Infratemporal Fossa
Year
2023
Project type
Illustration
Primary Audience
Anatomy Students
Client
Shelley Wall
Medium
Textbook spread
Tools
Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, Pencil, Figma
Description
The infratemporal fossa is a complex anatomical region beneath the base of the skull and behind the maxilla, containing critical neurovascular structures and muscles of mastication. The intent of this illustration is to clarify these structures within a nonstandard space and to identify the major passing nerves to aid in the understanding of gross anatomy within a specimen.
Preproduction
The preproduction phase began with observing and sketching the infratemporal fossa directly from an anatomical specimen in the lab, focusing on capturing its form.
Extensive research followed to identify and label the structures in the sketch, using anatomy references for accuracy. The labels and sketches were then reviewed by anatomists, and their feedback was incorporated to refine the work.
Production
An initial illustration was developed based on the sketches and observations from the preproduction stage. This draft included a detailed layout of the infratemporal fossa, with rudimentary labels identifying the key anatomical structures. The focus during this phase was on organizing the composition to clearly represent the spatial relationships within the fossa while maintaining anatomical accuracy. The final illustration was created by building on the comprehensive draft. Basic tones were first applied to establish the overall structure and depth of the infratemporal fossa. Shadows were then adjusted. Detailed work was added to emphasize textures.
References: Agur, A. M. R., and Dalley, Arthur F. Grant's Atlas of Anatomy. United Kingdom, Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009, pp. 485–499.; Norton, Neil S. Netter's Head and Neck Anatomy for Dentistry E-Book. United States, Elsevier Health Sciences, 2016, pp. 207–229.; Van Gijn, Daniel R., and Dunne, Jonathan. Oxford Handbook of Head and Neck Anatomy. United Kingdom, Oxford University Press, 2022, pp. 93–261.