Art mentorship for those interested in the Entertainment industry and/or art college admissions, being taught by a professional illustrator who works with games and animation

Find out more about Mariana

• 1) When did you start practicing? How did this passion find you?

  Since I've been a little kid. One day I picked up the pencil and I never let go since. My mom tells me that I've done 2 "genius" projects when I was little; one was a paper sculpture of a garden when I was 5, and the other was a simple traditional animation of the Swan Princess' transformation back and forth when I was 8. I've even tried getting away from it professionally and got first accepted into a Computer Engineering major when I went to college, but after a year I knew it wasn't for me and that I had to do something art related. After that, it all snowballed and I can't see myself doing anything else.

• 2) Which artists or works affect you the most?

  I have lots of artists who I admire a lot, and I couldn't possibly put them all into one place - but I can tell you some of the artists I can think of off the top of my head right now! Some of them are Alphonse Mucha, heikala, Yuumei, Jaw Cooper, Jean Giraud (aka Moebius), Posuka Demizu, Sybilline, Levitzo, Weiliwonka, George Bridgman, James Gurney... And much, much more.

• 3) What are the qualities and skills required to succeed in this area?

  Discipline. That beats anything else.
  Honestly though that's kind of the pot calling the kettle black hahaha. I struggle with severe ADHD and routines are not a thing in my world, so it's always been super hard to keep up with my self studies; never managed to draw something every day on a sketchbook, for example. HOWEVER! I do believe that if you TRULY want to be good at it, and you REALLY want to learn, then you should be able to adapt to your ways and do it without having to follow the traditional, standard "rules" that society dumps on your back (such as the drawing everyday thing). Basically... If you really want it, then go after it.

• 4) What is the most valuable advice you can give to help someone stay focused on creative projects?

  Don't wait to draw and do creative stuff only when creativity and inspiration strike you, do it even when you don't really feel like it (even if it's a 5 minute thing). Usually if you just sit down and start doing said thing, you'll kinda get in the mood and end up going with the flow, and then suddenly 5 minutes turn into 10 which turn into half an hour, and then suddenly 4h have passed and what is time
  You don't have to force yourself to draw something every single day, but it's good to at least try to consume some material related to art a couple of times a week - be it reading articles, watching tutorials or even going on drawing streams.

• 5) How would you describe your passion; how does it make you feel?

  It's a double edged sword, really. I love being able to draw, and I love being able to put down things on the paper that otherwise other people would never be able to see unless I described it to them. I do have some trauma related to art school however, and sometimes it burns me out super fast, but I'm slowly recovering and working on it.
  All in all, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
  Maybe some really good cake. But that's a story for another day.

• 6) What creative achievements are you particularly proud of?

  I've done some really good detailed work with an awkward perspective that I'm super proud of
  As for life achievements, I've been accepted and graduated from one of the top art schools in the world, all while not having been diagnosed with ADHD yet and STILL having been able to nail it. I've also been able to work at Treyarch (aka Activision) for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 as an animator, and that was one of the best experiences I could've ever asked for in my life.

• 7) Have you ever been surprised by a student; by their ability or quick progression?

  Yes, all the time.
  I might be biased, but my own boyfriend is one of those people! I've been teaching him a bit lately how to draw since he's always wanted to do it, and he's been improving at impossible rates. Hell, I'm jealous of how easy he grasps concepts and puts them to use. He still has a lot of things to learn obviously, but I like to think that he has a great teacher hahaha!

• 8) Being a Superprof is an art! What is your secret?

  Lots of time management, for sure. Gotta be able to rearrange students here and then if you wanna pick up more classes and find more students. But you get used to it!
  Something that also helps is having a basic standard class plan that would work for most students, and adjust it accordingly as you learn more about each student.