A banner showing an image of Matteo Farinella and an illustration from the scicomm course he illustrated.

The Lifeology University SciComm Program is a unique training program that can help you become a better communicator based on the science of science communication. This FREE program consists of flashcard courses written and illustrated by standout science communicators and artists!

In this blog, we interview the amazing Matteo Farinella. A neuroscientist turned illustrator and science communicator. He is the author of two graphic novels about the brain (Neurocomic 2013, The Senses 2017), a children’s book, and many other comics about science. He is also the artist who created the illustrations for the Lifeology SciComm course What is Science Communication? A course that introduces you to science communication and how to practice it effectively!

A screenshot of the Lifeology Uni SciComm Course "What is Science Communication". The image shows how the course looks on a mobile device and shows the front cover image and text.
Launch Course

Tell us a little about yourself! How did you get into art?

I have been drawing for as long as I can remember, and probably started writing and drawing my own comics in high school. But then I decided to study science for my degree (first biology, then neuroscience), so I never seriously considered art as a career. That all changed when I decided to make comics about science, then I realized that my art could be a great way to do science communication.

What are your favorite things to illustrate?

I may be biased, but I love drawing neurons. I find their intricate branching shapes endlessly satisfying to copy (maybe it’s not a coincidence that modern neuroscience started with the drawings of Ramon y Cajal). In general, I like to illustrate all kinds of microscopic organisms and cellular structures. That’s a domain of science where technology can only take us so far. Microscopy is amazing, but it still cannot capture the complexity of life in all its details (at least not all at once), so we will always need illustrators to interpret the microscopic world.

What art formats do you work with? Can you provide some examples?

As a self-trained artist, I started with very simple tools. My graphic novels are all done with just ink and paper. Later, when I started working as a professional illustrator, I learnt how to add some color digitally (especially when drawing for children). Recently I also branched out into animation so I work almost exclusively digitally, just because it makes the whole process easier. But whenever I find the time for personal projects I still love to go back to ink and paper. I find that the limits of black and white force you to simplify an idea and really think about what you’re trying to say.

How Do You Make Sense of the World? – An animation by Matteo Farinella

Can you describe what your creative process usually looks like? Where do you draw inspiration? What tools do you use? etc.

Science comics, illustration and animation are just different forms of Science Communication, so the process is somewhat similar. I always start by asking: “Who is the audience? Why should they care about this specific science fact?” I may think neurons are beautiful but that’s not enough to make something interesting.

If I’m making a comic or animation, I usually start with a script. I try to come up with a simple narrative (real or imaginary) that could make the science more relevant to everyday life. This usually involves coming up with some characters or metaphors to make the science more memorable. Metaphors are also central to many of my illustrations (for example: neuronal activity can become a symphony, thoughts are tracks in the snow).

Once I have a script, I do a quick storyboard, mostly to figure out how to break up the information into panels (pretty much like the ‘cards’ in a Lifeology course) and then I proceed with the final artwork.

Illustrations from Matteo Farinella's Snowglobe Mind series "Snowglobe Mind Short comic based on a metaphor I have read in Michael Pollan's How To Change Your Mind, a quote of Robin Carhart-Harris on the positive effects of psychedelics."
Illustrations from Matteo Farinella's Snowglobe Mind series "Snowglobe Mind Short comic based on a metaphor I have read in Michael Pollan's How To Change Your Mind, a quote of Robin Carhart-Harris on the positive effects of psychedelics."
Illustrations from Matteo Farinella's Snowglobe Mind series "Snowglobe Mind Short comic based on a metaphor I have read in Michael Pollan's How To Change Your Mind, a quote of Robin Carhart-Harris on the positive effects of psychedelics."
Short comic based on a metaphor I have read in Michael Pollan's How To Change Your Mind, a quote of Robin Carhart-Harris on the positive effects of psychedelics.
Short comic based on a metaphor I have read in Michael Pollan's How To Change Your Mind, a quote of Robin Carhart-Harris on the positive effects of psychedelics.
Short comic based on a metaphor I have read in Michael Pollan's How To Change Your Mind, a quote of Robin Carhart-Harris on the positive effects of psychedelics.
Matteo Farinella – Snowglobe Mind – December 2020
“Short comic based on a metaphor I have read in Michael Pollan’s How To Change Your Mind, a quote of Robin Carhart-Harris on the positive effects of psychedelics.”

What has been your favorite science art project to create so far? Can you tell us a bit more about it?

My favorite project of the past few years is definitively the Women of Science Tarot Deck. It’s an idea that never in a million years I would have thought of doing myself. It grew organically out of my collaboration with Massive Science, and it turned out to be the perfect mix of science, storytelling, metaphors, and even a bit of science activism.

I think it allowed us to reach a whole new audience that doesn’t normally engage with science, and – more importantly – it forced me to learn about all these amazing scientists that unfortunately are not often taught in school.

How can scientists or others work with you? And what does a successful collaboration look like for you?

Scientists usually get in touch with me when they need an illustration, or a journal cover, something that captures their research into a memorable image. If I feel like I’m a good fit for the project I try to come with 2 or 3 different ideas/sketches and if we find one we both like, then we refine it together.

Comics tend to be something I still do mostly by myself, if anything else because they require a lot more time and bit more creative freedom, but I had great experiences of collaborating also on that front (like the comic I wrote for ERCcomics).

When you are getting started with a new science art project, what is the first thing you do? How do you get your inspiration? What are your first considerations/questions?

I talk to the scientists and try to learn as much as possible about their work (always within reason) and then figure out what are the key facts that they want to convey, and what are secondary details that can be omitted or simplified.

For example: if the goal is to depict how two cells interact, it’s important that the relationship between the cells is accurate, but maybe we can be a bit more flexible about the exact shape and color of the cells, if it helps making a better illustration.

When making an illustration you cannot include every possible detail, it will always be a simplified or distorted version of reality, but these choices need to be intentional. I wouldn’t want something to look ‘incorrect’ only because I didn’t do enough research. The goal is to be ‘true to nature’ without overwhelming your audience with details.

A child sits on the floor, one scientist is at her level having an interesting question, another scientist stands behind lost in the dialogue.
What is Science Communication? Illustration by Matteo Farinella
“Good SciComm requires a shift in how we’ve thought about communication since the early days of the modern computer. We need to shift our focus from “deficit” to “dialogue” and participation!”
An illustration of a child looking at ants through a magnifying glass after talking to the scientist.
What is Science Communication? Illustration by Matteo Farinella
“Try to remember a time before you thought of yourself as a “scientist.” Science is often communicated in a top-down way, making it difficult for people to identify with it.”

Can you talk a bit about visual storytelling, why it is important to you, and how you approach it?

Storytelling is very powerful – in every medium – writing, film, radio. Humans are just hardwired to tell and listen to stories, and science is no exception. If you look at a scientific paper, it is really just a story or argument told through figures and diagrams. Unfortunately, these figures are usually not very accessible, unless carefully read the legends and you’re well versed in data visualization.

I think that if we could only take it one step further, and combine good storytelling with accessible visuals (which is what comics have been doing for decades) science has a lot of great stories to tell!

What tips do you have for scientists wanting to work with artists or get into science art?

The main thing to remember is that you’re not making art for other scientists. At least in most cases. Making art is a chance to reach beyond your scientific community so, you need to ‘unlearn’ some of your scientific habits.

As scientists we are trained to take ourselves out of our research. Stick to the facts, consider every possible detail and write it all up in the most impersonal style, avoiding personal opinions at all costs.

When you’re making art (or any form of science communication for that matter) you have to do the exact opposite. Avoid jargon at all costs, learn to distinguish between the main message and less important details, and put yourself and your emotions back into the science.

A scientist engages with a man and child. They are outside, it is night time. The girl is looking through a telescope.
What is Science Communication? Illustration by Matteo Farinella
“SciComm can also drive more people to participate in science, from its practice to its application. It can help people see science as something they can do and be a part of.”
Silhouettes of people looking out to the night sky using a telescope. They are mapping the stars, the word Science appears in the sky, connected by the stars.
What is Science Communication? Illustration by Matteo Farinella.
“If SciComm is really all about starting a dialogue and engaging people, then stories and art have critical roles to play. They inspire people to become part of the conversation.”

What tips do you have for other science artists? For their careers or how to create visuals that broader audiences can relate to, enjoy, learn from, etc.?

It’s difficult to give advice since there is really no standard career-path (which is partly why I love this field) but one thing that I would say is that you need to be interested in what you’re drawing, otherwise how can you expect other people to pay attention?

So my advice would be to start with a field that you are passionate about, and pick a medium that you genuinely enjoy (in my case it was neuroscience and comics). Don’t chase the latest trends or attempt to replicating existing work only because it seems to get a lot of attention. Anyone can do that and no matter how good you are, it will look anonymous.

I think that if you put something of yourself into your art, that comes across. It will be more interesting to look at and you’re more likely to get similar jobs (that you will actually enjoy doing). That said, showing some range in your portfolio and learning the different software is always a good thing, since you’ll need some degree of flexibility. You can’t keep doing the same thing over and over.

What do you think are some important aspects of art/illustrations that help people better understand or enjoy science? 

I think that art can do so many things for science! Illustrations, in particular, can make scientific concepts much more ‘relatable’ for non-experts. Especially when it comes to intangible domains that most people can’t experience in everyday life. Like biology, chemistry, physics and all the small things that we can’t see or touch. These can be extremely hard (if not impossible) to understand without a good visual.

Why should more scientists work with artists?

Well, obviously, because they can help you communicate your science to a wider audience. But – on a more personal note – I think they are often pretty fun people to work with! I personally always found the scientific community a bit limiting, I always needed people from other backgrounds in my life (not just artists) to remind me of why science is important, and to ask interesting questions.

A photograph of Matteo Farinella
Matteo Farinella is a neuroscientist turned illustrator and science communicator. He is the author of two graphic novels about the brain (Neurocomic 2013, The Senses 2017), a children’s book, and many other comics about science.
Website: https://matteofarinella.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/matteofarinella
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matteofarinella/