"Art as Escapism" - The CreativeMindClass Blog

I'm originally from Venezuela. I grew up in a very tropical city with hills and palm trees, but it was impossible for me to experience my surroundings fully (partly due to my parents' excessive protection, but mostly because of the daily anxieties that my country has). Almost always indoors, TV and books were my primary methods of entertainment - along with drawing! I would spend hours drawing my most favorite characters from anime and my pets, as well as friends. I was not allowed to own, costumes, and anything really.

The main reason was for a leisure activity that I had a little bit certain that I would never go beyond that in Venezuela. But then my family decided to move to UK, and this transformed everything for me. As a teen I finally had 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 led me to comics, that in turn, inspired me to draw. The pieces all became one. After a couple of years of studies (and many hours of sweaty work) I'm now freelance as an illustrator from London.

I think my work is colorful, exciting and a bit chaotic (in an excellent manner!). Sometimes it can be simple but it could also be incredibly detailed; but every illustration has a person or animal or a nice bit of landscape. I love to believe that all my illustrations are one in the same.

The key for me is having fun while doing it. I think of the things that enthralled me as a child up: really vivid colours, sneaky characters, funny scenarios, little bits of information to get lost into. My goal is to encapsulate the best of these things every time I make something brand new. If I'm able to make my viewer feel excited or happy and feel as if they've discovered something fascinating that I've achieved what I wanted.

"Another important aspect for me is humor. It was apparent over time that I'm not the most adequate person to make very serious or conceptual artworks However, I'm pretty good at creating something lighthearted that can bring a smile to someone's face. I work to my strengths currently."

Marianna's creative journey on her Instagram Discover detailed artwork from her children's book she created during lockdowns and some backstage shots of recoding her Skillshare class to name just a couple. The links to the class as well as Marianna's books can be found at her web site.