The CreativeMindClass Blog
I'm originally from Venezuela. I grew up in a tropical town with hills and palm trees, but it was impossible for me to experience my surroundings fully (partly because of my parents' excessive protection however, mostly due to my own insecurities and fears in my country). The majority of my time was spent indoors. TV and books were my primary forms of escapism - and drawing! I was constantly drawing my favourite anime characters as well as my family, friends, pets I was not allowed to own, costumes, and anything really.
It was mainly a hobby at the time, and I was aware that it would not go beyond that in Venezuela. However, my family made the decision to move to UK and that was a major change for me. When I was a teenager I had finally been granted some autonomy, and I was allowed to travel on my own and think about the things I really wanted to do.
My passion for character design and narrative has led me to comics that in turn, inspired me to draw. Everything came together then. After a couple of years of studies (and many hours of sweaty work) I'm currently freelance as an Illustrator from London.
I think my work is bold, fun and a bit chaotic (in the best manner!). It can be straightforward but it could also be incredibly detailed; but every illustration has a person, or an animal, or some nice piece of landscape. I believe all my illustrations are part of the same universe.
For me, the most important thing is to have fun with it. I am reminded of things that enthralled me as a child as a child: vivid colors, sneaky characters, funny situations, tiny details to be lost into. My goal is to encapsulate as many of these elements whenever I create something new. If I'm able to make my viewer feel excited or happy or feel like they have noticed something interesting that I've achieved what I wanted to achieve.
"Another key element for me is humor. I realized over time that I'm not an qualified person to produce complex or abstract artworks however I am quite adept at creating something lighthearted that can bring a smile to someone's face. I play to my strengths right now."
Marianna's art adventure on Instagram; discover detailed illustrations of the books for children she created during lockdowns and some backstage shots of recoding her Skillshare class to name a couple. The links to the class and Marianna's books you can find through the site.