Born in Tsimlyansk in the Rostov Region, on December 27, 1989.
In 2013 graduated from the Pushkin Leningrad State University (Boksitogorsk branch), specialized in history, teaching history.
In 2014 graduated from the International Saint Petersburg School of Tourism and Business.
Worked as an international tourism manager from 2015 to 2016.
Working for Bubble since 2016. She started with several stories in the final issues of the "Friar" and "Red Fury" series, later worked on the one-shot "Major Grom. Chance". Published her own work "Tagar" done in collaboration with Anna Sergeeva as part of the BUBBLE Visions imprint. Currently, the second artist on the "Allies" series, occasionally works on other series.

How long have you been drawing for?

Since childhood, as far back as I can remember. In school and at the University my penchant for drawing only became greater. However, I never thought of making it my career, didn't think seriously of it. I wanted to separate my hobby from the "musts" and "have tos" of work and just draw what I enjoy, for myself.

How did you end up in BUBBLE?

Turned to the publisher wanting to try my hand at it, survived probation period and met deadlines. I can tell you, it was very exciting...

What materials do you use for drawing?

For manga, I use A4 Gosnak 200 gr paper as well as a Rotrin 0.13 Isograph pen, Sakura Micron 0.1, 0.2, 0.8 and 1 pens, a Rotring 0.2, a Pilot 0.7 M mechanical pencil, a Momo eraser and just about any black marker pen that has a thick texture. For work on various BUBBLE series a sheet of paper and a pencil is enough, the rest is done in SAI.

Is it hard, working as an artist?

I don't consider myself an artist. There's still a lot to learn before I can be called that. If we're talking about working in the publishing house, then, like with any job, there are pros and cons. I'm still learning and learning is never easy.

What Bubble series would you like to work on?

I've already worked on "Igor Grom". The theme of a decaying, lead-filled Petersburg is like family to me. I'm glad I had that opportunity, it was amazing. I like working on "Allies", I'm glad for what I have.

How did you get acquainted with Japanese culture, how did it all start?

TV. At the time the Internet wasn't available yet, so everything I could see was what the local or federal channels would broadcast. The very first film I saw was the "Flying Phantom Ship" by Hiroshi Ikeda. Later came works of Hayao Miyazaki, "Princess Mononoke" and my favourite "Spirited Away", "Ghost in the Shell" by Mamoru Oshii, "Armitage" by Takuya Sato. Local channels would broadcast "Ninja Senshi Tobikage" by Masami Anno and "Robin Hood" by Tatsunoko Production. It was like someone dropped a bomb on me: "I want to draw like that!"

I learned about manga only after the Internet became available. You obviously wouldn't have been able to find it in my town's bookstores. To get a printed volume you'd have to drive 200 km to the nearest big city and search for an "underground" store where you could buy a pirated version, which is how I got the first volume of Inoue Kazurou's "Midori Days". Takahashi Rumiko's "InuYasha" was one of the first stories I got to enjoy fully. It's all downhill from there...

Have you ever been to Japan?

In 2016 my friends and I managed to visit Japan. It was an old dream come true. It was great being in this environment, among my favourite films and works and having the opportunity to understand their origins: where the love for detail, for allegories came from. Really, you immediately understand why certain things were done the way they were. What's relevant, even vital to the people living in this country, where the fears, the imagery, the thoughts come from and how in what form they end up conveyed through art. The pros, the cons, the traditions and the tendencies. It was very informative.

Particularly I remember the climb under the scorching sun, towards the Fushimi Inari shrine. It is an extraordinary place in terms of the energy it has, probably, my most favourite one yet. We saw with our own eyes the huge white clouds on the bright blue sky and heard the cicadas singing (very loudly, by the way), watched a train rush between the narrow streets and heard the signal it makes. The Lights of Akihabara were like props coming to live except they were real. We also managed to visit a society that is very closed off from prying eyes and see it inside out, visit the Hanabi festival in Osaka, talk with students and teachers at the Kyoto University and visit the Manga Museum in Kyoto.

At the Kyoto University me, my colleague, Tatiana Lepihina (Sideburn004), and the curator of Saint-Petersburg's Comics Library, Yulia Tarasyuk, took part in a scientific conference on the perception of Japanese comics in different countries of the world as well as the phenomenon that is Russian manga. It was an invaluable experience. We discussed manga in Russia both licensed and authorial. A question that stuck with me, in particular, was from the students: "Why do Russian authors make manga in colour? Why don't they use Russian fairy tales, flavour and themes in their stories?" An interesting question, to be sure...

The Kyoto Manga Museum is staggering in its scale and atmosphere. Three meters hight racks of manga, divided by year of publication; separate reading rooms, a research room, a children's room, exhibition space, a café on the lawn before the entrance. You can just lie down on the grass and read under the open sky. We didn't leave empty-handed, obviously, we brought gifts. Currently, you can find the "Tagar" manga, art of "Carambolina" as well as the "Domain Tnemrot" manga in the Kyoto museum under numbers ID 40030475 and ID 40030476. A very special 'thank you' to the museum management and Yulia Magera for that.

Time flew by quickly during the trip, it was an invaluable experience and one of the best trips I had. I brought two suitcases crammed with manga, books and sweets. The nature, the narrow streets, the people, the metro, the endless lines of railways and trains, the life, the history, and the modernity... It's impossible to encompass all of it in one go. I hope one day I'll be able to go back there.

Who inspires you?

People who love their work wholeheartedly and burn with a passion for it. I'll name some of the people whose art fascinates and inspires me (mangakas, illustrators, directors, animators, designers, composers, etc.): Onda Naoyuki (my god), Shinichirō Watanabe, Akihiko Yoshida, Tatsuyuki Tanaka, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Toshihiro Kawamoto, Saitou Tsunenori, Sui Ishida, Inoue Takehiko, Hiromu Arakawa, Katsura Hoshino, Kentaro Miura, Hayashida Q, Kii Kanna, Umino Chica, Ogure Ito, Mamoru Hosoda, Satoshi Kon, Ono Natsume, Yoko Kanno, Hideaki Anno, Kunihiko Ikuhara, Yuki Kodama, Hiroki Kanno, Nakazawa Kazuto, Hiroyuki Imashi, Urushibara Yuki, Nobuo Uematsu, and others. The list is far from complete.

I have favourite films, games, books, moments from life, etc. but those are more fragmented examples, so I won't list them.

Give us your top favourite anime and manga.

I'll tell you what I can re-read and re-watch endlessly.

Series:

Manga:

Tell us about how you created "Tagar". All of it, from the conception of the idea to the publication of the first volume.

In 2011 I met Anya. Before, I have had some ideas that simply refused to come together into a coherent picture. We decided to try and create something together, that would be interesting for us, and see how it goes. From 2012 to 2013 we worked on the first volume of "Tagar" and spent the next year approaching various publishing houses. The correspondence dragged on through the whole year and yielded no results. The first version of the manga didn't age well in terms of its narrative and graphics, so we decided to completely revamp it. In 2015 the first two chapters of the revised version were published on the "Axis Comics" website. Unfortunately, they closed up shop soon after. At the time, I thought we were at an impasse and that this is the end of our attempts to make the story available to a wide audience. The manuscript went into the drawer and stayed there until Roma (Kotkov - editor's note) suggested publishing it through BUBBLE Visions. So, by the time Comic-Con Russia 2017 arrived, the manga was completed and presented on the con and a huge 'thank you' to the publisher and everyone who supported us for that. The first volume sold out within the first four and a half months which became the best reward for the years of hard work. It meant that it wasn't all for nought. So thank you!

As for the origins of the idea and what came first, I'm really not sure. A lot of things, specific moments and whole structures, changed several times, so it's practically impossible to pinpoint the exact thread that started it all. I am very grateful to Anya for her work and efforts. Thanks to her, "Tagar" became what it is today. I wish her energy for all her endeavours.

Marina, so far I have only seen issues of "Allies" and "Exlibrium" from you, they differ strongly from others in terms of general atmosphere and presentation. That, and you work on a personal project of yours. How do you switch from one story to another, any special tricks you use to get in the zone? What are the peculiarities of working on each of the projects? What brings the most pleasure and what's hardest of all?

Thank you for the question.

I've had a few years to find my feet when it comes to manga, however, I was unaccustomed to working on coloured comics in a completely different style from mine. I had to learn fast and, let me tell you, I still haven't found what's comfortable for me. When working on manga you always use more traditional methods, working on BUBBLE's series takes a different approach. Of course, because of the lack of experience, making one page of a comic takes a lot longer and consumes more energy than making one page of manga. On "Exlibrium" I tried to go back to my usual lining technique, I'd draw with my usual manga pen on A3 and A4 paper, however, I soon returned to drawing digitally. Alas, the techniques that I use for manga don't work with comics. Like "contrast", for example. In black-and-white comics, it's the basis but in mainstream comics, colour is one of the methods of influencing the reader, it dictates the tone, the mood, it creates the atmosphere. You have to remember this and take it into account. In manga, a lot of things end up simplified, graphics-wise, which allows you to concentrate on the basis and correctly place all the accents. In comics I can't, for example, often leave the characters without a background or even with a rudimentary one, because then it's considered sloppy. The characters have to be more realistic, more detailed within the inner contour. You have to consider all that and meet the deadlines. I hope I'll be able to adapt, technique-wise, and make better lineart. I'd like to give my special thanks to my colourists, Yulia Loganova and Anastasiya Troitskaya. Thank you for all the work and beautiful colours!

Switching from BUBBLE comics to manga isn't hard. Now, the opposite, though, is a different matter. I'm in my element when I work with manga. I don't worry as much about the work I do.

How did you develop your style of drawing manga?

Through many years of practice. I had to do a lot of work, draw several hundreds of pages to get the results you see, and those are, of course, not the end and aren't ideal. I don't have one particular or even several role models. I like the entire phenomena of manga and anime. A bit of everything within my liking.

How many volumes of "Tagar" do you have planned?

We plan to make somewhere from five to seven of them. We'll see how the story goes. I have a rough plan but you never know how ideas will behave themselves when you actually write them down. It's a process within a process. We'll try to make a volume a year.

Have you thought of going to the Japanese market in the future?

There are enough people there without us. In Japan, there's a huge competition between its own authors and a very rigid production structure. No one's looking for foreign authors with their works there. There are, however, other ways of presenting yourself. Like participating in various competitions, there is a great variety of them. Right now we prioritize finishing what we've started.

Any plans for other big personal projects? Besides "Tagar".

Oh, yes! We really want to make mine and Anya's favourite story "Carambolina", it's an idea we've been hatching since 2014. It's a cyberpunk manga with the flair of the Venetian carnival. But right now we're too busy with "Tagar". So it's awaiting its turn. I also have a dream of drawing a comedy shojo-manga in the style of '90s or a space opera with showdowns on the scale of the universe. Dark fantasy too.

Could a crossover between "Tagar" and the BUBBLE universe be possible? That would be interesting to watch :)

No. I don't think it's feasible.

How difficult is it, publishing your graphic novel in Russia and how expensive can it be? What difficulties did you encounter in the process?

It's not easy, but possible. I can't tell you about the expenses, everything depends on the print run, the printing house, the paper, etc. if we're talking self-publishing. The biggest problem we faced during our discussions with publishing houses, Russian and foreign, was the fact that it isn't a one-shot. Don't go to a publishing house with a series, particularly if it's your debut. It's a serious risk for a publisher, so chances are they'll refuse. This was exactly our case. Another thing, that I personally don't agree with, was the reading direction. The monochrome colour scheme and the reading direction are two traditions of the manga that really should be preserved. It was clearly stated so at the conference in Kyoto. However, publishers want us to draw in the left-to-right format that our readers are accustomed to. Well, if you have to, you can do it, if the work isn't done yet. I think it can all be discussed beforehand. The quality of the product, the genres, the age of the target audience, etc. it all has to be taken into account. But we didn't consider anything, we just wrote to our heart's content.

I want to ask you a question as an author of manga in Russia. Will Russian-made manga ever reach the same level as Japanese-made? Which artists and writers do you consider promising in that regard?

It already did. Tatyana Lepihina (Sideburn004), Nataliya Rerekina (Alef), Hetiru, Nerior, Bogdan, Anastasiya Zhernakova, Olesya Holodchuk, Kseniya Kudo, Anna Burenkova (Dzi Kawashiro), Roman Mikhalev, Ivan Navinkin, Evgeniya Kotlyar, and many others are a great example. Many are winners of Japanese manga competitions, authors with published works. We have many talented artists and writers working on their own projects. With good quality work and a serious attitude towards their work, I think, everything will turn out great. What's most important, is to start with yourself.

As an exclusive for this interview, we asked Marina to draw us a character from her manga "Tagar" and filmed the process!

Marina would also like to say a few words to the readers:

I want to thank you all once again, from the bottom of my heart, for your support and your invaluable emotions, feedback, for the love you give us! We love you very much!

I wish you all the best!