This has been a week with plenty of art—painting with bacterial culture and drawing on my iPad.
My favorite caricature from illustrating a scientific conference was of bacteria playing volleyball with a streptomyces spore inspired by Alice Muok’s talk at #BLASTXVI and Haikyu!, the manga/anime series my youngest and I bonded over (and kindly refer to as “volleyball boys.”) Notice the similarity between the curved rod jumping for the ball and Hinata from Haikyu.
But the images with the greatest impact were the portraits of participants.
Previously, I drew a portrait for the AWM’s Notable Women in Math Playing Cards and it was selected as one of five (out of 64) for the advance advertising. When AWM made their second kickstarter stretch goal, I was asked to draw one of the promised collectable cards. I’d love to share those portraits, but cannot until AWM announces them first. (They are announcing one honoree a week at this site.) Since then, I have started drawing portraits of other mathematicians as gifts. The first for a gift exchange in the Math Mama group. I made it look like a notable woman in math playing card:
The second, drawn today for a very dear friend’s birthday.
Perhaps I should make her a playing card as well? Drawing a portrait is like spending time with a good friend (or in some cases friends-to-be…)
Cover image is the protagonist from the labor of love that I am writing and illustrating. I will get it done this year. I must!
Math in the Time of Corona 
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