Arts as Escapism The CreativeMindClass Blog

I'm originally from Venezuela. I grew up in a tropical town with hills and palm trees, however I it was never allowed for me to explore my environment fully (partly due to my parents' overprotectiveness however, mostly due to the everyday insecurities in my country). Almost always indoors, TV and reading became my primary methods of entertainment - along with drawing! I was constantly drawing my favourite anime characters as well as my family, friends, pets I wasn't allowed to wear, costumes, or anything really.

It was mostly a pastime, and I was somewhat conscious that it wouldn't go beyond that in Venezuela. My family then decided to move to UK and that changed everything for me. When I was a teenager, I was finally allowed some autonomy, and I was allowed to go to places alone and thought about the things I wanted to do.

My love for the design of characters and stories led me to comics, which then brought me to drawing. All the pieces were put together. After a couple of years of studies (and many hours of hard work) I'm now freelance as an illustrator from London.

I think my work is fun, bold and sometimes a little chaotic (in an excellent manner!). It can be straightforward but it could also be extremely detailed, but the illustrations always feature a figure, or an animal, or a nice bit of nature. I believe every illustration I draw is all part of the same world.

My main goal is having fun while doing it. I am reminded of things that enthralled me as a child in my youth: vibrant colours as well as sly characters, humorous scenarios, little details that you can be lost in. The goal of my work is to capture all of these aspects every time I make something brand new. If I'm able to make the viewer feel excited or satisfied, or even feel that they noticed something interesting that I've achieved what I wanted.

"Another important aspect for me is the sense of humor. Over time, I've realized that I'm not an qualified person to produce complex or abstract artworks, but I can be quite adept at making something fun and lighthearted to make someone laugh. I am a good player now."

You can follow Marianna's creative adventure on Instagram Discover detailed artwork from her children's book she worked on in lockdowns, as well as some behind-the-scenes photos of her redoing her Skillshare class, just to mention a few. The links to the class as well as Marianna's books can be found through the site.

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