the parts refered to in the text. The data was then imported from Catia into Auto-Trol Tech Illustrator program for final modifications - addition of small parts,icons etc. and modification to line weights..

This light switch was drawn entirely in AutoTrol from an actual switch. The illustration once completed included view or information on all aspects of the switch so that it could be used for many different drawings with only slight modifications. They also make a clicking sound for hours of entertainment :)

	The cutaway gives the viewer a frame of reference for the parts being discussed. This illustration was completed with pen and ink on board. The blue pencil construction lines still visible on the original illustration.

Textbook illustration offers a great variety in subjects to draw. My technical illustration background lent itself well to this field. Researching the subject matter was also interesting as we are supplied only with the text to illustrate. ..I think I remember those shoes!