Olympic National Park
A self-initiated collection born from years of backpacking Olympic National Park — one park that holds alpine meadows, old-growth forest, wild coastline, and kelp forest within a single day’s drive. I illustrated a scene for each ecosystem, layering in the wildlife I met along its trails. Flip on the species labels under each scene to meet the wildlife. The collection lives on as art prints, field guides, and surface patterns.
Alpine Meadow
Old-Growth Forest
Salish Sea Tide Pools
Under the Salish Sea
The Process
Field trips: Backpacking and hiking trips throughout the national park provided endless inspirations. I can usually spot the scenes that would make lovely compositions for upcoming illustrations.
Research: A field guide on the trail, with more backup research once I get home, usually equips me with enough information on the plants, wildlife, and ecology to start sketching out the layout and motifs.
Sketches: The motifs and background are drawn in pencil before being colored in Photoshop.
Sketching the Motifs
