Daria's illustrations make science understandable

Daria, 33, runs DC SciArt, a company that helps scientists explain their science through illustrations. Her background as a PhD student in plant physiology at Umeå University gave her valuable knowledge and understanding of the world of science, which helps her with the often complex science she illustrates.

Usually researchers come with a specific illustration need for their particular research, but she has also noticed that there is interest in general illustrations of plants. That's why she has just launched an online shop that allows you to buy this type of illustrations.

Why did you start the webshop?
- The main reason was to reach researchers who have limited access to funding or no funding at all, e.g. PhD students and undergraduates, who cannot afford specially commissioned illustrations.
I want the web shop to be a platform with small and affordable illustrations that these researchers can use for posters, presentations, applications and spruce up their work. In the long run, I want to grow the web shop with more plants based on people's requests.

In addition, I hope that the web shop will help people get to know me and my work and see the value of having great illustrations.

Fact sheet with Daria Chrobok

Age:
33 years young

Bor:
Umeå

Family:
My family is scattered across Poland, Germany and Sweden. I myself live in Sweden with my crazy dog Buffy.

Favourite plant:
Haha! That was a difficult question. I would say...

... grass because I love walking barefoot on grass and the smell of freshly cut grass.
... cacti and succulents at home because I'm a terrible waterer.
... trees because I love spending time in the woods
... ferns because of their symmetry and stunning appearance
... lavender because of its smell and the childhood memories it evokes for me
... fruits and vegetables because I love to eat them...

The common denominator for all the plants above is that many are green and that is my absolute favourite colour in the world!

Dream assignment:
This is also a difficult question to answer because I feel that I have found my dream job, which means that all clients are in a way part of my dream job. But if I have to say something specific, I dream of one day illustrating a book that gets more kids interested in science.