Although my first drawing could have been published with only slight improvements, I let an artist redraw it, by hand. (We had no computers in those days!) The picture was improved – but it cost me a small fortune. Ever since, I have done my drawings myself. This is perhaps not such a bad thing after all, because the pictures will express exactly what I mean.

Such a drawing, done by one of the authors of a paper, is shown below.

The report was initiated by a serious complication to a laparoscopy, where a trocar (a sharp instrument) was stabbed into the large intestine during the initial phase of the procedure. The paper describes how this complication could be prevented – and the drawing tells exactly what the authors wanted to say. The picture cost them nothing!

Authors who wish to have their drawings done by a professional artist are recommended to provide the artist with a detailed sketch. The artist then scans the sketch into a computer where it is improved – much cheaper than drawing it by hand. Skilful illustrators, however, are a rare species and usually have a tight schedule. You should therefore contact them in good time; preferably before you begin to write the paper.

The following pair of figures shows the sketch (above) done by the author and the improved drawing (below) by the artist. Every detail is enhanced and given a professional look.