Recent Work: Protecting Health Care Workers

An illustration of hands holding up a homemade sign that says Thank You, with the face of a health care worker as the letter O

As part of my ongoing work with Resolve to Save Lives, I recently designed and illustrated their new publication 'Protecting Health Care Workers: A Need for Urgent Action'.

The report cover showing a close illustration of a black health care worker wearing a medical mask

It was decided early on not to rely on photography for this, so I had the opportunity to research and illustrate. I used the vector brushes in Adobe Fresco on the iPad, experimenting with a different style (I don't normally use outlines). It's a style that suited the tight deadlines of the project, but I'm really pleased with the results.

The cover was the first illustration, which then set the tone for the rest of the report.

One of the aspects of the report that needed to be depicted, is the toll on Health Care Worker's (HCW) mental health. This stumped me at first, but then I remembered how sufferers would refer to depression as like a 'black cloud':

A health care worker crouches on the ground, surrounding by a spiky black shape representing their mental health

Examples of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) through the ages. From the Plague of Athens in 430BC (when there was no PPE) to COVID-19 in 2020, via the 17th century Plague Doctor, and the Ebola outbreak in 2014 (when more PPE was used).

A greek physician, a 17th century plague doctor, a health care worker from the Ebola outbreak in 2014, and in 2020 with COVID-19.

PPE training in Ethiopia:

An illustration of PPE training in Ethiopia

You can read the report on the Prevent Epidemics Website.