Self-Illustrating an Exercise Book

Fellow Xara users,
I am contracted to write a book about the biology of exercise with a famous athlete coauthor. In addition to sport photography I will be self-illustrating the book using Xara PGD9 and Autodesk Sketchbook Pro. I would like constructive criticism of these images before we go to print. Anything you think that needs correcting, different colors, composition, or detail.

Xara PGD9 drawings:
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Sketchbook Pro drawings: these are drawings, not photographs:
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Looks good to me. Sperm are much smaller but for sake of illustration that works.

Great images, particularly like the Einstein drawing. Only comment I would make is that the two plated food images appear over blurred to me.

Looks good to me too WildRice. The "two plated food images" blurring is so subtle that I barely noticed.

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Originally Posted by gwpriester

Looks good to me. Sperm are much smaller but for sake of illustration that works.

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The reason for this image is to show that the ovum is roughly 1,000 times the size of a sperm. Mitochondria inhabit the cytoplasm and not the nucleus of cells. That is why we get our mitochondria from our mothers. I used the electron microscope image below as a basis but just eye-balled the proportions and did not measure. Just need to ballpark the relative sizes. The sperm are a tad big to make them visible, but I could easily make the ovum bigger, like the surface of a planet.

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Originally Posted by Egg Bramhill

Great images, particularly like the Einstein drawing. Only comment I would make is that the two plated food images appear over blurred to me.

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I did try to make the plated food images sharper, but then they started to look more like photos instead of hand drawn art. In the book they will be big files shrunken down to half page size, so maybe the blurring won't be too bad.

A human ovum is 120-150 microns and a human sperm head is 5 x 3 microns, and volume = 4/3 Pi r3, so the cytoplasmic ratio is about 60,000 to 1 and my first attempt was off. I redrew the proportions making the ovum larger.
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The book is about exercise so I am going to replace the close up portrait of Albert Einstein with this Sketchbook Pro digital drawing of him riding a bicycle with his famous quote.
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“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”

– Albert Einstein.

Good news! I just finished writing the last chapter of my book and now my self-illustrated fitness book "The Science of Fitness" with Greg LeMond is listed on Amazon as a pre-order item. My coauthor is arguably the best American athlete of all time and my publisher (Elsevier) is the biggest science book publisher in the world with distribution to 180 countries, so this is not a small, self-published work. It could be a big international seller. It is due for release in a few months so although there are no customer reviews yet you can read some of our glowing peer reviews and get an idea of the content. Tell me what you think.
http://www.amazon.com/Science-Fitnes...words=mark+hom
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Reviews:
This book project passed academic peer review (with flying colors) from two major academic publishers: first the Johns Hopkins University Press (the oldest university press in America), and then Elsevier (the largest scientific book publisher in the world). Elsevier also accepted for publication the follow up version: "Mitochondrial Fitness: The Science of Athletic Energy" a larger hardcover scientific reference book intended for biologists, physiologists, clinicians, and researchers. Here are some of the peer review comments:

"This title by LeMond (and) Hom....will be the best fitness book published in the year it is released....This is not a fad book, but one that will be meaningful and timeless and should help a lot of people....the book strikes a balance that covers all the topics one needs and provides a plan that, if followed, will really help a person maximize their potential..."
- Summary of acceptance for publication by the Johns Hopkins University Press

"Mitochondrial biogenesis and adaptation with regular exercise are now recognized to have implications for a broader range of health issues, rather than only the enhancement of exercise performance. The authors' contention that exercise has broad effects on the overall human physiology is fully supported scientifically. In essence, this is a timely book for a society that in general...lacks motivation to exercise and stay healthy while intensely distracted by gadgets and flooded with easy-to-eat and drink junk food...There are no borders for this book."
- Anonymous peer reviewer

"I would recommend buying the scientific reference version of the book to our library at JHU (Johns Hopkins University). I would also do the same myself and with my colleagues (cardiologists) at JHU, encouraging them to recommend the book (shorter version) to patients in their clinical practice. I will also recommend the book to friends and acquaintances, and stimulate them to consider the importance of keeping their mitochondria strong and healthy..."
- Anonymous peer reviewer

"This is the right time for human societies immersed in an epidemic of sedentary life style, obesity and diabetes. Professionals, scientists and the big public need to be aware that they have "simple" and relatively cheap life decisions related with nutrition, diet and physical activity at hand. When made at the right time and applied consistently, these decisions have the potential to make a positive impact on health and life quality while benefiting the society at large."
- Anonymous peer reviewer

Glowing reviews Mark. You got my interest. Thanks for posting.

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Originally Posted by wizard509

Glowing reviews Mark. You got my interest. Thanks for posting.

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Thanks Wizard. The best response came from a simple peer review question: "Would you buy the book?" and the Johns Hopkins cardiologist said not only would he buy it, he would recommend it to the Johns Hopkins University library, his JHU colleagues, to all of their patients, and all of his friends. Daaaamn! He could have just said, "Yes."

The best part is that I get to show off my illustrations. The book is funded for color illustrations which is rare for an academic published book.

Table of Contents:
The Science of Fitness: Power, Performance, and Endurance

Chapter 1: Becoming a BEAST
We evolved as physical beings that require daily activity. Exercise
prevents the modern diseases of inactivity and sloth

Chapter 2: The Human Machine
Exercise is a whole body process and each organ system's contribution
is explained. Then we delve into the cell. Fitness is built one cell at a time

Chapter 3: Amazing Mitochondria
The symbiotic relationship between our cells and mitochondria gives
us the energy to thrive and perform incredible athletic feats

Chapter 4: Feeding Your Cells
The science of sports nutrition and hydration. Super foods to add to your
diet and unhealthy foods to avoid

Chapter 5: Mitochondrial Supplements
Vitamins, minerals, and nutritional supplements that assist our cells in
making energy

Chapter 6: Your Body at Work, Play, and Rest
The current thinking in exercise physiology, the best ways to train, and
what happens if you stop exercising

Chapter 7: The Body-Brain Connection
How exercise improves the mind: first recognized in antiquity and
recently confirmed with scientific discoveries

Chapter 8: When Things Go Wrong
Toxicity and how to avoid it, preventing diseases of inactivity, a list of
genetic mitochondrial diseases, LeMond's mitochondrial myopathy

Chapter 9: Slowing the Aging Process
The mitochondrial theory of aging is the latest model to explain the
changes that occur as we get older, and how to slow the process

Chapter 10: Gauging Fitness
The physics and physiology behind athletic monitoring, clearly explained

Chapter 11: BEAST Fitness Training
Practical physical training advice for athletes of all abilities using
scientific principles

Chapter 12: The Finish Line...and a Starting Line
How to change your lifestyle for the better, how the book was created
and evolved, and a call for more awareness and research

About the Authors

Greg LeMond is a legendary and pioneering bicyclist, three-time winner of the Tour de France (1986, 1989, and 1990), three-time World Cycling Champion (1979, 1983 and 1989), author of "Greg LeMond's Complete Book of Bicycling”" (1988, with Kent Gordis), founder of the LeMond Fitness company, bicycle technology innovator, and fitness expert. Greg LeMond runs his company at GregLeMond.com, is a leader in the latest training equipment and power (watts) training devices, and has recently reintroduced his brand of LeMond carbon fiber bicycles. He contributes in many cycling periodicals, including Cycling News. He recently joined Eurosport as their Global Cycling Ambassador and as a TV sports commentator. Greg LeMond will temper the science with practical advice and proven effective training methods. Greg is uniquely qualified to describe the importance of mitochondria during the peak of his racing career and also when mitochondrial myopathy resulted in his premature retirement from racing. He will explain why the modern athlete needs to know the science of fitness.

Dr. Mark Hom, M.D. is a Johns Hopkins University trained biologist, an award winning medical illustrator, a practicing interventional radiologist, an educator of young doctors, and an avid fitness cyclist. Dr. Hom will explain how the human body, various organ systems, and individual cells function in the biologic process of exercise. Dr. Hom will show that mitochondria are at the center of cell energy production, metabolism, and athletic performance, as well as an underlying cause of degeneration, aging, and many diseases. Optimizing mitochondria not only maximizes performance, but also improves vitality and overall health.

The book is released and selling well internationally. Out of 25,000 active Elsevier book titles, our book was the number one featured book on all 121 Elsevier Store international home pages during the Holiday season. Several of the radio interviewers commented on the "fabulous" illustrations.

Publisher Elsevier Press Release:
http://www.elsevier.com/about/press-...d-mark-hom,-md

How the book was created and the back story:
http://www.elsevier.com/connect/the-...learn-about-it

AskMen article on How to Slow the Aging Process:
http://www.askmen.com/sports/health/...g-process.html

Livestrong article on our BEAST fitness system:
http://www.livestrong.com/blog/get-b...-beast-system/

BikeRadar article on Hill Climbing:
http://www.bikeradar.com/us/road/gea...raining-43013/

Links to some of our recent promotional syndicated radio interviews. Midway through the interviews (the solo interview with MPRNews) Greg sounded like a tenured biology professor giving a lecture (but with passion):

http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2014/12/...jarvi-of-slso/
Charlie Brennan interviews Greg LeMond and Mark Hom

http://www.jimbotalk.net/programhighlights
Jim Bohannon Show 39 minute interview Audio Archives Monday 12-8-2014 at 1:20 of 1:59

http://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/12/12/lemond
Greg solo interview

http://www.971talk.com/blogs/allmans...d-dr-mark-hohm
Note: They spelled our names wrong, should be Greg LeMond and Mark Hom

http://wosu.org/2 012/allsides/wellness-wed-hospital-infections-infant-mortality-cycling-fit/
NPR interview 38:40 of the video or 35:35 of the Podcast

http://outspokencyclist.com/2014/12/...ember-13-2014/
The Outspoken Cyclist: Mitochondrial Myopathy