Signing Books at the AUC Press Tahrir Bookstore — Signed Copies of “Ancient Egypt; An Artist’s Coloring Book” Now Available!

Had the great pleasure of signing books today at the AUC Press Tahrir Bookstore. They are well stocked with the new “Ancient Egypt; An Artist’s Coloring Book” and signed copies are now available in the store!

Along with the coloring book, all the AUC Press Nature Foldouts are also available at the register.

You can also find the coloring book in the “New Arrivals” display in the store, along with “Egypt’s Wildlife, Past & Present” in English and Arabic.

Wonderful to see “Ancient Egypt; An Artist’s Coloring Book” alongside some of the bestselling adult coloring books on the market. It definitely stands out!

The American Scientist Magazine May–June 2015 with Cover Illustration by Dominique Navarro, from the AUC Press Nature Foldouts

EXTRA! EXTRA! The American Scientist Magazine http://www.americanscientist.org/ May–June 2015 Issue is HOT off the press and available for your reading pleasure! In this exciting issue you’ll find the cover article, illustrated by Dominique Navarro, “Modern Lessons from Ancient Food Webs” that discusses the decline in species diversity of larger-bodied mammals present before, during, and after the rise of agricultural societies in ancient Egypt and other areas.

The article can be purchased and read at: bit.ly/1y8gz0L

The assemblage of mammals in Egypt has declined in species diversity over the past 10,000 years. Using clues from archaeology and paleontology, ecologists have pieced together the food web of larger-bodied mammals present before, during, and after the rise of agricultural societies in ancient Egypt.

In “Modern Lessons from Ancient Food Webs”, Justin D. Yeakel and Jennifer A. Dunne describe the underlying structure that appears to be consistent in food webs across space and time, as well as how we can better predict their instability or recovery after major die-offs.

American Scientist is the illustrative, award-winning magazine of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society and is your source of science, technology and engineering news and features since 1913! Visit the website at http://www.americanscientist.org.

Artwork Attribution:
Artwork by Dominique Navarro, author and illustrator
of the AUC Press Nature Foldout Series
from American University in Cairo Press.
The AUC Press NatureFoldouts are illustrated foldout guides introducing an exciting selection of Egypt’s animals and plants, from river wetland residents and desert survivors, to venerated animals of the ancients and prehistoric dinosaurs.Available from online booksellers including AUCPress.com and Amazon.com.

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AUC Press October News

AUC Press Nature Foldout artist Dominique Navarro wins Emmy: http://aucpress.com/t-newsarchiveitem.aspx?NewsID=298

Natural history artist, writer, and art director Dominique Navarro was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Art Direction (2014) for the TV series ‘Big History’ at last month’s 35th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards in New York City.

“Winning an Emmy, especially a News & Documentary Emmy, is an immense honor,” said Navarro.” It is always a challenge for a creative person like myself to find projects that are inspiring, intelligent, and admirable. ‘Big History’ is such a project. I am really grateful to work with such a talented, dedicated team of people.”

The recent Emmy winner is the author and illustrator of the AUC Press Nature Foldout series for Egypt; Ancient Egypt’s Wildlife, with Salima Ikram (2013), Birds of the Nile Valley, with John Wyatt (2013), Cats of Egypt, with Richard Hoath (forthcoming), Egypt’s Flora and Fauna, with Richard Hoath (2013), Egypt’s Prehistoric Fauna, with Matthew Lamanna (2013), and finally Wildlife of the Holy Land, with Sherif Baha El Din (forthcoming).

The AUC Press Nature Foldouts are available in the AUC Press Bookstores and can be ordered through the AUC Press website. To buy them on Amazon, click here.

“The AUC Press Nature Foldouts have been my passion for the last few years, allowing me the opportunity to work with naturalist and other scientists on a project that hopes to inspire a positive appreciation toward the environment and Egypt’s natural heritage for generations to come,” said Navarro.

The AUC Press 2015 calendar Cats, Crocodiles, and Camels is also now available.

The full-color illustrations representing scenes of Egypt’s ancient and modern wildlife are by Dominique Navarro.

‘Big History,’ an H2 History Channel series produced by Flight 33 Productions, chooses familiar subjects—such as salt, horses, gold, ice, gravity, coffee, or weapons—and looks at their influence on civilization and technology throughout the history of humankind.

“I am so proud to have worked on ‘Big History’,” said Navarro. “The collaborative teamwork, commitment to intelligent, educational storytelling, and inspiring creativity from all involved on this series makes it a unique project to be a part of.”

Navarro has worked for over a decade as an art director in the documentary and film industry for programs featured on the History Channel, Discovery and National Geographic.

As a trained forensic artist, Navarro also collaborates with law enforcement to create composite sketches from witness and victim descriptions. Her expertise has led to her work in Egypt at the excavation of a 25th Dynasty tomb where she created facial reconstructions from mummies as well as tomb diagrams and epigraphic studies.

You can follow Dominique Navarro on her blog, website, and on Facebook.

 

Navarro Wins Emmy for Work on ‘Big History’

(Marc Bryan-Brown Photography)

Resident wins Emmy for work on ‘Big History’

Suzanne Guldimann, Staff Writer for Malibu Surfside News
October 13, 2014

http://www.malibusurfsidenews.com/resident-wins-emmy-work-‘big-history’

Dominique Navarro has always been passionate about art, science and non-fiction storytelling. Navarro, a UCLA School of Arts graduate, has worked with talent that includes Wim Wenders and Mikhail Baryshnikov; assisted in the excavation of the 25th Dynasty tomb in Egypt and created a series of field guides for Egyptian flora and fauna; and has served as a forensic artist creating composite sketches for law enforcement. But she has primarily focused on art directing documentaries, including the History Channel’s documentary series “Big History,” which earned her an Emmy award earlier this month.

“My colleagues and I won for Outstanding Graphic Design & Art Direction for ‘Big History,’ a History Channel H2 television series,” Navarro said to the Malibu Surfside News.

The documentary series is part of a bigger endeavor created by Australian Professor David Christian, an advocate for a multidisciplinary approach to learning that includes the Big History Project, an online course and education model funded by Bill Gates.

“[The series] is a collaborative endeavor by a team of incredibly creative writers, producers, researchers and editors at Flight 33 Productions,” Navarro said. “Along with interviews with historians and scientists, the series is highly visual. The graphics team has done an outstanding job to visually explain everything from molecules to the Big Bang theory, taking you on a memorable journey even while the stories are often quite complex. Interwoven into the graphics, we often include recreations that include actors, wardrobe, makeup, sets and props to enliven the story.”

“I have worked with Flight 33 since 2007 on numerous projects as an art director,” Navarro said. “I’m responsible for recreating environments on a set or on location, as well as finding and making props. A lot of these recreations are period scenes: prehistoric hunters and their tools, conquistadors and colonialists, soldiers and their weapons. Everything we do requires extensive research to be as accurate as possible. Some things you just can’t find in a prop house, so I take a lot of pride in making props when I can.”

Navarro has had the opportunity to recreate ancient cuneiform tablets, Egyptian figurines and Aztec weapons.

“It’s a job that is often very challenging, unpredictable, and also quite difficult to describe,” she said. “My work is just an aspect of the greater whole, but all the creativity and dedication of the entire team adds up to a remarkable project that I’m very proud to have been a part of.”

Prior to her work on “Big History,” Navarro art directed “North Mission Road,” a documentary series about the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Department. Navarro said that the series inspired her freelance work as a forensic artist creating composite sketches for law enforcement from victim and witness descriptions.

She has also used her art background as a tool for pursuing another passion, Egyptology.

“In 2011, the summer after the revolution in Egypt, I worked at an excavation of a 25th Dynasty  (760 BC TO 656 BC) temple tomb,” Navarro said. “Living near Luxor and the Valley of the Kings for two months, I was captivated by the natural environment: the birds, plants, and animals. But it was quite a challenge to figure out what any of the species were; nobody seemed to know what fish swim in the Nile, or what birds migrate overhead, or what the foxes are in the desert. I also quickly learned that I wasn’t the only one who wanted to know these things and to learn more about Egypt’s natural history.

“It became the perfect opportunity to apply my skills as an artist and researcher and create this series of nature publications, which are inexpensive and perfect for everyone from locals to tourists to children, to inspire a curiosity and interest in the environment. It has been a really amazing project to work on, and has also generated an incredible team of support including the renowned Egyptologist Salima Ikram, naturalist Sherif Baha El Din and Richard Hoath, ornithologists and paleontologists.”

The US Forest Service has funded translation of the guides into Arabic.

“Egypt has a growing environmental community that is really dedicated to the preservation of its natural heritage, and so it is wonderful to be a part of that effort,” Navarro said.

There are now a total of six AUC Press Nature Foldouts, on topics that range from animals and birds to dinosaurs of Egypt. Two new publications due out this fall: “Wildlife of the Holy Land,” and “Cats of Egypt.” AUC Press also has a new wall calendar for 2015 that includes 12 panels of Navarro’s artwork from the nature foldouts. More information is available at the publisher’s website: http://www.aucpress.com

“My projects for The AUC Press Nature Foldouts publication series has been my passion for the last few years, but they hardly pay the bills,” Navarro said.  “I work in television to scrape by.”

In addition to her projects at the History Channel, she’s also worked as an art director on history and science based documentary programs for Discovery, the Weather Channel and National Geographic.

“I’m shocked and so grateful for wonderful assignments and an amazing team of people who I have been blessed to work with since 2007,” Navarro said.

For more information on Navarro’s work as an artist and art director visit, http://www.dominiquenavarro.com.

– See more at: http://www.malibusurfsidenews.com/resident-wins-emmy-work-%E2%80%98big-history%E2%80%99#sthash.cSSuzmjZ.dpuf

35th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards – Winner for Outstanding Graphic Design & Art Direction for BIG HISTORY, H2 (History Channel)

(Marc Bryan-Brown Photography)

Dominique Navarro—artist and author of the AUC Press Nature Foldout series—won an Emmy Award for her work as art director on the History Channel (H2) series, BIG HISTORY.

The 35^th Annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards ceremony was held in New York, at the Jazz at the Lincoln Center, on September 30, 2014.

Official Announcement: http://emmyonline.com/news_35th_winners

Navarro and her colleagues won for Outstanding Graphic Design & Art Direction for Big History, a History Channel H2 television series.

Big History is part of a bigger endeavor created by David Christian, while the Big History Project is an online course funded by Bill Gates.

The television series, narrated by Bryan Cranston, explores a single topic—salt, horses, gold, ice, coffee, weapons, etc.—and its influence on civilization and technology throughout the history of humankind.

Navarro art directed recreations ranging from prehistoric man to conquistadors, colonial times to modern combats. The series is produced by Flight 33 Productions, with whom Navarro has worked since 2007.

“I am so proud to have worked on Big History,” says Navarro. “The collaborative teamwork, commitment to intelligent, educational storytelling, and inspiring creativity from all involved on this series makes it a unique project to be a part of.”

 The Big History series asks questions guaranteed to change the way you look at the past. What’s the connection between ancient Egyptian mummies and a modern ham and cheese sandwich? Did New York become America’s biggest city because of…salt? How does the sinking of the Titanic power your cell phone? By weaving science into the core of the human story, Big History takes familiar subjects and gives them a twist that will have you rethinking everything from the Big Bang to today’s headlines. The series creates an interconnected panorama of patterns and themes that links history to dozens of fields including astronomy, biology, chemistry, and geology.  The first season ends with a two-hour finale that pulls everything we know about science and history into one grand narrative of the universe and us.

Watch episodes and learn more about BIG HISTORY: http://www.history.com/shows/big-history/episodes

Ancient Egypt Magazine – Review of the AUC Press Nature Foldouts – No 84 (Vol 14.6) June / July 2014

Very pleased to have my complimentary copy of Ancient Egypt Magazine arrive in the mail from England, so kindly sent by Deputy Editor Sarah Griffiths. Thanks to John Wyatt, who gave her copies of the AUC Press Nature Foldouts, Sarah included a book review of the foldouts—specifically the Birds of the Nile Valley— as well as further information on the other Nature Foldouts currently available.

Ancient Egypt Magazine is an extrememly impressive publication out of England, filled with fantastic photography and the latest information on the world of Egyptology, including discoveries, excavations and research on the history of Egypt from Predynastic times to the modern era.

For more information or to order Ancient Egypt Magazine  go to their website: http://ancientegyptmagazine.co.uk

To see an online version of their current book reviews, including their review of Birds of the Nile Valley; An AUC Press Nature Foldout: http://www.ancientegyptmagazine.co.uk/reviews84.htm

Thanks so much to Sarah Griffiths and John Wyatt!

Richard Hoath’s Article in Egypt Today Magazine, with a Review of the AUC Press Nature Foldouts!

(Photo of Omar Samra, who will be the first Egyptian astronaut in space in 2014.)

Richard Hoath’s new article in Egypt Today Magazine about the state of the environment, and including an optimistic review of the Egypt’s AUC Press Nature Foldouts at the end! Thanks so much Richard!

Nature Guides on the Go
Have you ever wondered what the whale fossils in Fayoum’s Wadi Hitan would have looked like in real life? Not sure if that small swooping bird is a swift or a swallow? And just what is the significance of a giraffe in Pharaonic hieroglyphs?

The answers to these and other cocktail party questions are found in a series of four Nature Foldouts published by AUC Press this year. More than just a mine of trivia answers, these four-panel guides all feature artist Dominique Navarro’s beautifully detailed color illustrations of Egypt’s native wildlife in natural settings. Young readers will find it hard not to be captivated by the gaping jaws of ancient carnivorous whales or the piercing stare of the Caracal. Parents will appreciate the factoids that make them seem like the smartest people in the world in the eyes of their children. With maps identifying the significant sites around the country, these foldouts are a starter kit to understanding Egypt’s natural heritage.

Meet the Author Interview with Dominique Navarro – AUC Press September 2013 E-Newsletter

Meet The Author

Dominique Navarro is a natural history artist and writer. She is the author and illustrator of the new Nature Foldout series in Egypt, published by the AUC Press.

Ancient Egypt’s Wildlife
Dominique Navarro with Salima Ikram

Egypt’s Prehistoric Fauna
Dominique Navarro with Matthew Lamanna

Birds of the Nile Valley
Dominique Navarro with John Wyatt

Egypt’s Flora and Fauna
Dominique Navarro with Richard Hoath

Dominique has collaborated on numerous environmental publications, as well as science and history documentaries for television. She is also a trained forensic artist, producing illustrations and sculptural reconstructions of unidentified persons and ancient archaeological remains. The combination of Egypt’s marvelous human history and extraordinary natural environment was her inspiration for the AUC Press Nature Foldouts. She is currently working on the translation of the series into Arabic.

 

Q&A 

AUC Press:     You are a writer and natural history artist, but you also have a background in forensic illustration. How do these different and very specialized areas connect?

Navarro:     The AUC Press Nature Foldouts are a culmination of all my skills as an artist and storyteller. My background as an artist may seem diverse, but my main objective remains the same: I want people to experience a connection with my artwork, without thinking about the person who made it. Art has been a tool for me to bring an idea or awareness of something to people, which would otherwise be difficult to convey. For example, I have taken a human skull and reconstructed the face of the person as they might have looked in life—suddenly archeological remains become a portrait of a person we can identify with. Similarly, I am depicting animals in a way that hopefully connects with people more intimately than just seeing them in a photograph or disjointed from their natural environment. This is also why I often draw both humans and animals with eye contact: there is a magical connection that takes place when eyes meet, and it gives the image a glint of life that can create the sense of an emotional bond or solidarity.

  

Illustrations by Dominique Navarro

AUC Press:     How did the AUC Press Nature Foldout series develop and why did you decide to do them?

Navarro:     I had the opportunity to work at an excavation near Luxor and spent several months living on the west bank. The environment intrigued me—the Nile and the mountains, and the agriculture thriving on the fringes of the desert—and I wanted to know more about the many species of animals, birds, fish, and plants that inhabited this remarkable, rural area. Most of my Egyptologist companions and Egyptian friends were unable to assist me, and I spent the next year reading book after book, publications that were often extremely academic, decades and sometimes centuries old, such as the beautifully illustrated Description d’ Egypte from the early 1800s. During one research trip, I took a suitcase filled with books. Later on, I made use of libraries such as the one at Chicago House in Luxor. But one thing was apparent: to acquire the information I sought about the natural history of Egypt was no simple undertaking, for myself or for anyone else.

So I decided to make the Nature Foldouts as a way of compiling comprehensive, unique information into a condensed, lightweight, inexpensive publication that would be accessible and enjoyable to everyone: adults, students, children, tourists, and locals—we are currently working on translating the first four Nature Foldouts into Arabic.

AUC Press:     How do you conduct research for illustrations in the foldouts?

Navarro:     Naturally, the best way to illustrate anything is to experience it in person. I became a much more astute observer in both the natural environment and especially in temples and tombs where sculpted reliefs, paintings, and hieroglyphs are filled with depictions of flora and fauna. Ancient Egyptians were truly the first naturalists, noticing details that could set species apart from one another: the crown feathers of a hoopoe, the posture of a baboon, or the blossom of a lotus. The artwork of the ancients is certainly a huge inspiration to my work and is wonderful to learn from.

In addition, I pursued adventures on foot, by felucca, and by train throughout Egypt, especially enjoying Lake Nasser as I attempted to see crocodiles. It was very disappointing to not find papyrus and lotus growing in the wild, but I became very fond of the giant milkweed and its beautiful purple flowers. I also spent time in the agricultural fields near Luxor where at dawn and sometimes dusk, I was able to glimpse foxes running through the sugar cane. And of course, there are wonderful birds wherever you go, desert, field, wetland, or city.

AUC Press:     What are the stages to making an illustration?

Navarro:     Each illustration for the AUC Press Nature Foldouts is incredibly time consuming involving endless amounts of research. I regularly consulted with all of my wonderful scientific advisers throughout the process of creating the artwork: Richard Hoath has been an excellent guide to species identification and the geographical location of plants and animals; John Wyatt has faithfully assisted me with features and coloration; and Salima Ikram was fantastic lending her knowledge of natural history and ancient artwork. Working with paleontologist Matthew Lamanna was invaluable, helping me with the specific details of Egypt’s dinosaurs and prehistoric environment, of which there is sparse imagery to refer to.

Many times, I draw and redraw artwork to get it right. Careful consideration is given to the overall layout of the entire Nature Foldout—there is only so much room to fit text, illustrations, diagrams, and maps. I want them to feel full, but never cluttered or overwhelming. In this way, the Nature Foldouts provide an immediate introduction to plants and animals of an environment, which hopefully lends itself to further curiosity and investigation by the reader.
AUC Press:     How do you see the AUC Press Nature Foldouts contributing to Egypt’s environmental education and conservation?

Navarro:     Egypt and its people are enduring very difficult times with terrible suffering and conflict which can make environmental concerns appear insignificant in the immediate despair. Yet issues concerning the environment—water, agriculture, energy, pollution, climate change, endangered species—are perpetual concerns, which effect people no matter where they are on the planet.

The AUC Press Nature Foldouts are a means of inspiring positive consideration toward the environment, reminding us of the value of a healthy and diverse ecosystem. It would be wonderful for them to help stimulate new opportunities for conservation jobs, eco-tourism, and education programs. That is why I am determined to see them translated into Arabic. But in the meantime, the English Nature Foldouts have drawn attention from throughout the world because the environment has no borders, it is something we all must share and care for.

Article in El Gouna Summer 2013 Magazine Features Egypt’s Flora & Fauna AUC Press Nature Foldout (Page 7)

Egypt’s Flora & Fauna

Dominique Navarro, American University in Cairo Press, 2013

This guide to Egypt’s plant and animal life is the second in a series of nature foldouts by the AUC press; a previously published guide is entitled Birds of the Nile Valley, and two additional foldouts on prehistoric and ancient wildlife are set for future publication. The creator of these works, Dominique Navarro, is an author and artist who has applied her skills to many previous projects related to Egypt and the natural world. In Egypt’s Flora & Fauna, she has consulted with natural historian Richard Hoath to provide readers an accessible and beautifully illustrated overview of the country’s diverse plants and animals.

The guide provides basic information about six different regions of Egypt and the wildlife native to each: the Nile Delta and Valley, Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, the Western Desert plains and oases, the Mediterranean coastal zone, the Eastern Desert wadis and mountains, and the Sinai Peninsula. There are also brief sections about the animal life depicted on ancient Egyptian monuments and the Egyptian natural environment in the past, present, and future. The detailed, full-color drawings of water and land animals are delightful, particularly the depictions of Egypt’s seldom-seen canine and feline species. In addition, the back cover of the guide contains a map of Egypt’s natural protectorates. The foldout is small and compact, a perfect resource for travelers that fits easily into a backpack or purse.

Of Related Interest:

Best Kept Secret – Jeffrey Archer, St. Martin’s Press, 2013

Lone Wolf – Jodi Picoult, Emily Bestler Press, 2012

Birds of the Nile Valley – Dominique Navarro with John Wyatt, American University in Cairo Press, 2013

A Field Guide to the Mammals of Egypt – Richard Hoath, American University in Cairo Press, 2009

Egypt Independent Article on AUC Press Nature Foldouts by Louise Sarant featuring interview with Richard Hoath