Medical Journal Illustration: ECMO and Chest Tube

Here’s a ready-to-paste brief for Freelancer:
Project title
Color medical illustration: Sternotomy vs Mini-sternotomy (side-by-side comparison)
Overview
Create a clean, anatomically accurate, color illustration for a medical thesis cover/page. The image should compare a standard median sternotomy with a mini-sternotomy, shown side by side on the same canvas. Clarity, accuracy, and a modern medical-textbook aesthetic are essential.
What to illustrate
• Subject: Adult upper torso (frontal view), optional if head and arms are visible,. White background.
• Left panel: Standard sternotomy with metal chest retractors. Incision length typical for full sternotomy.
• Right panel: Mini-sternotomy with metal retractors, about 30.40% the length of the full sternotomy incision.
• Subtle ribcage indication under the skin is okay for orientation, but the skin should appear intact except at the incision windows.
• Heart silhouette may be faintly suggested for context but no gory detail—keep it suitable for a thesis/journal cover.
• No labels
• : panels aligned horizontally, equal sizing and margins; visual balance suitable for a cover.
Style & color
• Clean, vector-like medical illustration (think modern atlas), soft gradients, no photo-real blood or tissue.
• Professional, muted palette (surgical steel for retractors; natural, inclusive skin tone with subtle shading).
• Crisp line work, high contrast for edges; readable at small sizes.
Technical specs
• Canvas: A4 portrait and A4 landscape versions.
• Resolution: 600 dpi (print) + web version at 3000 px width.
• Background: transparent PNG and white-background versions.
• File formats: AI or layered PSD (editable), SVG (if vector), and hi-res PNG.
• Keep panels and labels on separate layers; name layers clearly.
Deliverables
1. Final color illustration (A4 portrait + A4 landscape) in AI/PSD, SVG, and PNG.
2. Web-ready PNG (3000 px width).
Accuracy notes
• Retractors should look like modern sternal retractors (metallic, symmetric).
• Mini-sternotomy incision must be visibly shorter (<½ of the full sternotomy) and positioned appropriately.
• Proportions should reflect an adult chest; avoid exaggerated anatomy.
Usage & rights
• License for academic, non-commercial use in doctoral thesis (digital and print) and presentations, with credit to the illustrator as appropriate.