Profile




Tawatha T. Elguero

Based in Oslo, Norway.

Contact:
collab.tawatha@proton.me

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I collaborate with researchers, conservationists, and environmental organisations to translate scientific knowledge into research-led visuals that reveal the diversity, complexity, and interconnectedness of the natural world.

I am especially interested 
in environmental communication, ecosystem protection, and restoration.


Background
My background combines self-directed study with formal training in scientific illustration through specialised courses, and the Illustraciencia Academy. I have worked with students, researchers, and environmental organisations, including the Roots & Shoots educational program of the Jane Goodall Institute in Spain.

Since 2018, I have been active in citizen science, contributing species observations across Europe through iNaturalist and supporting research projects through Zooniverse. I am also a member of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators.
Testimonials
“Ms. Elguero’s work is always carried out with great professionalism, commitment, attention to detail, talent, and care, which is evident in the final results.”

Marisa Mariñán, Coordinator of Roots & Shoots, Jane Goodall Institute Spain

”As a primatologist and researcher, I deeply value Tawatha’s work and perspective as a scientific illustrator. She has a remarkable ability to combine scientific rigor with artistic sensitivity, creating illustrations that are not only beautiful, but also meaningful and highly effective for science communication. Over the years, I have always been impressed by her professionalism, curiosity, and genuine passion for nature and science. I specially appreciate people capable of building such a strong bridge between art and science.” 

Dr. Miquel Llorente

Director, Master’s Degree in Scientific Illustration in Natural Sciences, Universitat de Girona

Director, Master’s Degree in Primatology, Universitat de Barcelona

“I came across Tawatha’s work by chance, and it was an amazing find. I needed highly specific hyperrealistic illustrations for a scientific article, and the result exceeded all my expectations. Even though the subjects were almost indistinguishable from one another, she captured each individual’s uniqueness perfectly while staying in close contact with me throughout the process for feedback. She was an absolute pleasure to work with.”

Carla Pascual, Primatologist, UdG (Universidad de Girona)
Skills
Scientific Illustration
Information Design
Information Graphics
Visual Storytelling
Research & Information Synthesis
Concept Development 
Field Observation
Innovation
Software
Adobe Creative Suite
QGIS
Blender

Tawatha T. Elguero       Scientific Illustration Visual Communication


Making the  
Invisible Visible


Revealing the structures, processes, and relationships
of the natural world through scientific illustration, and
visual communication.









Case Studies 
Field Notes Blog

Case Studies



CS-1

Marea Oslo
Marine restoration
Scientific communication · 2026


Diagrammatic illustrations created as a social-media sequence explaining how kelp cultivation develops from controlled laboratory stages to deployment, growth and ecosystem formation in the Oslofjord.
Marea Oslo × Seaweed Solutions
Scientific illustration
Visual communication
Oslo, Norway
April, 2026


Context


Marea Oslo is a non-profit working to restore the marine ecosystem of the Oslofjord.

This is a diagrammatic sequence showing how Seaweed Solutions and Marea Oslo work together through kelp cultivation to support the development of marine ecosystems. It is presented in a carousel format for social media publication.

Photograph of a kelp cultivation system taken in the Oslofjord. 2026, Tawatha T. Elguero


Research & Development


The visual language is intentionally minimal. I used fine line-work and simplified forms to keep the focus on process and progression, while a blue-to-green transition helps connect controlled cultivation with ecological development.

For the cellular stages on the cover, I used this scientific paper as reference.


CS-2

What If Wolves Came Back?
Infographics
Lai Ching Ng · 2026
An ongoing collaborative project exploring a hypothetical scenario for the reintroduction of the grey wolf (Canis lupus) to Ireland.


Collaboration




Lai Ching Ng  
Landscape Architect
Hong Kong




“What if wolves came back?”
Rewilding · Ecological restoration
Collaboration with Lai Ching Ng
Information design
Vector · Adobe Illustrator
Remote
2026

Context


“What if wolves came back?” is a collaboration between Lai Ching Ng and me, combining landscape design and visual communication to raise awareness about rewilding and ecological restoration in Ireland.

Ching developed the initial concept, and I translated it into the visual narrative you can see here. I have tried to simplify the information as much as possible for a general audience without losing complexity. 

Ireland is facing significant ecological pressures from agriculture and human intervention. With large predators absent, high deer densities in some areas are putting pressure on young trees through browsing, limiting woodland regeneration and affecting wider ecological relationships.

This is still the early stage of an ongoing collaboration. We have only just begun exploring and asking ourselves the complicated and humbling question: What would it mean for wolves to return to Ireland — ecologically, culturally, and economically?





    

CS-3

Nyckelharpa & Hardanger fiddle
Vector illustration
Hsiang-Yin Hsiao · 2026

A technical illustration featuring the nyckelharpa and the Hardanger fiddle, two Scandinavian string instruments simplified for concert poster design.



Collaboration




Hsiang-Yin Hsiao  
Violinist
Taiwan


Nyckelharpa & Hardanger fiddle
Hsiang-Yin Hsin
Technical Illustration
Vector · Adobe Illustrator
Oslo, Norway
2026

Context


This monochrome technical illustration was commissioned by Hsiang-Yin, a Taiwanese violinist. The instrument details were simplified, including the removal of decorative wood patterns and aesthetic elements, to create a versatile design that could be adapted and reused for concert posters.

Hardanger fiddle close-up, showing the pegbox and tuning pegs.


Research & Development


The vector design was created in Adobe Illustrator, combining photographic references of Hsiang-Yin’s handcrafted instrument with a technical illustration style. 


Close-up details of a nyckelharpa (left) and a Hardanger fiddle (right).


Hsiang-Yin provided the Norwegian and Swedish terminology, making sure the grammar was correct and selecting the words that best conveyed her personal connection to the instruments.








CS-4

Lu Hsin 
The Oslo School of Architecture and Design
Information design · June, 2023


 The infographic translates Taiwan’s natural forest vegetation into a visual system structured by altitude, temperature and humidity.


Lu Hsin · AHO 
Vegetation Zones
Information design
Master’s thesis
Taiwan | Norway
August, 2023

Reviewed by:
Chih-Chieh Yu (游旨价)
Naturalist & plant biologist

Context

This infographic was requested by Lu Hsin, a landscape architect, during her final master’s thesis on an ethnobotanical garden in Taiwan at AHO – The Oslo School of Architecture and Design.

It shows the vegetation zones of Taiwan’s natural forests along gradients of altitude, temperature, and humidity. It explains how Taiwan’s forests change from lowland tropical and subtropical forests near sea level, through montane evergreen and conifer forests, and up to the subalpine and alpine vegetation found near the island’s highest peaks, such as Xueshan, 3,886 m.

Some captions from the location on-site:

A gorgeous high-elevation alpine pond called Cuei Pond / 翠池, surrounded by Taiwan fir — Abies kawakamii and 
Taiwan alpine juniper — Juniperus squamata. ©Lu Hsin


Research & Development


I was given an older vegetation chart of Taiwan that showed how different forest communities change with elevation and between wetter and drier slopes.


This diagram illustrates the elevation zones of vegetation in the mountains of central Taiwan. Online reference only. Original publication not directly accessed; source credited here: Ref. Ref.2


I then used a bioclimatic classification chart to show more clearly how vegetation relates to temperature and moisture.


Holdridge Life Zone Classification diagram by Peter Halasz,via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Ref.1 , Ref.2


I used this idea to make the final graph feel more like an ecological landscape.





CS-5

Black-capped Squirrel Monkey
Saimiri boliviensis
Species reconstruction
Carla Pascual
University of Girona · January · 2023
Four hyperrealistic portraits to support research exploring the relationship between individual personality and vocalisations in Saimiri.


Black-capped squirrel monkeys
Saimiri boliviensis
Scientific illustration
Species reconstruction
Digital  · Photoshop
Remote
2023

Context


I created four hyperrealistic portraits of Black-capped squirrel monkeys for a primatology study by Carla Pascual at the University of Girona, investigating the relationship between individual personality and vocalisations.


Research & Development


Because the monkeys were wild, the available reference photographs were often low quality, making individual identification the main challenge.


Pixelated alterred images from original references used during the illustration process.


I worked from limited, low-quality photographs of wild individuals, I reconstructed each monkey in Photoshop and tried to identify features to make each portrait easy to recognise.

Miro board showing the communication exchange between the researcher and me.







CS-6

Vaquita Marina
Phocoena sinus
Conservation
Ongoing collaboration · 2022–present
Revealing the biology and conservation challenges of one of the world’s most endangered marine mammals.


Collaboration




Julia Rouaux 
PhD Natural Sciences
Scientific illustrator 
Argentina



Vaquita Marina
Phocoena sinus
Scientific illustration · Conservation
Collaboration with Julia Rouaux
Information design
Remote
2022–present

Context


The vaquita marina (Phocoena sinus) is the world’s smallest porpoise and one of the most endangered marine mammals on Earth. Its range is limited to the Upper Gulf of California, Mexico. Only a handful of individuals remain, with 2025 monitoring efforts estimating approximately ∽10 vaquitas observed.

The main threat to the species is bycatch in illegal gillnets set for totoaba, an endangered fish whose swim bladder is highly valued on black markets. Despite the severe decline, conservation efforts continue to protect the remaining animals and support population recovery.

This project explores how visual communication can support awareness and conservation efforts by making its anatomy, biology, and threats more accessible.


Research & Development

I began this project in 2022 as an ongoing collaboration with Julia Rouaux, PhD in Natural Sciences and scientific illustrator, who has supervised me throughout the process.

The project is ongoing. So far, I have reconstructed the skull and developed preliminary infographics on the species’ anatomy and conservation status, with more educational material still to come.

Close-up of a Vaquita skull study in pencil, showing tonal development.

Research has been challenging because the population is extremely small and skeletal material is scarce. Some cranial elements, including the teeth and zygomatic arch, were missing from available references, so we contacted a vertebrate collection in Mexico to request additional specimen photographs.

Process view of a Vaquita skull illustration in development, showing digital rendering in PS alongside specimen reference.



Illustration of a vaquita marina (Phocoena sinus) mother and calf - 2022, Tawatha T. Elguero


Vaquita skull final rendering:

Final rendered skull of a vaquita marina (Phocoena sinus). Mixed media — 2022, Tawatha T. Elguero.


Research sources


Special thanks to The Vertebrate Collection of the Natural History Museum of Mexico, 
and to Dr. Sandra Martínez for their generous support and for providing the photographic reference material that made this part of the reconstruction possible.





CS-7

Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carbo
Digital rendering
Personal project · 2022


A personal scientific illustration of the Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo).

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Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carbo
Scientific illustration
Personal project
Siruana, Catalunya
2022

Context


A personal illustration about the Great Cormorant, highlighting the birds head anatomy, plumage and scale with a sun as source light in the background.


Illustration process


Feather direction marked with arrows before drawing:




Beak texture:




Fine feather details:




Light source placement:




Highlights on and off:




Iconography


I chose a female human silhouette for the size comparison after checking online the widespread use of male figures as the default reference model in scientific graphics. 



Comparison of average adult human height and cormorant wingspan.






CS-8

Formosan Arboreal Landscape
Lu Hsin · AHO
Infographic
Collaborative project · 2023


A botanical infographic collaboration that visualises native tree species in Taiwan’s Xueshan mountain range.


Collaboration





Lu Hsin
Landscape Architect
Taiwan



Formosan Arboreal Landscape
Botanical infographic
Information design
Collaboration with Lu Hsin
Photoshop · Illustrator
Norway | Taiwan
2023

Context


This was a collaboration between Lu Hsin, a landscape architect, and me during her final master’s thesis on an ethnobotanical garden in Taiwan at AHO, the Oslo School of Architecture and Design.

Known as Formosa, or “beautiful island,” Taiwan is home to diverse and historic plant life, including Taiwania cryptomerioides, one of Asia’s tallest trees. The illustration presents 13 endemic and native species found in Snow Mountain, a serene area in eastern Taichung, Taiwan, symbolizing the island’s rich natural heritage.


Research & Development


Thirteen trees were hand-drawn in pencil by the two of us, and later digital refined. I designed the rest of the composition in Adobe Illustrator. The illustration uses a scale bar and a colour palette to show the height and seasonal changes of these trees.

Close-up section of canopy trees with sunset, mountain, and details.

The background image shows the silhouette of Xueshan Mountain, also known as Snow Mountain, which is 3,886 metres high.

Close-up infographic of root systems and color swatches. 

The roots were sourced from Wageningen University & Research Image Collections. 

    

CS-9

Roots & Shoots Diploma
Mixed media
Jane Goodall Institute Spain · 2019

A certificate designed for the Roots & Shoots youth programme, combining hand-drawn illustration with digital colour, typography, and layout.

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Roots & Shoots Diploma
Jane Goodall Institute Spain
Illustration & graphic design
Ink · Digital colour · Photoshop
Spain
2019

Context


In 2019, I began to collaborate with the Roots & Shoots youth program by the Jane Goodall Institute in Spain. This is an institute founded by the late Jane Goodall, a primatologist and activist, known for her long study of chimpanzees at Gombe National Park in Africa. Her work led to pioneering findings in primatology, such as the observation of chimpanzee tool use, a discovery that forced the scientific community to rethink the definition of what “human” meant at the time.

The program takes positive action through local and international projects aimed at wildlife conservation, the environment, and local communities.

I volunteered on multiple designs, including a comissioned diploma handed to new Roots & Shoots group participants.


Illustration process


I combined hand-drawn dot-work with later digital colour refinement, combining a traditional illustration style with a finished digital touch.


In the digital post-production stage, the original hand-drawn dot-work was refined through colour-correction, texture work, typography, and final layout adjustments in Photoshop.


Chimpanzee Hand


A chimpanzee hand so that children can compare their own hands to those of one of our closest relatives and understand the functionality of the opposable thumb.

By comparing their hand with the illustration, children can explore how the opposable thumb supports gripping, climbing, touching, grooming, and manipulating objects, while learning how form relates to function in evolution.

Final version:

Final render. Chimpanzee hand anatomy study. Tawatha T. Elguero





Top © 2026 Tawatha T. Elguero