Mariana Coan – discovering something new

Based is São Paulo, Brazil, Mariana Coan has been working as a professional illustrator for over 4 years now. All that started when she sold her first illustration to Capricho, a magazine very popular among Brazilian teenagers.

I wish I could tell that I was one of those kids who draw since kindergarten, but things were different for me. Of course I’ve always liked to draw, but, born on a really small town on the outskirts of Brazil, I could not imagine I could make a living out of it. So, in college I’ve studied Publishing. At first I thought I was going to spend the rest of my days editing text and copywriting books. But after some years doing that I was really fed up with publishing, and I tried to make some illustrations just for pleasure. Sometime later a friend of mine saw the images and told me they were worth something, and that I should show them to some designers and art directors. So I did. But it was only one year later that I got my first commissioned illustration; I had to wait some time to get things going for me. Since I have started illustrating, though, it became more than a merely job. I can truly say it is the best thing that happened to me, I love what I do! 😀

I don’t think I have a particular style, but I can say I like collage and drawing the most. On the last couple of years I started paper crafting, and soon I became more and more in love with that. If I had to define my style, I would say I like mixing techniques, mediums and everything else.

My inspiration and goal is discovering something new in every project – I mean, learning how to do something differently, even if it’s something really tiny. And, of course, there are a bunch of people I admire out there, and they inspire me also. Just to name a few: Fabiano Silva, Robert Weaver, Andy Potts, Benja Harney, Robert Sabuda, Pieatari Posti, and few more.

As a personal thought – even though it’s more universal than personal hehehe: do what you love, and love what you do! 😀