Art as Escapism - The CreativeMindClass Blog

I'm from Venezuela. I was raised in a very tropical city surrounded by hills and palm trees, but unfortunately, I was not allowed to fully explore the world around me (partly because of my parents' excessive protection, but mostly because of the everyday insecurities in my country). The majority of my time was spent indoors. TV and books were my primary forms of escapism - and 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.

It was mainly a hobby at the time, and I was conscious that it wouldn't be a full-time job in Venezuela. However, my family made the decision to relocate to the UK which was a major change for me. As a teen I had finally been granted some autonomy, and I was allowed to travel alone and thought about what I desired to do.

My passion for character design and narrative led me to comics, that in turn, led me to illustration. Everything were put together. After a couple of years of studies (and a lot of hard work), I'm now freelancing as an Illustrator from London.

My work I believe is bold, fun and a bit messy (in an excellent way!). Sometimes it can be simple, or it can be extremely detailed, but it always features a character, or an animal, or even a beautiful piece of nature. I like to think that each illustration is all part of the same world.

My main goal is having fun while doing it. I am reminded of things that delighted me growing up: really vivid colours as well as sly characters, humorous situations, tiny details that you can get lost into. It is my goal to encompass as many of these elements when I design something fresh. If I can make the person who is viewing it feel happy, excited or feel like they have noticed something new and interesting, then I've succeeded in what I wanted to achieve.

"Another important aspect for me is humor. I realized over time that I'm not an qualified person to produce complex or abstract artworks however I am pretty good at creating something lighthearted that can make someone laugh. I am a good player right now."

Marianna's creative journey on her Instagram and see detailed drawings from her children's book she created in lockdowns, as well as some behind-the-scenes photos of her redoing her Skillshare class, to mention a few. The links to the class and her books you can find on the web site.