Art as Escapism - The CreativeMindClass Blog

I'm originally from Venezuela. I grew up in a very tropical city with hills and palm trees, however I it was never allowed for me to fully explore the world around me (partly because of the overprotection of my parents and a lot more due to the daily anxieties in my own country). The majority of my time was spent indoors. TV and books were my primary ways of escape - as did drawing! I spent so much time drawing my favourite anime characters and my pets, as well as friends. I wasn't allowed to wear, costumes, or anything really.

The main reason was for a leisure activity that I had a little bit aware that it would not extend beyond Venezuela. But then my family decided to move to UK and that was a major change for me. In my teen years, I was finally allowed more independence, was free to explore places by myself and to think about what I really would like to accomplish.

My fascination with character design and narrative inspired me to read comics that in turn, inspired me to draw. Everything were put together. Following a few years of studying (and lots of effort) I'm currently freelance as an Illustrator in London.

My style is bold, fun and somewhat messy (in a good way!). Sometimes , it's simple, or it can be extremely detailed, but it always features a character, or an animal, or a nice bit of scenery. I believe every illustration I draw is all part of the same world.

The key for me is having fun while doing it. I think of the things that enthralled me as a child as a child: vivid colors, sneaky characters, funny scenarios, little details that you can get lost into. The goal of my work is to capture as many of these elements when I design something fresh. If I am able to make the viewer feel excited or content, or feel like they've discovered something fascinating, then I've accomplished what I wanted to achieve.

"Another key element for me is the sense of humor. It was apparent over time that I'm not the most adequate person to make very serious or conceptual artworks, but I can be pretty good at producing something humorous that will make someone laugh. I work to my strengths right now."

You can follow Marianna's creative process on her Instagram Discover detailed artwork from the children's books she created during lockdowns and some backstage images of her recoding Skillshare class to name a few. The links to the class as well as Marianna's books you can find at her web site.

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