We were lucky to catch up with Ella Marushchenko recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ella, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
I am in the field of Medical/Scientific illustration and many of my projects are very important for every day life. One of my favorite types of projects is illustrating how new drugs kill different diseases. I try to show this process in a simple and eye catching way so more people understand how these drugs work.
Ella, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I was born in Ufa, Russia. My grandmother told my mom that I am going to be an artist when she saw me drawing a girl with a square green head. I earned Master’s degree in Art from Bashkir State Pedagogical University. After experiencing eight years training in the studio of the famous Russian painter Sergey Krasnov and his assistant Vera Asambaeva, I then traveled to the Czech Republic to learn more about European art and study art restoration. Throughout this time, I gained experience in a variety of techniques including oil and acrylic painting, watercolor, and ceramics. I also became proficient in multiple computer programs.
In 2012, I moved to the U.S., where I planned to create pieces for home décor and found herself, instead, quickly immersed in the world of science illustration. This transition was encouraged by Dr. Sergiy Minko, with whom my husband Alex Tokarev had accepted a postdoc position while at Clarkson University. Dr. Minko asked me to illustrate his articles. Dr. Minko (now at the University of Georgia) had an article accepted in Advanced Functional Materials magazine and asked me to make a cover image for his article. I was not prepared for that and did not see myself as a scientific illustrator, but Sergiy, and other scientists, really wanted to see the results. He would not take NO for an answer. I made my first scientific image and it was chosen as a cover.
Currently at Ella Maru Studio we have 8 employees and we create figures and cover images for articles, presentations and grants.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I enjoy that I do what I love. I never had to choose between my passion and my work. I always knew that I want to be an artist since my childhood. I am glad that I found a way to express myself and at the same time to help people with my medical illustrations.
How did you build your audience on social media?
At one point is was obvious that I needed to be on social media to show my art to more people and to find new projects. I am not a public person and I do not like to be on social media but people want to see who is behind illustrations. This way they feel more connected to artist. I did not expect that it is going to be hard to promote my accounts on social media. You have to post something constantly and every post should be interesting and engaging. It is also hard to share stories from personal life but people on social media like such posts. For people who are just starting – you have to post something at least 2-3 times a week and see which types of posts work better for your audience. Also, it is important to learn what hashtags work better and what time of the day it is better to post for more engagement. You have to also interact with your audience through comments, replies and likes.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ellamarustudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ella_maru
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marushchenko.ella/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellamaru/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ella_Maru
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH6cAo-mXCjQzOnhcJy7N-g