I think it’s a combination of different elements. Comics tell a story with characters in a very visual way; they have an emotional component that arouses interest. The “emotional-cognitive theory of multimedia learning” says that if you use text and image under certain conditions you memorise information on a given subject better and for longer. It’s been proved that people learn better with a comic than with a textbook, especially when they have a weak scientific background. For example, studies have been carried out using comics on scientific subjects like vaccines, the environment and nanotechnology and they’ve also been found to improve engagement: after reading the comic, people want to read more comics on the subject. They’ve also been shown to enhance empathy. Through comics, medical students and doctors understand patients better, and patients can understand medical processes better. So comics combine knowledge, empathy and interest. They’re a very powerful tool.

“It’s been proved that people learn better with a comic than with a textbook”

I organise a workshop on comics and science with Jesús Sánchez, a colleague who creates comics on immunology. We’ve done the workshop for different audiences – children, communicators, journalists and researchers – and it’s gone down very well. You could say that it’s not only fun to read science comics; it’s fun to create science comics too!

When we were doing the Master’s a group of us created a dissemination blog with several formats such as articles and videos, and I decided to do computer graphics in comic form. In the end the blog never got off the ground because we were very busy. But I’d done my first comic, and since I’d done it I wanted to share it. The moment I decided to post that comic on Twitter was a turning point, because to my surprise it was a great success – lots of likes and retweets. It was incredible, and from then on people started to contact me; I got to know people, and thanks to them I started to get my first jobs. So in my case the best tool for getting myself known was definitely Twitter. In fact, I’d never used it until I created an account in the 2.0 science communication module of the Master’s, and it was the key.

“In my case the best tool for getting myself known was definitely Twitter”

But I didn’t think I’d end up as a freelancer. Instead, I imagined myself in a communication agency, contributing to campaigns in which I could combine what I know about graphic design and biology to make more rigorous drawings. Actually, rather than comics I was thinking along the lines of scientific illustration, which is something quite different.

Scientific illustration is different from comics. It’s a very realistic type of drawing, as the aim is to depict with the greatest possible scientific accuracy the archetype of animal or plant species, minerals, celestial bodies and other elements of nature. I think in general illustration is being used more and more as a tool to communicate science, both in a fun and entertaining way and academically. Thanks to many initiatives and people promoting it, it’s growing.

“Illustration is being used more and more as a tool to communicate science”

Often I draw things I learnt in the degree course and that grabbed my attention. For example, the fact that we’ve got neurons over a metre long. My aim is to draw, to enjoy myself, and for other people to enjoy themselves too learning about science. I try to create comics explaining things in a way that I think is fun, so I’m my own first filter. Then before publishing it I usually show it to a few friends to get their opinion, so I can put right any mistakes, whether in the content or the way I tell it. I think that’s why my comics have that personal touch, because I explain things that I’d like to have explained to me.

The first thing I’d say is not to be in too much of a hurry. I shared my first comic on Twitter and in very little time a lot of people got to know me, but months can pass before somebody commissions you to do a job. I think it’s very important to be patient, get help and move around plenty. So I recommend attending science communication events and talking to people. At first it can be embarrassing, but then you realise they’re all just people like you, and what’s more, they’re more accessible than they seem. Contacts are extremely important, and for me they’ve opened lots of doors; I’ve been lucky enough to meet some very nice people who have given me good advice.

“Contacts are extremely important, and for me they’ve opened lots of doors”

I had a great time at university. I made some very good friends and I found the degree course really interesting. The faculty has a lot of good things; for example, relations between students in different years are great, and we organise some brilliant activities, like the “Biogimcana”. But it’s important to bear in mind that it’s a demanding degree; it requires a lot of dedication and sometimes you have to leave your hobbies aside a bit.

Most of all, I’d say that, although it might seem to be, the academic record isn’t everything. You can go a long way without having an outstanding academic record, although obviously it helps. And also, when you start your degree maybe you think the only possible career prospect is research, but then you find out that you can do all sorts of different things. I reckon the university degree you choose doesn’t limit your future to a particular branch. There’s plenty of room to change.

“The university degree you choose doesn’t limit your future”