"Art as Escapism" - The CreativeMindClass Blog
I'm originally from Venezuela. I grew up in a tropical town that was surrounded by mountains and palm trees. However, I unfortunately, I was not allowed to explore my environment fully (partly due to the overprotection of my parents, but mostly because of all the anxieties that surrounded my country). The majority of my time was spent indoors. TV and reading became my primary ways of escape - as did drawing! I spent so much time drawing my most favorite characters from anime as well as my family, friends, pets I was not allowed to own, costumes, and everything else.
It was mainly a hobby that I had a little bit aware that it would not go beyond that in Venezuela. My family then decided to relocate to the UK which was a major change for me. As a teen, I was finally allowed greater freedom, and was able to travel by myself and to think about the things I desired to do.
My love for characters and storytelling has led me to comics which in turn brought me to drawing. Everything came together then. After some years of study (and many hours of work) I'm now freelance as an illustrator from London.
My style is bold, fun and sometimes a little messy (in a good manner!). Sometimes it can be simple but it could also be very detailed. However, every illustration has a person, or an animal, or a nice bit of scenery. I like to think that all my illustrations are all part of the same world.
The key for me is having fun while doing it. It is easy to think of things that enthralled me as a child up: really vivid colours and characters that are sneaky, hilarious scenarios, little details that you can get lost within. My goal is to encapsulate all of these aspects when I design something fresh. If I'm able to make the viewer feel excited or satisfied, or even feel that they noticed something interesting that I've achieved what I wanted to achieve.
"Another essential element that I am looking for is humor. Over time, I've realized that I'm not an qualified person to produce complex or abstract artworks However, I'm pretty good at making something fun and lighthearted to inspire laughter. I work to my strengths now."
Follow Marianna's art process on her Instagram; discover detailed illustrations from her children's book she worked on during lockdowns as well as backstage photos of her redoing her Skillshare class to name some. Links to the class and Marianna's books you can find on her web site.
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