Digital art - a useful tool for medical professionals to create medical illustrations

Illustrations are routinely used in medicine for teaching, communication, record keeping, research and publication purposes. Many medical professionals including the author prefer to create their own medical illustrations for use in presentations and publications. With the advent of digital media, it has become easier to create good quality illustrations even for those with limited artistic skills including the author. This article describes the author's experience with creating medical illustrations using digital media and discusses the benefits of the new technology. A few useful tips are also provided for medical professionals who would be interested in exploring the option of creating their own illustrations using digital tools.