"Art as Escapism" - The CreativeMindClass Blog
I'm from Venezuela. I was raised in a tropical town with hills 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 the everyday insecurities within my home country). Almost always indoors, TV and reading became my primary forms of escapism - and drawing! I would spend hours drawing my favorite anime characters as well as my family, friends, pets I wasn't allowed to own, costumes, and all sorts of things.
The main reason was for a leisure activity, and I was somewhat certain that I would never be a full-time job in Venezuela. But then my family decided to relocate to the UK, and this was a major change for me. When I was a teenager I had finally been granted some autonomy, and I was allowed to go to places by myself and to think about what I really would like to accomplish.
My love for character design and narrative has led me to comics which then brought me to drawing. Everything were put together. Following a few years of studying (and many hours of sweaty work) I'm currently freelance as an illustrator from London.
I think my work is bold, fun and somewhat messy (in an excellent manner!). Sometimes it can be simple, or it can be very detailed. However, it always features a character, or an animal, or some nice piece of nature. I believe every illustration I draw is part of the same universe.
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 as well as sly characters, humorous scenarios, little bits of information that you can be lost in. It is my goal to encompass as many of these elements whenever I create something new. If I'm able to make my person who is viewing it feel happy, excited, or like they noticed something fascinating, then I've accomplished the goal I set for myself.
"Another essential element that I am looking for is the sense of humor. It was apparent over time that I'm probably not the most adequate person to make very complex or abstract artworks However, I'm pretty good at making something fun and light-hearted to make someone laugh. I work to my strengths now."
Marianna's creative process on her Instagram and see detailed drawings from her children's book she created in lockdowns, as well as some behind-the-scenes images of her recoding Skillshare class to name a handful. The link to the class as well as Marianna's books are available on the web site.