I’ve always wondered if the people of long ago had more fun than us. Before photo cameras became the must-have accessory of all our comings and goings, people were capturing memories with pencils, brushes, and ink. In prominent families, an artist might be hired to depict a trip or a party, and no gentleman or gentlewoman's education seemed to be complete without the skills of drawing and watercolor painting.

 

I took it upon myself to become such an artist, and three years ago I started Real Time in Ink, an ongoing sketching project that focuses on travel, events, and cultural and political gatherings. 

In 2018, my friend Yvetta Fedorova, (a NYC illustrator best known for her thoughtful conceptual illustrations for the New York Times), and I took a short trip to Greenport in Long Island to recharge our artistic batteries. The drawings from that trip served as an inspiration for my very first graphic story, Not Like Thelma and Louise. The response from publishing that story was so overwhelmingly positive, that I fell in love with writing comics. 

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I studied classical art and design in St. Petersburg, Russia, before coming to NYC in 1991. During the years that fallowed, I worked as a textile designer, children’s book illustrator, web designer, computer games developer and animator, and a muralist. I had a stint as a co-creator of a publishing company, and a seven-years-long undertaking as a homeschooling mom to my very spirited son. My hard-earned experiences in America, along with the memories of growing up in the USSR, became the backbone for my writing.  

I usually start with first releasing my comics to the subscribers to my Real Time in Ink newsletter. Then some of my stories get picked up by Spiralbound, a wonderful comics publication on Medium. And after I discovered Risograph printing, I started printing zines at RisoLAB at SVA. 

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I discovered zine culture rather late in my life. I might be the only 51-years-old Russian woman you meet at zine fests and book’s fairs! I enjoy sketching and making zines tremendously, and I'm always looking for collaborations; zine fests, bookstore events, readings presentations, workshops, communal drawing, zine-making, etc. If you have an exciting event, let me know I might be your new wallflower with a brush.

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email: dasha@artspacenyc.com

 

To sign up for the Real Time in Ink newsletter:  https://tinyletter.com/dasha_ziborova 

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Check out this wonderful article by Aaron Hicklin featuring Dasha Ziborova and Real Time in Ink story: Serenaded by Nina Simone and an artist’s journey through the mind’s wild frontier

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